Rising With The Wind Episode 8 Recap
> Rising With The Wind Recap
Pei Zhiyuan warns Jiang Hu that the factory is a bottomless pit, citing the million-yuan annual rent and the monthly salaries for dozens of employees, all with no income. Meanwhile, Xu Si visits Director Ye Guoming of Cloud Footwear, a century-old brand, but is met with hostility. Director Ye, having refused investors many times before, firmly states the company is not for sale and splashes water on Xu Si, warning him not to return.
Xu Si returns to Baoxing Investment furious and refuses to speak with Jiang Hu. Seeing him so upset, Jiang Hu offers advice she recently learned about rolling with life's punches. Xu Si retorts that his schedule is full and she should roll with that. Undeterred, Jiang Hu decides to wait in the reception area until he finishes work. Elsewhere, Xiang Chaoyang runs into Gao Yi at Lidu's marketing department.
Gao Yi notes it has been eight years since they last met. He compliments her hand-drawn videos that blend Chinese style with light luxury fashion and reveals that he recommended her to his company. Chaoyang offers to treat him to a meal, but he has to work and suggests another time. Back home, a visibly happy Chaoyang begins drawing a sketch of a man’s back. She informs Yang Jian that she is moving into a company-rented apartment for work convenience.
Yang Jian strongly objects, concerned for her safety, and is also bothered by her new drawing. After waiting late into the night, Jiang Hu gets Xu Si's business card and work email from the receptionist and sends him her detailed proposal. Given her persistence, Xu Si agrees to hear her out immediately. Jiang Hu presents her plan to revive Teng Yue, highlighting its century-long history and cultural significance.
She provides evidence of its enduring brand appeal, citing a social media post with over 1,500 comments and shares by numerous Key Opinion Leaders, proving Teng Yue is not forgotten despite a long product absence. She passionately declares her intent to make the brand soar again. Xu Si critiques her plan for lacking a team, distribution channels, and a tangible product.
When she argues that acquiring the factory is the first step to building them, he issues a challenge: she must assemble a team and sell the 20,000 pairs of existing inventory within one month. This, he states, will prove Teng Yue still has sales potential. Jiang Hu accepts, understanding this is the final hurdle. Jiang Hu begins contacting former distributors, but most, like a Mr. Du who still has unsold stock from five years ago, refuse to re-engage.
Pei Zhiyuan advises her that only a powerful figure named Mr. Fang has the influence to move 20,000 pairs in a month and urges her not to give up on him, even though he seems to be avoiding her calls. While sharing a simple meal, Pei complains about the food quality and mentions the factory workers have even more basic meals despite paying a monthly fee. He callously remarks that they should be grateful since they aren't working.
Jiang Hu then asks Pei to arrange a dinner at an exclusive club, using her membership card, to recruit former department heads from her father's company, Free Unicorn. Pei is skeptical, noting that they now work for the experienced Zhang Wenshan and are unlikely to join her, but reluctantly agrees to bring the last of his Moutai wine. Xiang Chaoyang moves into her new apartment with her mother, who is thrilled with the lavish home.
Chaoyang’s mother immediately suggests asking Xu Si for stock tips, leveraging Chaoyang's position as his "pretty, single female subordinate." Chaoyang flatly refuses. Yang Jian arrives to help and insists he will continue to look after her. Soon after, he receives an urgent call telling him to check the internet because Chaoyang is in trouble. Online news explodes with stories exposing Chaoyang's private life, with headlines suggesting a powerful man is behind her success.
At the office, Song Zhi deduces it is a deliberate smear campaign by a competitor. She instructs her team to manage the narrative by deleting negative comments and framing Chaoyang as a victim of a malicious attack who has overcome a difficult background. When Chaoyang arrives, Song Zhi advises her to stay home and warns her to control her mother and any other relatives to protect her reputation and avoid further trouble for the company.
At the recruitment dinner, only Ren Bing, a former marketing director, shows up. Pei Zhiyuan laments how quickly loyalties have faded. Ren Bing, representing the others, praises Jiang Hu's marketing vision but explains that he and the others remain at Free Unicorn out of loyalty to her father's legacy. He bluntly states that no one has confidence in her ability to succeed without her father's support, contrasting her inexperience with Zhang Wenshan’s extensive credentials, and advises her to stop trying. While Jiang Hu thanks him for his honesty, an angered Pei snatches his drink away, telling him he has no right to drink their wine if he isn't joining them.
