Tao Wuji couldn’t wait to share the good news about Heng Hui with Cheng Jiayuan, but Cheng Jiayuan showed no signs of happiness at all, responding extremely coldly. At the public department meeting, Su Jianren only gave simple praise to both of them, immediately followed by publicly criticizing Tao Wuji for not reporting Heng Hui’s borrowing of high-interest loans, and using this as an excuse to reassign him to the grassroots level in Chongming Island, while recommending Cheng Jiayuan to the East China Audit Department.
Regarding Tao Wuji’s assignment to Chongming Island, Tian Xiaohui advised him to seek Zhao Hui’s help to avoid being sent to the countryside. Tao Wuji refused to take shortcuts, and was more worried that Heng Hui’s affairs would involve Zhao Hui. Feeling guilty, he actively assured Zhao Hui that he would successfully complete the rural revitalization project.
Li Sen called Zhao Hui, expressing doubts about Heng Hui’s cooperation with Yuanzhou Trust, suspecting that there must be something fishy. Zhao Hui, speaking as an experienced banker, reminded Li Sen to speak cautiously. Li Sen then suggested that while Zhao Hui was indispensable at the branch, comprehensive work at the Binjiang branch required a new candidate, urging Zhao Hui to consider it seriously.
Later, Wu Xiaofei took Tian Xiaohui to meet Director Qi. Tian Xiaohui overheard their conversation. On the other hand, Zhao Hui discovered that his daughter, Zhao Rui, was missing and her phone was unanswered. Together with Zhou Lin, they checked the surveillance footage and found Zhao Rui entering and leaving the community through the main gate. Zhou Lin found out through the internet that Zhao Rui’s idol, Nan Sen, was performing at the World Expo Park. They hurried there and indeed found Zhao Rui in the crowd.
Zhao Rui believed that she could gather the surgery fees all thanks to Nan Sen, especially since she was soon going abroad for surgery, hoping to see her idol again. Unable to refuse, Zhao Hui waited outside the World Expo with Zhou Lin for their daughter, apologizing to Zhou Lin for the last incident, luckily Zhou Lin didn’t hold a grudge. Zhou Lin learned that the surgery fees for Zhao Rui were raised through donations, genuinely happy for her. Their relationship eased a lot because of tonight’s events.
Tian Xiaohui told Shen Jing about Director Qi’s cooperation with Wu Xiaofei, suspecting that Director Qi’s so-called gambling industry was actually various forms of donations, with Zhao Hui involved. Shen Jing asked Tian Xiaohui to investigate the cooperation project thoroughly and document related emails and accounts.
The next morning, Zhao Hui and Miao Che saw off Ma Li and her daughter along with Zhao Rui at the airport. Miao Che reminded Zhao Hui to be careful with people like Li Sen, to which Zhao Hui already had a plan in mind. On the way back, Zhao Hui received a call from Wu Xianlong, asking him to arrange a meeting with Xie Zhiyuan. The three of them had some free time to meet.
At Li Sen’s instigation, Su Jianren decided to compete with Zhao Hui for the position of Binjiang Branch President. Xie Zhiyuan and Wu Xianlong were worried that Zhao Hui would give up, but Zhao Hui was confident and stated that he would not lose to Su Jianren. Xie Zhiyuan gave Zhou Lin two gifts, to be given to Su Jianren and Zhao Hui respectively, at a later time.
When Tian Xiaohui found an excuse to check Secretary Luo’s computer, coincidentally, Wu Xiaofei came in from outside and saw her looking anxious, arousing suspicion. Wu Xiaofei took Tian Xiaohui to visit a well-located house and proposed a deal: if she did something for him, he would sell the house to her at a discounted price.
Wu Xiaofei told Tian Xiaohui that to survive in this world, one must play the game with various forces, and if she wanted to advance further, she couldn’t always be a bystander. So, this matter was the first step for Tian Xiaohui to enter a core circle. Tian Xiaohui, remembering Shen Jing’s advice to learn to navigate relationships, immediately agreed.
Back at home, Tian Xiaohui packed Tao Wuji’s luggage and casually mentioned that she could buy a house at a 20% discount through company benefits. Tao Wuji was worried that the company was up to something fishy and wanted to remind Tian Xiaohui, who assured him she wouldn’t do anything illegal or improper. The next day, Tian Xiaohui and Wu Xiaofei disguised themselves at a restaurant and secretly filmed Zhou Lin and Zhao Hui’s date.
