Episode 16 recap: A Bao and Xue Zhi unexpectedly met in Hong Kong.
Ling Zi and A Bao had a disagreement and ran away from home. With Ling Zi's birthday only two days away, A Bao wanted to wait for her to return so they could celebrate together. If Ling Zi didn't show up by then, he would close the Tokyo branch. Before leaving the hospital, Yamamoto gave A Bao a business card, inviting him to do business in Japan.
A Bao faced difficulties everywhere in Japan, and his seven-day visa was expiring tomorrow. He had no choice but to seek help from Yamamoto. However, Yamamoto was in a meeting and asked A Bao to meet with Reiko in Ginza tonight. A Bao braved the heavy rain and arrived at the back door of the Ginza establishment. As a non-member, he was denied entry. A Bao overheard Ling Zi speaking in a thick Shanghainese accent on the phone and quickly sought her assistance. Learning that A Bao was also from Shanghai, and conveniently, she worked at Reiko, Ling Zi took him in through the back door.
A Bao handed the business card to the landlady, who asked him to wait for Yamamoto in the shop. Yamamoto was attending the grand opening ceremony of a flagship store. A Bao waited for a long time but Yamamoto did not return. He went downstairs to wait, and Ling Zi followed him, urging him to return to the shop. A Bao, who was leaving for his home country the next day, couldn't wait any longer and wanted to go to the new store to find Yamamoto. Ling Zi didn't dare to tell him the address to avoid being scolded by the landlady. Instead, she invited A Bao to a noodle stall to eat ramen while she waited at the intersection for Yamamoto.
Ling Hong worked as a waitress at the ramen shop. She was Ling Zi's best friend and secretly gave A Bao a lot of meat in his bowl. A Bao finished his bowl of noodles and went to the intersection. Suddenly, his nose started bleeding due to excessive heat. Ling Zi quickly handed him tissue paper. A Bao casually asked about Ling Zi's experience of coming to Japan, and she poured out her grievances to him, vowing to return to China and open a restaurant. In the end, Ling Zi gave A Bao a lucky card.
Ling Hong always believed that Ling Zi gave her luck to A Bao back then; otherwise, Ling Zi would have become wealthy a long time ago, and they wouldn't have ended up associating with Tao Tao and Teacher Ge. Tao Tao and Teacher Ge were both dissatisfied with their current situation, thinking highly of themselves.
Yamamoto returned very late, heavily intoxicated. He continued drinking with A Bao, and after a few rounds of drinks, Yamamoto promised to help A Bao with the embroidery machine matter. A Bao thanked Ling Zi and tried to return the lucky card to her, but she refused and asked A Bao to invite her for a meal in Shanghai. Six months later, A Bao sent a letter to Ling Zi through Yamamoto. He had opened a restaurant in Shanghai and offered Ling Zi the position of manager. Ling Zi's dream came true, and she was extremely excited, eagerly rushing back to Shanghai to assume her new role.
San Yang became a well-known brand in Shanghai, and the Foreign Trade Corporation held an award ceremony and celebration for them. Jin Hua noticed that A Bao's name was missing from the guest list and called Ye Shu to confirm. Ye Shu clearly explained that A Bao was conducting foreign trade business for Wang Mingzhu, and Li Li knew that A Bao's goal was Hong Kong.
In July 1993, A Bao came to the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong as a consultant for a clothing company. He accidentally discovered Xue Zhi working there as a waitress and realized that she was not a wealthy millionaire as he had thought. Xue Zhi had returned to China after her divorce in 1988 and didn't want her family to mock her, so she fabricated a beautiful story. A Bao urged her to return to Shanghai and start a business, but Xue Zhi didn't want to go back. A Bao suggested that she become the company's representative in Hong Kong, but Xue Zhi politely declined. They still had four years left until their ten-year pact, and Xue Zhi claimed to have found someone else. They agreed to meet again in 1997.
Two months later, A Bao returned to Shanghai and asked Ye Shu to help with the large orders he brought back from Hong Kong. Mei Ping brought some snacks and visited Ye Shu at the Ping'an Hotel, offering to help A Bao with the business. However, A Bao chose to work with Jin Hua instead.
Mr. Ma's T-shirts didn't replicate the success of San Yang. Undeterred, he visited A Bao before leaving and vowed to come back to Nanjing Road. The brands A Bao introduced were selling well in the clothing company, and the boss was eager to take the company public. However, they lacked a strong broker. The major brokerage firms were focused on the upcoming listing of Luwan Department Store. A Bao promised to do his best to help find a suitable broker.
A Bao considered finding a broker in Hong Kong, but Ye Shu advised him not to rush and to proceed steadily. A Bao wanted to establish his own brand on Nanjing Road and dominate the Shanghai market. A Bao treated everyone to a meal at the Honglu Restaurant, where Li Li saw him coming out after finishing his meal and hurriedly greeted him. Li Li mentioned that she had been raising fish lately and invited A Bao to eat fish, but he made an excuse and declined.
A Bao went to drink with Tao Tao to relieve his stress. Tao Tao felt sorry for him when he learned about A Bao's ten-year pact with Xue Zhi. A Bao learned from Tao Tao that Ling Hong and Teacher Ge had made a mess of Ye Dongjing and were eagerly awaiting Ling Zi's return. In two days, it would be Ling Zi's birthday, and if she didn't return by then, A Bao would close Ye Dongjing.
Two days passed, and A Bao, Tao Tao, Ling Hong, and Teacher Ge gathered together to celebrate Ling Zi's birthday. Ling Zi hadn't shown up yet, and it was nearly midnight. A Bao decided to close Ye Dongjing the next day. Suddenly, Ling Zi appeared at Ye Dongjing.
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