Original subtitles

(Firefly Theater)

♪Neon lights twist into a knot♪

♪I rest in the ruins of defeat♪

♪You tap your fingers lightly♪

♪I fall into the abyss♪

♪I've seen this game before♪

♪Every single move was calculated♪

♪I finally see your silhouette♪

♪Just an empty shell♪

♪I've broken this game before♪

♪Every move was placed wrong♪

♪Now it's my turn to play♪

♪I'll show you what stunning looks like♪

♪When I stand back up again♪

♪The whole city goes dark♪

♪For the part you owe me♪

♪I'll make you pay double♪

♪You're just my starting point♪

=The Vanishing Beauty=

=Episode 14=

Ms. Hui?

Ms. Hui,

take it easy.

My car didn't come cheap.

I can afford it.

Why are you here?

Just passing by.

Passing by?

That was quite a close call.

But seriously,

drive safe from now on.

The car

we got you

has decent specs,

but it's nowhere

near mine.

If there's an actual crash,

who do you think will survive?

The brakes suddenly failed.

I'll drop it off at the dealer.

How are you?

Let's get you checked out.

Don't worry. I'm fine.

We didn't crash.

Lu Hui is usually so calm,

yet she acted

so rashly for Harry.

Exactly.

Harry must be her weak spot.

I'm heading back.

I need to sort out

the forum thing fast.

Watch out!

What's wrong with you?

Starving, or did you overeat?

It's nothing.

I hiccup when I get nervous.

Hiccups when nervous?

It's nothing.

Really, it's nothing.

Go on upstairs

and get some warm water.

I'll head back now.

Mom, you're back.

You made all this?

Studying abroad

turns every student into a chef.

I even practiced beforehand

and made Dad

pork and egg congee.

Let me get you some.

Don't think

this excuses what you did.

Getting into fights now?

And over a woman?

You know that too?

What do you know about her

or her family?

And you stepped up for her?

Why should I care?

All I know is she's a good person.

That's enough.

So you know nothing

about her background?

Not entirely.

I know her name

and her address.

Have you met her husband?

No.

I hit it off with her,

not her husband.

Why ask so many questions?

Hit it off?

You said she's married.

Her husband can handle it.

Why should you care?

Her husband is useless.

So I helped out. What's wrong?

Helped out?

So many

pretty young girls

out there,

and you're

chasing after an old woman.

Don't call her that!

Mom,

watch your words.

My son takes a stranger's side.

Why would I be nice?

Do you like her?

What are you talking about?

Calm down!

She's over 12 years older!

Are you driving me crazy?

Mom,

don't be so mad.

Please sit.

Come on.

Calm down.

Mom,

what are you, Cupid?

Just because

I get close

to a woman,

it means I like her?

Fine.

I admit I was

a bit worked up just now.

I apologize.

But I really

can't help worrying.

So the best thing to do

is stop seeing her.

Why should I?

Because I'm your mother.

Because I care about you.

You need to understand boundaries.

Don't make things awkward for her.

I don't agree.

You're controlling my life.

Fine.

If you see her again,

don't come back to see me.

Wait,

Mom.

I don't know

why you're so agitated!

I already said

there's nothing!

We're just friends!

I fear you'll go astray.

You must listen to me on this.

(Ren)

What's wrong with Haoyu?

He knows he was wrong.

It's all sorted out.

Don't get so worked up.

Try the century egg congee

he made for you.

It's just a bit cold.

Neither of you

gives me peace of mind.

How are things

at the company?

It's fine. Why?

I doubt that.

Didn't Yu Meng

take away the signing authority?

How did you know?

You kept it from me,

yet expected me

to pay six million to smooth things over.

Don't worry.

Even if she got it,

what can she do?

I used Chen Chen's matter

to make Mr. Tian see her audit

as nothing but jealousy

and power abuse.

Mr. Tian is displeased with her now.

He'll address it openly

at tomorrow's meeting.

Her victory won't last.

We'll be the winners.

After saying all this,

you just don't want

to leave Jiali,

right?

Why?

Because I want Jiali.

Lately, there have been

many rumors around the company.

I even heard an employee

posted under their real name on the forum,

claiming Jinghua

has no issues at all,

and the so-called audit

is nothing but a ridiculous farce.

The post is trending now.

Everyone is deeply upset,

slacking off in protest.

That's just the poster's

one-sided story.

Speaking of one-sided,

you're the only one

who's been

pushing this forward.

Are you using this audit

as an excuse

to vent your personal feelings?

Mr. Tian,

my father asked for this audit.

No personal feelings involved.

I know Meng.

She's never vague

on important issues.

Don't defend her

just because

she's your wife.

The company

follows protocol.

Why are you so convinced

that the audit

is just me settling

a personal score?

I want to believe you,

but

knowing Yu,

rushing an audit like this

isn't his style.

It has disrupted

our company's projects.

So I propose

we vote to end the Jinghua audit,

and get our operations back on track

as soon as possible.

Process payments

immediately.

Let's stop this nonsense.

I agree.

- Agreed. - Agreed.

No.

We can stop the audit.

What proof do you have

that this audit

wasn't my father's idea?

And what proof do you have

that it was his idea?

- Exactly. - How do you prove it?

We know Yu very well.

I am the proof.

Here's the thing.

Before Chairman Yu fell into a coma,

he brought up Jinghua

and mentioned an audit several times.

As the company's CFO,

and having worked under him

for over 40 years,

I can stand by

what I said.

So it seems

I really did misunderstand Meng.

I apologize, Meng.

It's fine, Mr. Tian.

You only did it for the company.

Tian

was just being professional.

He was just worried the project

would get delayed by the audit,

hurting our daily operations.

Yeah.

How about this, everyone?

Let's set a time limit

on the audit.

Within one week,

we must have the results.

I agree.

Agreed.

I agree.

I also agree.

Meng, what do you think?

Meng and I both agree.

With you backing Meng,

that's wonderful.

By the way,

I have one more point.

Given the damage

this post

has had internally,

I think the poster should face

serious consequences.

What should we do?

By company policy,

fire them.

Firing me only shows

an admission of her guilt.

Chen Chen,

I saw your post.

I think some things

are better explained

in person.

You said I suspect

there's something between you and Mr. Di.

Then let me ask you.

If I really thought

there was something

between you two,

would I have kept you by his side

as his secretary for so long?

What if you kept me around on purpose

to catch dirt on us?

There would have to be dirt

to catch first.

Mr. Di,

have I ever

been unreasonable

or picked on Chen Chen?

No.

You've been supportive.

You see?

You're overthinking it.

I hope you'll

watch your words

and actions in your new role.

Best of luck to you.

Take care.

All right,

that's the end of this matter.

Now, I'd like to address

your concerns.

The recent audit

delayed progress on Jinghua,

but I want to say

that your bonuses and incentives

will be paid in full.

If the company falls short,

I'll pay it myself.

The bonus paperwork

has been drafted.

Once signed, it goes straight to HR.

Rest assured.

I will never

shortchange you.

You're the best, Miss Yu!

Thanks, Meng!

So before leaving today,

can the auditors

get your team's

materials?

Right away!

Consider it done!

Okay.

Mr. Han...

Save it.

I can't live up to that.

I lent you my girl,

and you?

You went and got her

a severance package.

Chen Chen getting fired

was a complete accident.

If Dong Jun hadn't stepped in,

we would've succeeded.

Would've succeeded?

That still means failure.

Even in failure, there's a gain.

The audit timeline

was cut down so much.

What can they

actually find?

You also thought

Yu Meng wouldn't get the signing authority.

But then?

I'll take that.

But it also reminded me

that obsessing over signing authority

is pointless.

What's pointless?

Don't get fancy with me.

When I do business,

I never

go for all that fluff.

What I mean is,

our next step

is to push Yu Meng

out of Jiali for good

and weed out

all of her loyalists

along with her.

We'll see.

You know I'm a simple man.

All I care about

is my six million payment.

Is it ready?

It's ready.

(Transfer)

(Available Balance: 886)

(Audio and video recording in the sales area)

Thank you for choosing us.

This investment

absolutely guarantees

the maximum returns on your funds.

I don't care about the returns.

I just want

to make sure my child

is the beneficiary.

(Trust Beneficiary Confirmation) No matter what happens

to me or his father

in the future,

I want to make sure

he's set up for life.

Absolutely.

Having a wonderful mother

like you,

he's truly fortunate.

The edited video

will be sent tomorrow.

Okay.

Chestnut, let's pack up

and go.

Hello, Mr. Zhang?

Regarding the sponsorship deal,

we still feel

the budget is too low.

Our team has extensive resources

and experience.

Could you please reconsider?

Hello there, Chestnut.

I'm Kang.

I'm your mom's

coworker.

I know.

You're Dr. Hedgehog.

Dr. Hedgehog?

Yes.

I usually look like a hedgehog.

So,

where's your dad?

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

You're the seventh.

The seventh?

The seventh uncle who asked

where my dad went.

Mom said Dad went to heaven.

All packed? Let's go.

Come here.

What happened to Chestnut's dad?

You asked her?

Did he have an accident, or get sick?

Just like you guessed.

So he was sick?

What illness?

Sick in the head.

That's tough to cure.

Was it

a tumor or an infarction?

Some conditions are genetic

and hereditary.

Stupidity killed him.

Chestnut, let's go.

Bye-bye, Kang!

Bye-bye.

Meng.

Great news, Zi.

Mr. Dong told me

the audit results are out.

How did it turn out?

I think

we're finally seeing the light.

That's great!

I was worried

that with the audit cut short,

(Audit Report) it'd be too rushed

to find any solid proof.

That's true.

It's too short a time

to bring him down.

But what I want

is to disrupt his pace.

Right now, the company

is full of his people.

I need a backup plan.

Gotta go.

Hello, Wu Heng.

Looking forward to working with you.

Due to the tight deadline,

the audit scope had to be reduced.

Although there are

ambiguous transactions in the accounts,

such as potential inflated

material costs

in dealings

with the Jinghua series

and the OEM manufacturer,

Guangsili'er,

the existing evidence

is insufficient

to determine

whether this anomaly affects

the accuracy of the books.

Jiali

is our brainchild.

Guangsili'er inflating costs

hurts our company's bottom line.

This is a serious violation.

That's why I believe

we must investigate thoroughly.

We can't let bad actors

undermine our collective interests.

Ms. Yu,

you don't know how things were.

When Jinghua was going into production,

raw material prices

were at their market peak.

Market prices

only started dropping

sharply this year.

This is simply

normal cost fluctuation.

It can't be treated as inflated costs.

(I'm in the elevator.)

R&D poured

so much effort.

Since the audit concluded

the evidence is insufficient,

doesn't a shutdown

of Jinghua project

seem a bit of a stretch?

We did endless revisions

on the marketing proposal

and spent a lot

on early promotions.

We can't let it all go to waste

over mere speculation.

This isn't speculation.

I have proof.

Wu Heng from Finance

was an employee

who used to manage

the Jinghua project.

He has proof

showing that prices had dropped

before the contract

was signed.

Meng,

Wu Heng has already resigned.

Mr. Tian,

what if I told you

I can bring him back?

Wu Heng will be here soon.

Once the proof is confirmed,

I demand

we switch OEM suppliers now.

(Meng, he's gone.)

What's wrong?

Don't worry, Mr. Wu.

I can offer much more than they can.

Honey,

where's the person?

Acting blindly without proof,

disrupting everyone's work.

Meng,

you need to grow up.

Don't blame Meng.

She just wants to prove herself.

Honey,

if there's no proof,

let me handle this.

According to regulations,

the board will set up

a special inquiry team

to address

all the audit's concerns,

ensuring that normal operations

remain unaffected.

Everyone,

anything else to add?

Mr. Dong,

this is nothing personal.

The audit report mentions

questionable transactions

beyond Jinghua.

Finance is directly tied

to all of them.

Someone must be held accountable.

Shouldn't you step aside for now

and cooperate with the investigation?

If we go

by your logic,

what about Product Center's procurement?

Quality control?

Should everyone

who dealt with the OEM

be held accountable?

What does that

have to do with R&D?

Everyone was thrown

into chaos,

and in the end,

nothing was found.

In that case,

shouldn't you also

be held accountable, Ms. Yu?

Meng did the audit

following

Chairman Yu's wishes.

She only did it for the company.

So she shouldn't bear

any responsibility.

Without definitive proof,

we shouldn't suspect

any of our own people.

But to uncover the truth,

Mr. Dong, you must follow protocol

and be suspended.

I object.

It's about the launch date.

At this time,

if news leaks that our CFO

is suspended

under investigation,

it won't reflect well

on Jiali.

I have a suggestion.

Mr. Dong takes leave.

That way, we protect

Jiali's reputation,

while also having him

step down for now.

(The theory of sacrificing pawns)

(costs real blood in real life.)

(I thought)

(I was mentally prepared.)

(Yet when I actually saw)

(someone fall for me,)

(I realized)

(how much inevitable sacrifices)

(truly hurt.)

Didn't eat lunch?

Have something sweet to recharge.

No, thanks.

I have no appetite.

You go ahead.

Still upset over Mr. Dong?

Someone beat Liu Bai

to reach him.

That scoundrel Di Liren

exploited a loophole.

Even the best plans have flaws.

He is hidden, but you are exposed.

What happened today shows

Di Liren has long

wanted to remove Mr. Dong.

He just never had the chance.

What do you mean?

Are you saying

I was a pawn?

Not quite a pawn,

more like a nail

that sticks out.

A nail that sticks out?

The nail that sticks out gets hammered?

Watch your mouth!

You get hammered!

- You get hammered! - Ouch!

You get hammered!

Feeling better now?

Who cheers someone up like that?

No wonder you have no suitors.

Who says I don't?

Once I leave court,

people pursue me everywhere.

To beat me up.

Why have you been

hiccupping so much lately?

Is your stomach acting up?

I know a TCM doctor.

Go see him.

It works.

I'm afraid even a doctor

can't cure my new symptoms.

What nonsense is that?

Take some to wash it down.

Let's go. Grab Zi.

Let's talk in your office.

You mean Wu Heng

backed out at the last second,

saying the proof is gone and he's out?

Exactly.

Wu Heng

was a lost cause.

We need to find

another way.

We should

stick to our old plan.

Target Han Guang,

breaking his alliance

with Di Liren.

Once Di Liren is exposed,

Mr. Dong will be safe.

The pushback inside Jiali

is too strong.

Without

a solid reason,

it's hard to have Jiali

end cooperation with Han Guang's factory.

If we can't find evidence

inside Jiali,

we might start with Guangsili'er,

forcing Han Guang

to break their deal.

Since Han Guang

falsified the product costs,

they must have messed with

the raw materials.

So the loophole they exploited is...

Jinghua!

Jinghua might have quality issues.

You get what you pay for.

As long as we can get

Jinghua samples tested,

we'll definitely find proof

of their cost-cutting.

Then,

we sue Han Guang

in Jiali's name.

To save his own neck,

he'll definitely

turn on Di Liren.

But

Jinghua hasn't launched yet.

The samples are all at Han Guang's factory.

How can we

get the samples

without alerting Di Liren

and Han Guang?

I've got it.

How about a livestream?

One featuring Di Liren.

One orange latte.

Please have a seat.

Thank you.

Isn't this Meng?

Look.

(Lucky Beauty Yu)

She's an influencer?

She never told me.

Lucky Beauty Yu...

Let me search it.

(Lucky Beauty Yu)

Honey,

the livestream is about to start.

I thought you'd be late.

You gave the order.

How could I dare be late?

I have

KPIs to meet,

and this promotes Jiali,

too.

Thanks for helping me out.

Dad?

Who is it, Honey?

Wrong room.

(Lu Hui)

All right.

Let's go.

What's that?

Someone knocked.

It's starting.

Let's head into the stream.

Let's go.

How is it?

Great.

The hair right here...

Okay.

Mr. Di, could you

move a little?

You're blocking Meng's camera.

Is this director new?

Isn't Liu Zi

directing today?

Yeah.

Come on. Get ready.

Three, two, one.

Action.

Hello, everyone!

For today's livestream,

we mainly want to clear up

some recent false rumors

about Jiali.

Also,

I'd like to introduce

today's special guest.

(It's Mr. Di!)

(The power couple!)

(Mr. Di is so cool!)

They say you're cool.

Say hi to everyone.

Hi, everyone.

I'm Di Liren.

Bai,

this guy...

He's Meng's husband.

Liu Bai, clear the comments.

Have Meng steer the topic back.

Thank you, guys!

Everyone,

start asking

about Jiali's infighting now.

Keep the chat pattern.

(Heard Jiali has internal strife.)

(Is it true?)

(Can the new product launch on time?)

(Heard Jiali's partners)

(aren't getting paid.)

(Is Jiali going bankrupt?)

Bai,

how long has Mr. Di

been with Meng?

About five years.

All on her profile.

Take a look yourself.

Our new product, Jinghua,

has gone into production.

Please stay tuned.

Rest assured.

Liu Bai,

collect the questions later.

I'll do it.

Let him.

If things go south, mute and cut the feed.

Still praising your looks, Honey.

(Liu Zi?)

(What's going on?)

(Have Harry ask.)

Okay, following today's schedule,

we'll answer some

of the top-liked questions

from our page.

You two are so sweet.

A fan wants to ask Mr. Di,

are you only this nice to Meng,

or to everyone?

I'm nice

to all the fans

in this livestream

and all the consumers

of Jiali.

Everyone, start asking for samples now.

Flood the chat.

(- Give us Jinghua! - Samples!)

Don't worry, everyone.

There will be perks for our fans!

Type 1!

Let's draw lucky viewers!

Let me see

how many of you

want Jinghua samples!

Okay.

Our second question

is also for Mr. Di.

What's more important

for a family,

money or time?

Trust is surely more important.

Through its reputation,

Jiali has earned

the trust

of our consumers.

We will continue to guarantee

product quality.

We also hope

all our fans

won't believe or spread rumors.

Stay tuned for our new drop,

Jinghua.

Stay tuned for our new drop,

Jinghua.

It turns out

so many fans

want Jinghua samples!

Okay.

Let's do this then.

We'll pick

our luckiest viewers.

Representing Jiali, we'll

send you Jinghua samples.

Wait.

Samples are limited.

Giving them out early

could affect our marketing strategy.

(We want fan perks!)

(- Give us Jinghua! - Come on, Mr. Di!)

Honey,

didn't you just agree

to give perks to our fans?

That's why I promised them.

Now they've all heard it,

and they all want Jinghua samples.

Right, guys?

Just make an exception, Honey.

Just send them

a few Jinghua samples.

Don't embarrass me.

Just give out some.

Only a few, then.

Hurry, everyone is watching.

All right.

We'll do that.

However,

only ten sets.

My hands are tied too,

so please understand.

Let's all thank Mr. Di!

Backstage, get ready

to draw the lucky viewers!

Don't worry.

The draw is rigged for insiders.

Honey,

excuse me.

You...

Come with me.

What are you doing here?

When did you

meet Yu Meng?

And you?

Did you cheat on Mom?

Why pretend not to know me?

And since when

are you Di Liren?

Calm down, will you?

I'll explain everything

you want to know

once we're home.

You don't even come home!

Does Meng know

you have a son?

Not talking?

In that case, I'll go tell her!

Wait!

Your mom and I are divorced.

Yu Meng knows nothing.

Stay away from them.

Stop hanging around with them.

I'll explain everything

you want to know later,

okay?

Honey,

I have things to do. Bye.

Di Liren is holding back his anger.

Stay at my place tonight.

That's what I was thinking.

Why did Harry suddenly

show up in the stream?

I have no idea.

So it seems

Harry really wasn't

sent by Di Liren's side.

Could it really just be a coincidence?

Good heavens.

Finally, you open your eyes.

Oh, my.

Now he's dragged into this too.

As if it wasn't messy enough.

You shouldn't worry tonight.

Lu Hui and Di Liren should.

The gears of fate

have begun to turn.

Who gets dragged in next

is no longer

under our control.

You're right.

If things don't go our way,

we'll let nature take its course.

Right.

This has nothing to do with you.

Let it go.

Zi,

how are the Jinghua samples?

They're all with Liu Bai.

Ready for testing tomorrow morning.

Yes!

Great.

Why did you come back alone?

Where's Haoyu?

You know it?

The second you saw him,

you didn't call me.

Now, you left him

there all alone.

Why don't you ask

how he got into the stream today?

Did you know all along?

So what if I did?

What could I say?

All you care about right now

is taking the company.

Saying it won't help.

If you had told me sooner,

it could've

been avoided.

Do you know

how helpless I was?

Now you know

how I felt

when I heard

you were staying at Jiali.

What you love is power,

calling the shots,

and being in control,

not Haoyu and me.

I gave so much to Jiali.

I need to see results.

So even if it

puts Haoyu and me in danger,

you don't care?

Of course, I wouldn't put you two

in any danger.

I hope you mean that.

What did you say to Haoyu?

I

admitted that we're divorced.

Under those circumstances,

coming clean was the best choice.

Hui.

Hui.

Don't follow me!

Calm down first.

We need to work together

to keep up the act in front of Haoyu.

Listen to me,

okay?

Haoyu,

I shouldn't have kept

the divorce from you.

Did you enjoy lying to me?

You said he was on business.

What a lie.

There are

barely any of Dad's things,

so he moved out long ago,

right?

What you said before

about our family being reunited

was just an act.

But we love you.

Haoyu,

this is for your own good.

Can you just be honest?

When did you get divorced?

Before you went to the UK.

Why not tell me?

You were alone in a foreign country,

a stranger there.

We didn't want to burden you.

Haoyu,

it was an amicable split.

Even if we're not together,

we're still your parents,

and we still love you.

Could you please

try to understand us?

So...

What about Meng?

You dare bring her up?

(Han Guang)

(Han Guang)

Why did Yu Meng

suddenly send samples

in the livestream?

You know the samples have issues.

It was an ambush.

Don't worry about it.

Let her mess around.

Everything is under control.

Trust me.

I can handle whatever she throws at us.

Don't get so worked up.

Wait. But...

Yu Meng keeps blindsiding us.

Stop acting so relaxed.

Do you think I won't hit back?

What's your plan?

Let me hear it.

Starting tomorrow,

join the finance department.

Do what you need to do.

Dong Jun is gone.

Time to make room for someone new.

You not only counter every move,

you even plan ahead.

=The Vanishing Beauty= (Next Episode Preview)

(Lucky Beauty Yu)

(Lu Hui) Wait, that's not right.

Dad was dating Meng

before the divorce.

How about joining Jiali

and being my assistant?

Who are you?

We don't know each other.

But you should know me.

Every time you wired money to Di Liren,

that account ending in 304

was mine.

Police.

Three days in criminal detention.

Di Liren has pressed charges.

That fool!

I'm not just making the whole company

think she's crazy.

I want her to end up

with no one but me.

♪Old dreams have faded in color♪

♪A lonely heart torn in conflict♪

♪The love that stumbled along♪

♪Was just a quiet release♪

♪I write the future into a song, honoring the brave with no regrets♪

♪Turning all losses into the passion of this moment♪

♪I write the future into a song, for the me who never walks away♪

♪Forging all weaknesses into sharp, bold colors♪

♪In this life, I follow only my own choice♪

♪The chilled night has lost its color♪

♪No need to echo those who drifted apart♪

♪No longer proving my worth to anyone♪

♪The answer has long been etched in my silhouette♪

♪I write the future into a song, for the me who never walks away♪

♪Paving every twist and turn into a path forward♪

♪The ending of this life will be set by me♪