Our Glamorous Time Episode 28 Recap
> Our Glamorous Time Recap
At an auction, Lin Qian encountered Ning Weikai, both showing interest in an exquisite embroidered silk dress. Li Zhicheng asserted that he would not let go of anything his woman desired. Ning Weikai challenged him to a bidding war at the auction. Lin Qian urged Li Zhicheng to act prudently and not engage in a rivalry with Ning Weikai, to which he calmly responded that he understood the situation. Later, Ning Weikai and Zhu Hanqian stepped out for some air.
Zhu Hanqian wondered how Ning Weikai knew Li Zhicheng would be there. Ning Weikai explained that he had been waiting for Aida to take the bait. He was sure Lin Qian would love the dress because it featured Snowy Smoke silk, a new fabric that is hard to come by for designers, and she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it.
He added that Aida was short on cash, and if Li Zhicheng became too greedy, it would be suicidal for his company. Back at Aida, Li Zhicheng discussed his plans with Gu Yanzhi. He intended to incorporate rare fabrics into the new Y-Fancy line, anticipating increased costs. He asked Gu Yanzhi to prepare the previous season's financial report to determine the budget for the new season. He noted that Ning Weikai was also pursuing the same fabric.
Gu Yanzhi correctly guessed it was Snowy Smoke silk, a fabric Lin Qian had been obsessed with since seeing a robe made from it at a competition. Gu Yanzhi expressed concern about rushing into expansion due to Aida's cash flow, mentioning that Aida needed a solid footing after the May 20 success. Li Zhicheng countered that the money issue was manageable, and Grace had mentioned a potential investor.
If the new fabric added value to Aida, the investment would be worthwhile. Gu Yanzhi teased that Li Zhicheng was clearly determined to fulfill Lin Qian's wish. Meanwhile, Grace was reviewing articles in her office when her assistant informed her that Ning Weikai was using their photography studio. Grace decided to go and greet him. She congratulated Ning Weikai on returning to Xinbaorui as its president.
Ning Weikai enthusiastically spoke about Snowy Smoke, describing it as Linhai's signature fabric, representing Chinese traditional craftsmanship, and boasting great potential if combined with modern technology, possibly even influencing the global fashion market. Grace, however, found his proposal "too risky" and too costly, requiring extreme caution, though Ning Weikai tried to persuade her by saying that they both were drawn to risky ventures. Grace arranged a meeting between Li Zhicheng and President Ding.
President Ding, who trusted Grace's judgment and taste, expressed interest in Y-Fancy and offered to fund its growth. Li Zhicheng mentioned wanting to break into the high-end market, but President Ding noted Grace hadn't mentioned that, suggesting further discussion with her. He liked Y-Fancy's current market positioning and wanted it to continue targeting low-end mass consumption, as that's where the money was.
He, a pragmatic man, wanted their first cooperation to be "nice and safe" and explicitly warned against changing the brand's positioning to high-end without further discussion with Grace. Li Zhicheng understood and toasted to their cooperation. Li Zhicheng later visited Lin Qian in her studio and found her engrossed in researching Snowy Smoke.
She explained that the robe at the auction was a wedding dress made of Snowy Smoke silk during the Republic period in Linhai, and showed him the wedding vows written on it. Li Zhicheng found the vows beautiful and suggested they could use it for their own wedding. Although Lin Qian playfully questioned his assumption, he declared he wouldn't let her go.
He then promised to bid for the dress at the auction, hoping it would aid their research and development, which excited Lin Qian. He then sweetly kissed her. At the auction, after several items were sold, the host announced the final item: the embroidered silk dress, a masterpiece created by the Geng family artisans from Snowy Smoke silk, unveiled by Ms. Geng Xingmin.
Ning Weikai initiated the bidding at two million yuan, followed by Li Zhicheng at two and a half million. The two fiercely competed, driving the price up to three million, then four, and five million. When the bid reached six million, Li Zhicheng was about to bid higher, but Gu Yanzhi stopped him, reminding him that it was not the time for a "pissing match." The auctioneer's hammer fell, and Ning Weikai successfully acquired the dress for six million yuan.
He then delivered a speech, thanking Grace and expressing Xinbaorui's commitment to charity and Linhai's craft industry as a leader in the clothing sector. After the auction, Grace noticed Li Zhicheng's low spirits and complimented his conduct, though he felt he had lost. Li Zhicheng admitted that Lin Qian really needed the robe for her study of Snowy Smoke silk.
Grace advised him that a personal hobby should not affect company strategy, and focusing on Snowy Smoke now would hinder Y-Fancy's current design lines. Li Zhicheng retorted, asking if work was all she could ever think of, mentioning dreams and passions. Grace responded that a leader had responsibilities and should prioritize the company's overall operations, suggesting that personal dreams could wait until the company was strong enough. Li Zhicheng, feeling discontent, left.
Meanwhile, from a vantage point, Ning Weikai and Chen Zheng observed their conversation. Chen Zheng, ever observant, questioned Ning Weikai about the coincidence of the Snowy Smoke dress appearing for auction after Ning Weikai had prominently mentioned the fabric in the competition, subtly asking if he was behind the collector's donation. Ning Weikai simply offered a noncommittal smile, stating it might just be a coincidence, but Chen Zheng preferred to believe it was something else.
Grace informed Li Zhicheng that Fancy's headquarters planned to send a Director of Design to Aida to oversee design work for the next season. Li Zhicheng expressed concern that this new director might cause misunderstandings and constrain Lin Qian's creativity. Grace gently advised him that Y-Fancy was a joint-venture sub-brand and that having a director of design from the main company was common practice. She cautioned against resisting the decision, as it could lead to conflict between the two companies.
Li Zhicheng felt it would be unfair to Lin Qian, whom he wanted to retain her passion and freedom, but after Grace's firm explanation that Y-Fancy was not Lin Qian's private workshop and that fighting the headquarters' decision could result in a "bad confrontation," he reluctantly accepted. Chen Zheng returned to Simeiqi and was dismayed to find a drastic reduction in the advertising budget in the new campaign proposal.
He confronted his father, Chairman Chen, who, with a sigh, lamented the company's struggles. Chairman Chen explained that Simeiqi had suffered a massive inventory pileup immediately after the 520 incident, losing half of its market share to Aida, with many partnering factories shifting their allegiance to Xinbaorui.
He described Simeiqi's precarious position as being "under siege with wolves in front of us and tigers behind us," confessing his despair about the company's future as an employee walked out, stating the company had no future. Li Zhicheng called Lin Qian to his office to apologize for not securing the embroidered silk dress, especially since it was a wedding dress.
Lin Qian, unfazed, assured him that she was more interested in the fabric itself and could find other ways to research Snowy Smoke for the new Y-Fancy line. Li Zhicheng then informed her that Fancy would be sending a Director of Design to work alongside her for the next season. Lin Qian was surprised and worried, echoing the sentiment that "too many cooks will ruin the same dish," but promised to cooperate if the decision was final.
Li Zhicheng was moved by her understanding and gently kissed her. Ning Weikai invited Chen Zheng to his new office at Xinbaorui to discuss a potential partnership. Chen Zheng initially complained about Xinbaorui poaching Simeiqi's long-standing factories. Ning Weikai, to demonstrate his sincerity, immediately offered to return those factories, urging Chen Zheng to focus on the bigger picture and work together.
Chen Zheng, however, expressed a longing for his former leisurely lifestyle, indifferent to slow company growth, and content with Simeiqi maintaining a perpetual third place in the market. Ning Weikai then delivered a stark warning: if Chen Zheng stopped fighting, Simeiqi would not even retain its third-place position for long, as the rapidly changing market was a "game of life or death."
He pointed out that Aida had taken Simeiqi's market share, and factories were aligning with Xinbaorui, leading to a crumbling money supply. He warned that Simeiqi would be the first to fall in this three-way contest, illustrating his point with an analogy of taking away matches, representing Aida's power, one by one. Li Zhicheng tasked Gu Yanzhi with another assignment.
He revealed that Lin Qian was actively researching Snowy Smoke silk and asked Gu Yanzhi to try and borrow the embroidered silk dress from Ning Weikai. Gu Yanzhi was initially hesitant, pointing out that the dress had fetched six million yuan at the auction, making it unlikely Ning Weikai would easily lend it. However, Li Zhicheng expressed full confidence in Gu Yanzhi's capabilities, which brought a wry smile to Gu Yanzhi's face.
Earlier, Gu Yanzhi had reported on Wenda's chaotic state, with the chairman's illness leading to an "anarchic mess" and two internal factions constantly clashing. Li Zhicheng had instructed him to investigate the finance department for any specific findings and to prepare for Aida's reintegration into Wenda, handling human resources and organizational restructuring to prevent internal clashes during the merger. Gu Yanzhi had noted that while Wenda's subcontracting lines were profitable, they were underperforming compared to their previous capacity.
He also playfully chided Li Zhicheng for focusing solely on work and not inquiring about his father's health, but Li Zhicheng swiftly redirected him to the task of borrowing the dress. Amanda, Fancy's Director of Design, arrived at Aida, where Li Zhicheng and Lin Qian greeted her. Li Zhicheng introduced Lin Qian as Aida's Director of Design.
Amanda, observing Lin Qian's youth, dismissively remarked that she hadn't expected such a young designer for Y-Fancy and initially mistook her for a secretary. Li Zhicheng defended Lin Qian, highlighting her enviable age and talent. Amanda, prioritizing efficiency, immediately asked Lin Qian to show her the new season's line. After reviewing Lin Qian's designs, Amanda was critical, stating that despite their creativity and style, they failed to meet Fancy's requirements and would need to be completely redone.
She explained that Lin Qian had incorporated "too many Chinese elements," creating a "completely Chinese design," which Amanda deemed inappropriate. Lin Qian argued for diversity in Y-Fancy's designs to better develop the brand, especially as it targeted the Chinese market. Amanda, however, insisted that as a sub-brand, Y-Fancy's design must align with its parent brand, Fancy.
She asserted that she knew Don, Fancy's "soul," better than anyone and that he would not approve of such diversity, implying that Chinese brands often aspired to a Western aesthetic. She instructed Lin Qian to start a new design immediately. Following Amanda's departure, Lin Qian confided in her assistant that they had "completely different concepts" and that working together would be "long and painful," especially given Amanda's "hostile" approach.
When Li Zhicheng inquired about Amanda, Lin Qian admitted they disagreed on design principles but committed to objectively reflecting on Amanda's opinions in her new design. She stopped Li Zhicheng from directly confronting Amanda.
