Our Glamorous Time Episode 43 Recap
> Our Glamorous Time Recap
Ning Weikai met Chen Zheng for tea, asking if there was any chance of winning back Simeiqi. Chen Zheng sighed, expressing deep concern that DP's strategy, which was consuming Simeiqi's online marketing resources and rapidly gaining popularity, would soon dominate Linhai City's entire clothing market. Ning Weikai then stated that Xinbaorui's sales were also plummeting, as DP stores had strategically surrounded theirs, suggesting that only by uniting could they counter DP.
Chen Zheng revealed that Li Zhicheng had approached him with a proposal for all three companies—Simeiqi, Xinbaorui, and Wenda—to unite against DP. Ning Weikai seemed surprised and slightly skeptical, noting Chen Zheng's recent closeness with Li Zhicheng and questioning if they should set aside old grudges. Chen Zheng advised Ning Weikai not to make an immediate decision but to think it over. Meanwhile, Zhu Hanjing and Grace met for tea. Grace complimented Zhu Hanjing on the beautiful location.
Zhu Hanjing then directly expressed her belief that Ning Weikai was deeply in love with Grace, noting his recent distress. She confessed to watching his designer competition video repeatedly, particularly recognizing his genuine emotions and the fact that his heart belonged to someone else.
Grace asked why she was being told this, to which Zhu Hanjing replied that she believed Ning Weikai would never lie to the woman he loved, despite not knowing the full extent of their complicated history or misunderstandings. Grace admitted their situation was more complex than Zhu Hanjing realized, and she found dishonesty intolerable in love.
Zhu Hanjing, on the verge of tears, expressed her wish that Grace and Ning Weikai could resolve their issues, emphasizing that Ning Weikai is a good man and she doesn't want to see him suffer. Grace offered her condolences that Ning Weikai didn't love Zhu Hanjing and thanked her for her concern. Li Zhicheng then arranged a dinner meeting with Ning Weikai and Chen Zheng to discuss the alliance.
Chen Zheng acknowledged their long-standing rivalry but felt it was time to reflect. Li Zhicheng explained that many local companies were falling to foreign competitors, and they couldn't win individually. He outlined a plan: Simeiqi would handle online marketing, leveraging its distribution channels and celebrity endorsements; Xinbaorui would provide premium store spaces for their combined products; and Wenda would be responsible for manufacturing for all three, providing manpower and shared funding.
Chen Zheng admitted the partnership sounded complicated and challenging to implement. Li Zhicheng urged them to act before DP seized 50-60% of Linhai City's market, mentioning that Gu Yanzhi was already working on a detailed plan. Ning Weikai questioned who would lead this campaign, and Li Zhicheng confidently asserted his ability to command, pointing out Wenda was the least affected by DP.
However, Ning Weikai expressed his difficulty in convincing Xinbaorui's board, whose equity was fragmented, to agree to the plan, especially without a clear action plan and if they wouldn't have a say. He stressed his responsibility to protect Xinbaorui during these difficult times, drawing an analogy to generals winning wars but with many casualties among soldiers, implying he couldn't risk Xinbaorui for a partnership where he had no control. He then stood up and departed.
Back at his office, Ning Weikai appeared deeply contemplative. Gao Lang offered to take him back. Ning Weikai confided in Gao Lang that he had an important decision to make regarding the alliance. He acknowledged the severe threat DP posed to Linhai City's clothing industry and the potential damage to local companies, musing that perhaps it was time for the three rivals to set aside their past.
Gao Lang, trusting Ning Weikai's judgment, assured him he believed Ning Weikai already knew the answer and would support whatever decision he made. Later, Li Zhicheng visited Chairman Zhu at Xinbaorui, hoping he would persuade Ning Weikai to cooperate with Wenda against DP. Chairman Zhu acknowledged Peter's ambition and agreed with Li Zhicheng that they needed to unite against DP's growing control.
Chairman Zhu also brought up the issue of DP plagiarizing Qingcheng's designs, which Li Zhicheng confirmed, explaining that Wenda had terminated their collaboration with DP because of it. Chairman Zhu praised Li Zhicheng's integrity, stating such a precedent could not be tolerated in Linhai City. Ning Weikai then walked in, to Chairman Zhu's delight, who announced that it was time for them to cooperate.
Chairman Zhu urged both Li Zhicheng and Ning Weikai to work together, emphasizing that their alliance would not only benefit their companies but the entire Linhai City apparel market. Li Zhicheng expressed his hope for a strong collaboration, and Ning Weikai concurred, shaking Li Zhicheng's hand in agreement. Chairman Zhu, still concerned about Xinbaorui's performance, asked Ning Weikai for an honest assessment of DP's retail sales, which Ning Weikai confirmed were rapidly growing at Xinbaorui's expense.
Dissatisfied, Chairman Zhu insisted on visiting a Xinbaorui store, where he observed more staff than customers, lamenting the company's decline. Ning Weikai reassured him that the alliance with Wenda and Simeiqi would help them overcome the crisis. Chairman Zhu, reflecting on his life's work at Xinbaorui, decided to act as a customer and bought a new suit, hoping it would make him look younger. He then used Ning Weikai's phone to video call Zhu Hanjing.
After exchanging pleasantries about his new suit and her homemade dumplings, Chairman Zhu abruptly suggested that Xinbaorui's woes were due to their unmarried status, proposing that Ning Weikai and Zhu Hanjing marry to revive the company. Zhu Hanjing tried to deflect the conversation, but Chairman Zhu pressed Ning Weikai, offering Xinbaorui as a dowry and a magnificent wedding, emphasizing Zhu Hanjing's deep love for him.
Ning Weikai, referring to Zhu Hanjing as a sister and family, regretfully declined, revealing that he was already in love with someone else, and believed Zhu Hanjing deserved someone who truly loved her. Overcome with emotion and agitation, Chairman Zhu suffered a heart attack and collapsed, prompting Ning Weikai to immediately call for help and rush him to the hospital. Zhu Hanchong and Zhu Hanjing rushed to the hospital.
Zhu Hanchong immediately confronted Ning Weikai, furiously grabbing his collar and demanding to know what he had done to their father, accusing him of plotting against the Zhu family. Zhu Hanjing intervened, trying to calm her brother and asking Ning Weikai what happened. Ning Weikai explained that Chairman Zhu had suddenly fainted after their video call. Zhu Hanchong, unconvinced, threatened Ning Weikai with accountability if anything happened to his father.
Just then, the doctor emerged from the resuscitation room and informed the siblings that Chairman Zhu had suffered a heart attack, and despite their best efforts, it was too late. The doctor expressed regret, confirming Chairman Zhu's passing. Both Zhu Hanchong and Zhu Hanjing were devastated, crying in each other's arms, while Ning Weikai was visibly grief-stricken.
At Chairman Zhu's mourning, Zhu Hanchong publicly accused Ning Weikai of plotting against their family and even murdering his father, demanding an explanation and threatening to call the police. Ning Weikai calmly told him to go ahead. Zhu Hanjing tried to defend Ning Weikai, but Zhu Hanchong remained aggressive, insinuating Ning Weikai's long-standing ambition for their family business. Separately, Zhu Hanjing urged Ning Weikai to fulfill her father's wish to revive Xinbaorui and defeat DP, asking if he trusted her.
Ning Weikai responded that he trusted both her and her father and knew they wouldn't lie. Lin Qian called Li Zhicheng with good news, informing him that she had sent the Snowy Smoke silk to the Institute of Material Science, hoping for successful trials and mass production. Li Zhicheng, however, was preoccupied with grave news, informing her that Chairman Zhu had unexpectedly passed away that afternoon from a heart attack.
He expressed concern about the significant changes this would bring to Xinbaorui. Gu Yanzhi later commented to Lin Qian that with Chairman Zhu gone, Ning Weikai had lost his only ally at Xinbaorui and faced an uphill battle to maintain control, especially since he was not a member of the Zhu family. At the board meeting, Zhu Hanchong, now presiding as the new chairman, asked for a moment of silence to honor his father.
He then addressed the board, promising to make his father proud by dedicating himself to the company and seeking their continued support. His first agenda item was a motion to terminate all financial support for Xinbaorui. Ning Weikai vehemently opposed this, reminding Zhu Hanchong that Xinbaorui was Chairman Zhu's life's work. Zhu Hanchong rebuked Ning Weikai, reminding him he wasn't a board member and was only present due to the late chairman's trust.
When the vote was called, all board members except Zhu Hanjing voted in favor of the motion. Zhu Hanjing tearfully stated that her father wanted them to keep Xinbaorui and unite with Wenda against DP. Zhu Hanchong scoffed at this, arguing that his father had a lifelong rivalry with Wenda's founder, Li Zhongming, and accusing Ning Weikai of fabricating this story for his own motives.
Zhu Hanjing tried to stop his baseless accusations, but Zhu Hanchong retorted that if he had concrete evidence, Ning Weikai would already be in police custody. Following the board's decision, Zhu Hanjing informed Ning Weikai that Xinbaorui no longer had access to loans from the Zhu Group. Ning Weikai acknowledged that Zhu Hanchong had gone too far, leaving Xinbaorui with only its current cash flow.
After reviewing the financial statement, Zhu Hanjing despaired, realizing the insufficient funds were "so little" and "certainly not enough to challenge DP." Ning Weikai assured her he would handle the situation and remain at Xinbaorui to see it through, despite her offer to help. Meanwhile, Peter met with Zhu Hanchong, subtly advising him, as the new chairman, to make a significant move to establish his authority.
Peter suggested that by forming a partnership between Xinbaorui and DP, they could eliminate Wenda and conquer the entire market. Zhu Hanchong readily agreed, seeing it as an opportunity to fulfill his father's lifelong ambition to defeat Wenda. Peter then instructed Zhu Hanchong to first remove Ning Weikai and seize full control of Xinbaorui, a suggestion Zhu Hanchong enthusiastically accepted.
Ning Weikai met with Li Zhicheng, apologizing for his earlier hesitation regarding the three-way partnership, acknowledging that the situation at Xinbaorui had become much more complicated after Chairman Zhu's death. Li Zhicheng, understanding that Zhu Hanchong would make Ning Weikai's life difficult, proposed a new strategy. He showed Ning Weikai an example of how a Chinese brand successfully built a "wall" against foreign competitors by understanding local consumers, maintaining quality, and collaborating with local brands.
Ning Weikai still expressed reservations about the partnership's complexity, but Li Zhicheng assured him the details were being worked out. Later, in a meeting that included Chen Zheng, Li Zhicheng unveiled his plan to target DP's brand recognition. He pointed out that consumers recognized "DP" but not its full name. His strategy involved introducing multiple small Italian brands with names and logos similar to "DP" (e. g. , DB, DC, DE, DF) to create confusion and dilute DP's image.
Ning Weikai, leveraging his European connections, was tasked with sourcing these Italian brands, noting that this approach would negatively impact DP's carefully cultivated image of Italian brands as high-end. Li Zhicheng explained that by introducing more "outsiders" with conflicting messages, they could show consumers that foreign brands were not all unique, and Ning Weikai would lead this initial offensive. Ning Weikai immediately called Gao Lang to book a first-class ticket to Italy.
Zhu Hanjing approached Ning Weikai, apologizing for Zhu Hanchong's unyielding stance against him. Ning Weikai reassured her, stating he didn't want to cause conflict between her and her brother, and urged her not to blame herself. He emphasized the late Chairman Zhu's vision: to establish their own brand and prevent it from falling into foreign hands, which necessitated a united front.
Ning Weikai also confirmed he was actively discussing a partnership with Li Zhicheng and was heading to Italy to implement a new business strategy. While Ning Weikai was in Italy, Lin Qian was exploring new product ideas. She discussed the unique properties of Snowy Smoke silk with a colleague, noting its cooling effect and its ability to lower perceived temperature by two degrees Celsius.
She proposed creating a line of functional clothing from this fabric, specifically thinking about shirts to help people avoid embarrassing sweat stains. The colleague agreed, emphasizing the practicality and universal appeal of shirts for both men and women, aligning with Qingcheng's philosophy of comfort and freedom from worries. Lin Qian decided to conduct a feasibility analysis. Upon his return, Ning Weikai brought back numerous small Italian brands, far more than initially anticipated.
His assistant, Gao Lang, explained that these brands were eager to enter the Chinese market and even offered their products for free, allowing Ning Weikai to acquire many within budget. Ning Weikai deemed this a brilliant move and instructed his assistant to upload the new buyer showrooms to the online platform. The assistant raised concerns that DP would be notified of any platform changes, but Ning Weikai dismissed it as routine maintenance.
Soon after, Peter noticed a significant decrease in customers at his store. His assistant informed him that a new Italian brand named "DF," offering similar products at lower prices, had opened a store in another mall and was attracting customers. Chen Zheng sent Li Zhicheng an alert that DP's ad was ready, effectively leaking their strategy. During a photoshoot for one of the rival brands, an actress complained about having to look "foreign," questioning why people worshipped foreign brands.
Peter soon discovered that competing ads were launched just one day after DP released theirs, leading him to conclude that DP's advertising designs had been leaked. His assistant suggested Chen Zheng as the culprit, given his involvement with the ads. Peter decided to bypass Chen Zheng in future company matters, firmly believing Li Zhicheng was the mastermind behind this "plagiarized" ad campaign, and vowed to sue them into bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, Chen Zheng instructed Lao Ji, an IT specialist, to create an intrusive pop-up ad that either couldn't be closed or had a minuscule close button. Chen Zheng specifically wanted this pop-up to cover the online shopping cart, making it difficult for customers to complete purchases and intentionally frustrating them. Lao Ji questioned this move, highlighting that it would create a negative user experience and asked if Chen Zheng had considered the consequences.
