Broker Episode 7 Recap
> Broker Recap
Mo Li encountered a salesperson who offered her a free gift for following their new store online. Recalling Zhou Xiaoshan's advice that few people can resist the word "free," Mo Li returned to the gym where she planned to work and proposed to offer her services for three months without pay. Later, she showed Zhou Xiaoshan her employment agreement, celebrating her success.
Mo Li expressed confusion about her new life, remarking that in the past, she survived by hitting others, but now she survives by being hit. Zhou Xiaoshan explained that the external actions are superficial; what matters is internal happiness. He elaborated on the concept of "free," stating that while she offered free service, she also gained valuable experience and insight into business management, which are priceless. Mo Li, however, confessed she found his explanations increasingly difficult to understand.
Meanwhile, in the lab, colleagues comforted a distraught Xiaoxiao, who was facing dismissal after a recent incident. Qiu Jianing approached Professor Sun, acknowledging his gratitude for her actions during the previous night's fire. She used this opportunity to advocate for Xiaoxiao, asserting that the accident was not entirely Xiaoxiao's fault but possibly due to uncertain factors or loopholes in the protocol.
Qiu Jianing argued that Xiaoxiao's intense desire for Professor Sun's recognition had led her to work overtime and become stressed, resulting in the accidental reagent spill. Professor Sun, initially angered by the suggestion that he was responsible for the fire, was told by Qiu Jianing that her principle was to solve problems first, then assign blame. Although Professor Sun sarcastically questioned if Qiu Jianing was teaching him how to behave, he ultimately agreed not to dismiss Xiaoxiao.
Shortly after, Professor Sun called a general meeting concerning laboratory safety. While many expected a lecture on safety, Xiaoxiao was secretly relieved that her job was safe. However, to Xiaoxiao's dismay and confusion, Professor Sun announced that she would be assigned to assist Qiu Jianing due to a staff shortage. Zhou Xiaoshan, aware that Qiu Jianing had spoken out for Xiaoxiao, confronted her.
He questioned why she had intervened for Xiaoxiao but not for Zheng Wei when she made a mistake. Zhou Xiaoshan cautioned Qiu Jianing about letting Xiaoxiao join her critical experiments, emphasizing the need for researchers to be perfectly in sync and the severe consequences if anyone made a mistake, as Qiu Jianing wouldn't have a second chance. He further predicted that Xiaoxiao would not be grateful and would continue to oppose her, being "Professor Sun's person."
Qiu Jianing accused Zhou Xiaoshan of having a strong prejudice against people. He admitted to believing that people do not change their fundamental nature. Qiu Jianing then challenged him directly, asking if someone like her, who had been fired from Harry's lab, would ever gain his trust.
Later, over lunch, Zhou Xiaoshan reiterated the urgency of their project, reminding Qiu Jianing that without the access code (key) to previous experimental data, rapid progress would be extremely difficult, especially with only three months left. At the gym, Mo Li began her work as a combat coach, sparring with a client named Mr. Li. He used the session to vent his frustrations about a demanding client who had made him work tirelessly without payment.
Mo Li showed concern for his existing injuries, but he insisted she continue. After the session, Mr. Li thanked Mo Li, who noticed his injury hadn't healed. Later, Zhou Xiaoshan visited Mo Li, bringing ointment for her own forehead injury. Mo Li shared her observations about the gym, noting the "double-faced behaviors" of people who live oppressed lives, doing things they don't want to do, and wondering why they couldn't be more genuine.
Zhou Xiaoshan explained that while humans are born good, adulthood introduces selfishness and desire, making many afraid to live genuinely. He then mused that genuineness in the adult world is often perceived as stupidity, briefly recalling his earlier conversation with Qiu Jianing about trust before concluding that "there aren't people like that." Meanwhile, Professor Wang handed Qiu Jianing a card containing the username and password for the "Original Plan (Plan-O) Laboratory" advanced data, which was the key she needed.
Qiu Jianing expressed concern that this might displease Professor Sun and create a rift, but Professor Wang reassured her that Sun Lei would understand if she produced convincing experimental results. Suddenly, a fire alarm blared, sending everyone rushing to the lab. A batch of freshly micro-injected fertilized eggs, not yet transplanted into female mice, had been affected by the fire.
The lab urgently needed to inject a new batch, but fertilized eggs were limited, and the tech department's success rate was low. Professor Sun, renowned for his 95% micro-injection success rate, was their only hope. Professor Sun, eager to challenge Qiu Jianing, proposed a public competition: he and Qiu Jianing would perform the micro-injections together. He revealed his own 95% success rate and asked Qiu Jianing for hers, which she claimed was "about the same."
Professor Sun suggested they work side-by-side for speed and to serve as a learning opportunity. Despite Professor Wang's attempt to deter the challenge due to limited resources and Qiu Jianing's unfamiliarity with the equipment, Qiu Jianing accepted. She proposed that if she won, Professor Sun would share the Plan-O experimental results. Professor Sun agreed, adding that if he won, he would not share the access code.
As Qiu Jianing and Professor Sun prepared for the competition, Zhou Xiaoshan pulled Qiu Jianing aside, urging her not to be impulsive and suggesting there were other ways to obtain the access code. Qiu Jianing retorted that her precarious position already burdened Professor Wang, and she didn't want to cause him more trouble. When Zhou Xiaoshan asked what if she lost, Qiu Jianing suggested he was worried about how her loss would affect him as her assistant.
Just as they were about to begin, Zhou Xiaoshan stepped forward and declared that his best micro-injection success rate was 98%, surpassing both Professor Sun and Qiu Jianing's 95%. Given the limited supply of fertilized eggs, he argued he was the most suitable person to perform the task. He then directly challenged Professor Sun to a competition. Professor Sun demanded to know Zhou Xiaoshan's stakes, reminding him of Qiu Jianing's agreement to forfeit the access code if she lost.
Zhou Xiaoshan asked Professor Sun to name his condition, to which Professor Sun replied that if Zhou Xiaoshan lost, he would have to leave the lab. Despite Qiu Jianing's worried plea, Zhou Xiaoshan accepted. Both men then entered the operating rooms, while Qiu Jianing and the other lab members watched anxiously. After the injections were completed, both Professor Sun and Zhou Xiaoshan announced they were finished.
The results showed that both had successfully injected 99 out of 100 fertilized eggs, a tie. While some colleagues celebrated the high success rate, a junior researcher pointed out that Zhou Xiaoshan had finished a few seconds faster than Professor Sun. Xiaoxiao interjected, arguing that the competition wasn't over. She emphasized that the main goal was to nurture mice suitable for the experiment, and the final nurturing results, which would take twenty days, might differ significantly despite similar injection rates.
Qiu Jianing agreed to wait twenty days for the results. Later, Qiu Jianing confronted Zhou Xiaoshan, asking why he had intervened. He asked her to trust him, stating he was not who she thought he was. Qiu Jianing said she "did" trust him, which was why she had supported him, but if he truly trusted her, he wouldn't have challenged Professor Sun at the last moment, implying he doubted her ability to win. Zhou Xiaoshan denied this.
Qiu Jianing then noted his anxiety since she proposed her new experimental approach and expressed her concern that he might follow "Zheng Wei's path." She firmly stated that scientific research should be about improving human civilization, not serving as anyone's stepping stone. Zhou Xiaoshan, gritting his teeth, responded that "time will prove everything."
Qiu Jianing hoped so and assigned him the task of completing diffraction data analysis and summary three times within the next twenty days, with discussions every five days, to develop a comprehensive plan. Qiu Jianing planned to pick up her medical report, but her sister, Qiu Jiaxin, called to say she had already retrieved it and asked Qiu Jianing to collect it from her office.
Following Qiu Jiaxin's detailed directions, Qiu Jianing arrived at the office and found Qin Bin there. Qin Bin, upon seeing Qiu Jianing, excitedly tried to get her phone number. Qiu Jiaxin then entered, revealing to a mortified Qin Bin that Qiu Jianing was her sister—the "laboratory test tube washer" he had previously dismissed. After this awkward introduction, Qiu Jiaxin gave Qiu Jianing her medical report.
Although the report was largely normal, Qiu Jiaxin pointed out that Qiu Jianing's GPT level was "above normal," a warning sign. Qiu Jiaxin chastised her sister for constantly working through the night, emphasizing that health is the foundation of everything, using the analogy of "1" for health and "0s" for achievements. Qiu Jianing promised to prioritize sleep.
Meanwhile, in another part of the hospital, colleagues discussed Zhou Xiaoshan's unexpected skill in the micro-injection competition, noting his calmness and quick recovery from initial mistakes. They debated who would ultimately win and whether speed affected the cells, concluding that sometimes efficiency could be less harmful. The conversation devolved into a philosophical discussion about Schrödinger's cat, with one colleague summarizing that their worries wouldn't change the objective outcome.
Back in Qiu Jiaxin's office, Qin Bin, after subtly sending Zhao Yan away, began to flatter Qiu Jiaxin. He started inquiring about Qiu Jianing's relationship status, eventually learning she was neither married nor had a boyfriend. Qin Bin then proposed a deal, asking Qiu Jiaxin to help him pursue her sister, offering her boxes of popular juice tea as an incentive. Later that day, Zhou Xiaoshan, noticing Qiu Jianing's persistent cough, went to her apartment with cold medicine.
However, Qiu Jiaxin answered the door, informing him that Qiu Jianing had just left and she didn't know when she'd return. Qiu Jianing, meanwhile, had gone to a bar to meet her best friend, Xiao Ya. After a brief chat, Qiu Jianing decided to leave, promising to meet Xiao Ya again soon. As Qiu Jianing exited the bar, she was approached by a persistent rich young man, Fu Yuanbo, who offered to take her home.
Zhou Xiaoshan suddenly appeared, asking if Fu Yuanbo had consulted him first. Annoyed by the situation, Qiu Jianing took Fu Yuanbo to a training venue. There, she challenged him to a dangerous car stunt: driving towards a wall at 120 yards and braking at the last possible moment. If he won, she would go with him.
Zhou Xiaoshan watched with concern as Qiu Jianing executed the stunt with daring precision, pushing the limits even further on a second run with Fu Yuanbo in the car, forcing him to repeatedly apologize and admit defeat. After driving Fu Yuanbo away, Zhou Xiaoshan approached Qiu Jianing, asking, "Now, how can I take you away?" He then challenged her to another round of their dangerous game. Qiu Jianing simply replied "No" and walked away, leaving Zhou Xiaoshan to call after her, "Afraid to lose?"
