Blossoms Shanghai Episode 15 Recap
> Blossoms Shanghai Recap
Wang Mingzhu was intentionally placed in a challenging situation by Fan Laoshi, who instructed her to organize the warehouse goods alone. Fan Laoshi was convinced she couldn't complete the task and arrived the next morning with his team for inspection, planning to reprimand her. To his surprise, Wang Mingzhu had meticulously categorized and arranged all the goods, earning his profound admiration.
He offered her an ice cream to cool down and engaged her in conversation, discovering that she lived near his idol, Fan Zhiyi. Impressed and friendly, Fan Laoshi subsequently assigned her the important task of unloading goods for a valuable client, Mr. Diao, whose arrival was expected in two days. Demoted to the factory, Wang Mingzhu remained undeterred, single-handedly cleaning and organizing the entire warehouse.
Wei Hongqing, a frequent patron of Zhizhenyuan who usually reserved large private rooms for his clients, abruptly requested a smaller one. Li Li, aware of his past tendency to exaggerate his wealth, suspected his unusual discretion and instructed Manager Pan to monitor his every move. Wei Hongqing was dining with his younger brother, sharing yellow croaker noodles. During this time, Fan Xinhua arrived at Zhizhenyuan to have dinner with Mei Ping.
It was from Mei Ping that Wei Hongqing learned of Wang Mingzhu's transfer from headquarters. Wei Hongqing also expressed a complaint about Li Li's food, claiming it had lost its original flavor, a sentiment rooted in developing feelings for Wang Mingzhu after she once slapped him during a power outage at Zhizhenyuan.
Later, Wei Hongqing visited the foreign trade company warehouse to retrieve goods and brought a large bucket of KFC for Wang Mingzhu, steadfastly asserting his belief in her innocence, which moved Wang Mingzhu to tears. He observed her bravely unloading goods with the workers in the heavy rain. After work, he waited to offer her a ride home on his motorcycle, but Wang Mingzhu unequivocally refused. Undeterred, he chased her bus on his bicycle.
From that day forward, Wei Hongqing consistently visited the warehouse, relentlessly trying to curry favor with her, but Wang Mingzhu did not reciprocate. He introduced her to others as "Oriental Pearl" and was further charmed by her diligent work ethic, intensifying his relentless pursuit. Following Wang Mingzhu's demotion to the warehouse, Mei Ping was appointed to take over her responsibilities in liaising with Fan Xinhua. Fan Xinhua and Mei Ping quickly developed a good rapport, admiring each other.
Fan Xinhua, aware of A Bao's animosity towards Mei Ping due to Wang Mingzhu's demotion, worried about potential conflicts in their future business collaborations. He arranged an early morning meeting with A Bao to talk, speaking highly of Mei Ping. However, A Bao remained firm, refusing to forgive Mei Ping, even if it meant forfeiting the second batch of the Three Sheep brand's distribution rights.
A Bao declared his intention to cooperate exclusively with Wang Mingzhu and requested Fan Xinhua's assistance for Wang Mingzhu at crucial junctures, a request Fan Xinhua readily accepted. Fan Xinhua also recalled his meeting with Mei Ping, whom he had advised to maintain good colleague relations, but observed that Mei Ping had become overly ambitious, no longer the "Little Mei" he once knew.
Knowing A Bao had investigated the reasons for Wang Mingzhu's departure, he asked A Bao to forgive Mei Ping for his sake. Uncle expressed his disapproval of A Bao's impulsive decision to relinquish the Three Sheep distribution rights, reminding him that the new leader at the foreign trade company did not regard him favorably. A Bao then decided to fully dedicate himself to promoting Mr. Ma's factory products, with the ambition of building a reputable domestic brand.
However, the new general manager at Hulian Commercial Building rejected his proposal, suggesting that domestic brands required a more gradual, phased approach, which would also facilitate reporting to Mr. Xu. A Bao's negotiations with Hulian Commercial Building consequently failed, and the bad news swiftly spread throughout Shanghai. Mr. Ma, upon hearing the news, traveled from Zhuji to Shanghai to confront A Bao.
After several failed attempts to reach him by phone, Mr. Ma went directly to the Peace Hotel, emphasizing that all his employees depended on these high-quality fake products for their livelihoods. Mr. Ma issued an ultimatum: if A Bao failed to achieve comprehensive distribution across Nanjing Road, their partnership would be severed. A Bao promised to deliver and agreed to advance a 50% deposit, a decision that deeply infuriated Uncle, who firmly refused to pay it.
A Bao then sought collaboration with a clothing company on Nanjing Road, proposing an Initial Public Offering (IPO). Recognizing the company's current insufficient strength, he looked for a seasoned IPO consultant. The company boss (General Manager Cai) suggested that A Bao and Dr. Wu from the Kirin Club serve as their consultants. A Bao visited the Kirin Club, humbling himself in the pursuit of the IPO, but was denied an audience with Dr. Wu.
A Bao understood he wouldn't be seen, considering his visit merely a demonstration of sincerity, and secretly preferred that the Kirin Club not get involved, fearing he would otherwise be sidelined. He analyzed that stock investment was the future trend and that the high-quality fake products would need the designation of a Chinese-foreign joint venture to truly succeed. He also considered involving a significant figure from Hong Kong to bring success closer.
Before embarking on his trip, A Bao invited Tao Tao to Night Tokyo for a drink, and they reminisced about the pleasant times shared with Ling Zi. Tao Tao, unable to hold her liquor, quickly became drunk. A Bao arranged for a car to take her home and subsequently decided to close Night Tokyo. Tao Tao, Ling Hong, and Ge Laoshi strongly objected, considering Night Tokyo their second home and holding firm belief that Ling Zi would eventually return.
Ge Laoshi even publicly declared he would waive Night Tokyo's rent. Ling Hong and Tao Tao vowed to continue operating the restaurant until Ling Zi's return, emphasizing that the employees depended on it. A Bao had no choice but to relent. The three friends reconciled, apologizing to each other, and their friendship solidified. They vowed to work together diligently to manage the restaurant.
A dejected A Bao returned to the Peace Hotel, where Uncle pointed out his core problem: he had met Ling Zi because of Wang Mingzhu, and their arguments also stemmed from Wang Mingzhu – a fated entanglement. In late 1988, due to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, Wang Mingzhu grew concerned that the price of embroidery machines would surge. Without consulting Uncle, she contacted several Japanese trading companies for A Bao and Xiao Ningbo to compare prices.
This action was a severe breach of industry protocol, as Japanese trading companies adhered to strict industry rules. Her unauthorized inquiries led all of them to falsely claim they had no stock or refused to sell. Distressed, Wang Mingzhu sought Uncle's help, but he too was helpless and instructed A Bao to personally go to Japan and clarify the situation with the trading companies. A Bao traveled to Tokyo alone.
Despite his extensive efforts, he made no progress, and with his visa nearing expiration, he had no choice but to seek out an old acquaintance, Yamamoto. Their acquaintance dated back to 1987 when both Tao Tao and A Bao were hospitalized with acute hepatitis A. To procure the scarce Banlangen medicine, A Bao had sold a color TV ticket that Tao Tao had hidden in a yellow croaker's belly, much to Tao Tao's fury.
Yamamoto, the managing director of Sugimoto Corporation, also contracted hepatitis A and shared their hospital ward. A Bao, who had previously stockpiled a significant amount of Banlangen, voluntarily shared a packet with Yamamoto. Upon his recovery and discharge, Yamamoto repeatedly expressed his profound gratitude to A Bao.
