Broker Episode 15 Recap
> Broker Recap
Zhou Xiaoshan and Qiu Jianing were on a date when Qiu Jianing's feet began to hurt from her high heels. She playfully suggested that, like in TV dramas, he should get her a band-aid. Instead, Zhou Xiaoshan offered to carry her, and though she jokingly warned him she was heavy, he later remarked that she was "quite light" while carrying her. Mo Li secretly watched this tender moment from a distance, finding Zhou Xiaoshan's smile particularly jarring.
While waiting for their ride, the rain started. Qiu Jianing asked Zhou Xiaoshan what he would want to be if there was an afterlife, noting she felt sentimental. He responded that he would want to be the sun. Seeing she was getting cold, he draped his jacket over her, despite her initial protests, and they then made their way home through the rain. Mo Li secretly followed Zhou Xiaoshan home.
Upon entering his apartment, he saw her and sternly instructed her to go into the bathroom and remain hidden. Shortly after, Qiu Jianing, who had the door password, arrived, concerned that he might catch a cold from the rain, and brought him some medicine. Qiu Jianing entered, finding Zhou Xiaoshan with his chest partially exposed, revealing a prominent scar. When she inquired about it, he vaguely attributed it to being "naughty."
He then provocatively asked if she had "other thoughts" for visiting and suggested she stay, even offering to sleep on the sofa if he developed a fever. He further teased her about her blushing, which caused her to become flustered and quickly depart. Once Qiu Jianing left, Mo Li emerged from the bathroom, distraught. She confronted Zhou Xiaoshan, accusing him of lying and questioning if he had fallen in love with Qiu Jianing, forgetting their mission.
Zhou Xiaoshan coldly responded that if she believed his affections for Qiu Jianing were genuine, then Qiu Jianing would too, as they are both women. He clarified that this entire display was a calculated "trap" designed to completely gain Qiu Jianing's trust and manipulate her through emotional means, all for the mission.
He further explained that the lab was conducting a double-blind experiment where the true formula was hidden within random astronomical numbers, accessible only to those in the most senior positions. Zhou Xiaoshan revealed that he was aware Mo Li had been sent by Uncle Zha to monitor him, but he expressed understanding for her difficult position, acknowledging she had "no choice." He declared this to be his final mission, emphasizing his determination not to fail.
He then instructed Mo Li to leave and not return without his direct orders, stating that fewer people knowing about his relationship with Qiu Jianing would make it easier for him to "get out of it" in the future. As Mo Li departed, privately hoping for the mission's swift completion so she and Zhou Xiaoshan could begin a new life together, Zhou Xiaoshan inwardly swore that he would not allow anyone to harm Qiu Jianing.
Qiu Jiaxin took Qin Bin to a bar owned by Xu Qianya, determined to help him process his heartbreak over Qiu Jianing. She ordered drinks and urged him to "vent it out," but Qin Bin refused, explaining he had important consultations the next day and needed to "stay sharp."
Annoyed, he called her "crazy" and attempted to leave, assuring her he was "really fine" and not so "devastated" by the rejection that his life was over; he still had his work, patients, and family. Qiu Jiaxin noted that he and her sister were "the same type of people," and Qin Bin admitted he currently couldn't even hear Qiu Jianing's name. Despite this, he insisted he wasn't "fragile" and appreciated Qiu Jiaxin's concern.
A young patient named Xiao Yue, suffering from a serious illness, expressed his fear of dying before experiencing an amusement park. Qin Bin and Qiu Jiaxin tried to reassure him about future opportunities, but Xiao Yue accused them of lying, revealing he knew his condition was serious and he didn't have much time left. Moved by his plea, Qin Bin promised to take him to "the world's most fun and safest amusement park."
They brought Xiao Yue to a VR experience center. Although Xiao Yue was initially skeptical, Qiu Jiaxin's playful assurances convinced him, and he soon delighted in the virtual merry-go-round. Xiao Yue then insisted on riding a roller coaster. Concerned about its intensity for his health, Qin Bin, despite his own fear of heights (which Qiu Jiaxin observed with amusement), volunteered to ride the VR roller coaster first to demonstrate. During the simulation, Qin Bin screamed and begged to get off.
When he finally removed the headset, he was visibly shaken and pale, with weak legs. However, this display successfully deterred Xiao Yue from wanting to ride it himself, at least for now. Back at the hospital, Qiu Jiaxin brought Qin Bin some porridge for his stomach after his traumatic VR experience. Qin Bin reflected that witnessing Xiao Yue's suffering at such a young age made his own heartbreak seem trivial.
He assured Qiu Jiaxin that his world wouldn't collapse just because her sister didn't love him. The lab received notification that they would be attending a high-level biotechnology and medical innovation conference in City A the following year, a decision from headquarters that allowed no discussion, despite concerns about the tight timeline for achieving significant animal experiment results. After the general meeting, Wang Lao consulted Sun Lei and Qiu Jianing, who both advocated for multitasking.
Their strategy included recruiting patients, planning clinical trials, optimizing protocols, and constructing a pre-production plant alongside the animal experiments. Consequently, Wang Lao assigned Sun Lei to oversee primate experiments and visit partners in Guangzhou, while Qiu Jianing was tasked with continuing the mice experiments at the lab and finalizing her slow-release factor formula report. Zhu Zhu invited Zhou Xiaoshan to see a movie on Saturday.
While they were talking, Zhou Xiaoshan overheard a colleague discussing Professor Sun Lei's business trip to Guangzhou for primate experiments the next day, and that Qiu Jianing would remain at the lab for mice experiments. At the fighting gym, a persistent Mr. Li was causing a disturbance, demanding a class with Mo Li and threatening to spread rumors if denied. Qiu Jiaxin intervened, pulling Mr. Li aside.
She advised him to adopt a more patient approach when pursuing a woman, revealing that she had booked all of Mo Li's upcoming classes to prevent other men from bothering her. Qiu Jiaxin urged him to leave quietly and return when Mo Li's schedule became available, which he eventually did. Qiu Jiaxin and Mo Li shared a meal, where Qiu Jiaxin enthusiastically ordered from the restaurant's "hidden menu," explaining its origins to Mo Li.
When Qiu Jiaxin learned Mo Li was twenty-four, she jokingly called it "such an awkward age" for thinking about marriage. She then pressed Mo Li about any romantic interests. Mo Li, after some hesitation, confessed to liking someone Qiu Jiaxin wouldn't know. She described him as "cute" and caring, a man who "even saved my life."
Qiu Jiaxin urged her to confess her feelings, but Mo Li demurred, explaining that he was occupied with something extremely important, and she couldn't "distract him," hoping they could begin their life together once his mission was complete. Qiu Jiaxin then vented her frustration about Qiu Jianing, whom she called "heartless." She recounted how she had tried to set her sister up with her mentor, Qin Bin, only for Qiu Jianing to secretly begin dating her colleague, Zhou Xiaoshan.
Qiu Jiaxin expressed suspicion, detailing how she had seen Zhou Xiaoshan at Qiu Jianing's dorm late one night, and observed her sister's blushing and evasive behavior, leading her to believe "They must have done something secretly." Mo Li listened, a hint of bitterness in her expression, but she reminded herself of Zhou Xiaoshan's earlier explanation: that her believing the charade would ensure Qiu Jianing believed it too, and that it was all for the mission.
Zhou Xiaoshan's culinary skills continued to impress Qiu Jianing, who playfully remarked that her face was getting "chubbier" from his cooking, calling it a "blessing." Zhou Xiaoshan teased her for her lack of concern for appearances, to which Qiu Jianing responded by voicing her suspicions. She recounted how Qianya had told her that a man desiring a secret relationship often indicated he was "a two-timer."
Qiu Jianing expressed concern that she knew nothing about Zhou Xiaoshan beyond his official resume, worrying that if he turned out to be "one of those bastards who manipulate women," she would have no way to find him if he disappeared. Zhou Xiaoshan brushed off her anxieties, suggesting her clinginess stemmed from her deep love for him. While Qiu Jianing and Zhou Xiaoshan were having dinner, Mo Li called him, but he chose not to answer.
Qiu Jianing noticed the caller ID displayed a "City A" area code, prompting Zhou Xiaoshan to quickly dismiss it as a "scam call" using a simulator. Later, Zhou Xiaoshan received an urgent phone call from Uncle Zha, who pressed him to acquire the formula without delay. Uncle Zha mentioned that the reagents for the double-blind experiment had been narrowed down to two colors, blue and yellow, with one likely being the correct prototype.
He warned that if Wang Qitian successfully patented the formula before they obtained it, all their efforts would be for nothing, emphasizing that Zhou Xiaoshan "must do it," not merely "try his best." Qiu Jianing and Xu Qianya went for massages. During their session, Xu Qianya expressed her strong suspicions about Zhou Xiaoshan, pointing out his unknown background and the clandestine nature of his relationship with Qiu Jianing.
She was "almost certain that this man definitely is onto you for something." Mo Li asked Zhou Xiaoshan if he had acquired the formula, but he clarified that he had only managed to obtain a reagent for analysis, uncertain if it was a sufficient sample.
He explained that he took only one to avoid arousing suspicion, rationalizing that the loss of a single sample could be dismissed as lab contamination or human error, and kept this from Qiu Jianing to avoid tipping her off. Later, Qiu Jiaxin saw Zhou Xiaoshan and Mo Li in close conversation, appearing to whisper intimately. She quickly took a photograph and sent it to Qiu Jianing, exclaiming that Zhou Xiaoshan was "indeed a two-timer."
Upon receiving the photo, Xu Qianya immediately requested their location and, accompanied by Qiu Jianing, rushed to confront them. Upon their arrival, they witnessed Mo Li holding Zhou Xiaoshan's arm as they departed. A furious Qiu Jiaxin immediately confronted Zhou Xiaoshan, accusing him of being a "two-timer," and then turned her anger toward Mo Li, claiming she had deceptively offered a fake discount for the MMA school to get close to Qiu Jianing.
Zhou Xiaoshan quickly stepped in to explain that Mo Li was his "younger sister," a revelation that utterly bewildered Qiu Jiaxin. He claimed he had always intended to introduce them but had been too busy with work. Throughout the confrontation, Qiu Jianing remained remarkably calm, simply asking Xu Qianya to take her home. As they drove away, Qiu Jianing reflected on Mo Li's face, finding it "so familiar" and wondering if their paths had crossed before.
