Broker Episode 11 Recap
> Broker Recap
Mr. Lee arrived at the gym looking for Mo Li but was informed she was unavailable, having been reserved by someone else even earlier. Annoyed, he stormed off to complain to the boss, alleging Mo Li had attacked him during training and demanding she either become his personal trainer or apologize. Mo Li, however, remained defiant, refusing to apologize and stating she was at the gym to relieve stress, not to be lectured. She even struck Mr. Lee again.
When Zhou Xiaoshan was called to the MMA school to mediate, he tried to persuade Mo Li to apologize, but her apology was sarcastic. To resolve the escalating conflict, Zhou Xiaoshan pushed Mo Li in front of Mr. Lee, offering him the chance to retaliate without consequence. Mr. Lee hesitated, claiming he didn't hit women. Zhou Xiaoshan then offered himself to be hit on Mo Li's behalf, but Mr. Lee again demurred.
Ultimately, Mr. Lee relented, agreeing to drop the matter, and the boss intervened to finalize the resolution. Afterward, Zhou Xiaoshan tended to Mo Li's hand and explained that Mr. Lee, whose full name was Li Ruiming, hadn't genuinely wanted to cause a scene but rather to attract attention. Zhou Xiaoshan advised Mo Li to use her brain instead of her fists in future conflicts.
Mo Li recalled their first encounter years ago, when she was fourteen and had to defend herself against an assailant. She remembered feeling a sense of satisfaction after teaching the person a lesson, rather than sadness. She expressed her disdain for Li Ruiming, stating she was disgusted to be bullied by such a weak and cowardly man who dared not voice his grievances, preferring to keep his resentment internalized.
Zhou Xiaoshan cautioned her not to underestimate adversaries, reminding her that dangerous things often appear alluring and should not be mistaken for something harmless. Qiu Jianing messaged Zhou Xiaoshan after noticing the lights were off at his house. Upon her return home, Qiu Jiaxin immediately questioned her about her dinner with Qin Bin, causing Qiu Jianing some embarrassment. Qiu Jianing mentioned Qin Bin's surprising fondness for sweets, which Qiu Jiaxin interpreted as a romantic overture.
However, Qiu Jianing, ever the scientist, logically concluded that Qin Bin was simply seeking further guidance for his article. Later, Qiu Jiaxin spoke to Qin Bin by phone, confirming Qiu Jianing's logical, if romantically oblivious, interpretation. Qiu Jiaxin advised Qin Bin to be more direct with her "dumb scientist sister," who values facts over subtle hints.
Qin Bin recounted an earlier incident where Qiu Jianing used her phone to calculate the distance to a restaurant to determine who should pay, further illustrating her literal nature. Despite Qiu Jiaxin’s playful jabs at her sister's emotional intelligence, Qin Bin defended Qiu Jianing, describing her as beautiful but unaware of it. Qin Bin, fearing a direct rejection, decided against an immediate confession. Instead, he opted to slowly build a connection, hoping to gradually "invade her heart without her knowing."
Qiu Jiaxin sarcastically wished him luck, cautioning him against being driven crazy by her sister's pragmatic nature. At the lab, colleagues wondered why Qiu Jianing always ate alone, attributing it to arrogance. Zhou Xiaoshan defended her, explaining that such solitary meals, like eating salad in the garden, were a common and accepted practice among academics overseas, even recalling a Nobel physicist doing the same.
However, when a colleague mentioned seeing Qiu Jianing get into Qin Bin’s car and speculated about their intimacy, Zhou Xiaoshan’s expression dropped, and he abruptly urged everyone to continue eating. Qin Bin thanked Qiu Jianing for her assistance with his article and offered to treat her to a nice meal, which she initially declined due to her afternoon schedule. He then confided that he felt a sense of loss after completing his article.
Qiu Jianing agreed that she often experienced a similar feeling after finishing a demanding report, likening it to a close friend departing, though she then stated that she found enjoyment in her busy life. Before Qin Bin could elaborate on his own feelings of loss, his car suffered a flat tire.
He offered to call the insurance company, but Qiu Jianing quickly opened the trunk, proposing they change the tire themselves in a mere five minutes, saving them a potentially hour-long wait. Qin Bin insisted on handling the task, but Qiu Jianing had to guide him, pointing out the correct pivot point and reminding him to loosen the lug nuts before jacking up the car.
When Qin Bin struggled to loosen a stubborn lug nut, Qiu Jianing, to his astonishment, took over and efficiently changed the tire. Qin Bin expressed his surprise that a female scientist like her could be so practical and "do things only men can do." Qiu Jianing challenged his gender stereotypes, prompting him to admit he had subtly stereotyped her.
Qiu Jiaxin later playfully mocked Qin Bin for his inability to change a tire, highlighting his "weakness" in front of her sister. Qin Bin, however, expressed his admiration for Qiu Jianing, stating that he saw her through "a filter." He then enlisted Qiu Jiaxin's help to persuade Qiu Jianing to attend his department's team-building event at Thousand-Island Lake during the upcoming long weekend. Qiu Jiaxin was skeptical, knowing her sister's workaholic tendencies.
Despite her initial reluctance, Qiu Jiaxin agreed to ask. She approached Qiu Jianing at work with coffee and muffins, then raised the idea of the trip. Qiu Jianing claimed she had to work overtime. Disbelieving her, Qiu Jiaxin secretly messaged Zhou Xiaoshan, who confirmed that only he would be working in the lab during the holiday.
Armed with this information, and threatening to inform their father about Qiu Jianing's workaholic habits, Qiu Jiaxin successfully coerced her sister into agreeing to attend the team-building event. Qiu Jiaxin later offered Qiu Jianing a facial mask, emphasizing the importance of self-care. After two months, Qiu Jianing reported significant progress in her experiments: cancer cell growth was suppressed, stem cells were unaffected, and telomerase activity had dramatically decreased, almost to zero. Her results were consistent with Xiaoxiao’s.
However, Zhou Xiaoshan’s results were delayed due to earlier setbacks and were not expected until the long weekend. Professor Wang then informed Qiu Jianing that President Huang of the company demanded the final cell experiment report immediately after the holiday, giving her only three to four days to finalize everything, despite their initial agreement for three months. After Qiu Jianing departed, Professor Wang summoned Sun Lei.
He acknowledged Sun Lei’s probable unhappiness about Qiu Jianing’s rapid progress, which threatened to overshadow his own long-standing work, but stressed the harsh realities of scientific competition and the importance of teamwork. He then instructed Sun Lei to halt all his ongoing experiments and fully cooperate with Qiu Jianing’s team. Xiaoxiao and other colleagues discussed the situation, noting Sun Lei's low spirits.
Xiaoxiao expressed her anger at Sun Lei, who had dedicated eight years to Professor Wang's project, now being relegated to an assistant role for Qiu Jianing, who had been there less than three months. She confronted Sun Lei, questioning his willingness to yield to Qiu Jianing and accusing Professor Wang of unfairness. Sun Lei, while outwardly calm, offered a philosophical perspective on the nature of scientific research, implying that failures and superseded work were part of the process.
When Xiaoxiao urged him to be more selfish, reminding him of his parents' sacrifices, Sun Lei became angry and ordered her to leave. Despite his composed exterior, Sun Lei was inwardly resentful, later reviewing his own experimental data and noting discrepancies between his control group's growth and Qiu Jianing's, pondering the reason for the difference given identical procedures and materials. The lab team was discussing their plans for the upcoming long weekend.
Li Chunran shared that her mother had arranged her 99th blind date with a research assistant who had an impressive publication record. Zhang Yu playfully teased Li Chunran about her single status, which led to a chase around the lab. Mo Mo observed that Zhang Yu's teasing was a clear sign of affection, a notion that surprised Qiu Jianing, prompting Mo Mo to jokingly remark on her low emotional intelligence.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaoshan reported to Qiu Jianing in her office that his experiment results were one step away from completion and were expected the following day. Qiu Jianing showed him her and Xiaoxiao's consistent value-added graphs. Zhou Xiaoshan reassured her that his trends aligned with theirs, and the final results were imminent.
As they prepared to leave, Qiu Jianing stressed the importance of meticulous experimental procedures, such as shaking serum and precise measurements, reiterating the urgency given President Huang's demand for the report immediately after the holiday. Zhou Xiaoshan then made an excuse to return to the lab, claiming he had forgotten a document, and told Qiu Jianing to go home first.
Back in the lab, he carefully examined his own value-added graph and discovered a significant discrepancy: his control group cells were not growing as well as Qiu Jianing's, despite having followed identical protocols. This inconsistency, coupled with his earlier comparison, made him suspicious, and he subsequently discovered that his culture dishes had been tampered with. The following morning, Qin Bin picked up Qiu Jianing and Qiu Jiaxin for their trip.
While Zhou Xiaoshan was working overtime in the lab, the front desk called to inform him by phone that someone was there to see Qiu Jianing. Zhou Xiaoshan went to meet the visitor and recognized him as the young man who had borrowed 50 yuan from Qiu Jianing previously. The young man, who introduced himself as Jiang Xiaoye, an LPL professional e-sports player, had come to return the money.
He explained that his earlier request for money was part of a "truth or dare" game with friends, where he was challenged to borrow 50 yuan from five different people to total 250 yuan, assuring Zhou Xiaoshan he wasn't a professional beggar. He apologized for the delay in repayment, explaining he had been away at a team training camp.
Although Zhou Xiaoshan suggested Qiu Jianing had likely forgotten about the small sum, Jiang Xiaoye insisted on fulfilling his promise, stating that returning the money would ensure Qiu Jianing continued to help genuinely needy people in the future. His words resonated deeply with Zhou Xiaoshan, reminding him of Qiu Jianing's philosophy about the importance of choosing kindness and belief despite potential deception. Zhou Xiaoshan thanked Jiang Xiaoye for the valuable lesson.
