Our Glamorous Time Episode 18 Recap
> Our Glamorous Time Recap
Li Zhicheng stood before his elder brother's grave, confronting Ning Weikai and demanding he admit to betraying Li Zhiqian when he was most needed. Li Zhicheng warned Ning Weikai that if he found proof of his brother's murder, he would make him pay a blood debt. Later, a despondent Ning Weikai was found drinking heavily at a bar. He called Lin Qian, who rushed to stop him from drinking more.
Overwhelmed, Ning Weikai collapsed to the floor in tears, confiding that Li Zhicheng wrongly blamed him for his brother's death. He revealed it was Li Zhongming, not Li Zhiqian, who had forced him out of Wenda, and Li Zhiqian had even supported his ambition to start his own brand. He questioned why he would ever harm such a friend. Lin Qian took Ning Weikai to the seaside to help him sober up.
He apologized for his earlier outburst and explained that Li Zhiqian had given him the "green light" to leave Wenda and join Xinbaorui, even taking the design team with him. He clarified that Li Zhiqian understood Wenda's bureaucratic issues and the difficulty of starting a new brand internally. He allowed Ning Weikai and the team to leave for their future. Lin Qian realized Li Zhiqian had indirectly facilitated Ning Weikai's move.
However, Ning Weikai expressed deep regret for then competing fiercely against Wenda to establish himself at Xinbaorui, acknowledging that this put Li Zhiqian in a worse position and made a good friend into an enemy. Lin Qian, understanding his torment, promised to keep his confession a secret. As they spoke, Lin Qian noticed Wasp (Monkey) in a car nearby, realizing Li Zhicheng had sent him for her protection.
Meanwhile, Gu Yanzhi, wearing sunglasses and a hat as a disguise, covertly entered a beauty event. There, Li Jinyuan encountered Chen Zheng. Chen Zheng taunted her about the absence of her usual "knight in shining armor." Li Jinyuan quickly retorted, pointing out his own lack of female companions for such an important event. After some playful banter, Chen Zheng proposed a truce and invited her to be his date.
Li Jinyuan scoffed at his offer, likening him to a "dung beetle wearing a mask," and walked away. The closing ceremony for the "Goddess in the Cloud" contest commenced. Gu Yanzhi mingled with the crowd, disguised as a journalist. Grace and Cheng Feng were toasting when Cheng Feng was startled to see Cheng Meizi performing on stage. Cheng Meizi noticed her father but bravely continued her performance.
Furious, Cheng Feng prepared to leave, but Grace intervened, urging him to give his daughter this one opportunity, reminding him how confident and radiant Meizi looked on stage. Eventually, seeing his daughter's shining presence, Cheng Feng rose and applauded, visibly moving Cheng Meizi, who tearfully thanked him. Later at an after-party, Li Jinyuan approached Chen Zheng, who was playing games with several women.
She had learned from Gu Yanzhi that Chen Zheng had paid a DJ to orchestrate the fake proposal incident at the bar. To get her revenge, Li Jinyuan proposed an ice bucket challenge to signify their truce. Without hesitation, Chen Zheng poured a bucket of ice water over himself, but Li Jinyuan swiftly slipped away, leaving him drenched.
Infuriated, Chen Zheng was then confronted by Gu Yanzhi, who sternly warned him to stay away from Li Jinyuan because she was the woman he liked. Gu Yanzhi later expressed his feelings for Li Jinyuan, promising never to scold her again and asking her to stop engaging with Chen Zheng. Li Jinyuan received an urgent phone call from home and, deeply concerned, rushed back with Gu Yanzhi.
Upon arrival, she became upset with the nanny for not adequately looking after her father, Li Zhongming, who was in bed. However, Li Zhongming angrily ordered Li Jinyuan out of the room. Gu Yanzhi comforted a distraught Li Jinyuan, suggesting that her father's pride was hurt by needing care and that he likely desired Li Zhicheng's attention more. Following this, Li Jinyuan messaged Li Zhicheng, urging him to return home to see their father.
Li Zhicheng promptly returned home for a candid conversation with his father. Li Zhongming voiced his continued disapproval of Li Zhiqian's past attempt to create a separate brand, deeming it a failure that had destabilized Wenda. Li Zhicheng passionately defended his elder brother, arguing that Wenda's internal issues, such as entrenched old executives and a closed-minded culture, were the real obstacles to its development.
He revealed his own intention to follow a similar path by creating a new brand for Aida. Li Zhongming dismissed his son's ideas, leading to a heated argument. Their contentious discussion was interrupted by a phone call from Grace. Grace called Li Zhicheng to inquire about the recruitment of designers. He informed her that Ning Weikai had successfully poached nearly all the talented designers in Linhai City for Xinbaorui.
Surprised by this development, Grace assured him she would handle the situation. Her assistant later informed her that Xinbaorui was offering three times the market rate to these designers. At Xinbaorui, Ning Weikai gave a special interview to a reporter in his design department. After answering general questions about his dual role as a designer and manager, and his views on industry competition, the reporter's tone shifted dramatically.
The reporter confronted Ning Weikai about leaving Wenda with its top design team and continuously competing against it, even after Li Zhiqian's death. Ning Weikai clarified that Li Zhiqian himself had approved of his departure, and they were good friends. However, the reporter pressed on, accusing Ning Weikai of betraying Li Zhiqian and holding indirect responsibility for his death.
Ning Weikai, visibly angered by these accusations and the murmurs among his staff, abruptly ended the interview, stating the reporter needed to show respect. The reporter, however, confidently predicted the interview would "make quite a stir." Believing Lin Qian had leaked the sensitive information, Ning Weikai called her and then went to Aida to confront her. Lin Qian was bewildered, denying any involvement, but Ning Weikai remained convinced she had betrayed his trust, leaving them in an unhappy state.
A furious Lin Qian then confronted Li Zhicheng, accusing him of leaking Ning Weikai's story to the media to attack a business rival. She felt he had exploited her. Li Zhicheng strongly denied this, asserting he would never take advantage of a "comrade" or someone he trusted. He suspected something more complex was at play and promised to investigate the matter thoroughly. As Ning Weikai's interview video rapidly spread online, his public image suffered significantly.
At a Xinbaorui board meeting, a board member associated with the Zhu Group, expressed strong dissatisfaction, noting the company's stock had plunged due to issues with Ning Weikai's personal ethics and questioning his fitness as president. He argued that someone who betrayed a friend shouldn't lead. However, Ning Weikai entered the meeting and confidently announced that Don, the founder of the successful American fashion brand Fancy, would be visiting Linhai to find a partner for a new collaboration in China.
He explained that his extensive recruitment of designers was specifically to showcase Xinbaorui as the ideal partner for Don. The board members, now impressed by this strategic move, voiced their full support for Ning Weikai, urging him to secure the partnership. Following the meeting, some speculated that the sudden slander against Ning Weikai must have been orchestrated by someone from Aida, possibly Li Zhicheng himself.
