Episode 34 recap: Xu Banxia got involved in a smuggling case.
Xu Banxia was taken for questioning, and the entire process was recorded on audio and video. The officials in charge of questioning asked Xu Banxia to provide detailed information about the suspected smuggling activities. Wu Jianshe, Feng Yu, and Qiu Bizheng were also separately taken for questioning. During the conversation, they all recalled that snowy winter when they were freezing and went to the north with dreams of making money. They never expected to be deceived and left with nothing.
Guo Qidong was also brought in for questioning. He mentioned that after being deceived, the four of them returned to China for the Lunar New Year, except for Xu Banxia, who had a lot of debts and insisted on staying in the north. Fortunately, she had a stroke of luck and met the female fraudster Nina. With her introduction, they established a channel for purchasing scrap steel and bought 50,000 tons of it.
Subsequently, Xu Banxia became the most successful among the five of them and started making money together. In the office, Feng Yu lamented being someone who had always wanted to live a peaceful life in the countryside but ended up involved in such a major smuggling case. The lawyer told them that if they all had a consistent statement, there was a good chance of being found not guilty. However, if Guo Qidong didn't align with their statement, the consequences would be severe.
Wu Jianshe realized that the key to the situation lay with Guo Qidong and couldn't help but complain about Qiu Bizheng. He questioned why Qiu Bizheng wanted to leave the country with Guo Qidong after being embezzled by him. This made Qiu Bizheng angry and he mentioned that Guo Qidong was studying earnestly in prison because he wanted to do business with everyone. It was them who pushed him off the wagon and made things difficult.
Xu Banxia urged everyone to stop arguing and revealed that she had arranged to meet with Guo Qidong, but he hadn't shown up yet and was unlikely to come. This statement further sank everyone's hearts. In the evening, Xu Banxia was alone at home and decided to call Zhao Lei.
Zhao Lei advised Xu Banxia not to keep everything to herself and to tell herself everything, regardless of whether it was good or bad. This touched Xu Banxia deeply. The next day, Zhao Lei suddenly returned, which made Xu Banxia extremely happy. However, she soon realized that along with Zhao Lei, there were also other office colleagues who came along. This was in line with Zhao Lei's way of doing things, as he wanted to bring work to her home and spend more time with Xu Banxia.
In the summer of 2002, the smuggling case went to trial for the second time. The lawyers deliberately tried to coax Xu Banxia into confessing, leading to intense debates with Xu Banxia's defense lawyer. Xu Banxia and the others had indeed established multiple subsidiary companies since 1996 to secure quotas. However, Xu Banxia stated that she had never smuggled a single kilogram of steel knowingly and unlawfully.
Guo Qi Dong suddenly stood up and confessed, putting Xu Ban Xia and the others in a very unfavorable situation. This incident occurred at a critical point in the company's IPO, which was undoubtedly very bad, but Xu Ban Xia had no way to control it. Chairman Gao was suddenly taken away, causing Gao Xin Yi to panic like a headless fly. She was both shocked and afraid, unable to stop her tears. At that moment, the child couldn't be comforted, and in her frustration, Gao Xin Yi shouted at the child, only to feel guilty afterwards.
Tong Xiao Qi went out to inquire about the situation but couldn't find out anything. When she returned home, she quickly took over the child. Gao Xin Yi didn't know what to do and could only cry to release her emotions. Xu Ban Xia was summoned for questioning regarding the mishandling of the provincial steel company. It wasn't until then that she finally understood the reason behind Chairman Gao's arrest.
Chairman Gao was suspended and summoned for questioning. She voluntarily confessed everything and would not shirk the responsibilities she should bear. However, she wouldn't take on what she shouldn't be held accountable for. Xu Ban Xia told Zhao Lei that initially taking over the provincial steel company was an attempt by the state-owned enterprise. Later, the regulations were revised, and she realized that state-owned assets still belonged to the state. If converted into today's currency, it would be a huge sum of money.
Xu Ban Xia was more worried about Chairman Gao's situation because good leaders like her were valuable. Wu Jian She didn't admire many women in his life, but Chairman Gao and Xu Ban Xia were the exceptions. Qiu Bi Zheng was currently lying in the hospital with his language function almost gone, but Guo Qi Dong had never come to visit him even once.
Wu Jian She and the others were charged with embezzling state-owned assets, but fortunately, Chairman Gao presented the facts and argued logically, finally allowing them to go home. Gao Xin Yi was cooking in the kitchen when she heard a knock on the door. Through the peephole, she saw Chairman Gao and excitedly opened the door, tightly embracing her, tears streaming down her face.
It had been a long time since Chairman Gao had felt the embrace of Gao Xin Yi, and her eyes also became moist. After adjusting her emotions, she went to see her beloved grandson. Xu Ban Xia arranged to meet Guo Qi Dong and frankly admitted that when she was investigating Guo Qi Dong's accounts for Qiu Bi Zheng, she didn't have any good intentions. But after going through so many ups and downs together, seeing their lifelong struggles about to come to naught, Guo Qi Dong couldn't gain anything either.
However, Guo Qi Dong realized that he had nothing else to lose, and it was only when Xu Ban Xia mentioned Qiu Bi Zheng that tears finally rolled down his cheeks.
Comments(Episode 34)