Blossoms Shanghai Episode 25 Recap
> Blossoms Shanghai Recap
The financial market plunged into turmoil following "Black Monday," leaving restaurants along Huanghe Road deserted. Nanguo Tou, an investment firm, received a severe warning from the regulatory body for alleged irregular operations, and Strong Mujie, a manager there, faced scrutiny from his Shenzhen headquarters for his aggressive approach. Li Li decided to leave, offering to transfer Zhi Zhen Yuan to Strong Mujie, urging him to convert its assets into currency for appreciation.
Strong Mujie, however, was uninterested in running a restaurant and found Li Li's asking price too high, despite her warning that headquarters would consider national performance and Zhi Zhen Yuan was a valuable asset right beside him, and that there were other potential buyers. A Bao's capital plummeted by a third due to the stock market crash, but he refused to admit defeat.
He sought Li Li's help, proposing to borrow 30 million in entrusted funds to invest in the stock market as an agent, a request Li Li readily accepted. His mentor, Ye Shu, vehemently warned A Bao against such a risky endeavor, advising him not to borrow money for the stock market, but to return to foreign trade and focus on the substantial Walmart order.
A Bao, however, remained confident, believing the market would not stay low and that he could recover his losses. Cai Siling confirmed that securing such a large sum near year-end would be challenging but was instructed by A Bao to calculate the deficit. Meanwhile, Wang Mingzhu, determined to prove her capabilities, had accepted the Walmart order at a competitive price of 17 RMB. However, she was struggling to find a suitable processing factory.
If production didn't commence before New Year's Day, her company faced not only hefty liquidated damages but also a lawsuit, leaving her distraught. Her colleague, Wei Hongqing, prepared to take the blame for her, consulting Wang Lawyer about the potential legal repercussions and falsely telling his parents he was leaving for a distant trip. Wang Mingzhu was also hampered by manufacturers in Zhejiang and Shanghai who had closed ranks against her.
The volatile stock market also affected Fan Xinhua, whose Sanyang brand T-shirt sales were declining. Fortunately, during his company's prosperous years, he had purchased land in Shenzhen, which he now intended to sell to compensate his factory. Before leaving, Fan Xinhua visited Wang Mingzhu, finding her eating instant noodles alone in a corner. Feeling sympathetic, he invited her to eat noodles downstairs. He noted that he had retired from the market himself but was glad for his prior land purchase.
Aware of Wang Mingzhu's impulsive pricing in her competition with A Bao over the jeans business, Fan Xinhua suggested she seek opportunities in Shenzhen, sharing his own experience of revitalizing his factory. Wang Mingzhu, inspired by his words, decided to pursue opportunities in Shenzhen with him, planning to "cross the river by feeling the stones" and try her best, with Fan Xinhua offering to connect her with his former clients.
Tragically, Jin Laoban, the owner of Jin Meilin Hotel, had mortgaged his hotel to a Taiwanese businesswoman, Lin Tai, for a substantial high-interest loan. He had entrusted the money to Xiao Jiangxi, who lost it all in the stock market. With repayment due the following day, Xiao Jiangxi feared losing the hotel and desperately sought insider information from her friend Min Min, who, equally powerless in the stagnant market, could only offer her personal savings of 50,000 RMB for emergencies.
Jin Laoban had concealed the mortgage from his wife, Lu Meilin, who ironically had been publicly mocking others who lost money in the stock market, unaware of her husband's own devastating losses. An hour before the tragedy, Lin Tai arrived at Jin Meilin Hotel to collect her debt. Jin Laoban, terrified, hid. Xiao Jiangxi urged him to escape with the hotel's recent earnings and asked him to remove his ring, but he refused.
Lin Tai presented the mortgage contract to Lu Meilin, who, initially unaware of the situation, bought herself a week's extension. As Lin Tai departed, she saw Jin Laoban shivering at a window but continued on her way without calling out. Xiao Jiangxi opened the window to let Jin Laoban out. He slipped on the snow-covered sill, and despite Xiao Jiangxi's frantic efforts to pull him back, the window hinges broke, sending Jin Laoban plummeting to his death.
Li Li, passing by downstairs, witnessed the horrific event. Lu Meilin collapsed in shock upon seeing her husband's body being taken away. In the bloody aftermath, Xiao Jiangxi retrieved Jin Laoban's ring. A grief-stricken Lu Meilin turned her anger on Xiao Jiangxi, brutally assaulting her. Xiao Jiangxi was later taken to the hospital, while Min Min wept, blaming herself for not being able to persuade her friend. Following Jin Laoban's suicide, Li Li vanished.
A Bao, suspecting a deeper connection, instructed Cai Siling to investigate Li Li's background. Cai Siling uncovered that Li Li's former identity was Chen Zhen, one of "Mr. A's 18 Arhats." A Bao began to suspect Chen Zhen and Li Li were the same person. Li Li later recalled kissing Mr. A goodbye in Shenzhen, only to witness him jump into the sea in her rearview mirror, a tragic memory that left her heartbroken.
Mr. A's private equity fund had flourished, but its aggressive leverage after the Shenzhen market expansion led to its collapse, leaving behind a mountain of debt. Most of his core members, except Strong Mujie, had dispersed. A Bao eventually located Li Li at her home. She confessed that she had mortgaged Zhi Zhen Yuan to Lin Tai as a guarantee, aiming to give A Bao a chance to turn the market around.
Her plan was that if A Bao succeeded, she would take the cash and leave, transferring Zhi Zhen Yuan to him. If he failed, she would withdraw the guarantee, Lin Tai would cancel the designated transaction, and A Bao would be solely responsible for the consequences. A Bao understood her profound intentions and vowed not to flee like Mr. A, promising a win-win outcome or bearing the entire loss himself, without implicating Li Li.
Separately, Ye Shu approached Jin Hua (also referred to as Jin Ke), asking her to persuade Wang Mingzhu to transfer the Walmart order to A Bao. However, Jin Hua, known for her principled nature similar to Wang Mingzhu's, flatly refused and sent Ye Shu away.
Mei Ping later informed Ye Shu that Fan Xinhua had indeed found an old, reputable garment factory in Shenzhen for Wang Mingzhu, though Ye Shu expressed doubt about Fan Xinhua's limited capabilities in securing such a deal. As 1993 drew to a close, crucial decisions loomed for Wang Mingzhu's Walmart order, A Bao's path to his company's IPO, and Li Li's plan for departure, marking a pivotal moment of success or failure for each of them.
