Episode 17 recap: A Bao was slapped by Lu Mei Lin.
Miss Wang arrived at Zhi Zhen Garden holding flowers. To welcome her, Tao Tao and the others specially celebrated for her, but Lu Mei Lin caused a scene at Zhi Zhen Garden. Ling Zi returned to Ye Dongjing, expressing that she and Ye Dongjing were starting anew. In the first half of 1993, the stock market fluctuated, and the country modified its regulations, allowing corporate entities to open securities accounts. Shanghai quickly developed.
On Ling Zi's birthday, she returned home and sat alone on the rooftop, reminiscing about the scene from her previous birthday. Although Ling Zi didn't appear in Ye Dongjing this time, they still celebrated her birthday. Afterwards, they posted an advertisement for the transfer of Ye Dongjing, and a potential tenant came to view the shop. Unexpectedly, Ling Zi suddenly appeared there.
Ling Zi revealed herself as the landlady. After the tenant left, Teacher Ge talked about recent events, and Ling Zi no longer held any grudges against them. She even invited them for a meal. Tao Tao was worried that Ling Zi might set up a trap, so he specifically asked Teacher Ge about Ling Zi's expression.
Ling Hong was also afraid to face her. The three of them cautiously arrived at Ye Dongjing, only to find out that Ling Zi had gone to Japan these past few days, falsely claiming it was for a vacation and that she spent all her savings. Her purpose in returning this time was to renovate Ye Dongjing. Teacher Shi was waiting for someone but discovered that she had been stood up. Ling Zi accidentally witnessed this, and the neighbors knew who Teacher Shi was waiting for but that person never came.
Teacher Ge discovered that the person in Chen's painting was Ling Zi and mocked him for having unrequited love. However, Chen misunderstood and thought he was demanding rent, so he deliberately used Ling Zi's painting as leverage and gave him a small amount of money before disappearing. Ling Zi made up her mind to give the account book to A Bao, stating that it was Ye Shu's request.
A Bao sincerely took out money for the renovation, but Ling Zi asked him to withdraw his shares and separate himself from her. She wanted to try running the shop independently. A Bao understood her intentions and agreed to withdraw his shares. When he was about to leave, Ling Zi asked him for the lucky charm from three years ago. He took it out of his wallet and returned it to her, saying that they already had an unbreakable bond, and as long as he succeeded in the future, he would fully support her.
The stock market started with a high opening but then fluctuated. The number of stock investors increased dramatically, and the relevant authorities began modifying rules to allow corporate entities to open securities accounts. The door to seasonal market entry was wide open, and Shanghai was also moving towards internationalization. A Bao saw the new opportunity as well. During a discussion at the stock exchange, Commander Cai, A Bao specifically consulted him about the listing of clothing, hoping to get his advice and strategies.
A Bao mentioned that he was pulled up by Commander Cai back then, which led to his successful entry into the securities market and his current position. Therefore, he hoped to help Commander Cai once again. A Bao took on the role of a listing advisor this time, not only mobilizing funds but also ensuring that the underwriters had the ability to win. Miss Wang, as part of the Women's Group, demonstrated her tenacious character like a grass, bringing order to every task.
The factory director thought of Miss Wang's identity and asked her to help book a private room at Jin Mei Lin. Jin Mei Lin guessed that if Miss Wang came, A Bao would also come, and winning a game at Zhi Zhen Garden would be a certainty. Jin Mei Lin readily agreed and reserved a private room. On Saturday, Miss Wang arrived at Jin Mei Lin with flowers to celebrate the factory director's parents' birthday. Jin Mei Lin specifically instructed Little Jiang Xi that if A Bao didn't come, the private room wouldn't be reserved for him.
Miss Wang waited for a long time and learned that A Bao didn't come, so she lost face for not having reserved the private room. The factory director's parents saw an empty private room and barged in, leading to a dispute with Mr. Jin. Accidentally, they injured him, and Jin Mei Lin called the police. The noisy commotion caught the attention of A Bao's relatives in Hong Lu Li, who learned that Miss Wang had returned to Shanghai.
Miss Wang apologized to Mr. Jin, and A Bao arrived to mediate. Lu Mei Lin insisted on slapping someone as her husband was injured, and Miss Wang offered to take the slap in place of the factory director. However, A Bao voluntarily suggested taking the slap from Lu Mei Lin. This surprising act stunned everyone, especially when Miss Wang went crazy and wanted to beat up Lu Mei Lin. After A Bao pulled her out, she cried in distress, feeling sorry for causing him trouble when she didn't want to bother him. She never expected that after so many years on Huanghe Road, she couldn't even reserve a private room. She vowed to seek justice for him in the future.
The next day, Miss Wang was feeling down at the factory. The foreign trade company had already investigated and cleared her of suspicion, but she didn't want to go back. The factory director urged her to return, saying that Shanghai was her port, but Miss Wang vowed to make her own port and not depend on anyone. In the following days, she worked hard to learn all the job responsibilities, using it as an outlet for her frustration.
When Miss Wang was about to leave, the factory director expressed his confidence in her and asked her not to bring shame to the factory.
The boss lady of Zhi Zhen Garden, Li Li, said that when Mr. Wei sits in a large private room, it doesn't necessarily mean he's wealthy. But now that he's sitting in a small private room, he needs to be cautious.
Mr. Wei, standing outside the private room, tells his friend that this is returning to simplicity. However, his friend remarks that if Mr. Wei's mother knew he was sitting in a small private room eating yellow croaker noodles, she would definitely call him back to Haining.
It can be seen that Mr. Wei comes from a well-off family background. At that time, Haining City had also entered a stage of rapid economic development. The fur and home textile industries particularly drove the overall economic growth of Haining.
Mr. Wei primarily dealt with fur business in Shanghai. It's difficult to make it on one's own in Shanghai, so Baoye still needed Ye Shu's help. Therefore, behind Mr. Wei stands the family industry of Haining, with sufficient funds to support his entrepreneurship in Shanghai, which has become an important market for Haining's fur sales.
Back then, when Mr. Wei treated guests to a meal, they would go to the large private room, with a relatively large number of people involved. Having a large private room was a matter of prestige.
Ye Shu said that such packaging was still important in the business field. Of course, Mr. Wei had a strong competitive spirit back then and always wanted to measure himself against Baoye.
Even if there was no need for a large private room, he would still go for it. In other aspects where he couldn't surpass Baoye, he would try to outdo him financially. Little did he know that Baoye didn't regard Mr.
Wei as a decent opponent and paid no attention to his provocations.
Mr. Wei still comes to Zhi Zhen Garden to eat, but compared to before, his status has risen significantly. This has impressed Li Li, and even when ordering food, he no longer goes for "not seeking the best, only seeking the most expensive." He let his Haining friends taste a bowl of yellow croaker noodles, showing his knowledge and cultural refinement.
When Mr. Wei heard Mei Ping say that Miss Wang made a mistake and won't be working on the 27th, his first reaction was that Miss Wang was framed. He also made Mei Ping feel embarrassed.
Mr. Wei didn't care much because he was accustomed to such tricks. His values and principles are still relatively normal.
Ye Tokyo was originally co-owned by Bao Zong and Ling Zi. Bao Zong was a shareholder, providing investment funds, while Ling Zi was the boss, in charge of operations.
Ye Shu always referred to Ling Zi as the "debt collector" because Ye Tokyo was an investment that only incurred losses, but Bao Zong was still tirelessly involved.
Ling Zi always found various excuses and reasons to "squeeze money" from Bao Zong. Even though Bao Zong knew she was tricking him, he still allowed her to "pocket" the money.
Although there were often jokes about Bao Zong and Ling Zi, Ling Zi never admitted to anything. All the tranquility was shattered by a pair of pearl earrings and a purchase order.
It is said that those closest to you know where to stab you the hardest. The Ye Tokyo team started tearing each other apart. Ling Zi's affection for Bao Zong was publicly exposed.
It turned out that the people close to her believed that Ling Zi was too old and not a suitable match for Bao Zong. Ling Zi was completely awakened. This made Ling Zi lose face and feel utterly ashamed.
Her pride prevented her from deceiving herself any longer, so she chose to leave Ye Tokyo on a rainy night.
No one knew her whereabouts or where she had gone.
When Ling Zi returned, she had already awakened to the importance of her career. During her disappearance, Ling Zi went out to improve herself. She understood that from now on, she had to hold an umbrella and move forward on every rainy path by herself.
In the past, she received too much help from Bao Zong. Only after she stopped having illusions about him did she realize that she had to rely on herself to live.
Ling Zi started from scratch, and the first step was to break up the shop. In the previous Ye Tokyo, Bao Zong was a shareholder, and his presence was everywhere.
Now, she wanted to create a Ye Tokyo that had nothing to do with Bao Zong. Breaking Ye Tokyo was Ling Zi's way of bidding farewell to the past. It wasn't just Ye Tokyo that she shattered, but also the memories of the past.
Ling Zi was going to open her own Ye Tokyo.