Blossoms Shanghai Episode 3 Recap
> Blossoms Shanghai Recap
A Bao visited Fa Gen's wife, who expressed regret for not persuading Fa Gen to cut his losses earlier, as he ultimately lost his life due to his stock market investments. Fa Gen, like A Bao, was among the first wave of people who grew wealthy through stocks. Many followed Fa Gen's lead, investing in stock 414, which resulted in devastating losses. Unable to face those who had lost everything because of him, Fa Gen chose to commit suicide.
Later, with the help of a lawyer and A Bao's understanding, Fa Gen's son received a reduced sentence of 10 years for a DUI offense. Ye Shu advised A Bao to return the money to investors like "Fat Auntie" and "Little Ningbo," and to use the favorable stock market conditions to quickly sell off holdings and disband their stock trading group, warning A Bao not to be ensnared by personal ties or women.
A Bao, however, was concerned that these individuals might incur greater losses if left to trade independently. It was also revealed that A Bao had been frequently overcharged at Ling Zi’s restaurant, Night Tokyo. On the fourth day of Chinese New Year, a day traditionally dedicated to welcoming the God of Wealth, Zhi Zhen Yuan celebrated its grand opening with great fanfare, while A Bao opted to stay home with friends.
Ling Hong, who owned a boutique where Ling Zi often purchased luxury goods, noticed Night Tokyo was nearly empty. Upon inquiring, Ling Zi discovered that Zhi Zhen Yuan had just opened, and many pre-booked customers had gone there instead, leaving Ling Zi indignant. Zhi Zhen Yuan hosted numerous celebrities and prominent figures, including the famous actor Wen Zhaolun, quickly establishing its reputation and attracting significant media attention.
Li Li, a woman from Qingdao, was behind Zhi Zhen Yuan, having acquired it with a capital flow of 30 million yuan, and it was now generating an impressive annual profit of 10 million yuan. She had strong backing, and many influential figures were using Zhi Zhen Yuan for business discussions.
A Bao was skeptical about the restaurant's immediate success, but Ye Shu, analyzing its strategic location on Huanghe Road, pointed out Li Li's clear intention to draw A Bao in. A Bao understood that Li Li was using him to gain publicity. Meanwhile, Lu Meilin, irritated by the constant flow of guests at Zhi Zhen Yuan, caused disruptions, which Pan Jingli tried in vain to mediate.
Ye Shu encouraged A Bao to attend the opening, but A Bao was reluctant to lend his support to Li Li. Fan Xinhua arrived early at Zhi Zhen Yuan, where Pan Jingli had reserved a private room for him. Fan Xinhua earnestly pleaded with Wang Mingzhu to invite A Bao to Zhi Zhen Yuan, promising to visit Hong Lu at another time. Wang Mingzhu reluctantly agreed to contact A Bao. However, Li Li reclaimed Fan Xinhua's reserved room.
Fan Xinhua, concerned A Bao wouldn't have a place, was reassured by Li Li, who promised to keep the room for him if he guaranteed not to leave Zhi Zhen Yuan. A Bao, agreeing to Wang Mingzhu's invitation, decided to meet Fan Xinhua at Hong Lu, not Zhi Zhen Yuan, a fact Ye Shu was aware of, preparing a gift for A Bao to take. A Bao arrived at Hong Lu, immediately drawing the attention of onlookers.
Across the street, Wei Hongqing arrived at Zhi Zhen Yuan, bringing a commemorative plaque. A Bao looked toward Zhi Zhen Yuan, and Li Li, observing him, instructed her assistant to reassign the room initially reserved for A Bao to Wei Hongqing. Pan Jingli noted the stark difference in status between Wei Hongqing and A Bao. Li Li then asked Fan Xinhua to vacate his private room.
A Bao believed that meeting at the originally agreed location was a fundamental matter of credibility. Li Li escorted Wei Hongqing into the room and secretly instructed her assistant to investigate Fan Xinhua's background. Wang Mingzhu and A Bao decided to wait for Fan Xinhua for 30 minutes. Exploiting A Bao's need, Li Li deliberately kept Fan Xinhua at Zhi Zhen Yuan, preventing him from leaving.
Tao Tao, sent by Wang Mingzhu, arrived to invite Fan Xinhua to meet A Bao. To Tao Tao's frustration, Fan Xinhua insisted that A Bao come to Zhi Zhen Yuan instead. Wei Hongqing's assistant also arrived at Hong Lu with a group, urging A Bao to come to Zhi Zhen Yuan. A Bao declared that Tao Tao was his friend, and Tao Tao's words were his own.
When the group persisted in trying to persuade him, A Bao, losing patience, became angry and left. He sent Tao Tao home with his car and escorted Wang Mingzhu. One of Xiao Liuzi's subordinates spoke disrespectfully to Wang Mingzhu, prompting A Bao to slap the man firmly and tell Xiao Liuzi to relay a message to Fan Xinhua.
A Bao speculated that Fan Xinhua was captivated by Li Li, who was likely helping him connect with new clients, but A Bao claimed he didn't care. He also surmised that Fan Xinhua intended to use Zhi Zhen Yuan to boost his own image, predicting his eventual downfall.
Ye Shu analyzed Fan Xinhua's reversal—initially seeking A Bao but then collaborating with Zhi Zhen Yuan—as a sign that the two were set to work together, with Zhi Zhen Yuan likely taking a commission, and that Wei Hongqing was probably aligned with Li Li. Later, the head server complained to Li Li about Min Min's "enthusiastic" hostessing and makeup, accusing Min Min of flirting with guests. Li Li dismissed the complaint, praising Min Min's outstanding qualities.
She reprimanded the head server and promoted Min Min to head server, instructing her to speak less, do more, and focus on gathering intelligence on Huanghe Road. The head server was subsequently fired. Following this, Fan Xinhua began visiting Zhi Zhen Yuan daily, always met with a warm welcome from Li Li. Wei Hongqing actively sought to collaborate with Fan Xinhua, who initially hesitated. Li Li personally intervened to broker their partnership.
Wang Mingzhu then arrived, and Li Li quickly found an excuse to leave. Wang Mingzhu informed Fan Xinhua that she had successfully secured export quotas for the "San Yang" brand apparel for him, warning him against partnering with Wei Hongqing. This enraged Wei Hongqing. Through Wang Mingzhu's mediation, Fan Xinhua agreed to add one yuan to the wholesale price, but A Bao adamantly refused, insisting instead on a one-yuan deduction.
The next day, Wang Mingzhu told A Bao that Li Li was skillfully placating both sides, regardless of A Bao's actions. A Bao, having devised a plan, again declined Li Li's invitation. Upon learning that A Bao had not honored their appointment, Li Li informed Wei Hongqing that he could either be one of nine partners or the sole partner, with the condition that to be the sole partner, he should not bring friends but only invite the media.
Li Li then deliberately spread news of Fan Xinhua's collaboration with Wei Hongqing, effectively leaving Fan Xinhua no retreat. Wang Mingzhu, concerned that Fan Xinhua might steal A Bao's business, relayed this gossip to A Bao, who remained unconcerned. A Bao later met old friends at Night Tokyo, where he also arranged to meet a mysterious client.
Wei Hongqing continued to pursue A Bao's business, but A Bao, ever shrewd, used various excuses to delay, subtly pressuring Wei Hongqing to come to him. Li Li, in turn, offered assistance to Wei Hongqing, advising him to prioritize business over friendship, using the pretext of boosting Zhi Zhen Yuan's trade. A Bao intentionally prolonged Fan Xinhua's wait, making him increasingly anxious.
Eventually, Wang Mingzhu, feeling Fan Xinhua had reneged on their agreement, went to Zhi Zhen Yuan to confront him about his lack of integrity. They argued, during which she gathered valuable information about Fan Xinhua's plan to increase prices, a move A Bao had already anticipated.
