Original subtitles

(Broker)

(Adapted from Miao Juan's novel, "Broker")

(Episode 4)

(International Conference on Precision Medicine)

What are you doing?

I'm here to see Deputy Director Wu.

Please show us your invitation.

Invitation?

I forgot to bring it.

We really can't let you in without an invitation.

Can't you make an exception?

I'm really here for a meeting.

I'm here to meet Deputy Director Wu.

I'm sorry.

(International Conference on Precision Medicine)

I don't believe you won't go to the bathroom.

Hello, are you Deputy Director Wu?

You are...

I'm Qiu Jia Ning, a researcher from Plan O.

I'd like to discuss...

our company's collaboration with your hospital.

I wonder if you have the time.

Five minutes.

I just need five minutes.

Jia Ning.

Mr. Wang.

Why are you here?

Su Qian.

The new annual cell report is ready.

Mr. Wang just finished attending the meeting...

and has returned to the office.

That's great.

Then let's use this opportunity...

and ask him to sign this report quickly.

Mr. Wang.

Here is the revised report.

Please take a look.

Regarding the issue...

Jia Ning mentioned last time,

are there any concrete solutions...

reflected in the report?

Yes.

It's here.

Yes, here.

This is it.

What's wrong, Mr. Wang?

Are there other problems?

Su Qian.

Jia Ning has already been here for about a month, right?

Yes.

What particular tasks is she in charge of right now?

I told her to walk through the experiment process...

with Zheng Wei.

What is her work performance like?

Well...

It's all right.

It sounds forced. Tell me.

Mr. Wang.

I know you value talent.

I don't know if it's due...

to the differences in the overseas experiment environment,

but I feel that this girl...

hasn't adapted to this place yet.

Tell me more.

Maybe I shouldn't tell on people here,

but take a look at this.

Qiu Jia Ning went out...

for afternoon tea during work hours.

She even posted a WeChat Moment.

That creates a bad impression.

That's true.

I also saw her somewhere she shouldn't have been.

She was at the cancer session...

of the International Conference on Precision Medicine.

Why did she go there?

Originally, I thought...

she came to see me for something urgent.

It turns out she wasn't looking for me.

She was looking...

for Aoyoung Hospital's Deputy Director Wu.

Jia Ning told me she went to find Deputy Director Wu...

to discuss collaborating on clinical trials.

Su Qian, you're the one who gave her this task, weren't you?

I didn't expect Jia Ning to be so proactive.

I just casually mentioned it to her.

I didn't think she would take it seriously.

Mr. Wang.

I was just anxious...

about the subsequent procedures.

Su Qian, I understand your urgency.

But it should at least be you, Sun Lei,

or even someone of my rank...

to approach Deputy Director Wu.

You've sent a researcher who isn't familiar with this place.

What will they think of us?

You can't rush things.

Yes.

You're right.

Mr. Wang.

You haven't signed my report yet.

Su Qian, I need everyone to witness the experiment...

so that we can prevent any oversight in the future.

Notify everyone to gather...

in the big lab in 30 minutes.

Take note.

Don't leave anyone out.

Everyone, hurry and gather in the cell lab now.

Go immediately.

Why is this so sudden?

Mr. Wang's secretary gave us the orders.

Let's go.

What's going on?

Everyone, hurry up. Stop dillydallying.

Shi Tou, what is so urgent?

Mr. Wang asked Ms. Su's team...

to demonstrate the key experiment in their new annual cell report.

Why...

Check cell density and state.

Ms. Su.

The average density of the cells in the six wells...

is 80 to 90 percent.

The state of the cells is normal.

They are suitable for the experiment.

Formulate the growth medium.

The concentration should be 0.1 micromoles.

Put the petri dish in the living cell workstation.

Monitor the cell status for 24 hours.

Sun Lei and you will monitor it together.

After 36 hours,

we'll come back...

to look at the results together.

Okay.

Let's talk outside later.

Su Qian.

What should we do now?

Don't panic.

We still have 36 hours until the result comes out.

I'm sure we can find another way.

We have to stay calm...

at a time like this.

But...

But Mr. Wang wants you and Mr. Sun...

to monitor the experiment together.

Did Mr. Wang discover anything?

Su Qian, we can't hide it anymore.

Mr. Wang must have found something.

We can't get the desired results of the experiment at all.

What should we do?

Mr. Wang must have discovered something.

Mr. Wang must have found out.

Look at me.

We must have slipped up somewhere,

so Mr. Wang found out.

- Su Qian, we... - Look at me.

Wei Wei.

Unless it's the very end,

we can't give up so easily, okay?

Experiments are often all about timing.

If you don't succeed today,

it could be because you're not in good condition.

Or maybe the test tube we were given today...

wasn't washed properly.

It's all possible.

Anyway, I'm here.

Don't think about anything else.

Is that clear?

But Su Qian,

- we can't hide it anymore. - That's nonsense.

- Su Qian. - Listen to me.

I'm the one who led the experiment.

You just carried it out.

If anything happens,

I'm also the one who will be responsible.

It has nothing to do with you.

Do you understand?

Do you understand?

So you wanted to stop Deputy Director Wu...

in front of the restroom,

but you ran into Mr. Wang.

By the way, Qiu Jia Ning,

regarding Ms. Su,

it's just our speculation for now.

If after 36 hours,

the result matches the report,

what are you going to do?

That's good then.

Is that what you really think?

You won't be okay.

You were lucky you ran into Mr. Wang this time.

But once Su Qian gets past this obstacle,

she'll definitely rip you apart.

You've already been fired from a lab once.

If Plan O drives you out too,

your laboratory career...

will come to an end.

Science is my career.

As long as I don't give up,

no one can stop me.

Ms. Su.

I'm going in to record the data.

Let's go together.

Okay.

Based on the experiment results,

other than the sixth cell which had no growth medium,

all of the other cells have somewhat deteriorated.

However...

But the life curves are basically the same.

There are no significant changes.

That's right.

It's the same as the results...

of the several experiments our team did.

If this is the result,

there's no way they could have derived the result in the report.

Su Qian.

Tell us in more detail.

I think...

some minor conditions in the experiment must have changed.

I'll have to look into the details to determine what the situation was.

Everyone is here today.

We've all been through a lot.

If it was a problem with the dishes,

we'll use another set...

and do it again.

If there was an issue of contamination,

we'll get rid of the contamination and redo it.

Make sure you find out what the problem is.

But...

if it was a man-made factor,

Plan O...

will not allow anyone to fabricate anything.

Mr. Wang.

It was me.

I was too eager to succeed during the experiment,

so the data I gave Su Qian...

was all manipulated.

I have a question.

Go ahead.

After I raised my suspicions about the report,

did Ms. Su still let Zheng Wei...

to repeatedly conduct the experiment by herself?

Su Qian questioned me.

But I made all sorts of excuses to fool her.

Zheng Wei.

Do you have your reasons for this?

If you do, tell us.

You'll get fired for this.

I don't care.

You...

Mr. Wang.

If we're talking about my reasons,

does wanting fame and wealth count?

Zheng Wei, shut up.

Mr. Wang.

If you want to blame someone for this, blame me.

It's my fault for not managing my subordinates well.

Stop.

Do you want to be the hero in this experiment...

so you could steal the spotlight?

Yes.

What prospects would I have as a regular researcher?

I can't earn much, it's tedious, and mundane.

Only if I become a core researcher in the company's core project...

will I be respected...

and have a bright future.

Okay.

Very well.

All the researchers are here today.

Let me emphasize this again.

As a pharmaceutical researcher,

the results can bring rich benefits...

to the company and yourselves.

However,

medicine is not a daily necessity.

It's a matter of life and death.

I hope...

that while pursuing your personal interests,

every one of you must remember the responsibility you hold.

I won't let go...

of any flawed experiment procedures,

nor will I tolerate...

any changes, forgery,

or the cover-up of raw data.

If anyone is caught,

they'll be fired immediately.

They will also bear all legal responsibilities.

Mr. Wang.

Mr. Wang.

Listen to me.

There must be a misunderstanding.

Zheng Wei isn't usually like this.

Please give her one more chance.

Su Qian.

Let me ask you something.

Did you really not know about all this mess...

or did you just not want to know at all?

Yes.

It's true that I trust Wei Wei too much.

But I didn't expect...

that her mentality changed so much this past year.

There's no way Wei Wei can stay.

Tell her to write a resignation letter herself.

Consider it my last act of kindness towards her.

Mr. Wang.

Please give her one more chance.

Also,

I hope...

you can rely more on Jia Ning in the work to come.

If it weren't for her reminder this time,

we would have rashly submitted the new cell report.

If the head office approves it and allocates the funds for it,

have you considered what the consequences would be?

Wait.

Are you satisfied now?

What would I be satisfied with?

You finally showed yourself off in front of Mr. Wang.

You successfully got me kicked out of the lab.

Did I kick you out of the lab?

Don't play dumb.

Don't think too highly of yourself.

Why would I waste time on you?

You're the one who benefited, yet you're still putting up an act.

Whether you believe it or not,

if I were willing to spend my time doing networking,

I would still be at the best lab overseas.

If I were that kind of person,

I wouldn't be bullied by all of you today.

It's always everyone else's fault.

Why don't you reflect on yourself?

You're the one who should reflect on yourself.

As a researcher, you shouldn't use tricks.

Since you've done it,

you should accept the consequences.

Don't lecture me.

You don't know anything about me.

I don't.

I'm not interested in getting to know you either.

I have my own difficulties.

Difficulties?

Who doesn't have difficulties?

Are you allowed to do wrong things just because you have difficulties?

I forgot.

You went overseas when you went to college.

If you were able to go overseas then,

your family must be well-off.

How would you understand...

the difficulties of people like us?

I was born in a small village.

I took the train for the 1st time when I was 18.

Su Qian paid for my train ticket.

I got into college that year,

but the reality is harsh.

If I continued going to school,

my family would have to raise me for four more years.

If I gave up going to college,

I could make a living to support my family right away.

Su Qian realized I didn't report to school on time,

so she took a plane, the train, and a bus...

to find me.

After she understood my situation,

she helped me apply for a tuition reduction.

That's how I became who I am today.

I'm very sorry...

to hear all that.

But I'll say it again.

That doesn't justify...

your wrongdoings.

Fine.

Qiu Jia Ning,

you're a saint.

Just you wait.

Zheng Wei.

Nice speech, Qiu Jia Ning.

What speech?

Do you really think right and wrong prevail over everything?

Is that not true?

There are always moments in life when you're faced with dilemmas.

There are times when you can't be so certain.

That's just an excuse people find for themselves.

Then if a gun...

was lodged to your head right now,

would you still be so certain?

Of course.

Yes.

Maybe you really can.

But if the gun was pointed at your family...

or the people you love the most...

and their lives depend on your choice,

would you still be so sure?

Answer me.

I don't answer hypothetical questions.

You wavered.

You aren't sure.

Am I right?

What do you mean, Zhou Xiao Shan?

Nothing.

Who is it?

This is your delivery.

Why are you the one delivering it?

I saw the delivery guy downstairs...

and he couldn't find your entrance,

so I brought it up to you.

Thank you.

Come in.

Sure.

Make yourself at home.

Zhou Xiao Shan.

Were you angry...

this afternoon?

No.

I have thought it through.

If someone threatened me...

with my family's life...

to do something against my principles,

I may also find it difficult...

to make a decision.

So now you understand how Zheng Wei feels.

I understand her.

But I still don't think what she did was right.

I'll get going now.

Let me ask you.

If I put a gun to your family member's head...

and forced you to make a choice,

what would you choose?

You won't be that type of bad guy.

Won't I?

Qiu Jia Ning.

You don't even know what kind of a person I am.

You're right.

I don't know you.

But I trust you.

Moreover, I trust my instincts.

You're a good person.

At the very least,

I've never doubted it thus far.

I'm sorry.

I hurt you.

It's okay.

Qin Bin.

Look.

Good morning, Dr. Qin.

Good morning.

- Hello, Dr. Qin. - Hello, Dr. Qin.

What a beautiful morning.

- What is it that made you... - Good morning, Dr. Qin.

- leave your posts... - Good morning, Dr. Qin.

- and gathered all here? - Good morning, Dr. Qin.

Why are you leaving?

What were you looking at?

It's just a funny little video.

We were just watching it together to relax.

A funny little video?

Do you think I don't know your taste?

Let me check on it.

I can show you.

But don't be mad.

Don't flip out.

What are you dillydallying about?

What's the secret?

Is that me?

Yes, what a coincidence, right?

Who posted it?

Don't be so condescending.

Are you going to tell me or not?

I'm going to drop it.

- You... - Who posted it?

She sure is my student.

Look at Zheng Wei's work records these two days.

You'll take care of her tasks from now on.

Give me your quarterly work plan...

before work next week.

No problem.

You can go now.

Isn't this Dr. Qin?

Yes, it's Dr. Qin.

Why is he a bit crazy today?

He is crazy every day.

Dear old ladies and gents,

let me imitate...

the way Dr. Qin usually lectures us.

"Time is priceless and precious."

"As a doctor,"

"other than curing and saving people,"

"everything else is a waste of time."

"Do you get it?"

Dr. Qin has two faces.

He treats all of you kindly and politely,

but he is very cruel to his subordinates.

- No way. - It's true.

- That's impossible. - Mr. Qin is quite kind.

- Yes. - It's true.

Do you want to see another video?

Dr. Qiu,

take care.

You too, ma'am.

Bye.

That was so funny.

Hi, Jia Xin.

Dr. Qin.

Where did you come from?

I was here the whole time.

The windows are very nicely closed.

Is that so?

Come. Jia Xin, come here.

I have something to tell you.

Jia Xin,

what were you talking about just now?

You were smiling so happily.

Stand where you belong.

Tell me.

What should I say?

The video.

Dr. Qin.

I just thought...

you were especially cute,

so I recorded a video of you, edited it,

and posted it on the Internet.

Thanks to you,

the entire hospital is watching my cute video now.

Dr. Qin, I don't understand.

Doctors are human too.

We need entertainment.

I showed the video to the elderly...

and they enjoyed it too.

Positive emotions are beneficial to the recovery of our patients.

Besides,

I think there are many aspects to medicine.

For example, I make the elderly laugh every day.

I've really never thought about the things you just said.

- Isn't that right? - Yes, that's not all.

You have a lot of other good qualities.

For example, you're late to work,

you knock off in the office,

and you make a lot of typos in medical reports.

That is a sign of your outstanding medical skills.

So I was wrong all along.

You're the one who's my mentor.

I'm your disciple.

My mentor.

My mentor.

I...

I don't deserve this.

Dr. Qin, don't be like this.

Why are you fighting like a woman? You always like to...

Who are you calling a girl?

- Who are you calling a girl? - I...

I'm off duty now. I should go.

Dr. Qin.

You...

Well...

Bye.

Come back here.

Can you just delete the video?

Silence.

Mr. Wang.

I have something important to tell you today...

and it just so happens...

Jia Ning also has something to report to you,

so I brought her with me.

Jia Ning reports to you directly.

Even if what she is reporting is very important,

you should be the one to report it to me.

That's how the procedure is.

But...

I'm resigning.

Did something serious happen?

Thank you for taking care of me all these years.

People eventually have to part at some point in life.

I hope you can accept my resignation.

I also just emailed...

my resignation to the head office just now.

You seem to have made up your mind.

You didn't even give me a chance to urge you to stay.

I want to know...

which company gave you an offer.

Harry's Lab in City A.

(Office)

When exactly did that happen?

It's my privacy.

I have no comment.

Is it because of me?

You think too highly of yourself.

If there's nothing else,

please leave.

I need to pack up and get out of here.

Did you really not know...

what Zheng Wei did?

Are you hiding something from us?

Are you?

If you want to know so badly,

I'll tell you.

Not only did I know about it,

but I was also the one who asked Zheng Wei to do it.

What a pity.

Sometimes, things don't go as planned.

We were so close to getting the head office to approve it.

But you joined the lab.

We still don't have the ideal data at this stage.

Even if the head office approves to move it to the next phase,

there's no point.

Don't you know?

The approval for the clinical trials and market authorization...

of cancer drugs...

is an unimaginably long and tedious process.

The approval takes a long time...

for the sake of safety.

Once a drug is launched,

it becomes the hope of millions of patients.

They'll put all their hope on this drug.

If errors in our experiments result in a medical accident,

it will be fatal to countless lives and families.

But all that time wasted...

on administration approving documents...

would be enough for me to optimize the experiment...

and get the ideal data.

Approval can only happen...

given that solid data already exists.

Fake data can't be used to cheat the approval process.

Yet you even want to use the lag in time to fix your data?

Do you think you're the only one who is concerned about patients?

Okay.

Let's imagine this.

A certain type of cancer kills 10,000 people...

around the globe every year.

But if the development of a drug is sped up and released,

even if there are strong side effects,

and the patient's death rate could be as high as 50 percent...

due to the side effects,

at least the other 50 percent of the patients...

still have a chance to live.

The 50 percent that dies due to the side effects...

were going to die anyway.

Isn't that right?

As a scientist,

I can't believe you could say such a childish thing.

Yes.

I am childish.

Let me tell you.

On New Year's Day in 2009,

my grandma passed away from stomach cancer.

But a few months later,

Weikangda announced their launch in China.

Many stomach cancer patients were saved because of this.

All these years, I've been thinking.

If this drug was released a few months earlier,

maybe my grandma would have lived.

Maybe to this day,

I could still...

see, laugh, and talk with her.

So Qiu Jia Ning,

remember this.

Because of you,

our project has come to a standstill today.

From now on, every day and night,

there will be many patients...

who die because they can't wait for the release of the drug.

Yet you...

You are still indulging in the illusion that you're a saint.

I hope you'll be able to sleep well every night.

- What happened? - Who knows?

Was I wrong?

I know what you're thinking.

Otherwise, your attitude towards me...

wouldn't have changed 180 degrees.

Zheng Wei engaged in fraud...

to repay Ms. Su.

Ms. Su resorted to deceit...

because of the regrets she has over a deceased family member.

In Greek mythology,

Sisyphus's story is my favorite.

He didn't want any more deaths in the mortal world,

so he kidnapped the god of death.

However,

he angered the gods by doing so.

The gods punished him to roll a boulder up a hill,

but that boulder was too heavy.

Every time he was about to reach the top,

it would roll down again.

So he kept doing it again and again,

repeating the same thing endlessly.

So that's why you still insist on your view...

of what's right and wrong...

even if everyone shuns you out.

- I... - Qiu Jia Ning.

Sisyphus at least went against the god of death.

What have you done for this world?

Su Qian's report has been confirmed to be false data.

It seems Plan O is still stuck...

in the cell research phase.

Wang Qi Tian will ask Sun Lei...

to hand in an interim report very soon.

I've already sent the draft to your email.

I got it.

I'll report back to the superiors. Wait for my call.

Mr. Zha.

When will the superiors declare this mission as complete?

Why are you suddenly asking me this?

It's nothing.

I'm just a little tired.

Xiao Shan, you never say you're tired.

What are you looking at that has you laughing so hard?

Mom.

Isn't this looping video hilarious?

This young man is so handsome.

Young man?

Mom.

I think you should get your eyes checked at our hospital.

Don't talk nonsense.

Hey.

Who is he?

Is he a colleague at your hospital?

He is my mentor.

He looks quite young.

He is still young, but he has such a good career.

He has potential.

Mom.

What is wrong with your eyes?

He is not young at all.

He is old.

Don't mention him in front of me.

It's annoying.

What's wrong?

He is always frowning and nagging me.

Just hearing his name annoys me.

What's so annoying?

What happened?

Mom.

I want to quit being a doctor.

What are you talking about?

It's great for a girl to be a doctor.

It's a stable job.

Besides,

curing and saving lives is a virtuous deed.

Mom, you don't know how tired I am.

Every day,

I have to rush to the hospital whenever there's an emergency.

I have to make countless trips there every day.

I'm exhausted and it's boring.

Every job is tiring.

If you don't want to be a doctor,

then what do you want to do?

I want to do something that makes me happy.

Since you were a kid,

you've had everything handed to you on a silver platter.

You're both daughters of this family,

yet look at Jia Ning.

She went to study overseas when she was young.

She relied on scholarships all year round...

and never asked the family for any money...

for her living expenses or tuition.

Now, look at you.

How much more happiness do you want?

You're Qiu Jia Ning's stepmom,

yet you're praising her.

I'm jealous.

Look at you.

So what if I'm her stepmom?

A stepmom has to tell the truth too.

Fine.

Jia Xin.

Listen carefully.

You need to be more serious.

You can't just do whatever you want anymore.

Can you make yourself look good in front of your dad?

Mom.

I already look good.

I can't look any better.

That's enough. Stop playing around.

I'm serious.

Do you hear me?

Yes, I do.

Mom, it's time.

You should go to bed.

You need your beauty sleep.

Hurry. Go on.

I should sleep too.

Why do you need to sleep?

I'm going to sleep. I'm sleepy.

- Mom, go. - I'm telling you this again.

Stop thinking nonsense.

What do you mean you don't want to be a doctor?

What else can you do?

Do you think you're invincible?

Look at how fat you are.

You should lose some weight.

It's a good thing.

Yes, Mom.

Yes, ma'am.

All right.

Good night, Mom.

Good night.

Okay, there's no problem.

I'll submit this annual cell report...

at the meeting...

with the head office next month.

I'll report the situation as is.

At the moment,

we have made no progress.

Mr. Wang.

Will our project be called off?

It's highly likely to be canceled,

but as long as there's a sliver of hope,

I'll do my best to fight for it.

Don't worry.

Even if Plan O is called off temporarily,

the company...

has other projects.

The researchers can transfer...

to common drug development teams.

My livelihood is not important.

But Mr. Wang,

I'm reluctant to let this go.

Sun Lei.

You're still young.

There are endless possibilities in life.

Don't be discouraged.

Hello?

Mr. Wang,

Qiu Jia Ning wants to see you.

Ask her to come in.

Okay.

Mr. Wang.

I have something to report to you.

Go ahead.

Mr. Wang, I'll get going now.

Mr. Sun.

I have something to ask you.

You want to look into the genetic aspect...

to stop cancer cells from expressing telomerase, right?

That's right. What ideas do you have?

I'm not qualified to give ideas.

I just wanted to ask...

if modifying them genetically...

can really avoid having to repress the telomerase in the cells?

Isn't that your former boss Harry's view in his article?

Why are you dismissing his views...

just because you left his lab?

Dismissing his views...

has nothing to do with me leaving his lab.

The article is indeed not precise enough.

In fact, there is also a lack of experiments that verify his claims.

Actually, I think the direction you took before was better.

Use small molecular inhibitors...

to impede telomerase activity in cancer cells.

A target like that...

is more beneficial to the research.

The pharmaceutical structure is also more mature.

Although gene therapy is very popular right now,

but there are a lot of hidden dangers in it too.

I'm sorry.

But after more than a year of conducting experiments,

it has been proven that it doesn't work.

Jia Ning.

What's the reason that you think...

the lab's previous direction...

was better?

I just think it's a possibility.

How big are the chances?

I need the numbers.

I don't have them yet.

Sun Lei.

Let's not submit the annual cell report...

to the head office for the time being.

Mr. Wang, she's just saying that.

Do you really believe her?

Sun Lei, don't be hasty.

I have my own plans.

Jia Ning.

You need a theoretical basis...

to support your argument.

I'll give you half a month. Is that enough?

Yes, it is.

Be bold with your experiment.

Let me know...

if you need anything.

Can you give me a researcher...

to help me with my experiment?

Sun Lei.

Who do you think is suitable?

How about Zhou Xiao Shan?

He has experience from overseas, just like Qiu Jia Ning.

It might be easier for them to communicate.

What do you think?

All right.

It's settled then.

I'll be waiting for your report.

Okay.