Our Times Episode 22 Recap
> Our Times Recap
Pei Qinghua's proposal for the Yuanzhou Petrochemical General Factory was rejected by Mr. Wei, who cited high costs. Despite Mr. Wei's assertion that Huayan's products were good and the presentation was excellent, he concluded that their price was not the most ideal. Pei Qinghua, not giving up, decided to invite Brother Xing, Mr. Wei's secretary, to dinner to learn more.
Though Brother Xing initially declined, he ultimately joined Pei Qinghua and Xiang Yi Fei for an evening of drinking and singing. After much flattery, Brother Xing revealed that the contract was awarded to Chongyu Commerce, a company dealing in second-hand equipment. He explained that Huayan couldn't compete with the price of used machines.
Brother Xing also mentioned that the entire decision, from proposal to approval, was solely Mr. Wei's, hinting at possible irregularities given that second-hand mainframes are prone to issues. Mr. Wei was set to retire next year, and Brother Xing feared he would be left to "clean up his mess."
Pei Qinghua suspected Yuanzhou might have been deceived by the price and resolved to speak with Mr. Wei again, despite Xiang Yi Fei's skepticism and discouragement about the difficulty of the task. Pei Qinghua reassured Xiang Yi Fei, emphasizing that persistence is key in sales. The next morning, driven by Pei Qinghua's encouragement, the two visited the factory, bringing a small gift for the gatekeeper.
While checking the visitor registration form, Pei Qinghua was surprised to find Shu Zhi Hong's name. Calling the number she left, he discovered she was staying at the same hotel, just across the hall. Pei Qinghua met Shu Zhi Hong for dinner, explaining that Yuanzhou's information reform project, involving large second-hand machines from Chongyu Commerce, likely had problems, potentially leading to significant losses for the state-owned enterprise. He asked for her help to investigate.
Shu Zhi Hong was hesitant to act as a "spy," citing professional ethics, but Pei Qinghua argued that investigating potential misconduct wouldn't violate her principles. After Pei Qinghua challenged her sense of justice, Shu Zhi Hong agreed to help, but on the condition that Pei Qinghua would now owe her a favor. Meanwhile, Xie Hang met with Lydia late at night, confessing she couldn't let go of Xiao Chuang and wanted to go to Guangzhou to understand what happened.
Lydia, supportive, encouraged her to use her week of vacation to find answers, sharing that she also had similar experiences in the past. At the same time, Xiao Chuang was busy with a client, Brother Hu, who was pressing him for a delayed order. Xiao Chuang apologized, blaming the delay on rough seas, and promised to personally deliver the goods once they arrived. While he was with Brother Hu, Xiao Chuang couldn't answer a call from Xie Hang.
From a nearby public telephone booth, Xie Hang saw Xiao Chuang interacting happily with Brother Hu. Believing he was doing well, she decided not to approach him. Later, Lu Hainiu informed Xiao Chuang that Xie Hang had called. When Xiao Chuang called back, Xie Hang had already left the public phone booth. Shu Zhi Hong began her investigation by interviewing Mr. Wei at the Yuanzhou factory.
Mr. Wei confidently asserted that the chosen five-year-old machines were "basically the same as new" and that the factory's technicians could handle maintenance. However, when Shu Zhi Hong cautiously questioned whether the contracted price might differ from the actual market price for five-year-old large machines, Mr. Wei became defensive, hinting at his guilt. While waiting for more information, Pei Qinghua spoke with Xiao Chuang on the phone.
Pei Qinghua mentioned that Xie Hang had recently called him about computer sales, and Xiao Chuang confirmed she had asked him as well. Subsequently, Shu Zhi Hong discovered from the Foreign Exchange Bureau that Chongyu Commerce had a 20 million yuan turnover. She shared this with Pei Qinghua, who initially thought Mr. Wei had been deceived. Shu Zhi Hong, however, had observed Mr. Wei's behavior during the interview and concluded that he was deeply involved in the scheme.
Pei Qinghua realized the truth: Chongyu Commerce was replacing standard goods with substandard ones, and Mr. Wei was profiting from it. To gather irrefutable evidence, Shu Zhi Hong suggested obtaining a quotation from Belford, the company that sold the used equipment to Chongyu. Pei Qinghua confidently took on this task, while Shu Zhi Hong continued her investigation.
Before Shu Zhi Hong left, Pei Qinghua offered to buy her pain relief patches, but she playfully insisted he would cover all her transport expenses. Pei Qinghua secured Belford's quotation through Lu Hainiu, confirming that 20 million yuan could only purchase ten-year-old machines, practically junk. Simultaneously, Shu Zhi Hong discovered from the Trade and Industry Bureau that Wang Chong, Pei Qinghua's rival, was the registered legal person for Chongyu Commerce, clarifying his deceitful role.
Shu Zhi Hong also learned that Wang Chong and Mr. Wei were scheduled to pick up the goods at the dock two days later. This presented an opportunity to catch them red-handed with the evidence. On the designated night, Pei Qinghua and Shu Zhi Hong followed Wang Chong and Mr. Wei to the dock. As Mr. Wei expressed concerns about the machines, Wang Chong assured him they were fine and that no non-expert would notice their age.
Shu Zhi Hong confronted them, displaying Belford's quotation and accusing them of passing off ten-year-old junk as five-year-old machines. While they were distracted, Pei Qinghua quietly boarded the truck and confirmed from the nameplates that the machines were produced in 1983. Panicked, Wang Chong tried to bribe Pei Qinghua and Shu Zhi Hong with half of his profits, but they refused. Pei Qinghua had already alerted the police, who arrived shortly thereafter, leading to their arrest.
With the successful resolution of the Yuanzhou case, Pei Qinghua signed the contract the next morning, and Shu Zhi Hong's report earned her praise from her editor. Shu Zhi Hong inquired about Pei Qinghua's personal life, and he admitted to having a crush on someone he hadn't confessed to yet, adding sadly that she was leaving the country soon, and he might never see her again. Shu Zhi Hong jokingly advised him to give up if he couldn't see her.
She invited him to Tianyi Pavilion, but Pei Qinghua had to return to Beijing that afternoon, preventing them from meeting again. Meanwhile, Tan Yuan's university semester started a week early, forcing her to depart sooner than planned. She didn't tell Pei Qinghua, fearing a casual farewell from him. As she prepared to leave, she found herself already missing home. Her friend, Wang Manlin, encouraged her and ushered her into a taxi heading for the airport.
In Guangzhou, Xiao Chuang walked with Lu Hainiu, discussing plans for buying property by the Pearl River. They passed a photo studio, and Xiao Chuang considered developing photos but ultimately decided against it, still contemplating a return to Beijing someday. Back in Beijing, Xie Hang started her new job at Jefferson. Lydia asked her about her trip to Guangzhou.
Xie Hang admitted that after seeing Xiao Chuang seeming happy, she couldn't bring herself to ask the questions she had prepared, afraid of not getting the answers she wanted. Lydia, relating to Xie Hang's feelings, advised her to let go and entrust it to time. She stressed that Xie Hang needed to adapt to Jefferson's fast-paced environment and become a good salesperson, assigning her the first task of producing a sales analysis report.
At Huayan, Lin Yimin expressed his disappointment in Xu Yang's performance, acknowledging Pei Qinghua's superior capabilities, especially after his success with the Yuanzhou case which even earned him a silk banner from the police. Lin Yimin recognized Pei Qinghua's potential and decided to offer him the position of Marketing Manager.
He called Pei Qinghua to his office, congratulated him on his 60 million sales from Yuanzhou (compared to Xu Yang's 52 million from Baosong Phase 3), and officially promoted him to Marketing Manager. Lin Yimin also offered Pei Qinghua a secretary from the new recruits. Pei Qinghua chose Xiang Yi Fei, who had worked diligently with him during the Yuanzhou trip. Pei Qinghua's colleagues congratulated him, though Xu Yang accepted the outcome gracefully.
Pei Qinghua, true to his nature, humbly asked them to continue calling him by his name, not "Manager Pei." During the celebration, Man Huan Sheng mentioned that Tan Yuan was flying out that day at 9 PM to study abroad. Startled, Pei Qinghua abandoned everything and frantically cycled towards the airport. On his way, he spotted Tan Yuan's taxi. Tan Yuan, seeing Pei Qinghua, got out of the car. He embraced her tightly, finally confessing his feelings: "I like you.
I've liked you for a long, long time. I was afraid if I didn't say it now, I wouldn't have another chance." Overwhelmed, Tan Yuan, though briefly breathless, was overjoyed. Their emotional farewell marked the beginning of their long-distance relationship, with Pei Qinghua waving goodbye to her taxi and wishing her a safe journey.
