Broker Episode 34 Recap
> Broker Recap
Qiu Jianing and Wenzhao had dinner together, during which Wenzhao asked if she was afraid of being alone with him. Qiu Jianing enjoyed her food and told Wenzhao to stop drinking so much. Wenzhao confided in her, revealing his wife had died by suicide because she didn't love him but someone else.
He recounted their history, meeting at four, falling in love at eighteen, marrying at twenty, and her sudden departure at twenty-two, a loss he found difficult to accept, feeling like a knife was constantly stabbing his heart. Qiu Jianing suggested he let go, but Wenzhao couldn't, believing he loved her most and wanted to prove it. Qiu Jianing called him a good man.
Wenzhao then confessed Qiu Jianing reminded him of his late wife, asking if she would be upset by the comparison. Qiu Jianing firmly denied any resemblance, stating she would never commit suicide for love and that Wenzhao didn't love her. Wenzhao admitted his attraction and asked her to consider him, believing he was more outstanding than her boyfriend. Qiu Jianing found his words misleading, and Wenzhao explained his desire to love a new woman to forget his past.
Qiu Jianing told him this would be unfair to everyone involved and urged him not to do anything foolish. Qiu Jiaxin arrived late for her dinner with Jiang Xiaoye, apologizing for being delayed by a patient. Jiang Xiaoye, having already ordered, complained about his coach, with whom he had argued, causing him to skip training.
He felt the coach disliked him, recounting how he was scolded for being only half an hour late and then for every small mistake during training, despite being sought after by major clubs. Qiu Jiaxin tried to reassure him that the coach's actions were for his own good, aimed at maintaining team discipline, but Jiang Xiaoye accused her of taking sides. They decided to drop the topic and eat. After dinner, Jiang Xiaoye drove Qiu Jiaxin home.
She encouraged him to return to the club and reconcile with his coach, but he remained reluctant, saying he would consider it, implying the club would suffer without him. Jiang Xiaoye assured her he could handle the situation. As Qiu Jiaxin got out of the car, she found herself worrying about Qin Bin. Qiu Jianing later recalled a past conversation with Uncle Zha about the circumstances surrounding Xiang Lan's death.
Uncle Zha had revealed that Xiang Lan shot and injured a male classmate who was attempting to assault her. Zhou Xiaoshan took the blame for her, but the powerful opposing side threatened him with life imprisonment. To save Zhou Xiaoshan, Xiang Lan agreed to marry "him," presumably Wenzhao, but soon after, she fell into depression and committed suicide by jumping off a cliff. This account matched Wenzhao's recent confession about his wife's suicide due to loving someone else.
Qiu Jiaxin returned to the hospital and found Qin Bin still working on patient medical files, even though he was not scheduled to work overtime. He explained a complex patient case required his attention. Qiu Jiaxin asked if his waist still hurt, and he confirmed it was much better, a testament to her medicinal patch. She then questioned why he had gone to the rock-climbing gym, knowing he didn't enjoy the sport.
Qin Bin insisted he did like it, claiming Zhao Yan had told him it helped train both body and spirit, and that his presence there was merely accidental. Qin Bin then tested Qiu Jiaxin on a case, noting her progress, which he attributed to his strict teaching. He instructed her to bring him a rolled pancake with five eggs for breakfast the next morning, a request she unhappily agreed to, expressing her frustration after leaving his office.
Qin Bin, however, began to feel annoyed again. Meanwhile, Wenzhao's lawyer contacted Zhou Xiaoshan, reminding him that tomorrow was the deadline for Wenzhao to receive a satisfactory answer, otherwise legal action would be pursued. Filled with doubts, Qiu Jianing confronted Zhou Xiaoshan late that night. She directly asked if he and Ruan Wenzhao were old acquaintances and if Wenzhao's deceased wife was indeed Xiang Lan. Zhou Xiaoshan confirmed this, admitting Wenzhao harbored ill intentions.
He explained that Wenzhao's company required all researchers to sign a supplementary agreement and provide a certificate of no criminal record. Wenzhao's lawyer had informed him of an impending criminal lawsuit related to the shooting incident years ago, which would prevent him from obtaining the certificate and staying in China. Qiu Jianing reminded him that he had taken the blame for Xiang Lan, but Zhou Xiaoshan pointed out that words were not proof, and the law required evidence.
She asked about his plan, noting that tomorrow was both Wenzhao's deadline and the investors' deadline. Qiu Jianing urged him not to confess to something he didn't do, emphasizing that reputation mattered more than a job, and suggested they hire a lawyer if necessary, confident that the truth could not be distorted. Zhou Xiaoshan reassured her he was fine. The only outstanding document was Zhou Xiaoshan's supplementary agreement.
Qiu Jianing attempted to speak with Wenzhao privately about Zhou Xiaoshan's situation, but Wenzhao rebuffed her, questioning whether she was approaching him as Zhou Xiaoshan's boss or girlfriend. Wenzhao then pressed President Huang on Zhou Xiaoshan's refusal to sign, implying the employee might have issues. Zhou Xiaoshan intervened, requesting a private discussion with Wenzhao. Wenzhao granted him half an hour, a deadline his lawyer had already reiterated to Zhou Xiaoshan.
Zhou Xiaoshan used this time to present Wenzhao with incriminating information. He revealed that Wenzhao's father had initially worked for Uncle Zha and was aware of his illicit activities during the Ruan family's early rise to wealth. Despite the family's extensive efforts to sanitize their image, Zhou Xiaoshan had unearthed evidence of their past "blackmail." He threatened to expose this information, gambling that Wenzhao was not so consumed by revenge that he would sacrifice his entire family's reputation.
Wenzhao, realizing the severity of the threat, conceded. He instructed President Huang to prepare the contract, agreeing to use Zhou Xiaoshan's previously submitted materials for the supplementary agreement. Qiu Jianing later questioned Zhou Xiaoshan about their conversation, and he explained Wenzhao's hatred stemmed from his love for Xiang Lan, leaving Qiu Jianing puzzled by Wenzhao's complex character. Concurrently, Su Qian, during a lab discussion where she emphasized excluding "redundant" negative data from reports, contacted Professor Harry.
Harry expressed surprise, and Su Qian revealed she needed his help because they shared a common enemy: Qiu Jianing. Meanwhile, Qin Bin purchased all of Qiu Jiaxin's favorite sweet and sour spare ribs and brought them to her at the hospital. He playfully insisted on wiping her mouth, but their intimate moment was interrupted by Zhao Yan. Qiu Jiaxin quickly excused herself and left.
Qin Bin then vehemently defended his actions to Zhao Yan, claiming he and Qiu Jiaxin were "in love" and dismissing Jiang Xiaoye as competition. He confidently asserted Qiu Jiaxin liked him, seeing it in her eyes. Zhao Yan, however, warned him that he was essentially "poaching" and should be more careful, reminding him that Jiang Xiaoye was her official boyfriend.
Qin Bin scoffed at this, calling Zhao Yan's views outdated and his pursuit "true love," before playfully suggesting Zhao Yan find a girlfriend himself. Later, Qiu Jiaxin confided in Qiu Jianing, expressing guilt about her continued attraction to Qin Bin while dating Jiang Xiaoye. She described her heart beating quickly when Qin Bin brought her ribs and tried to wipe her mouth.
Qiu Jianing clarified that Qiu Jiaxin felt guilty because she was dating Jiang Xiaoye but also had feelings for Qin Bin. Qiu Jiaxin admitted her heart also beat quickly for Jiang Xiaoye. Qiu Jianing explained that an accelerated heartbeat could signify various emotions—love, idolization, or even nervousness—and advised her sister to discern the true nature of her feelings for each man.
Qiu Jiaxin then suggested that Qiu Jianing use their father's upcoming 60th birthday next month as an opportunity to reconcile with him after their estrangement over Zhou Xiaoshan. The next day, Professor Harry appeared in a televised interview, publicly accusing Qiu Jianing of plagiarizing his laboratory's research results a year prior. He claimed a Chinese company, Plan-O Laboratories (owned by Original Life), had hired her immediately after the alleged plagiarism.
News of this spread rapidly through the lab, with colleagues expressing shock and concern, learning Qiu Jianing was at a signing ceremony. At the ceremony, Wenzhao, acknowledging the scandal, stated that while he personally believed in Qiu Jianing, he could not sign the contract until the situation was resolved. Qiu Jianing tried to explain to President Huang that she had written the article Harry published and had left his lab because he plagiarized her work.
She pointed out that Plan-O's advanced progress (Phase 2) compared to Harry's lab (stuck in animal experiments) disproved his claims. President Huang remained unconvinced, but Wenzhao publicly declared his belief in Professor Qiu, stressing that the immediate challenge was to convince the public. He agreed with Qiu Jianing's logical argument about the contrasting lab progress and suggested a press conference with a statement. Qiu Jianing readily agreed, and President Huang promised the public relations department's full cooperation.
Zhou Xiaoshan, however, found the timing of Harry's interview "too much of a coincidence," suspecting Wenzhao. Qiu Jianing disagreed, noting Wenzhao had just defended her, and urged Zhou Xiaoshan not to act on impulse. Back at the lab, the staff expressed their unwavering belief in "Sister Jianing," for which she thanked them. Qiu Jiaxin, overhearing colleagues discussing a female researcher named Qiu accused of plagiarism, checked trending topics online and saw the accusations against her sister.
Qin Bin, upon hearing Qiu Jiaxin's outrage, remained calm. He rationalized that Harry's accusations were baseless, given Plan-O's superior progress. He advised Qiu Jiaxin to remain calm and not act impulsively, suggesting Harry had likely prepared thoroughly and that a hasty retort would only alert their enemy. Qiu Jianing completed her statement and decided to hold a press conference the following day. Wenzhao and Su Qian received the draft statement.
Su Qian called it a "war declaration" that would cause public uproar, but Wenzhao, with a confident smile, assured her that Qiu Jianing's every move was still under his control and she wouldn't recover so quickly. The next morning, Qiu Jiaxin woke Qiu Jianing, showing her a newly exposed, edited video.
The video depicted a conversation where TKS discussed Plan-O's value at five million dollars and offered Qiu Jianing a transfer agreement to work for them, promising to ruin Harry's career. The edited video made it appear as if Qiu Jianing was negotiating terms, ending with her stating, "I can appreciate the sincerity from TKS," followed by "So, do we have an agreement?" Qiu Jianing angrily declared it was edited and that she had refused TKS's attempt to buy her off.
She intended to immediately expose the truth, but Zhou Xiaoshan intervened, calling it a trap set by Harry and Gale, warning her that acting impulsively would only play into their hands. Qiu Jianing received a call from President Huang and, accompanied by Zhou Xiaoshan, went to meet him and Wenzhao. President Huang expressed disbelief at the new video. Qiu Jianing insisted it was edited, a claim Zhou Xiaoshan supported, arguing that the need for editing proved her innocence.
President Huang worried about their dilemma: the earlier announcement could clear her of plagiarism but wouldn't address the bribery accusation, potentially even validating the new video. Wenzhao offered his analysis: Harry's initial video might have been a strategic move against the project, but the new video clearly targeted Qiu Jianing herself. He noted how the incident had been inflamed to the point where Qiu Jianing was being called a "national traitor," clearly an attempt to ruin her reputation.
Wenzhao and President Huang asked if she had offended anyone. Qiu Jianing replied she had offended too many people to recall but was not afraid. Zhou Xiaoshan became more convinced that Wenzhao was behind the attacks, to which Qiu Jianing wondered why Harry and Gale would cooperate with him. Zhou Xiaoshan suggested, "the enemy's enemy is one's friend." Wenzhao then advised President Huang to modify the announcement.
He recommended emphasizing Professor Wang Jitian as Plan-O's leader and explicitly removing any mention of Qiu Jianing. President Huang worried this would hurt Qiu Jianing and undermine confidence in the project by removing its leader. Wenzhao dismissed his concerns, implying his Tiancheng Fund was willing to sign if President Huang was decisive, but would withdraw if he continued to protect Qiu Jianing's feelings, leaving President Huang unable to answer to other investors.
Wenzhao further suggested Su Qian, a core researcher who had returned from an overseas lab with fame, could replace Qiu Jianing, which he believed would instill more confidence. He urged President Huang not to "lose big over trivial matters" and to be decisive. President Huang requested time to consider, but Wenzhao pressed him to decide "as soon as possible," warning that the incident could quickly become uncontrollable.
