Rising With The Wind Episode 20 Recap
> Rising With The Wind Recap
Jiang Hu negotiated with Zhang Wenshan about resuming their collaboration, which had been affected by a shoe quality issue. Despite the issue being resolved without any negative impact on Free Unicorn, Zhang Wenshan cited a loss of trust in Teng Yue and demanded a two-yuan reduction per pair on future orders.
Arguing that they had already paid a penalty and that a continued shutdown would cause morale at Teng Yue to collapse, Jiang Hu successfully negotiated the price reduction down to one yuan per pair. Zhang Wenshan agreed, claiming he had always been supportive of her and Teng Yue. Later, Jiang Hu explained her compromise to Yue Shan, stating it was necessary to protect Teng Yue's only capital chain, and Yue Shan affirmed her decision.
Inspired by Xiang Zhaoyang's successful collaboration with Shangchun Art Project on a series of Chinese-style bottle art videos, Jiang Hu became more determined than ever. Seeing the growing consumer demand for traditional Chinese-style products, she decided that Zhaoyang was the perfect designer to help Teng Yue create a new national trend and achieve a true breakthrough.
At a Baoxing Investment meeting, the team discussed the success of Zhaoyang's "Chinese-style women and flowers series" videos, which had garnered over a million interactions and exceeded expectations on overseas platforms. The collaboration led to a tenfold increase in orders for Shangchun Art Project's new beauty line. Song Zhi noted that Shangchun's previously sluggish stock had boomed and would likely hit the limit-up price.
However, Xu Si was cautious, pointing out that this was not necessarily good for Shangchun due to its internal problems, including discord between the founding couple, poor management, and a lack of new products. He instructed Song Zhi to investigate the company's other shareholders. Jiang Hu arranged to meet Xu Si, clarifying it was a "meeting," not a date, to ask about Shangchun Art Project's stock surge.
Suspecting that such an abnormal fluctuation pointed to a larger business maneuver, she asked if Baoxing was involved. Jiang Hu worried that if the surge was a natural result of Zhaoyang's market influence, her value would become too high for Teng Yue to afford. But if it was a "capital game," she knew Zhaoyang's principles wouldn't allow her to participate. Xu Si confirmed the stock fluctuation was temporary.
He then shifted to personal matters, asking Jiang Hu if she had considered his romantic pursuit. Jiang Hu repeatedly apologized, taking the blame for any misunderstanding. When pressed, she gently rejected him, stating he was her boss and as adults, they shouldn't dwell on it. The next morning, Zhaoyang's mother, Zhou Suqing, excitedly told her that a neighbor had made a fortune from Shangchun's stock, which had doubled in price due to what she learned were "influencer concept stocks."
Eager to profit, Zhou Suqing announced her plan to invest her savings. Zhaoyang, though not understanding stocks, felt uneasy, recalling Xu Si's instruction to Song Zhi to monitor Shangchun's stock, and suspected he was hiding something. She rushed to her company, where news broke that Shangchun's actual controllers, Chairman Hua Wenhai and shareholder Cao Jing, had divorced.
Details were released that Hua Wenhai would remain the actual controller through a voting rights agreement with other shareholders, including one who was a proxy for a Mr. Du. Just as the stock hit a two-year high, it plummeted. Enraged investors who lost money directed their fury at Zhaoyang, vandalizing her painting at Lidu Department Store with the word "liar."
Xu Si met with Mr. Du, acknowledging his strategy of using the divorce and an influencer-driven stock bubble to his advantage. Mr. Du explained the goal was to end the long-running internal strife and allow the company to resume normal operations. When Xu Si raised concerns about the damage to TT Media's reputation, Mr. Du dismissed it as a minor loss, stating the consensus was to let the "most important person" achieve the "maximum benefit."
Using a golf metaphor, he declared the situation irreversible. Xu Si countered that his principle was to ensure a win-win situation for all companies involved. Later, Xu Si confronted Hua Wenhai and Cao Jing at their factory, reminding them of Shangchun's hard-earned reputation and provocatively offering to help them give their own brand a "grand funeral." Zhaoyang told Song Zhi she felt used as a tool for market manipulation and had not been warned of the risks.
Song Zhi dismissed her concerns as overly sensitive, but Zhaoyang insisted she would not earn money unethically and expressed a desire to terminate her contract. Song Zhi reminded her of her burgeoning career and top-tier rates, urging her to reconsider. Zhaoyang remained firm, stating she had to walk her own path. Gao Yi later found Zhaoyang at Lidu Department Store, upset about the vandalized painting.
He insisted it wasn't her fault and advised her to stay home until the situation calmed down. Meanwhile, Jiang Hu watched the stock market, contemplating if Teng Yue could seize an opportunity from the chaos. Zhaoyang's taxi broke down, forcing her to walk home. She soon realized she was being followed and called Yang Jian for help. Yang Jian, who was in the shower, immediately dressed and rushed to find her, arriving just as the stalker fled.
Blaming himself for being careless, he was comforted by Zhaoyang, who insisted it wasn't his fault. Worried he would catch a cold, she took him to her apartment to finish his shower. Afterward, she applied lotion to his face, gently chiding him about his past fights and urging him to value himself more. As she cared for him, Yang Jian's deep affection for her was evident, though Zhaoyang remained oblivious.
