A Confucian Confusion

In 1994 Taipei, Molly becomes engaged to Akeem, the son of a wealthy family. He gifts her a small entertainment company to manage, setting the stage for her new responsibilities. The company will oversee two projects: a TV talk show hosted by Molly’s sister and a play by Birdy. The arrangement triggers questions about loyalty, creativity, and the risks of power within the marriage.

The two projects begin: a weekly TV talk show about happiness and Birdy’s play that borrows from an old bestseller. To quiet accusations of plagiarism, Molly tasks her secretary Qiqi with obtaining permission from the author, delegating the task to Feng, a new employee. Tensions simmer as people angle for control and credit. The setup foreshadows the looming conflicts around ownership and integrity.

During a meal with Ming, Liren, and Molly’s family, Ming’s father and aunt outline a lucrative PR offer that could move Qiqi into a different job. Ming, cynical about his aunt’s intentions and their impact on Molly, persuades his aunt to hire Qiqi for the new role and to leave Molly by accepting the more adventurous opportunity. The plan intensifies the competition for control over Molly’s life and company.

Larry arrives to audit the company and discovers troubling financial indicators. As the day progresses, Molly learns of the audit and, in a fit of frustration, fires Feng, cutting another thread of the web around her business. The tension between integrity and expediency rises as personal relationships become entangled with corporate fortunes.

Larry leaves the audit to chase the bigger prize: reclaiming ownership of Molly’s company. He meets Akeem at a bar and shares his plan to expose Molly’s supposed romantic entanglement and secure control for himself. Akeem quietly weighs the option of leveraging the situation to his advantage.

Over conversations cascading through the studio, Molly confesses to Qiqi that she fears her cheerful persona may be fake and that she has kept secrets from those around her. Qiqi admits her own ambition to act and to do more than she is currently allowed. The exchange lays bare the vulnerabilities beneath their professional façades.

In the background, Liren is fired for forgery as the fallout from the shifting power dynamics at the company intensifies. Ming’s relationship with his father and aunt complicates his own loyalty to Molly, while also revealing the fragility of trust among the ensemble.

Over breakfast, Akeem commits to continuing to fund the company, hoping that love will bloom once it becomes successful. The pledge signals a fragile truce in the power struggle and a continued dependence on Akeem’s money. Molly sees a glimmer of possibility amid the chaos.

On set after hours, Birdy and Feng are interrupted by the arrival of a script girl; a tense exchange leads to a confrontation as Akeem and Larry converge. Molly’s suspicions about an affair crumble when Akeem realizes the two are not lovers, and the situation escalates as Larry chases Birdy with a sword prop.

Molly and Ming spend the night together as comfort and confusion mingle. When Molly asks Ming to say he loves her, he refuses to lie, and she leaves, crushed by the absence of a promised confession.

Qiqi returns to the author’s place and sees him reading new work about a modern Confucius. He reveals he almost harmed himself, but seeing her face gives him reason to live and strive for honesty. She slips away as he misreads her feelings, believing she sees him the same way.

Molly reconciles with Qiqi, and Akeem arrives to end the engagement, admitting he has fallen for someone else (the script girl) and that he wants to reclaim the company. Molly agrees, on the condition that he does reclaim ownership, which he accepts.

Ming’s father is shown in ICU after an excessive night of drinking, adding real-world consequences to the turmoil. In the hospital elevator, Ming and Qiqi amicably break up and promise to stay in touch, with Ming inviting the possibility of coffee. Qiqi sees him outside the elevator and the two share a quiet, hopeful moment.