Episode 2 recap: Shen Tu Nan refused to accept Wei Ruo Lai.
Upon learning about the fire, the candidates rushed out of the classroom in a panic. They were trapped in a building, waiting for rescue. Only Wei Ruo Lai stayed in his seat and continued to answer the questions as if nothing had happened. The examiner advised him to go out and take cover, but Wei Ruo Lai insisted on finishing all the exam questions before leaving. In the hallway, Wei Ruo Lai saw a janitor who had been overcome by smoke and immediately performed emergency rescue procedures on her. He then found the escape route left by Shen Tu Nan, and protected the candidates as they safely evacuated. Not only did he rescue the janitor, but he also used the firefighting equipment in the courtyard to extinguish the fire.
As it turned out, Shen Tu Nan had carefully arranged the fire to test the candidates' adaptability. It was a deserted building, and most of the candidates were from privileged families with no real skills, hoping to rely on connections to get a job at a bank. In the end, only Wei Ruo Lai passed the test. He also scored a perfect score on the exam. Shen Tu Nan had high hopes for him and conducted an interview with him together with Deng Ze.
The reason Wei Ruo Lai stayed behind to fight the fire was to protect the files inside. However, he discovered that the house was empty. Shen Tu Nan briefly learned about Wei Ruo Lai's background, and Wei Ruo Lai honestly admitted that he was from a humble background and his only goal was to earn a lot of money. Shen Tu Nan asked him to talk about the responsibilities and development of the central bank, and Wei Ruo Lai analyzed them fluently.
Shen Tu Nan then tested Wei Ruo Lai's memory. He quickly flipped through a book and Wei Ruo Lai was able to answer questions about its contents without hesitation. Deng Ze suspected that he had read the book in advance, so he gave him an account book. Wei Ruo Lai read it from cover to cover and not only remembered every transaction but also pointed out an error.
Shen Tu Nan had a strong impression of Wei Ruo Lai and wanted to recommend him to a higher-paying bank. However, Wei Ruo Lai hesitated for a moment and refused. Shen Tu Nan admired Wei Ruo Lai and wanted to officially hire him, but Deng Ze discovered that Wei Ruo Lai's hometown was Ji'an City in Jiangxi Province, which was a stronghold of Communist Party activities. Furthermore, Wei Ruo Lai's older brother had left their hometown during the Anti-Communist Purge. Based on the principle of avoiding suspicious individuals, Deng Ze canceled Wei Ruo Lai's job opportunity. Wei Ruo Lai could only leave in disappointment, and Shen Tu Nan felt sorry for him.
Wei Ruo Lai returned to Qibao Street in a daze. A Wen, who had just finished work, warmly invited him to eat wonton soup. The neighbors also offered kind words of advice and Zhou Yi defended Wei Ruo Lai. Some of the elderly neighbors had once worked at the Bank of China and bluntly pointed out that Wei Ruo Lai did not meet the standards of the central bank, encouraging him not to give up.
Unwilling to give up, Wei Ruo Lai dug out the briefings he had collected about the central bank, which included news about Shen Tu Nan. He conducted a comprehensive analysis and finally understood Shen Tu Nan's intention to use Kunpeng Industries to merge the four major banks. Xu Nuo sent a telegram to the Jiangxi base, reporting the news of eight comrades being betrayed by traitors. Wei Ruo Chuan was ordered to go to Shanghai to rescue the eight comrades who had been betrayed by traitor Gu Lun. Before leaving, Lei Ming, a staff member of the Jiangxi Provincial Bank, handed him a box of gold bars.
Today is Christmas Day, and Shen Tu Nan hosted a banquet at his home. Prominent figures from various sectors in Shanghai attended the event. Kang Shao Jie, the head of the Military Law Department of the Songhu Garrison Command, was also invited. He had discovered that members of the Qing Gang had planted a bomb in Shen Tu Nan's car in advance. Fortunately, Shen Tu Nan hadn't boarded the car yet, so he escaped unharmed. Shen Tu Nan's wife, Su Ci Shu, was extremely worried upon learning about the danger he had faced, but Shen Tu Nan patiently comforted her.
Lin Qiao Song, accompanied by Kang Shao Jie, came to attend the dinner. He deliberately dressed in a sharp suit, hoping to make connections with prominent figures in Shanghai. Kang Shao Jie saw through his intentions and forcibly drove him away. Lin Qiao Song felt resentful and vowed to succeed one day.
Gao Feng, the Deputy Director of the Foreign Exchange Department of the Central Bank, heard that Shen Tu Nan was secretly investigating him. He sought help from the President of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce, Yu Shi Qing, with the sole intention of eliminating Shen Tu Nan. Gao Feng also revealed to Zhang Ming Quan, the President of the Commercial Bank, Shen Tu Nan's tactics of using stocks to suppress the Commercial Bank. Knowing that Shen Tu Nan was accumulating wealth for the Nanjing government, Yu Shi Qing advised Gao Feng not to be impatient.
Wei Ruo Lai learned about the banquet at Shen Tu Nan's house and managed to obtain an invitation to enter the Shen family's residence. In front of everyone, Shen Tu Nan announced Gao Feng's dismissal and exposed his illegal gains of 280,000 yuan through manipulating exchange rates, causing tens of millions in losses to the government. Gao Feng tried to defend himself with all sorts of excuses, but Shen Tu Nan had solid evidence against him. Kang Shao Jie ordered Gao Feng's arrest.
Shen Jin Zhen, Shen Tu Nan's sister, was carefully dressed by Su Ci Shu and was asked to play the piano on stage to entertain the guests. Shen Jin Zhen's melodious piano performance received applause and praise from the guests, including Kang Shao Jie.
Wei Ruo Lai recognized Shen Jin Zhen and thought she was invited by Shen Tu Nan. He approached her and asked her to pass a message to Shen Tu Nan, informing him that he had unraveled the mystery of Kunpeng Industries. Taking advantage of the chaos, Xu Nuo slipped a note to Shen Jin Zhen, stating that she was ordered by her superiors to eliminate Gu Lun.
Shen Jin Zhen conveyed Wei Ruo Lai's message to Shen Tu Nan. Shen Tu Nan then called Wei Ruo Lai aside, suspecting that he had secretly accessed confidential bank information. He ordered Wei Ruo Lai to surrender himself to the intelligence team for investigation.
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