Something Just Like This Episode 31 Recap
> Something Just Like This Recap
Chen Lang, who originally founded Rui, visited the company. He confessed his feelings for Zhang Jiayun, but she firmly told him that they were not the same kind of people and could never be together. She described his actions as "nasty," to which Chen Lang explained that he didn't want to end up like his parents, living a lifetime of mediocrity. Zhang Jiayun, conversely, expressed a desire for an ordinary life.
Chen Lang then advised Zhang Jiayun to consider how Qian Xixi handled things when she first took over the company, reminding her that Mr Five was a "treasure" right in their own store and suggesting a "Leftover Denim Special." Chen Lang admitted that he often looked at the company from this angle and missed its previous state. Duan Ran was worried about the upcoming negotiation and tried to seek help from Uncle Shen.
Uncle Shen mentioned that Song Er Jiang, the chairman of the Entity Alliance, had a commanding presence and spoke with authority, advising Duan Ran to be cautious in the negotiation. Duan Ran felt the risk was too high to bet everything on the negotiation and expressed that both Uncle Shen and QE Group might find it difficult to intervene directly.
Uncle Shen explained that Song Er Jiang pulled Duan Ran's father, Duan Sheng Yun, into the Entity Alliance precisely so that neither he nor Duan Sheng Yun could directly interfere. Uncle Shen, along with Duan Ran's father, believed e-commerce was the future, but acknowledged that entrepreneurship had its challenges, viewing this as a valuable experience for Duan Ran. Meanwhile, Zhang Jiayun approached Mr Five, sharing her idea for the "Leftover Denim Special" and encouraging her to return to clothing alteration.
Mr Five happily agreed, seeing it as an opportunity to realize her dreams rather than idly worrying. Chen Lang later met with Mr Song, the chairman of the Entity Alliance, who presented him with a profit-sharing agreement. Mr Song stated that more than half of the Live Streaming Alliance members had already signed it and urged Chen Lang to consider signing if he didn't want his company to go out of business after the negotiation.
Chen Lang realized that Mr Song was trying to use subsidies to divide and conquer the Live Streaming Alliance. Mr Song clarified that he was seeking survival for physical stores, which had suffered significant losses and pressure due to the flourishing online businesses. He believed it was time to "settle the score." He then revealed that the Entity Alliance was planning an action to use subsidies to break apart the Live Streaming Alliance.
He also warned Chen Lang that he and Duan Ran were "not from the same world." Duan Ran, having learned about this plan from Mr Mu Jr. , rushed to talk to Chen Lang. Chen Lang met with Duan Ran and suggested that given the current tense situation, they should agree to the unified pricing proposed by the Entity Alliance for now, get through Singles' Day, and then retaliate.
Duan Ran angrily retorted that Chen Lang was being indecisive and warned him not to be a weak link at such a critical moment, even mentioning that it was probably why Zhang Jiayun didn't like him. Xiao Xiao, a key streamer, went on strike, complaining about the low-quality products like diapers she was forced to sell. She worried about losing her fans and refused to stream, saying she would rather go home.
Chen Lang tried to persuade her to consider the bigger picture. Duan Ran and Qian Xixi had dinner, where Duan Ran appeared distracted and emotional. Qian Xixi, sensing company troubles or worries about Singles' Day, pressed him to tell the truth. Duan Ran admitted he was scared about their efforts for Singles' Day potentially failing. Qian Xixi reassured him, holding his hand and promising to always be by his side, no matter what difficulties the company or he faced.
She then told him that Boboluo's leftover stock was being shipped directly to the head office for disposal, rather than being sold, and encouraged Duan Ran to investigate what they were doing with the stock. The tripartite negotiation between the E-commerce Alliance, Entity Alliance, and Live Streaming Alliance began. Qian Xixi learned about the negotiation from her colleagues' discussions and tried to call Duan Ran, but his phone was off during the meeting.
At her workplace, Qian Xixi and her Store Manager were reviewing leftover stock. Qian Xixi learned from a driver that Boboluo's unsold stock was being shipped "out of the city" rather than being returned to headquarters or sold, and she was curious about its destination, but was told it was "not their business."
Later, the Floor Manager criticized Qian Xixi for her uniform and product display, implying she was guilty regarding the "facial hair incident" and therefore unsuited for the job. The Floor Manager then ordered Qian Xixi to help out at a neighboring store, but the Store Manager intervened, stating that the regional manager was coming for an inspection and no one could leave. The Floor Manager left in a huff, and Qian Xixi expressed gratitude to her Store Manager.
In the negotiation, Mr Song reiterated that physical stores were losing customers to online platforms offering arbitrary discounts and coupons, and their demand was for unified retail prices. Duan Ran countered, pointing out that physical stores also offered significant discounts through promotions, membership programs, and seasonal sales, making their effective prices not much different from online platforms.
He stressed that the negotiation should be mutually beneficial, proposing that the Live Streaming Alliance could agree to unified pricing for newly launched products for a period of one to two weeks, after which they should be allowed to use coupons for those items and for off-season products. Duan Ran also argued that the target audience for high-end physical stores was not consumers who waited for discounts.
Mr Song, however, accused Duan Ran of lacking sincerity and asked why other alliance companies could accept the conditions but Rui could not. Chen Lang, to Duan Ran's surprise, then spoke up, urging Duan Ran to consider the Entity Alliance's perspective. Duan Ran's father, Duan Sheng Yun, then suggested a lunch break for everyone to digest the discussions.
During the lunch break, Duan Ran confronted Chen Lang, asking if the Entity Alliance had given him benefits and why he suddenly changed his stance, sitting silently during the negotiation. Chen Lang explained that his company was a small business that couldn't withstand the pressure, and that his employees were depending on him. He felt that his situation was different from Duan Ran's, who had his father and QE Group behind him.
Duan Ran argued that they were in the same predicament, and that his father hadn't helped him during the meeting. He urged Chen Lang to stand with him and fight back for what was theirs, calling their small companies' efforts against the Apparel Alliance a "mantis trying to stop a chariot." Chen Lang, however, abruptly left, stating he would not continue the meeting. Duan Ran was left disheartened.
Later, Qian Xixi ran into Ou Yang, who revealed that she had also resigned. Ou Yang explained that she had disagreements with Jiang Zheyang's mother regarding his career management. She added that Jiang Zheyang had been hurt by Qian Xixi and had sought comfort from his mother, making Ou Yang unable to blame him. Ou Yang concluded by telling Qian Xixi that she was the first girl to capture Jiang Zheyang's heart.
