Episode 1

The **first** episode of A Clear Midsummer Night originally aired on February 15, 2013. Qiao's Group and Hua Lang Group negotiate to buy Xu Corporation land, Chairman Qiao moves to block his son's latest business venture, and Wan Qing starts to doubt her relationship with Ling Tian.

## Recap

### Wan Qing's assignment

One morning, Xia Wan Qing is in her house, putting up photos and ornaments. She leaves in her car and drives through the streets of Qingdao to work. While waiting for the lift, she greets the editor, Wan Hua, who is showered with compliments from her colleagues. When she arrives at her desk, there are flowers and chocolates waiting for her, as happens every Wednesday.

Two of her employees come to tell her that her meeting with Chairman Qiao will be at 3pm. The meeting was going to be with Wan Hua, but Wan Qing now has to go instead. The employees stand there gossiping about how Wan Qing's life is better than Wan Hua's, especially as she has a boyfriend, until she tells them to get back to work. Later, one of those employees admits to their co-workers that she was just saying these things to suck up to her boss. She reveals her true feeling that Wan Qing's boyfriend is insincere to send flowers and chocolate and has never showed genuine emotion to want to spend time with her. As Wan Qing is rich, they think she is naive and her boyfriend only wants her for money. If he has an affair in future, they think Wan Qing won't even realise it. As they get up to leave, they are embarrassed to discover that Wan Qing was listening to their whole conversation.

Reacting to what she heard, Wan Qing calls her boyfriend, Ling Tian, who is at work at Hua Lang Group HQ, and asks him out for lunch. He says it will depend on his meetings and if Chairman Xia already has lunch plans. Just then, Chairman Xia comes around the corner and asks Ling Tian to end the call. He takes Ling Tian and some of his colleagues into his office, very happy at the company having appeared on the front page of the Blue Bird Morning Post. He tells them that there are lots of companies wanting to poach his employees, especially Ling Tian. Ling Tian says that everything he knows comes from Chairman Xia, and pledges his loyalty to Chairman Xia, who is pleased.

Wan Qing has a meeting with Wan Hua, who shares with her the details of Qiao's Group. The company was founded abroad in the 1980s, but moved back to China. Their businesses include distribution, hotel chains, international trade and real estate. When the current chairman's father, Qiao Ju Long, took over the company, he was the one who expanded the business into real estate. Wan Hua then describes how their magazine got this interview. She had requested an interview with Chairman Qiao many times, but he never accepted, as he is a very quiet person. But when she proposed that Wan Qing conduct the interview, he accepted. Wan Qing theorizes that it's because she and her father have had dealings with Chairman Qiao in the business world. The conversation then turns to the chairman's son, Qiao Jin Fan. Wan Hua asks Wan Qing what she knows about him. Wan Qing says he is a playboy who just does nothing all day. Wan Hua says that Jin Fan is planning to build an entertainment centre, but Wan Qing doesn't know about it. Wan Hua says that the father and son should be working together, but they always compete with each other. She asks Wan Qing to start her interview by talking about this topic.

### The interview and the pool party

Later, Wan Qing arrives at her interview, which is in Chairman Qiao's office, and the chairman offers her some tea. She is very polite and grateful to the chairman for accepting the interview, but Chairman Qiao asks her not to be so formal as they have both been in the business world. He praises her father, Xia Zheng Lang, and feels sad that their two companies have never done business together, hoping that this will change in the future. Wan Qing says that her father mentions Chairman Qiao a lot, and praises his company. Chairman Qiao responds with his own praise for Chairman Xia's company, especially achievements in the construction and solar energy sectors.

The scene changes to a swimming pool, with lots of beautiful girls around. Two young men are sitting at a table discussing a business proposal. The man making the proposal, Lao Hu, is only prepared to discuss the details with Director Qiao, as he wants to understand Qiao's needs. He asks for some time with Director Qiao. The other man, Xie Chuang, asks him if he dares to wake Director Qiao up. We see Director Qiao, a young man, lying asleep with a book over his face, and a scantily-clad girl giving him a massage.

Back at the interview, Chairman Qiao observes that Wan Qing and her brother have a good relationship, and tells her that he has failed as a father. He wishes he had had children like Wan Qing. Wan Qing notes that the chairman's son is very ambitious. The scene switches back to the pool, where we see Director Qiao Jin Fan, the son of Chairman Qiao Ji Yun, waking up from his nap. Lao Hu and the beautiful girls all rush to his side, while Xie Chuang sits alone, seemingly disappointed that none of the girls stayed with him. Jin Fan mock-apologizes for falling asleep, saying his father never taught him how to be polite. He reads to the assembled group from his book, which is about how dialogue from movies can be used to understand the deep meaning of life. He admits that he fell asleep after reading it. The group, especially Lao Hu, look very confused. Lao Hu praises Qiao Jin Fan's deep understanding of cinema. Suddenly, Jin Fan throws the book at Lao Hu, sarcastically saying his understanding is very deep. He starts hitting Lao Hu with a beach ball, saying he (Jin Fan) understands nothing...and that the limit of his understanding is to lend money to someone like Lao Hu to make a movie, then take the profit from it. All the girls giggle, and Lao Hu agrees with Director Qiao's words. Jin Fan insults Lao Hu, but he continues to praise Jin Fan's words. Jin Fan then jumps into the pool, soon joined by others, including Xie Chuang.

The scene changes back to Chairman Qiao's office, where evidently Wan Qing has just mentioned Jin Fan's plans to build an entertainment centre, which Chairman Qiao didn't know about. Chairman Qiao suddenly gets up from his chair and calls one of his employees, Fang Ting. He tells her to call the Blue Bird Morning Post and reserve tomorrow's headline, as Qiao's Group has an important announcement to make. Wan Qing apologizes as she had assumed the chairman knew about Jin Fan's plan. Chairman Qiao worries about his family's reputation, as they have been in honest business for decades, and is incredulous over his son's planned new business venture. He storms out of the office, calling to Zhao Hou.

Next, we see a young man talking with one of the magazine's employees. They are looking at a fish tank. The young man says that the fish are so sad they are about to die, and this is because no one loves them, talks to them or plays with them. The magazine employee says that Wan Hua treats the fish like her own children, but the man finds this hard to believe, saying that they have sad faces. Just then, Wan Hua enters. She tells the young man not to touch her fish. She doesn't think the fish are unhappy, and tells the young man that he is not a fish so he doesn't know. Wan Qing enters and drags the young man, her brother Xia Wan Yang, out of the office, asking him why he walked into Wan Hua's office. He tells her how sad he feels for the fish, but Wan Qing is not happy at how he has criticized Wan Hua, her boss. Wan Yang advises his sister to get married soon, so that she can be rid of her boss, stating that female bosses are the worst. Wan Qing asks him why he is not at work, but he says that their dad and Ling Tian can handle it, while he can drive her home so she can have more time with Ling Tian. She is happy with this idea, but it has all been a ruse, as Ling Tian is actually waiting right outside. He apologizes for not being able to make lunch, but says he came to pick her up from work instead. Wan Yang advises his sister to be restrained, but Wan Qing ignores his supposedly protective words, saying that he has never dated anyone so is not qualified to give advice.

On the roads, Wan Yang is driving his car, taking his sister and her boyfriend home, when Jin Fan's car comes into view. Jin Fan is driving, with Xie Chuang in the passenger seat, and three of the girls dancing through the open top roof. Another vehicle is alongside and Lao Hu is hanging out of the side. Ling Tian is not impressed by their crazy behaviour. To make matters worse, one of the girls from Jin Fan's car shakes a champagne bottle, causing the cork to pop out into Wan Yang's car and hit Wan Qing. Ling Tian checks she is okay. Wan Yang asks Ling Tian for help in retaliating. He hands a plastic bag of items to Ling Tian, who starts to prepare with a soft drink bottle and a packet of Mentos. When Wan Yang has confirmed Ling Tian is ready, he pulls up alongside Jin Fan's car, and Ling Tian sprays it with the now-reacting mixture, causing the car to have to stop. Jin Fan finds the whole thing funny, saying goodbye to Wan Yang's car and praising their effort.

### Plotting to acquire the land

When Wan Qing and Wan Yang (together with Ling Tian) arrive home, their mother is waiting for them. She is annoyed that they are back late...and, smelling the alcohol on Wan Qing's clothes, is astounded that Wan Qing was drinking, as she is a lady. Wan Yang explains their run-in with the Qiao entourage (without mentioning them by name) and that the alcohol was sprayed on them by that group. His mother is not pacified, now turning to chastise Ling Tian for not protecting her daughter and also for his financial situation. Ling Tian promises to do better. The conversation then turns to the air temperature, as Wan Yang is incredulous that his mother did not turn on the AC. She tells him that she prefers the natural air and that making money is not easy for Chairman Xia so she doesn't want to waste it. She tells Wan Yang to go to see his dad, while chastising Wan Qing and asking her to go to take a shower. As the siblings pass each other, Wan Yang reminds Wan Qing to keep her phone turned on.

Wan Yang and Ling Tian visit Chairman Xia in his bedroom. Wan Yang calls Wan Qing and keeps the line open so she can hear the conversation. The chairman informs them of the death of Mr Xu of the Xu Corporation, after a heart attack, which Chairman Xia is glad about. A piece of land he previously owned is now in his wife's name, and Qiao's Group are already looking to get it. Chairman Xia says that the Hua Lang Group has to get the land, and they can no longer wait, as he has run out of patience from waiting through their negotiations with Xu Corporation up to this point. Ling Tian says that he already made an appointment with Madam Xu for the next day. The chairman then pulls out some files from his desk. Musing that it is much easier to clear financial debt than personal history, he stresses the importance of having a clean background. He hands the files over to the two young men, telling them to use the files if Madam Xu refuses to properly negotiate. He says that Madam Xu does not deserve their respect.

Wan Yang changes the subject to talk about Wan Qing and Ling Tian's relationship. His father responds that if they close the deal for the land, he will allow Ling Tian and Wan Qing to get married, and promote Ling Tian to vice director. Just then, Ge Mei Qiao (his wife) comes into the room and feels annoyed that Wan Qing is seen like a trophy to be won. As Ling Tian is an employee of Hua Lang Group, it's his job to close the deal. Wan Yang stresses how low Ling Tian's salary is and advises raising it to drive employee retention, but Ge Mei Qiao snaps back that he knows nothing about business! However, Chairman Xia reminds his wife that this is his decision alone, and his decision is final. Wan Yang and Ling Tian are both happy, although Wan Yang says he will hold his father to these words, as we see Wan Qing is still listening on the phone. Just as they are leaving, Ge Mei Qiao comes up with the idea that Wan Qing should be involved with the negotiation, as women deal better with women (especially widows), and Madam Xu knows and likes Wan Qing. Chairman Xia agrees, amazed at his wife's brilliance, but she says she learned everything from him.

Elsewhere, Jin Fan and Xie Chuang enter Jin Fan's apartment. The two play "rock, paper, scissors" to decide who can take a shower first. Jin Fan wins. Some time later, Xie Chuang is playing video games, while Jin Fan works out. Xie Chuang's father calls him, angry that him and his friend have been spending too much company money. He tells him that Chairman Qiao is very angry and wants Jin Fan home by sunrise or there will be big trouble. Xie Chuang deduces that Chairman Qiao must know about his son's plans to build the entertainment centre. He tells his friend everything, but Jin Fan thinks he can handle the company executives. Xie Chuang mock-begs him not to kill Xie Chuang's father, saying he needs to meet his grandchildren. Jin Fan asks how there could be grandchildren, as Xie Chuang has not yet been able to start a relationship with Jin Fan's sister. Embarrassed, Xie Chuang changes the subject to business. He tells Jin Fan that he will brief him the next day on the Xu Corporation land deal, and that he has found some dirt on Madam Xu, which he left on Jin Fan's bed. Jin Fan tries to guess what dirt has been found, eventually guessing correctly that it's an affair, after three guesses. Xie Chuang spent 300,000 RMB to buy this dirt. Jin Fan laments about how bad women are nowadays, and advises his friend to be careful. The two then sing a spontaneous song. Snapping back to reality, Jin Fan asks if they have any rivals, and Xie Chuang says they do have Xia Zheng Lang to contend with.

Just then, Jin Fan's phone rings, interrupting their conversation. The caller ID shows Xiao Ping calling. Jin Fan motions to Xie Chuang to be quiet, and walks away from the exercise and entertainment machine to a quiet corner where soft music is playing. He takes the call, appearing to be talking to a lover, and lies that he is still at a party. Evidently the person on the other end is wondering if he forgot her birthday, but he assures her that he didn't, and starts to reminisce about the previous year's birthday.

Elsewhere, Ling Tian is up late reading the dossier Chairman Xia gave him on Madam Xu's affair. Realizing the weight of what it contains, he throws it down onto a table in frustration.

The next day, Jin Fan calls Xie Chuang, who is driving his car, to ask if he has left yet. Xie Chuang explains that his father turned off his phone and that he was worried his father and Chairman Qiao were going to do something bad to Qiao Jin Fan, so he's decided to go home instead and find out what is happening. Jin Fan is amused at Xie Chuang's decision, and jokes that Xie Chuang thinks his dad will send someone to murder Jin Fan. Xie Chuang responds mock-seriously, saying that if that really happens, he will die for his friend. The joke escalates to a marriage proposal from Xie Chuang, then he changes the subject to business again. He has discovered that Hua Lang Group is sending an additional operative. As Jin Fan gets into his Ferrari, Xie Chuang sends him a profile of this new operative - Wan Qing. Jin Fan remembers her from the champagne bottle incident the previous day, and is surprised.

### The negotiations

Wan Qing, Wan Yang and Ling Tian meet Madam Xu and her business partner at a luxurious hotel, with a fountain in the lobby and a large light on the ceiling. Wan Qing opens the conversation, telling Madam Xu that her (Wan Qing's) mother is worried about Madam Xu. Madam Xu already knows this, as Ge Mei Qiao called her to invite her to an event hosted by the Lan Xin Group, and expressed her concern about Madam Xu. Wan Qing is pleased that Madam Xu already committed to attend the event. Next, Wan Yang greets Madam Xu, and introduces Ling Tian. Madam Xu had already heard of him from her husband, and praises his business skills as well as his handsome looks.

The five walk to their seats, and are surprised to see Jin Fan already sitting in the seat where Madam Xu's late husband used to sit! Jin Fan seems unperturbed and thinks there is nothing wrong as they are both businessmen. He greets everyone, including Wan Qing in quite a condescending way, while acknowledging that it's not the first time they have met. He then explains that he rented the entire restaurant in order to have breakfast with Madam Xu, but he invites the representatives from Hua Lang Group to join them, to be fair. Madam Xu is surprised at his presence, and not particularly impressed, but decides to go along with it. Jin Fan does impress Madam Xu by knowing her favourite breakfast order, which he learned from the waiter. After sitting down, Jin Fan is fidgeting with his phone, while Madam Xu praises his father for his business skills, and both Jin Fan and his father for their good looks. Jin Fan says he was born with it, and takes the opportunity to criticize Ling Tian and Wan Yang for thinking they could turn up in suits and look like businessmen. Wan Qing responds calmly, while implying that Jin Fan is not very smart. This gives the Hua Lang representatives the opportunity to talk business regarding the land. Ling Tian commences by handing his business cards out, but Jin Fan seems unimpressed and continues playing with his phone. This prompts Madam Xu to ask Jin Fan what he plans to do with the land. Jin Fan says he may build an entertainment centre. Wan Yang observes that Jin Fan is living his party lifestyle in the public eye and has embarrassed his family. Jin Fan heavily mocks Wan Yang, comparing him to Kung Fu Panda. He mocks Wan Yang's muscles, and Wan Yang asks him if he wants to test them (i.e. have a fight) to which Jin Fan agrees. Wan Qing steps in to calm the situation down, but Jin Fan claims he was only joking. Ling Tian suggests that everyone should be fair, which causes Jin Fan to turn to mock Ling Tian instead, focussing on his poor family background compared to Jin Fan's. Ling Tian does not rise to the provocation.

Madam Xu's business partner tells her that having two buyers is good for them, as they can negotiate a better price. He asks the others who will negotiate first. Before the Hua Lang Group employees can answer, Jin Fan states that they should start, as they are guests and he is the host. Wan Yang explains that Hua Lang Group has been negotiating for the land for some time, and understand her late husband's wishes. He wanted the land to keep its coastal view. Hua Lang Group will actually make the view even more beautiful. Jin Fan jumps in here with a disrespectful comment, saying General Manager Xu is already dead so there is no need to consider his wishes. Ling Tian responds, saying that when someone dies, those left behind need consolation by respecting the one who had passed away. Jin Fan says he didn't know Madam Xu had true feelings for her husband, thereby making a subtle reference to the affair dossier. Wan Qing berates Jin Fan for breaking the rules and interrupting Hua Lang Group's pitch, and Madam Xu tries to end the conversation at this point, saying she wants to keep the land for herself because of how much her husband had liked it. At this, Ling Tian starts his own not-so-subtle references to the affair. He asks Madam Xu why she would be wanting to stay faithful to her husband, using language which could equally apply to the affair. He also emphasizes that Madam Xu gave her husband her youth, implying that she did not give him her later life. Regarding the business deal, he tells her that her family background is not good, empathizing with her as he is in the same situation, saying no one understands people like them, and advising her not to blindly follow others. He also advises her to sell the land and bring in a good profit to earn respect, reminding her that her husband gave her this land to do what she liked with. Both Madam Xu and Wan Qing appear shocked at parts of this speech. However, Madam Xu's business partner interrupts, saying the price offered by Hua Lang Group is simply not good enough. Even if it could be accepted by Madam Xu, it would be rejected by her stepsons, who are also shareholders in Xu Corporation. Ling Tian says that this is exactly the reason why she needs to sell, as she can make 10 million RMB for herself personally, which can keep her going when her sons push her away, as well as getting 1.6M per acre for the company.

Jin Fan mock-applauds Ling Tian's speech, sarcastically praising his business strategy. Wan Qing tells him that he has broken the rules again by speaking out of turn. Jin Fan appears incredulous that Wan Qing is still supporting Ling Tian, despite the speech he just made. She remains calm, so Jin Fan openly insults her, and also mock-proposes marriage to her! Ling Tian starts to get annoyed with Jin Fan. However, Madam Xu's business partner breaks up the argument, coming back to the topic at hand and asking Jin Fan to start his own pitch. He starts off by shocking people more - insulting Madam Xu, talking with a lollipop in his mouth, and sitting uncomfortably close to Wan Qing. He ridicules Hua Lang's offer of 10M RMB, saying it would run out eventually, as her business partner would spend it all, or she would. Instead, he says he will give her stock in Qiao's Group, together with a promise to cover her liability if the stock price drops. In this way, Madam Xu will have an unlimited supply of money, and her sons will not dare to do anything against her. Madam Xu stays silent, considering everything.

### The game is up

Wan Yang knows Jin Fan also has the affair dossier, and Wan Qing leaves the table, claiming she needs to use the washroom. Jin Fan texts Xie Chuang, who is asleep in a bathroom cubicle, to ask him to find out if his seller also sold to others. Xie Chuang calls the seller, who is revealed to be Madam Xu's business partner. He leaves the table to take the call, followed by Jin Fan who claims he needs to wash his face. We see that Wan Qing is going to the hotel's business centre. Meanwhile, the dirt seller is talking to Xie Chuang on the phone in the hotel's bathroom. He says that he sold the dossier to anyone who would pay for it, and that he can provide an even better dossier if Xie Chuang has more money. Xie Chuang realizes that the seller is in the same bathroom as him, and ends the call, coming out of the cubicle to speak face to face. The seller is quite nervous when he sees Xie Chuang, and tries to exit the bathroom, but Jin Fan walks through the door and prevents him from leaving. Jin Fan asks Xie Chuang the outcome of his investigation, and Xie Chuang says it is bad news. Jin Fan gives the seller back to Xie Chuang, who puts him in a cubicle. He is about to punch the seller, but Jin Fan advises Xie Chuang not to use fists, so Xie Chuang opts to kick him instead. After a few kicks, Jin Fan pretends to feel sorry for the seller and checks he is okay, but then proceeds to kick the seller himself. After a moment, Xie Chuang has to be the one to remind Jin Fan not to punch. Finally, the two friends join up to kick the seller together, saying they are doing it so that justice can be served.

In the business centre, Wan Qing receives a newspaper from a hotel employee. It is the Blue Bird Morning Post. She checks the headline, which is the one requested by Qiao's Group the previous day. She calls Chairman Qiao to tell him about Jin Fan's presence at the business meeting, in direct contradiction to the news headline, which says that the company will not be entering the entertainment industry.

Jin Fan, Xie Chuang and the seller leave the bathroom, the seller staggering in pain. Jin Fan asks Xie Chuang why he is here at the hotel and he says it's due to stomach pain. He tries to give Jin Fan one of his tablets, but Jin Fan refuses, saying his friend is disgusting for not having washed his hands after using the bathroom. Jin Fan returns to the table, and the negotiation continues. Ling Tian tries to match the Qiao offer by saying he can look into a stock-based deal. Wan Yang stresses the safety of dealing with Hua Lang Group rather than with Jin Fan, a failure. He highlights the possibility that Jin Fan may team up with her sons in the future. Just then, Wan Qing returns to the table and hands her brother the newspaper, looking smug. Wan Yang mocks Jin Fan's poor financial situation, and shares the newspaper headline with everyone. Wan Qing also reveals that she recorded a conversation with Chairman Qiao confirming this, and asks Madam Xu if she would like to hear it. However, there is no need, as Chairman Qiao has left her a voicemail telling her that his son has no money to negotiate with. Madam Xu is annoyed at Jin Fan for wasting her time at breakfast, playing around under the guise of representing Qiao's Group. Wan Yang agrees, saying that Jin Fan only came to bluff. Jin Fan apologizes, in a not very genuine tone. He picks up the paper again, reading it in more detail.

## Characters / Character groups

### Mentioned only

* *Qiao Ming Jiao* (first mention)
* *Qiao Ju Long* (first mention)
* "*Xiao Ping*" (first mention)
* *Mr Xu* (first mention)

## Timeline

The episode takes place over two days:

* Day 1 (scenes 1-23, 24e): Interview with Chairman Qiao, Jin Fan pool party, late night meeting in Chairman Xia's bedroom, etc
* Day 2 (scenes 24a-d, 25-35): Negotiations at Splash hotel, etc

## Tracked events

### Missions

* Purchase of the land at Haixi Road:
	+ Jin Fan's mission to acquire the land and build his entertainment centre
	+ Chairman Qiao's mission to stop Jin Fan
	+ Hua Lang Group's ongoing mission to get the land
* Wan Yang's mission to retaliate against Jin Fan for letting a champagne cork fire into his (Wan Yang's) car

### Other

* Jin Fan hits Lao Hu with a beach ball. (Violence)
* Jin Fan and Wan Qing meet for the first time. (Character meetings)
* Jin Fan and Xie Chuang kick the dirt seller until he can barely walk. (Violence)

## SD version

In the SD version of the show, this episode is covered by the first episode and the start of the second. The break between episodes is just after Jin Fan has made his proposal to offer Madam Xu shares in Qiao's Group. Apart from that, the SD version has only minor differences:

* The scene where Wan Hua and Wan Qing meet their colleagues in the lift lobby is omitted
* Other minor differences (parts of some scenes are cut/added)

## Notes

* When Jin Fan heads to the hotel to meet Madam Xu, Xie Chuang says he is not going as he needs to check in with his dad. However, when Jin Fan calls him, he is in the bathroom at the hotel waiting for Jin Fan's call. Whether he went to visit his dad, and why he decided to go to the hotel after all, is never explained. Chuang only says he has stomach pain, but whether this is a joke and why it would have led him to the hotel is not clear.