Storm Eye Episode 28 Recap
> Storm Eye Recap
At Dinghua’s negotiation table, Pang Yishan welcomed Qiao Xichuan, President of Knowledge & Invention Union, hoping for a successful negotiation. Qiao Xichuan immediately raised concerns about the impact of Dinghua’s recent medical product incident. He acknowledged Dinghua’s responsibility but stressed the situation was not optimistic due to ongoing public disturbance and the psychological rejection among patients that would be hard to reverse.
Pang Yishan countered, believing that if the product recovered, market value and credibility would return, and he highlighted Dinghua's other promising products. When Qiao Xichuan asked if Dinghua’s in-development projects would be shared upon capital injection, Professor Zou flatly refused, and Pang Yishan supported this, explaining that these projects involved sensitive national resources, which Qiao Xichuan accepted. They then moved on to discussing the capital injection ratio. Meanwhile, the team investigated Knowledge & Invention Union.
He Zixuan noted that while the company had invested in many projects, their scale was typically small, making its large investment in Dinghua abnormal and suggesting it was a shell company. Du Meng added that it could be a con company or a front for a larger financial group. An Jing then had a phone call with Miao Fei, who had just finished a meeting.
Miao Fei explained that Knowledge & Invention Union, represented by Qiao Xichuan, a foreign citizen of Chinese origin, had no prior business dealings with Dinghua. She suspected they were exploiting Dinghua’s crisis. Miao Fei provided An Jing with the company’s information. Miao Fei admitted that Pang Yishan found them through private channels, and despite the strangeness, everyone at Dinghua viewed it as a lifeline and was unwilling to question the underlying issues.
Later, Ma Shang returned home and found Fu Dayong, an old friend of his father, Ma Junhai, waiting. Fu Dayong, who runs Yushan Mining and primarily deals in DS Materials ore, was in Shuangqing for business. Dinghua was his biggest client, and he complained about Pang Yishan’s arrogant attitude, stating he couldn’t even get in to see President Lin and was turned away.
He was facing cash flow issues because Dinghua hadn't placed its usual ore order due to the incident, and he feared being ruined by year-end, which led him to actively seek new clients. Ma Shang’s mother, Hu Yuping, asked about Fu Dayong’s daughter, Fu Mengyao, who was going to England for college, lamenting that she was an underachiever.
Hu Yuping then enthusiastically suggested that Fu Dayong invest in Dinghua’s stock, claiming it was professionally manipulated and at its lowest point, poised for a significant rise. Ma Junhai quickly intervened, trying to stop his wife from spreading such information and potentially dragging others into financial trouble. Hu Yuping became angry and left the table. Ma Shang went to comfort his mother, who was upset about Ma Junhai’s public rebuke. She still believed in the stock opportunity.
Ma Shang then secretly revealed to her that President Lin Xiaolan had been hospitalized recently due to exhaustion from trying to find investors, and she couldn't manage Dinghua’s affairs. He explained that under such circumstances, Dinghua’s stock wouldn't rise as the analyst had predicted. Hu Yuping was alarmed, realizing she would lose over 300,000 yuan. Ma Shang urged her to cut her losses but she worried about Ma Junhai nagging her for the rest of her life.
Ma Shang reassured her that he would help her deal with the situation, so she wouldn’t have to face her husband’s lectures alone. Ma Shang later arrived at a team meeting where He Zixuan confirmed that Knowledge & Invention Union was indeed a shell company backed by the Hermes Group.
He Zixuan emphasized that the Hermes Group was involved in both the current case and the one from over a decade ago, confirming that Knowledge & Invention Union had ulterior motives for investing in Dinghua. An Jing suggested that their primary goal was technology, recalling that Qiao Xichuan had inquired about sharing technical resources, a request immediately rejected by Professor Zou.
An Jing also reported that Qiao Xichuan's background appeared clean, with no criminal record, and he had become president of Knowledge & Invention Union six months prior, returning to China recently. However, the timing of his return was suspicious, coinciding with Chen Can’s arrival in Shuangqing. Du Meng asked if the government could stop the acquisition. Ma Shang clarified that their objective wasn't to halt the buyout but to follow the trail to the entire criminal organization.
He stressed the need for solid evidence, such as proof of secret stock buying, before taking direct action. Ma Shang instructed the team to speed up their investigation, emphasizing that while full surveillance on Qiao Xichuan wasn't yet possible, he must be closely tracked. An Jing volunteered for the task, but Ma Shang insisted she get some rest, stating he would take responsibility for the night's tracking.
After the meeting, Ma Shang and An Jing were leaving together when Ma Shang suddenly feigned a severe headache, claiming it was an old problem. An Jing expressed concern and offered to drive him to the hospital, but Ma Shang dismissed it. He then asked An Jing to keep a secret, "confessing" that doctors had told him an operation couldn't be performed locally, and he had "at most another year" to live.
An Jing immediately saw through his deception, admonishing him not to joke about such serious matters. She then requested that he promise not to give up and to stay alive at least until the case was closed. Ma Shang grew frustrated, claiming his headache was real, but An Jing playfully teased him about "mental disability" and warned him never to make such a joke again. An Jing then shared her true feelings, thanking him for investigating her father's case.
She admitted that while she initially felt hope that a new investigation might confirm her suspicions and her mother's, she also secretly wished it would turn out to be a mere accident, so she wouldn't have to carry such a heavy burden of hatred or reopen old wounds. She concluded that the truth, however painful, was paramount, and after years of emotional turmoil, she finally felt exhausted but could now get a good night's sleep.
Meanwhile, Fu Dayong frantically tried to reach his daughter, Fu Mengyao, who wasn't answering her phone. Yang Xun arrived and helped him contact the teacher accompanying Fu Mengyao. It turned out Fu Mengyao was simply waiting for her luggage and had forgotten to turn on her phone. Fu Dayong was relieved to hear her voice and scolded her to keep her phone on. Yang Xun then presented Fu Dayong with the ore mining quota approval document.
Fu Dayong, still unsure about Dinghua, was pressured by Yang Xun to consider collaborating with Xingchuang Science and Technology, as Dinghua was in disarray and constantly delaying him. Fu Dayong, heading back to Yushan, promised to give Yang Xun an answer within a day. An Jing continued her surveillance, tracking Pang Yishan to a private club where he met Qiao Xichuan.
Inside, Qiao Xichuan told Pang Yishan that while Dinghua was a "hot potato" he was helping, Dinghua wasn't showing enough sincerity regarding the buyout ratio and stock price. Pang Yishan assured him he would secure the highest possible buyout ratio within national policy. Qiao Xichuan then proposed a personal arrangement: if Pang Yishan ensured an "extra share of benefit" for Knowledge & Invention Union, Pang Yishan would also receive a bonus.
Pang Yishan tried to equate his benefit with the company's, but Qiao Xichuan dismissed this, clearly separating corporate and individual gains. Back at home, Hu Yuping and Ma Junhai discussed the stock. She lamented the 320,000 yuan loss she faced if she sold now. Ma Junhai, recalling Ma Shang's earlier words about Dinghua's slow recovery, agreed that selling might be necessary.
He then offered to cook and deliver dinner to Ma Shang himself to get more information about the situation, despite his wife's protests. Ma Junhai went to Dinghua but was informed by a security guard that Ma Shang had left hours ago. The guard added that while R&D and Marketing staff often worked overtime, the HR department, where Ma Shang worked, usually kept regular hours. Ma Junhai returned home without telling Hu Yuping, but waited up for Ma Shang.
When Ma Shang arrived, Ma Junhai confronted him, asking if he was hiding something. Ma Shang claimed he had been working overtime and missed calls, but his father revealed he knew Ma Shang had left work early. Ma Junhai expressed understanding that Ma Shang had his own life but worried he might be making wrong choices or jeopardizing his health. Ma Shang reassured his father that none of those concerns were true and promised to explain everything later, as it was too complex to do so briefly.
