Episode 29 recap: A Bao faced a desperate situation but miraculously pulled off an overnight comeback.
Qiang Mujie decided to go all in tomorrow, intending to put A Bao down for good. The market opened early the next day, and A Bao's stocks plummeted sharply. As the prices neared the bottom, Commander Cai urged A Bao to sell his stocks quickly before meeting a tragic end. But A Bao was determined to make one final gambit.
Qiang Mujie and A Bao fought fiercely, evenly matched. At a critical moment, Qiang Mujie pulled out all the stops, catching A Bao off guard. Defeated, A Bao decided to withdraw his personal cash and distribute it to Commander Cai, You Piao Li, and Pang Ayi, announcing the temporary dissolution of their Little Lihui Fleet.
The manager from Western Investment, Wang Zong, adopted a conservative approach to minimize losses. The shaman from Qilin Society reviewed the annual report of the apparel company and immediately warned the fleet members holding major stakes in the company to be cautious.
Cai Zong reneged on his promise of a 10-for-10 deal. When A Bao called Cai Zong, the latter avoided him. Commander Cai guessed that Cai Zong had been swayed by Qiang Mujie and worried for A Bao.
Qiang Mujie wanted to defeat A Bao completely. He instructed his traders to drive the stock price down to 12 yuan. The apparel company's stock plummeted from 18.8 yuan, and if it hit the 10.8 yuan opening price that A Bao had set, A Bao's assets would be wiped out. A Bao tried to sell his shares, but there were no buyers.
The exchange notified Wang Zong that he must replenish his funds by 9 a.m. the next morning, or else his position would be liquidated. Wang Zong had no choice but to call A Bao, who was already helpless.
The shaman closely monitored A Bao's every move. If the shaman and A Bao could liquidate their positions in time, Qiang Mujie would seize the opportunity to swallow them whole. But if the shaman remained idle, A Bao would be eliminated.
Cai Zong asked Qiang Mujie to intervene and calm the public outcry against the apparel company, or else it would not be able to survive in Shanghai. Qiang Mujie agreed to try to find a solution.
At Ling Zi's celebratory dinner in Tokyo, Qiang Mujie waited at the entrance specifically for Cai Zong. Afang couldn't find Tao Tao and came to Ling Zi in tears, worried that another woman had taken Tao Tao away. Ling Zi comforted her, but Afang suddenly had a miscarriage due to the emotional distress. Ling Zi and Teacher Ge rushed her to the hospital, and the medical staff were able to save the baby.
A Bao and Tao Tao rushed to the hospital. Ling Zi explained the pros and cons to Tao Tao, telling him to think it through carefully. Tao Tao did not want to be bound by family, he craved freedom and still wanted a divorce. A Bao urged him to consider the child. After much deliberation, Tao Tao decided to return to his family. Afang saw Tao Tao overcome with emotion and in tears of joy. From the window, A Bao saw the couple reconciled, which filled his heart with relief.
A Bao returned the passbook to Ling Zi, who told him to use the money for emergencies. Ling Zi lamented that A Bao should not have let Ye Shu leave, as she had moved on from the past and they could never go back to how things were before. As he left, A Bao gave the passbook back to her. Ling Zi hurried back to Ye Tokyo, where the guests had all left. Strong Mujie had been waiting for her. Ling Zi opened a bottle of wine, and they toasted. Strong Mujie wanted to take Ling Zi back to Shenzhen to open a larger restaurant. But Ling Zi did not want to repeat the past and wanted to start a new life and meet new people. Strong Mujie took the remaining wine and said he would wait for Ling Zi in Shenzhen.
Early the next morning, Strong Mujie had made all the preparations, wanting to witness A Bao's downfall. The exchange sent Wang a margin call notice, as A Bao had not been heard from and could not raise the required funds. Commander Cai regretted pulling A Bao into the stock market, letting him experience the ups and downs, and being ultimately defeated. Fat Auntie and You Piao Li did not want to disband the fleet, but with the market about to open, and A Bao still absent, Commander Cai told everyone to leave.
Suddenly, A Bao called Commander Cai, saying he had resolved the crisis. Before the market opened, the Qilin Society Shaman had proactively called A Bao, offering 30 million to the Western country fund. A Bao had taken all the Shaman's positions, and the Shaman agreed to give A Bao either 2 million in cash or 3 million shares in Qishan Coal Power. A Bao rejected both offers, asking the Qilin Society to return the Chuansha land for the villagers to manage. A Bao then withdrew from the stock market. The Shaman reluctantly agreed, as that land was co-purchased by A Bao and Fagen, and A Bao wanted to leave it for Fagen's son Ası.
Strong Mujie had hoped to see A Bao's downfall, but the Qilin Society ultimately faltered, allowing A Bao to escape. Strong Mujie was furious, as his meticulous 30 million plan to recoup losses in the second wave had backfired, with the Qilin Society taking the losing positions. Strong Mujie wanted to find Li Li, but she had left the previous night.
Over the past seven years, A Bao had fulfilled his promises under the identity of Boss Bao. He packed up and left the Anping Hotel. Li Li had sold At-zhen Garden to repay all of A Bao's outstanding debts, and she had confessed to the authorities about impersonating someone else, for which she was sentenced to one year in prison. Years later, Li Li became a nun at the Guangzhou Huanan Temple.
Actually, both assembly lines were arranged by CEO Bao. The one at Manager Ma's side was just a cover-up. A Bao knew that Miss Wang would definitely not accept his goodwill, so the assembly line arranged by Mr. Fan earlier was also arranged by A Bao.
He knew that Miss Wang would choose the first one. Ye Shu only left after finding out that the assembly line she signed with was arranged by A Bao.
However, Miss Wang couldn't see through all of this, but Ye Shu saw through it. That's why Ye Shu left.
But did Ye Shu really leave? Actually, it was A Bao who intentionally made Ye Shu angry and leave. A Bao didn't know if he would lose everything or even face imprisonment when the fashion company went public. He didn't want to drag Ye Shu down if he lost, so he wanted to send Ye Shu away before the stock battle started.
That way, he would bear the consequences alone.
Earlier, A Bao told Li Li that if they win, they win together; if they lose, he would bear it alone. He said this to Li Li, but also to himself.
Both Miss Wang and Ling Zi, they have contributed to the success of CEO Bao. CEO Bao's current position on Huanghe Road wouldn't have been possible without Ye Shu, Ling Zi, and Miss Wang.
When CEO Bao's visa was about to expire in Japan, he encountered Ling Zi's help (not because he was CEO Bao, but genuinely helping him). CEO Bao went to No. 27 because of his encounter with Miss Wang, which led to the story of the Three Sheep later on (after all, it was Ye Shu who personally went to No.
27, and Jin Hua didn't give face, and Jin Hua has always seen Miss Wang as his successor). Later, Ling Zi became the owner of Night Tokyo, and Miss Wang also started her own business as a boss.
Miss Wang has her own skills and courage (the Walmart jeans order was desired by many, not just Miss Wang). So, whether it's Ling Zi or Miss Wang, they are indispensable on CEO Bao's path.
Every character in the drama is well-developed.
Also, in life, smooth sailing is rare. Ups and downs are the norm in life.