Master of My Own Episode 8 Recap
> Master of My Own Recap
Ning Meng returned home to find Lu Jiming outside her apartment. A brief exchange revealed that Zeng Yuhang, whom Lu Jiming was visiting for his birthday, lived directly opposite her. The reunion was cut short when Xu Sitian appeared, creating an awkward atmosphere that prompted Zeng Yuhang to pull her back inside. As Ning Meng unlocked her door, she dropped a stack of documents. Lu Jiming glanced over, prompting her to quickly gather them, declaring them commercial secrets.
Seizing the opportunity, Lu Jiming provocatively suggested she had missed a major flaw in the company's file she was holding. When she pressed for details, he haughtily refused, citing their "blacklisted" relationship. The next day, Ning Meng called Lu Jiming to probe for more information. After being hung up on, she called back and tested her theories, first asking if the company’s flaw was financial, then suggesting an issue with sales figures.
Lu Jiming cunningly denied having mentioned a problem and mockingly offered to reveal the answer only if she returned to her secretarial position. Undeterred, Ning Meng ended the call, confident that after three years of working for him, she could see through his games and deduce the truth. Ning Meng meticulously investigated the company, Cozap, and discovered that the signatures of its franchise owners on reports were suspiciously similar.
By cross-referencing contact information with Alipay, she confirmed that two-thirds of the details were fake. After finding the real contact numbers, she called the franchise managers, whose coordinated, evasive answers confirmed they were hiding something. She then targeted a few remote stores, extracting information that revealed discrepancies in their sales figures and that two defunct stores were still submitting operational data. Ning Meng presented her findings to Shi Ying, who praised her sharpness.
Shi Ying and Ning Meng immediately went to Cozap's headquarters. Expecting a confrontation, Ning Meng was surprised when Shi Ying remained amicable. Shi Ying later explained that when she calmly stated they would not be investing, the CEO's guilty expression was enough. She taught Ning Meng that with intelligent people, it is better to convey a firm stance without direct confrontation, as there is no need to publicly expose someone's struggles.
Later, at a company meeting, Shi Ying publicly lauded Ning Meng for uncovering the falsified data and saving Eaglestone Capital from a significant loss. At Joint Capital, Lu Jiming’s assistant reported that Eaglestone had rejected Cozap due to a hidden flaw found by Ning Meng. Lu Jiming instructed his team to turn down the project, privately acknowledging Ning Meng’s cleverness. Impressed, Shi Ying assigned Ning Meng to the Baoyi Goldsmith capital increase project, a joint venture with Joint Capital.
This meant Ning Meng would be liaising directly with her former employer. In an elevator, Lu Jiming blocked her path, demanding a sincere "thank you" for his hint about Cozap. Ning Meng responded with over-the-top, sarcastic gratitude. When he called her fake, she retorted that since he was never fake, perhaps he wasn't human. Frustrated, Lu Jiming threatened to call the police for being blocked, and to her surprise, he actually did as she walked away laughing.
Lu Jiming later complained to Zeng Yuhang about Ning Meng’s new, assertive personality. Zeng Yuhang then revealed that Xu Sitian wanted to bring Yuanyuan Real Estate into the Baoyi project as a limited partner. In exchange for the opportunity, Yuanyuan would invest in Xu Sitian's RV park project, which she was passionate about. Lu Jiming reluctantly agreed, insisting it would be strictly business.
For her first meeting at Joint Capital, Ning Meng followed her friend's advice to dress up and wear high heels to project confidence. Upon arrival, she found Lu Jiming scolding Director Liu Yitian for not organizing files as well as Ning Meng used to. When Ning Meng entered, Lu Jiming immediately mocked her heels, calling them "stilts." He ordered her to get him water, but she deflected the command and excused herself to work on the contract.
Leaving his office, she ran into Xu Sitian, who disparaged her new role and criticized her outfit. Shi Ying instructed Ning Meng to liaise with Fang Jian, an assistant at Yuanyuan Real Estate, warning her the process would test her patience and communication skills. Ning Meng called Fang Jian, who initially addressed her respectfully as "Director Ning." However, upon learning she was an analyst with three years of experience, his tone turned condescending.
He suggested creating a group chat to include a senior from her team, implying she was too junior. When she questioned this, he curtly hung up. Despite the snub, Ning Meng added him on WeChat, only to see he immediately began scrolling through her profile. Ning Meng found herself trapped between a demanding Lu Jiming and an uncooperative Fang Jian.
Lu Jiming deliberately made her work difficult, criticizing her efficiency and insisting she personally deliver all documents, even publicly available ones. He gave her requests piecemeal, forcing her to make multiple trips for things like a DDQ and stamped copies of financial reports. Meanwhile, Fang Jian complained about her multiple requests, accusing her of wasting his time by not asking for everything at once, leaving Ning Meng to apologize for the inefficiency caused by Lu Jiming.
