Resumo do episódio 21 de Our Dazzling Days
> Resumos de Our Dazzling Days
Before Xia Lei met with the director of the Strategic Investment Department, Meng Ge gave him some last-minute advice. She noticed he looked a bit too much like a bookworm while adjusting his glasses and suggested he take them off. Xia Lei followed her lead, hoping to make a stronger impression on Kong Peng, a shrewd Harvard MBA who was obsessed with corporate culture.
During the interview, Kong Peng dismissed Xia Lei’s polished, standard answers about the company's Fortune 500 status. He challenged Xia Lei on his willingness to discuss salary in a market economy and asked if he possessed the "wolf-like" traits essential to investment banking. Xia Lei, feeling the pressure, responded firmly that while he had been shaped by his past, he possessed the potential to become a wolf.
He boldly stated that if rejected, he would simply take his talents to a competitor and meet Kong Peng again at the negotiation table. Impressed by this tenacity, Kong Peng welcomed him to Fenlier. Meanwhile, in Japan, Zhang Xiaoman arrived at the boxing gym to start a part-time cleaning job. Yu Qiangbei introduced him to the staff, including a fellow countryman named Chen, while the gym's owner, Watanabe, focused on using the reputation of the late Maeda to secure financing.
During a break, Xiaoman called Yan Xiaodan. He excitedly explained that between the restaurant and the gym, he was earning double the money to expedite his trip to France. However, a disconnect grew between them as Xiaodan spoke of her architectural studies and "catenary structures," terms Xiaoman couldn't begin to grasp. Their conversation was cut short by her studies, leaving Xiaoman alone with his thoughts in the gym.
Xiaoman’s role at the gym shifted unexpectedly when Yu Qiangbei noticed his natural form. Xiaoman admitted he had learned some boxing from his brother as a child. Seeing his potential, Yu Qiangbei promoted him to a full-time sparring partner, noting that the hourly wage was several times higher than cleaning. Eager for the extra income, Xiaoman called home to offer money to Ding Guoqiang and Zhou Huiying. The couple, who viewed him as their own son, adamantly refused.
Ding Guoqiang insisted they didn't need the money and, worried about the expensive international call rates, hung up quickly after a few brief words of affection. Xia Lei soon faced his first major challenge: the acquisition of Jiangnan No. 2 Agricultural Machinery Factory. Nervous and obsessed with every detail, he was comforted by Meng Ge before they met the factory's representatives.
At a tense dinner, Director Li expressed skepticism, questioning who would get the "fish head" and who would be left with the "bones" in a joint venture. Meng Ge strategically left the table to take a "call," putting pressure on the factory leaders. Left alone with them, Xia Lei used his background as a child of a Third Front Plant to build rapport. He spoke of his father, a former plant director, and addressed their fears about modernization and loans.
To prove his sincerity, Xia Lei drank an entire pot of liquor, eventually winning over Director Li and securing the deal. Following the success of the acquisition, Kong Peng had both Xia Lei and Meng Ge sign the project documents. He hinted that one of them would eventually succeed him, a clear move to create internal rivalry.
Meng Ge saw through the tactic immediately, warning Xia Lei that Kong Peng wanted them to turn on each other to keep them in check. The two former classmates agreed to remain allies, vowing that they would never fight for the position and would rise or fall together. In Japan, Xiaoman’s strength proved to be a double-edged sword. While sparring, he accidentally delivered a brutal hook to a professional trainee's chin, knocking the man unconscious.
With the trainee unable to compete, Yu Qiangbei suggested Xiaoman take his place in an amateur match, promising even more money for a win. Though nervous, Xiaoman stepped into the ring. Encouraged by Yu to focus solely on the financial reward, Xiaoman delivered a stunning knockout. This performance caught the eye of a wealthy investor named Yamaomo.
Seeing a golden opportunity, Watanabe decided to use Xiaoman as a "pawn" to secure Yamaomo’s investment, while Yu Qiangbei handed Xiaoman a prize much larger than he had anticipated. Xiaoman shared the news with Xiaodan, who was less impressed by the money and more terrified that he would get seriously hurt. That evening, Madam Zhuang confronted Xiaoman, having watched his match. She warned him that he was gambling his life and future on a dream.
She revealed the painful truth of her own life; her husband, Maeda, had died because of the ring. She told him that no matter how strong a fighter seems, the ring eventually makes a loser out of everyone, whether they fall to time or a superior opponent. Xiaoman insisted he was only doing it for a few matches to save money for France, but Madam Zhuang remained unconvinced, leaving him to take responsibility for his own path.
Back home, business at Ding’s Grilled Chicken Ribs was quiet. Seeing Zhou Huiying’s dampened spirits over their lack of customers, Ding Guoqiang decided to lift the neighborhood's mood. He announced that his "apprentice" had made it big in Japan and offered free chicken ribs to all the neighbors. He comforted his wife, reminding her of the hardships they had already survived and promising that they would live their remaining days with laughter.
Touched by his resilience, Zhou Huiying kissed him in front of the crowd, much to his shy embarrassment. The peace was short-lived for Xia Lei when Kong Peng assigned him to lead a new project: the acquisition of Jiangnan Machinery Plant. Xia Lei was disturbed to find that the managing director was Fan Weijie, the man who had previously betrayed him. Meng Ge urged him to remain professional and not let personal history interfere with work.
When they met for negotiations, Fan Weijie tried to act familiar with "Lei," but Xia Lei remained cold and strictly professional. As Meng Ge pointed out that the factory was on the verge of bankruptcy due to undelivered orders, Fan Weijie ignored her, trying instead to leverage his past relationship with Xia Lei. Disgusted by the attempt, Xia Lei eventually walked out of the meeting, leaving the negotiations in a stalemate.
