Blossoms Shanghai Episode 5 Recap
> Blossoms Shanghai Recap
Wang Mingzhu, after being rebuffed by Wei Hongqing, complained to A Bao. A Bao advised her on how to disrupt the cooperation between Fan Xinhua and Wei Hongqing. Wang Mingzhu went to Zhizhen Garden and, using A Bao's words, questioned Wei Hongqing's capacity to sell 800,000 T-shirts for Fan Xinhua. Wei Hongqing, whose business was small-scale and unable to handle such a large order, was stunned.
Fan Xinhua had initially abandoned A Bao to work with Wei Hongqing for a higher price, but Wei Hongqing's order quantity was less than a tenth of what was needed, and the factory had already started production. Seeing the opportunity, Wang Mingzhu left after making a decisive statement. Fan Xinhua, realizing the situation, immediately stopped Wang Mingzhu, eager to find A Bao for cooperation.
Wei Hongqing, despite his high spirits and previous argument with Wang Mingzhu, offered to help Fan Xinhua sell 100,000 T-shirts, adding 1. 5 yuan per piece. Wang Mingzhu then publicly declared that A Bao would underwrite all 800,000 pieces, stating the deal would be off otherwise. She then departed, with Fan Xinhua following close behind. Wang Mingzhu reiterated that the price would be reduced by 1. 5 yuan per piece, to which Fan Xinhua agreed.
Li Li, unwilling to concede, tried to salvage the situation. She initially made efforts to retain Fan Xinhua, even attempting to invite Manager Xu of Huliant Commercial Building for cooperation. However, Manager Xu was already in deep conversation with A Bao at the Honglu Restaurant, where A Bao had secured a deal to rent a space in Huliant Commercial Building, specifically next to Moncler, to sell San Yang T-shirts.
Manager Xu readily agreed to A Bao's proposal and rejected Li Li's invitation. Li Li soon learned that Manager Xu would not be coming to Zhizhen Garden and was instead collaborating with A Bao. Witnessing A Bao and Manager Xu chatting enthusiastically from her window, Li Li understood the full extent of the situation and felt resentful. Fan Xinhua, upon learning that Manager Xu had backed out of Li Li's offer, eagerly followed Wang Mingzhu to meet A Bao.
At Honglu Restaurant, Fan Xinhua offered A Bao an apology and explained that Wei Hongqing had been holding him back. Because Fan Xinhua had initially stood up A Bao, A Bao had lowered the price by 1. 5 yuan. A Bao introduced Fan Xinhua to Manager Xu, who explicitly stated that Huliant Commercial Building was the only place in Shanghai capable of handling his 800,000 units. A Bao then used this leverage to further reduce the price to 25.
5 yuan per piece, which was 0. 5 yuan less than the previous day's offer. Fan Xinhua, having lost 1. 2 million yuan overnight, was distraught but forced a smile, accepting Manager Xu's advice to consider it a learning expense. Following the successful acquisition of Fan Xinhua's order, Ling Zi hosted a celebratory banquet attended by Ling Hong, Tao Tao, and others.
Under the influence of alcohol, Ling Zi praised Wang Mingzhu lavishly, wishing her a swift promotion to section chief. Wang Mingzhu, initially angry at A Bao for not disclosing Manager Xu's identity as a trump card, which caused her significant effort, became happier upon hearing about her impending promotion. Ling Zi, acknowledging Wang Mingzhu's crucial role in negotiating with Fan Xinhua, purchased a pair of large earrings for 2,600 yuan from Ling Hong's newly arrived stock.
He then gave them to A Bao to present to Wang Mingzhu, falsely claiming they cost 26,000 yuan and putting them on A Bao's tab. A Bao, aware that Ling Hong's shop sold inexpensive items, only gave Ling Zi 13,000 yuan. Meanwhile, Wei Hongqing, despite failing to secure the business, hosted guests with 88 turtle dishes. Manager Pan presented a bill exceeding 30,000 yuan, which Wei Hongqing, though realizing his impulsiveness, paid to save face.
News of Wei Hongqing's extravagant spending quickly spread throughout Huanghe Road. Li Li had anticipated the deal's failure about 10 minutes prior, her intention in opening the restaurant being to benefit by "setting the stage" regardless of the outcome. A Bao later drove Wang Mingzhu home. Wang Mingzhu remained displeased by A Bao's concealment, accusing him of disrespect. She angrily exited the car, but A Bao followed to apologize and offer her the earrings.
She playfully called them "old-fashioned" and disliked them, yet immediately wore them to Huanghe Road. After dropping off Wang Mingzhu, A Bao encountered Li Li on Huanghe Road. A Bao apologized for the evening's events, which had caused Wei Hongqing's deal to fall through. Li Li, however, stated that Wei Hongqing was actually delighted to have become famous overnight and was not negatively affected by the failed cooperation, and she still vowed to get even eventually.
A Bao requested Li Li's business card and hailed a taxi for her. The next day, news of the earrings A Bao gave Wang Mingzhu spread among her colleagues, who were envious. Wang Mingzhu, to aid her own promotion, decided to submit the earrings to her company superior. Uncle Ye visited A Bao, concerned about how he would pay the final amount for the 800,000 units, a significant sum.
A Bao decided to reallocate final payments from other brands, believing the success of foreign trade hinged on this deal and that Wang Mingzhu would play a crucial role in the foreign trade company. China was officially opening up foreign trade, with San Yang T-shirts marking the first venture. The signing ceremony, attended by many Shanghai business figures, was grand and lively, featuring media interviews.
The Shanghai Foreign Trade Company, located at Bund No. 27, though having only six female employees including Wang Mingzhu, supported half of the company's operations. A Bao, Fan Xinhua, and Jin Hua, the section chief from the foreign trade company, signed a tripartite agreement. Wang Mingzhu, meticulously dressed, was prominent at the signing ceremony and proposed listing the products by Dragon Boat Festival.
Wang Mingzhu's colleague Mei Ping was both envious and jealous; Fan Xinhua had initially approached Mei Ping for the business, but Wang Mingzhu had preempted her. Fan Xinhua apologized to Mei Ping, who feigned indifference but harbored deep resentment. Mei Ping proactively offered A Bao a small foreign trade order, but A Bao directed her to Uncle Ye or Wang Mingzhu, which she dared not do. A Bao strongly recommended Wang Mingzhu for a section chief promotion to Jin Hua.
Jin Hua, however, felt Wang Mingzhu was still immature and needed experience, and she planned to hand over all work to Wang Mingzhu before her own departure. Jin Hua also advised A Bao to let Wang Mingzhu develop independently and not always intervene, as she would be helpless without A Bao's constant assistance. Jin Hua took the opportunity to inquire about Uncle Ye.
Wang Mingzhu later sought out Jin Hua, only to discover that Jin Hua was Uncle Ye's direct niece. It was revealed that Uncle Ye, from humble beginnings, had once married twin sisters and divorced them after liberation. To raise money for their visit to Mudanjiang, he illegally resold ten cartons of branded cigarettes.
Jin Hua had reported him for smuggling, leading to his imprisonment, which Jin Hua claimed pulled him back from a path of no return, though Uncle Ye had no regrets. Jin Hua knew A Bao consistently supported Wang Mingzhu to ascend to the section chief position, and her own care for A Bao was understood to stem from her close familial relationship with Uncle Ye.
Li Li had Manager Pan invite A Bao to Zhizhen Garden for dinner, having deliberately cleared a private room for him. Uncle Ye, who had already dispatched Stamp Li to secretly investigate Li Li, recounted her shrewd business journey. Three months prior, Li Li, an outsider, arrived on Huanghe Road and learned from Lu Meilin that Jin Feng Huang's business was failing. She resolutely acquired the restaurant in just two meals, transforming its three stoves into ten.
To establish Zhizhen Garden as the best restaurant on Huanghe Road, she rehired Manager Pan, the former supervisor of Jin Feng Huang, offering her a year's salary upfront and even allocating a portion of shares to a powerful figure known as "Thousand-Hand Guanyin," demonstrating her understanding of the deep complexities of Huanghe Road.
The top-floor private room of Zhizhen Garden was supposedly undergoing renovation and never open to the public, yet someone was seen entering it on the very first day. A Bao arrived punctually for the appointment at Zhizhen Garden, but news of his visit had already spread throughout Huanghe Road even before he entered. Following Uncle Ye's warning and desiring to understand Zhizhen Garden's operations, A Bao decided not to use the main entrance, instead entering through the back kitchen.
