My Bargain Queen Episode 39 Recap
> My Bargain Queen Recap
Struggling to remember the details of her father's car accident, Ning Meng suggests she and Sheng Zhening visit their old family home for clues. While sifting through old items, Sheng Zhening finds their father's university graduation album. Leafing through it, he spots a photo of Chairman Ni alongside Qin Hebo, which sparks a realization.
Ning Meng attempts to identify the person her father argued with from the album, but the memories are too distant and faded for her to recognize anyone clearly. She decides to take the alumni book home for a more thorough examination. Around the same time, an online article is published, exposing Qin Hebo's questionable past actions at Evergreen Hotel, including disrupting Ning Meng's wedding and trapping a hotel reviewer, implying his willingness to do anything for money.
An An mentions that Qin Hebo resigned from Langyue during its price war with Evergreen, but the reasons were unclear. Suspecting Mr. Xue's involvement, Qin Hebo confronts him. Mr. Xue confirms he orchestrated the leak, expressing his displeasure at Qin Hebo for helping Evergreen through the Greenland Foundation. He warns Qin Hebo against opposing him. Qin Hebo retorts, reminding Mr. Xue that Lihe Capital's funds are not abundant and questioning the stability of his support within the company.
Emily, Qin Hebo's former assistant, is worried about him. Qin Hebo later confides in Fu Shuangshuang that he feels a sense of relief now that his past misdeeds are public, as he no longer has to live in fear. He acknowledges his mistakes and is ready to accept any punishment, though he anticipates difficulty finding a new job in his preferred field of hotel management, as his actions have led to him being blacklisted by the entire hotel industry.
Fu Shuangshuang, knowing his passion for the industry, playfully suggests he could manage her guesthouse or, if necessary, she could support him, calling him her "wisest investment." Sheng Zhening suspects Qin Hebo's secret aid to Evergreen. To verify his hunch, he visits Chairman Ni of the Greenland Foundation. He thanks Chairman Ni for the foundation's help, noting the long-standing friendship between Chairman Ni and his late father. Sheng Zhening then casually asks if Chairman Ni knows Qin Hebo.
Chairman Ni feigns a vague recollection but claims not to know Qin Hebo well. Later, An An confirms Chairman Ni's deception, reminding Sheng Zhening that Qin Hebo was the primary contact person for a six-month collaborative project between the Greenland Foundation and Evergreen two years prior. That evening, Sheng Zhening arranges to meet Qin Hebo at a bar. He expresses gratitude for the financial assistance, revealing he knows the money from the Greenland Foundation actually belongs to Qin Hebo's savings.
Since Evergreen cannot repay the loan immediately, Sheng Zhening offers to convert the debt into Evergreen shares. He also speculates that Lihe Capital might be behind the recent online news targeting Qin Hebo due to his support for Evergreen. Qin Hebo dismisses Sheng Zhening's concerns, telling him not to overthink it, and then abruptly departs. Sheng Zhening's relentless work on Evergreen's behalf begins to affect his health. Xia Qian, bringing him ginseng chicken soup from her mother, notices his exhaustion.
While he is in a meeting, she tidies his desk and discovers an old photo of Sheng Zhening, Ning Meng, and Qin Hebo. Later, she asks An An if Sheng Zhening has been keeping tabs on Qin Hebo. An An confirms that the funds lent by the Greenland Foundation were indeed Qin Hebo's, and Sheng Zhening's emotions were noticeably affected when he learned this, adding that Qin Hebo remains unpredictable.
Xia Qian discusses this with Fu Shuangshuang, who confirms Qin Hebo's desire to atone for past wrongs by helping Evergreen discreetly. Fu Shuangshuang also senses the enduring connection between Sheng Zhening and Qin Hebo. Recognizing their reluctance to reconcile independently, Xia Qian and Fu Shuangshuang decide to orchestrate a chance meeting for them. Ning Meng asks He Zhijuan to hypnotize her to recall details of the car accident.
He Zhijuan is reluctant, warning that it might intensify her pain, but he agrees to provide support. During the hypnosis, Ning Meng is guided back to 2014 and eventually identifies the person who argued with her father. She later confirms that the individual is Xue Qingyun, CEO of Lihe Capital. Ning Meng shares this with Sheng Zhening, explaining that her father's university classmate and former business partner, Xue Qingyun, had a heated argument with him shortly before the accident.
Given Lihe Capital's consistent targeting of Evergreen, she suspects these events are connected. Sheng Zhening cautions that this is still a theory and advises Ning Meng and He Zhijuan to rest while he continues his investigation. Xia Qian and Fu Shuangshuang arrange a dinner, bringing their respective boyfriends, Sheng Zhening and Qin Hebo. The atmosphere is tense, but Sheng Zhening subtly shows his lingering care by remembering Qin Hebo's mango allergy when a dish containing mango is served.
Seizing the moment, Xia Qian excuses herself to the restroom, asking Fu Shuangshuang to join her, leaving the two men alone. In the restroom, they discuss Sheng Zhening's reaction, confirming his continued concern for Qin Hebo and deciding to prolong their absence to allow the men more time together. Left alone, Sheng Zhening takes the opportunity to inquire about Lihe Capital.
Qin Hebo confirms his own suspicions about the company's recent actions and reveals he has already begun collecting information, promising to update Sheng Zhening with any findings. Later, Qin Hebo's former assistant, Emily, offers to help him with the extensive research on Lihe Capital, but he declines, citing the danger involved. Emily also questions why he hasn't clarified that Mr. Xue was responsible for sabotaging Ning Meng's wedding, but Qin Hebo dismisses it as unimportant.
The increasing pressure from Evergreen's shareholders forces Sheng Zhening to seek emergency financing. During a critical board meeting, shareholders push for a merger with Lihe Capital, highlighting Evergreen's financial instability and the favorable acquisition offer. They warn that further delay will devalue their shares. Sheng Zhening argues that such a sale would make Lihe Capital the primary shareholder, effectively marginalizing him. He requests two days to secure an alternative solution.
Under pressure from a Lihe Capital representative, the shareholders grant him only one more day, scheduling a new meeting for the following morning. Sheng Zhening announces his intention to travel to Jiangcheng to secure financing from Huayu Capital, asserting this would free Evergreen from Lihe Capital's influence, as Huayu would merely participate in profit-sharing without management interference. Unbeknownst to him, Mr. Xue has already ensured that Mr. Yuan of Huayu Capital will not provide the funding.
In Jiangcheng, Mr. Yuan avoids directly investing in Evergreen's hotel business, offering various pretexts and steering the conversation towards internet ventures, knowing Evergreen's urgent need for capital. He then intentionally gets Sheng Zhening drunk to prevent him from attending the crucial shareholder meeting the next morning. The following day, as the meeting is about to begin, An An is unable to contact Sheng Zhening. Fearing he will be deemed to have automatically forfeited, Xia Qian realizes something is amiss.
She instructs Ning Meng, who holds 5% of Evergreen's shares, to attend the meeting and stall for time. Via an earpiece, Xia Qian coaches Ning Meng on how to address the seasoned shareholders. Ning Meng appeals to their loyalty and past connections with her father, reminding them of his generosity. A Lihe Capital shareholder swiftly counters, highlighting the risk of stock depreciation with further delays.
Just as the merger agreement is about to be signed, Sheng Zhening arrives, looking disheveled but determined. Mr. Xue, confident in his scheme, taunts Sheng Zhening about his failed financing attempt. Sheng Zhening admits he couldn't secure the funding but then dramatically asks the shareholders if they are willing to hand Evergreen over to a murderer. When Mr. Xue dismisses this as slander, Sheng Zhening reveals that his father's car accident was orchestrated by Mr. Xue.
He exposes how his father discovered Mr. Xue's illegal fundraising and advised him to surrender, only for Mr. Xue to have his driver tamper with his father's car, leading to the fatal crash. At that moment, Qin Hebo enters the room, accompanied by Mr. Xue's former driver, Yang Da. Sheng Zhening introduces Yang Da, asserting that he knows exactly what Mr. Xue did. Despite Mr. Xue's attempts to object, Sheng Zhening directs Yang Da to speak.
Yang Da recounts a flashback: the senior Mr. Sheng had obtained evidence of Xue Qingyun's illegal fundraising. When confronted, Xue Qingyun pleaded for mercy, citing their long friendship and shared business venture. However, the senior Mr. Sheng urged Xue Qingyun to confess, offering him a chance to turn himself in for leniency and warning that otherwise, the evidence would be handed over to the police.
Xue Qingyun, feeling betrayed, accused his friend of not giving him another opportunity, to which the senior Mr. Sheng responded by urging him to reconsider his actions and not make further mistakes.
