A Confucian Confusion 1994

In 1994 Taipei, Molly is engaged to Akeem, the son of a wealthy family. To keep herself occupied and partly as a strategic move by his friend and auditor, Larry, Akeem gives her a small entertainment company to manage. The studio currently juggles two projects: a weekly TV talk show about finding happiness in life, hosted by Molly’s sister, and a play by Birdy, who allegedly stole the idea from an old pulpy romance written by Molly’s brother-in-law and now lives a more solitary life, writing darker and less commercially viable works. Their marriage has begun to fray under the strain of these complications and ambitions.

To quiet accusations of infringing intellectual property, Molly asks her secretary and confidant Qiqi to obtain permission from the author, but the busy Qiqi delegates the task to a new hire, Feng. Meanwhile, Molly’s sister questions Molly about rumors of an affair with Birdy while Akeem is vacationing in mainland China; Molly dismisses the gossip as unfounded and says it won’t affect their plans.

When Feng returns to report that the author has rejected the request, Qiqi agrees to take over the matter herself. Qiqi’s boyfriend, Ming, is an ambitious young bureaucrat who hopes for a brighter future. That same day, Ming learns from a colleague, Liren, that he’s being pressured by a contractor who wants him to overlook delays and treat them as weather-related. The company’s finances take another hit when Larry arrives for a routine audit. As Larry departs, Akeem returns from the mainland earlier than expected, prompting Molly to delay a confrontation with him until the next morning.

Later, Larry meets Akeem and hints at a plan to reclaim the company with the aim of drawing Molly back into his orbit and exposing any hidden affairs. Molly spends an evening with Qiqi, who confides her anxiety about Molly’s public cheer, and her own fear that Molly is hiding more than she reveals. The following morning, Molly’s breakfast scene frames a delicate negotiation about loyalties and futures.

Meanwhile, Ming and Liren finish work and walk past a restaurant where they observe Qiqi and Feng. Liren flirts with Feng while Qiqi and Ming dine with Ming’s father and aunt. Ming’s aunt has found Qiqi a more lucrative public relations opportunity, and Ming, wary of his aunt’s motives and his own strained relationship with Molly, persuades her to take the offer and consider leaving Molly behind. Although Qiqi is reluctant to part with Molly, she is drawn to the prospect of a more adventurous career.

At Molly’s side, Larry accuses Molly of insulting his integrity by pressing him about a possible romance with Feng, prompting Molly to eject him from the building. Larry heads to a bar, where he finds Akeem and steps in to calm him down. In a twist, he reveals a broader blueprint: as Molly’s company falters, he can reclaim control and, with that power, unmask Molly’s supposed secret lover. Molly later meets with Qiqi, who admits she fears Molly’s cheerful image masks insecurities; Molly insists she has nothing to hide.

Over breakfast the next day, Akeem agrees to continue funding the company, hoping that love might bloom once the enterprise succeeds. Qiqi meets the author again, who remains indifferent to plagiarism accusations and accuses her of putting on a cheerful front. Molly, meanwhile, meets Ming for a midday lunch and opens up about her sister’s past betrothal to Akeem and how she was chosen to replace her sister in the arrangement after falling in love with the author. Akeem’s father’s disapproval and the revelation about Qiqi’s offer unsettle Molly, who appears torn between loyalty and ambition. When Molly returns to the studio, she confronts her sister about the rumors, and the sister responds with a mix of concern and longing.

Larry’s machinations intensify as he meets Akeem and points to Birdy as the true object of Molly’s alleged scheming. On the set, Molly’s sister and Birdy finish filming a segment; Akeem arrives and attacks Birdy, enraging Molly. Outside Ming’s workplace, Qiqi confronts Ming over his earlier confession, and he asks her to choose between him and Molly. Back at the office, Liren is fired for forgery, and Feng visits the set, drawing Birdy’s attention.

Qiqi revisits the author, sharing her troubles; the author shows her a new work, including a novel about the reincarnation of Confucius adapted to modern life. He rails against the crowd’s appetite for cynicism and invites Qiqi to choose honesty over cynicism. While Molly’s sister returns to the studio, the conversation with the author leaves her unsettled but emotionally resilient. Ming confronts his father, who throws a tantrum in response to his son’s defiance, and the tension between generations and ambitions remains unresolved.

In a late-night sequence, Birdy and Feng while on set are interrupted by a script girl, then Molly calls with news: a confrontation over a possible love triangle had distracted Akeem, but the truth becomes clear when Larry arrives and chases Birdy with a sword prop. Akeem intervenes, diffusing the moment, while Larry learns that his suspicion about Molly’s supposed lover has misfired; his trust in their friendship remains unreciprocated, and he withdraws, leaving a chilling note of unresolved desire.

That night, Akeem and Molly drift apart as she sleeps with Ming, but when he refuses to lie and say he loves her, she leaves him in the morning. Qiqi and Molly reconcile at the company, and Akeem arrives with a proposal: he will end the engagement unless Molly agrees that he reclaims the company, and that he is pursuing someone else—suspected to be the script girl. Molly consents, hoping to preserve the business and her autonomy, and the two part with a fragile understanding.

In a parallel thread, Ming’s father is hospitalized after heavy drinking while missing Ming the night before. In the hospital elevator, Ming and Qiqi decide to part amicably, agreeing to keep in touch and possibly share a coffee someday. Qiqi leaves the hospital, and Ming heads back upstairs to his father. He hesitates when the elevator doors open again and finds Qiqi waiting outside. She asks if he’d like that cup of coffee, and he embraces her, signaling a quiet, hopeful reconciliation after a season of deception, ambition, and tangled affections.

The story closes on a note of fragile compromise: Molly remains at the helm of the company, but with Akeem reclaiming ownership and a potentially revived collaboration with Birdy’s project, the future holds both risk and renewal. Qiqi and Ming’s relationship ends up tempered by realisм and care, and the possibility of new, honest beginnings lingers as the characters step toward a more honest, open chapter together.