Ordinary Glory Episode 28 Recap
> Ordinary Glory Recap
Feeling a little tipsy, Wu Kezhi decided to leave a conversation with Director Qu and Li Sheng Si, who had been trying to advise him on team support. Wu Kezhi believed his team had always stood on its own. He then joined Lin Yuming and Ding Libo. Ding Libo teased Wu Kezhi about his usual poor performance in the upcoming finale activity, where he was always the first to be eliminated. Sun Yiqiu, also present, asked about additional activities.
Wu Kezhi informed him that the "finale for the investment circle" was next, but added that it had nothing to do with him. Wu Kezhi then reminded Sun Yiqiu of their previous bet regarding Manager Li Sheng Si, emphasizing that the loser would have to chug a bottle of alcohol, urging Sun Yiqiu to keep his word. Sun Yiqiu prepared to drink the entire bottle in one go, looking despairing.
Lin Yuming quickly intervened, declaring that such a glorious moment needed to be witnessed by everyone. He helped Sun Yiqiu onto a stool, announcing that Sun Yiqiu would perform for the group by chugging the bottle as a thank you for their support.
Wu Kezhi initially commented that Sun Yiqiu couldn't hold his liquor, but when Lin Yuming pointed out that Sun Yiqiu would stop when he reached his limit, Wu Kezhi changed his tune, remarking that he had forgotten Sun Yiqiu’s gullibility. Soon after, Manager Ma announced that the final team-building activity was about to begin in the recreation room.
Ding Libo pulled Wu Kezhi to the recreation room, urging him to try and stay in the upcoming card game for at least ten minutes. The game's stakes were high: the number of cards a team held would determine their annual leave days for the next year. Wu Kezhi was playing, betting, and calling, but it quickly became apparent he was struggling.
Lin Yuming explained to a confused Sun Yiqiu that Director Qu was one of the experts in the game, while Wu Kezhi usually lost due to his impatience, recklessness, and inability to hide his emotions, making the game unsuitable for him. Sun Yiqiu wondered if the game was difficult. Hao Shuai, joined by Lan Qianyi and Gao Sicong, offered to teach Sun Yiqiu, but a clearly intoxicated Sun Yiqiu struggled to grasp the rules.
As Wu Kezhi was about to make a losing move, Sun Yiqiu suddenly blurted out "fold." Lin Yuming attempted to pull Sun Yiqiu away, attributing his outburst to drunkenness, but Wu Kezhi stopped them. To everyone's surprise, Wu Kezhi asked Director Qu if Sun Yiqiu could play his last hand for him, to which Director Qu agreed, musing that Wu Kezhi needed a change of luck.
Sun Yiqiu took over and immediately showed an unexpected knack for the game, winning a hand with Triple 7s, then another against Manager Jiang with a Straight. He continued his winning streak, even beating Director Qu's Triple 9 Full House with a Triple Ace Full House. Ding Libo, seeing Director Qu’s growing displeasure, suggested they call it a night, but Manager Ma insisted on continuing, stating the match between him and Sun Yiqiu wasn't over.
Sun Yiqiu, still drunk, agreed to play on. In the final hand, Sun Yiqiu confidently identified Director Qu’s weak hand, noting that Director Qu had a tell: he touched his chin whenever he was bluffing. Sun Yiqiu won with a pair of 10s against Director Qu's High Card. A surprised Director Qu asked how many years Sun Yiqiu had played poker, to which Sun Yiqiu replied he had "just learnt it earlier tonight."
Director Qu expressed amazement at such a natural talent within the company. The short holiday concluded swiftly. Some returned from the break exhausted, while others had enjoyed themselves. Hao Shuai attempted to tease Sun Yiqiu about a video of him chugging alcohol, but Sun Yiqiu deflected.
Gao Sicong, too, had a fulfilling break, receiving positive feedback from Manager Jiang Nan on a German document he had drafted, though Jiang Nan pointed out some grammatical errors and gave him a day to correct them or revert to Chinese. Manager Ma also hurried staff, including Gao Sicong, onto a bus, concluding the holiday activities. Five months later, Sun Yiqiu was preparing for an important presentation on the "Youfeng Air Purifier" project.
Wu Kezhi, Lin Yuming, and Ding Libo conducted a mock Q&A session to prepare him. Sun Yiqiu confidently presented the project's market potential, focusing on consumer health concerns and outlining a three-pronged analysis covering industry, government policies, and the economy. Wu Kezhi abruptly halted his presentation, stating they had already read the report and preferred to move directly to questions. Ding Libo challenged Youfeng’s product, calling it "20 years late" in the market.
Sun Yiqiu deftly responded, explaining that while not a market forerunner, Youfeng's timing was optimal, appearing at the end of a typical 20-year introductory period for such products in advanced countries. Lin Yuming then questioned how an unknown brand could compete in a saturated market. Sun Yiqiu articulated Youfeng’s strategy: focusing on improving the downstream services, as the upstream manufacturing was already mature.
Lin Yuming observed that Sun Yiqiu's past lack of confidence seemed to have been resolved by the private cinema project, finally unleashing his potential. From outside the meeting room, Hao Shuai watched, amazed by Sun Yiqiu's newfound assertiveness. Hao Shuai then entered, ostensibly to inform Sun Yiqiu about a newcomer meeting with HR. Wu Kezhi, however, was not satisfied.
He dismissed Lin Yuming's praise and challenged Sun Yiqiu to state, within one minute, three reasons why the project might be rejected by the investment committee. Sun Yiqiu, caught off guard, admitted he was unprepared for such a question. Wu Kezhi sharply criticized him, questioning if he was an investment consultant or merely a sales manager focused only on the positives of popular projects.
He emphasized the inherent risks of popular projects, warning, "The more popular a project, the higher the risk involved. The higher you climb, the harder you fall!" Hao Shuai quickly stepped in, ushering Sun Yiqiu out to the HR meeting, remarking later that he thought Sun Yiqiu could handle Wu Kezhi, but still ended up angering him, and claiming he had to rescue him.
At the HR meeting, the manager congratulated Gao Sicong, Lan Qianyi, and Hao Shuai on officially establishing themselves within the company, handing them their new salary confirmation letters. Sun Yiqiu was also there, but the HR manager, after checking her email, clarified that the salary raises were only for employees with permanent contracts. As Sun Yiqiu’s contract was expiring soon, he would not receive a raise.
Hao Shuai admitted he had told Sun Yiqiu to attend, mistakenly believing the invitation was for all newcomers. Sun Yiqiu quietly left, feeling foolish. He reflected on Wu Kezhi's earlier warning about the risks of popular projects, chastising himself for having "lost sight of my actual situation" after receiving compliments, and wondering if he was destined to lose "everything I worked so hard to obtain."
Meanwhile, Manager Xu (Xu Tai Ping) went to Manager Ma's office to submit the China-Europe logistics project proposal. Manager Ma, upon learning Lan Qianyi had prepared the report, angrily threw the documents aside. Manager Zhao, a colleague, was confused, believing the proposal was flawless. However, Lan Qianyi knew the true reason for Manager Ma's anger and went to explain herself.
Manager Ma then confronted Manager Xu, asking if he knew about Lan Qianyi’s past relationship with her boss at Youwei Capital, their collaborative partner, and questioned how such a "suspicious person" could be involved in a critical negotiation. Manager Xu was stunned but tried to vouch for Lan Qianyi, assuring Manager Ma that she would not sabotage the team.
Manager Ma, unwilling to take any chances, demanded to know if Manager Xu would "guarantee her integrity," warning him to be responsible for his words. Unannounced, Lan Qianyi entered Manager Ma's office, holding all the French project documents she had translated. She stated she understood Manager Ma's anger but urged him not to blame Chief Xu, and formally requested permission to withdraw from the China-Europe logistics project.
Manager Ma, still visibly upset, dismissed her and instructed Manager Xu to take full responsibility for the project, suggesting he learn French to handle the documents himself. Later, colleagues were teasing Lin Yuming about his modest salary increment and his unmarried status, joking about his high standards. Wu Kezhi suddenly returned, looking grim, and angrily asked if they had nothing better to do. Ding Libo messaged Lin Yuming, asking what was wrong with Wu Kezhi.
Lin Yuming initially didn’t know, but then suddenly realized the reason. As Wu Kezhi’s mood seemed to worsen, Ding Libo quickly found an excuse about an urgent client meeting and fled. Sun Yiqiu, who had just returned, was immediately scolded by Wu Kezhi for not being at his desk. Lin Yuming comforted Sun Yiqiu, explaining that Wu Kezhi's anger wasn't personal; it was "Ma Xiyuan's death anniversary."
Lin Yuming recounted Ma Xiyuan's story to Sun Yiqiu: like him, she had been a clueless trainee five years ago, joining at the same time as Lin Yuming and working under Wu Kezhi (who was then an investment manager in Team II). She was hardworking and intelligent, quickly improving, and Wu Kezhi was very pleased with her work.
When Ma Xiyuan’s contract was nearing expiration, Wu Kezhi placed her on a high-profile project, which the higher-ups were paying close attention to, to help her secure a permanent position. They successfully completed the project, but it later faced a lawsuit due to a mistake made by higher-ups. Though Wu Kezhi was the one who should have faced punishment, Ma Xiyuan unexpectedly resigned, taking all the blame herself.
