Episode 11 recap: Liang Jing Ren was accused of workplace sexual harassment.
Soon, Liang Jing Ren's scandal was exposed online, and Xu Xiao Wei was helping him analyze the situation. Liang Jing Ren didn't seem to care and even said he had other things to handle, leaving no room for Wen Hui Xin to turn the tables. Xu Xiao Wei volunteered to help him deal with the matter.
Zhang Jia Yan replaced Liu Yan to negotiate compensation with the family of the mixed-race baby. However, upon arrival, Zhang Jia Yan found only a woman with the child, as her husband had already separated from her. Zhang Jia Yan was aware of the situation and wanted to help resolve it. They negotiated a price with the woman and later informed Wen Hui Xin about the situation. Wen Hui Xin commended Zhang Jia Yan for their actions.
However, Liang Jing Ren found Mr. Li, and naturally, they didn't want Wen Hui Xin to resolve the matter smoothly. They intentionally brought reporters and deliberately tried to embarrass Wen Hui Xin. Zhang Jia Yan and Liu Yan witnessed the situation and now the blame was directed at Wen Hui Xin. Zhang Jia Yan advised Liu Yan not to get involved and to maintain a distance to ensure the accuracy of the news.
After seeing this, Wen Hui Xin asked Wu Xiao Wei to investigate Mr. Li, who was going to hold a press conference the next day. Mr. Li now demanded a compensation of ten million. Liang Jing Ren came up with a plan to ensure that the company wouldn't be involved in the compensation and also intended to ruin Wen Hui Xin's reputation.
In the evening, Mr. Li came to the company to discuss the compensation. He also demanded an apology from Wen Hui Xin, threatening to claim ten million if she refused. At this moment, Wen Hui Xin called Mrs. Li as well. Wen Hui Xin demanded compensation from Mr. Li and presented the evidence they had orchestrated themselves. This time, they revealed that the child's eye problem was not due to genetics but required money for surgery.
Initially, Mr. Li wanted to deny it, but Wen Hui Xin knew about Mrs. Li's online conversations with foreigners, so she used this to blackmail her into agreeing to sign a contract. Wen Hui Xin negotiated the terms on their behalf, and in the end, Mrs. Li willingly signed the contract. Liang Jing Ren's scheme failed once again, and Wen Hui Xin boasted about it in front of him.
However, it was actually Xu Xiao Wei who intentionally posted the article online. Liu Yan was reassigned due to this incident, and Zhang Jia Yan felt regretful. Before leaving, Zhang Jia Yan gave Liu Yan a recording pen as a gift, and Liu Yan was very grateful for everything Zhang Jia Yan had entrusted to them.
Xu Yingfei called Zhang Jia Yan to inquire if they had decided to work on the special topic. Zhang Jia Yan agreed, as their goal now was to rescue Liu Yan.
Wen Hui Xin also approached a senior executive in the company for collaboration. Now, Wen Hui Xin planned to cut expenses and held a meeting. Liang Jing Ren always found various excuses to arrive late. When Liang Jing Ren arrived, Wen Hui Xin publicly disclosed an email regarding sexual harassment by a company executive. Although the person's identity was masked, it was clear that it was Liang Jing Ren. Wen Hui Xin intentionally brought up the matter, which greatly agitated Liang Jing Ren. Wen Hui Xin then asked Liang Jing Ren for his thoughts, and Liang Jing Ren demanded that Wen Hui Xin provide concrete evidence to prove his innocence.
Xu Yingfei also spoke in defense of Liang Jing Ren, as he wanted to see the outcome of the internal conflict. Wen Hui Xin stated that it was currently just speculation and seemed staged. Wen Hui Xin suggested finding a credible person to testify, and the best candidate was Mrs. Fang.
Xu Yingfei began discussing Zhang Jia Yan's new special topic project, but not many people dared to participate, considering the additional workload. Xu Xiao Wei still contacted Liang Jing Ren for a meeting and mentioned the incident in the photo. In fact, the people in the photo were Xu Xiao Wei and Liang Jing Ren, but Xu Xiao Wei didn't know who wanted to harm them.
Liang Jing Ren suspected that someone had already discovered their secret, and that person was likely Wen Hui Xin. Zhang Jia Yan and their boyfriend were preparing to find a suitable place to live, and they found a place with a rooftop. Zhang Jia Yan mentioned that whenever they were in a bad mood, looking at the rooftop made them feel much better.
Wen Hui Xin and Xu Xiao Wei started questioning each female employee in the company. Zhang Jia Yan made it clear that they were only discovering news, not creating it. Xu Xiao Wei seemed distracted when they saw Zhang Jia Yan, and when it was time to question Zhang Jia Yan, they suddenly started vomiting uncontrollably. Zhang Jia Yan quickly went to the hospital, and at that moment, their mother called to say that their sister was missing. Wen Hui Xin went to the restroom, and Wu Xiao Wei quickly hung up the phone.
Wen Hui Xin also obtained the chat records between Liang Jing Ren and his affair partner. Xu Xiao Wei became even more nervous and asked for half a day off, which Wen Hui Xin agreed to.
I feel that the character Jiayan is starting to feel a bit awkward. She has the ability, but her emotional intelligence is not high. She considers herself to be the only one who is awake while everyone else is drunk. However, deep down, she also wants others to see her.
In society, everyone gets soaked in the river of life, and it's impossible not to get wet. In summary, she is a capable idealist. If this were a mainland Chinese drama, she would be the female lead and receive the help of the male lead to reach the pinnacle of life.
In the Hong Kong drama, although she is liked by Ma Ming, she will never be his first choice.
Fei Ye's decision to make "Adding Salt" the theme has already pushed him towards becoming a third party. With Liu Yan gone, Adding Salt starts to feel powerless. Sometimes, in order to protect oneself and keep the people they want to keep, they must have position and power.
Adding Salt can no longer just look out for themselves; they will inevitably turn dark in the future.
Episode 11: In my personal opinion, this is probably one of the most emotional farewells for Zhang Jiayan (I don't think the previous departing interns have seen her like this). Liu Yan is somewhat like my younger self when I first entered the news industry (more reckless, impulsive, and "naive").
After being called "Master" by Jiayan, she recognizes her as her disciple through a few incidents. This time, she couldn't protect someone, so the power of the news team on the run must have weakened. I guess the thought of "she wants to protect herself with a talisman/someone is backing her up" is probably the most obvious this time.
If further provoked, she will definitely do even crazier things to protect someone or her own interests. After watching a leaked short video later on, Jiayan and Liu Yan embrace at the entrance of the company. It's probably only when the master has obtained power and the disciple has matured that they can reunite.
Jia Yan is the ultimate queen. She's capable, ethical, courageous, knows where the hotspots are, and knows how to pursue the truth. It was evident from the early episodes.
While others were busy fighting each other, Jia Yan was digging deep into the truth behind each event. In the end, she will undoubtedly uncover the truth with a major twist and become the queen.
I have a feeling that the male lead, Ma Guo Ming, and the female lead, Yu Shi Man, will end up mutually hurting each other. Then the antagonist will rise to power, but eventually Jia Yan will defeat the antagonist and emerge victorious, becoming the queen.
Liu Yan is similar. Although she may be naive, she's determined and hardworking. She's just too easily manipulated and brainwashed by Wen Jie and the others.
I hope Liu Yan sees through Wen Jie's true intentions soon and collaborates with Jia Yan. Why should the good people always be bullied? In reality, only Jia Yan rising to the top would be the best outcome.
Neither the male lead nor the female lead are truly good people. I hope Jia Yan and Liu Yan's team have the last laugh as the ultimate news queens.
People who dislike Jiayan are probably just afraid of people like her who have hidden intentions. It's under the guise of idealism that their twisted nature becomes more pronounced, like a cowardly maggot.
Only journalists like Zhang Jiayan exist to ensure that the general public can learn about the true inner workings and secrets.