Something Just Like This Episode 5 Recap
> Something Just Like This Recap
Rui Live faced a severe crisis due to Chen Lang's premeditated departure. Duan Shengjun (Mr. Duan), Duan Ran's father, investigated and discovered Chen Lang had secured external investment, allowing him to leave and take all of Rui's streamers with him. Despite Duan Shengjun's attempt to retain Chen Lang by offering him 49% of Rui's shares and a guarantee that Duan Ran would not join the company, Chen Lang refused, asserting his independence.
With Rui in disarray and the board unwilling to invest further, Duan Shengjun initially instructed Qian Xixi to return to QE headquarters. However, Qian Xixi was unwilling to accept Rui's demise. Having started from struggling to sell a single item to selling thousands in an hour, she envisioned Rui as the place to fulfill her ambitions. She rallied Duan Ran, Yu Shi, and Su Su, urging them to stay and jointly embark on an entrepreneurial journey to revive Rui.
Faced with an impending eviction as the landlord demanded rent after Chen Lang's delayed renewal, Duan Ran stepped in. He skillfully negotiated with the landlord, offering a QE membership card and securing a week's extension. Later, Qian Xixi visited Mr. Wu to collect a final payment, demonstrating her dedication by even cleaning the restrooms. Duan Ran, finding her there, playfully carried her out, drawing Mr. Wu's attention.
Impressed by Qian Xixi's ability to exceed sales targets (selling two million yuan more than the anticipated 3. 2 million) despite the chaos caused by Chen Lang's strategic move to relocate the company, Mr. Wu commended her. He promised to entrust her with future business if she could successfully revive Rui, also noting that other company owners found Zhang Jiayun's talent as a streamer wasted.
Separately, Chen Lang had also tried to recruit Zhang Jiayun, but she refused, stating she wouldn't join him if she even refused Qian Xixi. After these events, by the sea, Qian Xixi held Duan Ran's hand, swearing an oath to revive Rui. Duan Ran, to further aid Qian Xixi in their entrepreneurial venture, sold his cherished limited edition collectibles and his sports car.
He even travelled to Shanghai to meet the buyer for his car, losing his way in The Bund in the process. He then presented a proposal to the board of directors, who were initially planning to shut down Rui. Duan Ran announced that he had paid 1. 6 million yuan for Rui's next six months' rent, stating his confidence and ability to manage the company.
He promised that if allowed to continue, Rui's sales would match QE's offline results within the next half-year. If he failed, he would clean QE's washrooms. Mr Duan, Duan Ran's father, questioned his sudden interest in Rui, suggesting it was mere enthusiasm and that Duan Ran lacked the capability of Chen Lang, who couldn't even achieve such a target. Mr Shen, however, was inspired by Duan Ran's passion and proposed that the board formally discuss his plan.
Later, Mr Duan privately revealed to Mr Shen that he was concerned about Duan Ran's inexperience, but he trusted Qian Xixi to help him succeed. He confessed that he only appeared to oppose Duan Ran in the board meeting because it was inappropriate for a father to overtly support his son in such a public setting.
He asked Mr Shen to lead the restructuring of Rui Live, acting as the "bad cop" while he played the "good cop," a strategy Mr Shen found remarkably shrewd. Mr Shen visited Duan Ran and Qian Xixi at the Rui office, requesting an iced cola, a well-known preference of his. Duan Ran teased him about his age and drink choice, but Qian Xixi quickly interjected, praising Mr Shen's excellent taste and asserting his right to drink whatever he pleased.
Mr Shen informed them that the board had agreed to let them continue building Rui, but he reminded them that Rui was a "battered company," and rebuilding it would not be easy. He emphasized that running a business required more than just passion, stressing the importance of industry knowledge and current events, as a single managerial decision could determine a company's fate.
He advised them to use every possible resource to drive the company's progress and encouraged Qian Xixi to assist Duan Ran. Qian Xixi feigned indifference about Duan Ran potentially having to clean toilets, but was secretly determined to make their live stream a success. After Mr Shen left, Duan Ran immediately began redecorating the office, removing the old photos of female streamers that were hanging on the walls, deeming them tasteless.
He boasted that he already knew how to renovate Rui, emphasizing that taste was paramount. Duan Ran then overheard Mr Duan discussing with his wife that the plan was to pit Duan Ran and Qian Xixi against each other, believing that mutual competition would foster their growth. Mr Shen had also told Qian Xixi that both he and Mr Duan considered her more suitable to be Rui's CEO.
Realizing that Mr Duan intended for her to compete with Duan Ran, Qian Xixi decided to accept the challenge. She confided in Zhang Jiayun, asking her to join Rui as a streamer and support her bid for CEO. However, Zhang Jiayun, citing her busy schedule with night classes, refused, telling Qian Xixi to reconsider how she could compete for CEO if she couldn't even convince her best friend. Mr Shen officially announced the headquarters' three decisions for Rui.
First, Rui would operate independently, be self-financing, with no further financial support from the parent company. Second, a six-month observation period was set, after which Rui would be sold or transferred if it failed to turn a profit. Lastly, the new CEO would be chosen through a fair competition between Duan Ran and Qian Xixi, based on their business strategies to overcome Rui's current difficulties. Duan Ran was indignant, believing the CEO position was rightfully his without a contest.
Qian Xixi, however, accepted the challenge, finding the competitive selection fair and reasonable. Duan Ran enlisted Yu Shi as his assistant, while Qian Xixi recruited Su Su. Duan Ran, overly confident, believed he and Yu Shi would easily triumph over Qian Xixi and Su Su, though Yu Shi was less optimistic.
Qian Xixi, despite believing Duan Ran was more suited for CEO and intending to use her strengths to compensate for his weaknesses, decided to compete, seeing it as an opportunity. Her initial strategy involved recruiting and conducting an inventory check. Meanwhile, Duan Ran pursued a strategy of elevating Rui's brand image by partnering with high-end brands, such as light luxury, designer, beauty, and skincare products.
He visited his old classmate, Mr Ma, who managed the Meiluozi brand, to discuss online live streaming rights. Mr Ma rejected the proposal, expressing concern that Rui would diminish their brand's image. He pointed out that Chen Lang had taken all the talented streamers when he left to establish Yun Live, leaving Rui with only Qian Xixi, who, according to him, was "no match for Yuan Yuan."
Qian Xixi, knowing that Yuan Yuan hadn't signed with Chen Lang, sought her out at the gym. Yuan Yuan, visibly exhausted, expressed her dislike for streaming, describing it as "painful," and her desire for a change of career, as her contract was set to expire in less than a week, and she had no intention of renewing it.
Upon hearing Qian Xixi's ambition to become Rui's new CEO, Yuan Yuan sarcastically remarked that her decision not to renew was "the right choice," implying doubt about Qian Xixi's capabilities, which greatly irritated Qian Xixi. Duan Ran and Yu Shi went to Yun Live to try and recruit Wen Wen, a former Rui streamer. As Duan Ran was promising Wen Wen better salary, commissions, and benefits, Chen Lang unexpectedly appeared.
He immediately sent Wen Wen back to her streaming room and angrily confronted Duan Ran, accusing him of poaching. Their argument escalated into a near physical altercation, with Chen Lang calling Duan Ran shameless for eavesdropping in his company. As Yu Shi pulled Duan Ran away, Duan Ran noticed his previously sold sports car parked nearby, realizing Chen Lang had bought it from a "huckster."
Chen Lang further provoked Duan Ran by mocking him for losing both his streamers and his car, adding that the car was "quite hard to drive." Enraged, Duan Ran declared war on Chen Lang. Following the confrontation, Chen Lang, wary of further poaching attempts, installed numerous surveillance cameras around his company. Back at Rui, Qian Xixi began to implement her strategy of checking the company's leftover stock.
She found over three thousand pieces of denim shirts and jeans, reminiscent of the "Brokeback Mountain" style. Su Su, however, was skeptical, calling them "rags" and doubting they could be sold for money. Qian Xixi proposed selling them at a discounted price, emphasizing the sturdy and durable fabric, but Su Su insisted that only fashionable styles would sell.
