Blossoms Shanghai

Young and inexperienced Ah Bao begins his transformation into Mr. Bao, a prosperous entrepreneur and the star attraction of Huanghe Road. But success breeds enemies, and when a hit and run on New Year's Eve puts him in the hospital, it's up to his friend Ling Zi to discover who is behind the attack.

Li Li, the Madame of The Grand Lisbon, is single-minded in her pursuit of Mr. Bao's patronage for Huanghe Road's newest hotspot. The businessman, meanwhile, lies in wait for the perpetrator of his attack, as details emerge of his dealings with a mysterious trading entity known only as "The Club."

The owner of a provincial garment factory, Mr. Fan is desperate to close a deal with Mr. Bao. Knowing he will be dazzled by the glamor of The Grand Lisbon, Li Li strings Mr. Fan along by his ego, determined that any deal be struck on her turf. Mr. Bao sets out to teach all parties a valuable lesson.

While Miss Wang of the Foreign Trade Office frets over the looming deal between Mr. Fan and Mr. Wei, Mr. Bao has his Tokyo Nights shareholders' breakfast with Ling Zi. That evening, Mr. Wei displays his extravagance, before Mr. Bao turns the tables on everyone at a meeting with a mysterious guest.

Miss Wang accepts some earrings from Mr. Bao, but insists on turning in the forbidden gift. Meanwhile, Mr. Bao and Mr. Fan have closed their deal, and the contracts for San Yang are signed at a grand ceremony. Ahead of his first visit to The Grand Lisbon, Mr. Bao is warned about Li Li by Uncle Ye.

Mr. Bao finally gives an audience to The Grand Lisbon, but his patronage comes with a dire warning for the restaurant's future prospects. Hulian department store is preparing for the grand launch of San Yang, and the ruined investors of the infamous stock 414 have their debts repaid in full.

Having discovered who is responsible for the counterfeit market in San Yang shirts, Mr. Bao sets a meeting in the hope of cutting a deal. Meanwhile, the Madames of Huanghe Road begin a campaign of harassment against Li Li, orchestrating a power outage that plunges The Grand Lisbon into darkness.

Mr. Bao pays a dangerous visit to the rural garment factory in Zhuji, with Miss Wang in protective pursuit. In a flashback to 1988, the businessman recalls his first meeting with Miss Wang, as he tries to set up a deal at the Foreign Trade Office with its stern, stamp-collecting boss, Chief Jin.

The Grand Lisbon faces a mutiny by its kitchen staff, fuelled by Meilin and the other Madames of Huanghe Road. Li Li turns to Mr. Bao for help, who engages Uncle Ye in a secret plan to keep her restaurant running. At Tokyo Nights, Ling Zi gives the crafty Meilin a taste of her own medicine.

The Madames are gathered at The Grand Lisbon for dinner, wanting to be present for its downfall. Instead, the kitchen is humming. Suddenly, the war against Li Li takes an ugly turn, as Meilin invites her thuggish ex-boyfriend and his henchmen to join them. But Mr. Bao has an ace card of his own.

In a flashback to December 1990, Mr. Bao reveals the history of the mysterious Mr. A, a top-level trader on the Shenzhen stock market. As Mr. Bao's relationship with Li Li deepens, his best friend Tao Tao finds himself in trouble on the home front, and edges ever closer to romantic calamity.

At the Foreign Trade Office, Miss Wang's success is not sitting well with her colleagues, one of whom spitefully sets out to tarnish her name. When news of Mr. Bao's undeclared gift resurfaces, Miss Wang loses her influential position.

Miss Wang's fall from grace has wide repercussions, not least at Tokyo Nights. As it becomes clear that Ling Zi played a role in Miss Wang's betrayal, the place that Mr. Bao thinks of as his refuge becomes ground zero for an explosion of anger and recrimination. Amid the hubbub, Ling Zi disappears.

Miss Wang struggles to adapt to her new role at the factory, where she is mercilessly bullied by her coworkers. Meanwhile, past and present collide for Mr. Bao, who reflects on his passionate affair with Xuezhi, a beautiful conductor on a local bus. Ling Zi is still nowhere to be found.

In Ling Zi's absence, Mr. Bao reminisces about their first meeting in Japan, while her hapless friends try to keep Tokyo Nights afloat. Seeking to connect Shanghai Fashion to international brands, the cunning Mr. Bao travels to Hong Kong, where he runs into Xuezhi, the woman who broke his heart.

Ling Zi returns to Shanghai determined to reinvent herself and Tokyo Nights, independently of Mr. Bao's financial support. After her unceremonious exit from No. 27, Miss Wang brings a dock-worker friend to Huanghe Road, where she receives a cold welcome. A public scene involving Mr. Bao ensues.

Targeting fresh customers, Ling Zi cooks up a delicious fusion menu for the revamped Tokyo Nights. Miss Wang is distancing herself from Mr. Bao and becomes business partners with Mr. Wei. Meanwhile, a ruthless trader arrives from Shenzhen, threatening to send the local stock market into a tailspin.

Out with the old, in with the new. Ling Zi redecorates Tokyo Nights, erasing traces of her partnership with Mr. Bao. Mr. Wei throws a lavish banquet to launch his new company with Miss Wang, but his amorous overtures cross a line. On the same evening, Mr. Bao repays a sentimental debt.

Once allies, Miss Wang and Mr. Bao are now direct competitors, both vying to fulfil a shipment order of Walmart jeans. Getting wind of nefarious movements from Mr. Qiang, his new rival on the stock market, Mr. Bao makes a tempting business offer to Li Li, who might have ulterior motives of her own.

Mr. Qiang uses the vast capital of Southern Investments to mount a hostile takeover of a Shanghainese company. Mr. Bao is tipped off by Li Li and profits from the bid, while others are left financially ruined. Suspecting market manipulation, the police descend on Mr. Qiang and The Grand Lisbon.

The reopening of Tokyo Nights is an immense success thanks to Ling Zi's Shanghainese kaiseki menu. Mr. Qiang and Li Li stay cool under police questioning, where details about their past association emerge. Without its madame, The Grand Lisbon erupts into chaos, but Mr. Bao steps in to save the day.

Li Li orchestrates a special dinner between Mr. Bao and Mr. Qiang at The Grand Lisbon. Yet the meeting only fuels animosity, as the two rivals fight to launch the first "fashion stock" in Shanghai. Looking to rekindle his past romance with Ling Zi, Mr. Qiang becomes a regular at Tokyo Nights.

Competing with Uncle Ye to win a vital order for Walmart, Miss Wang pleads her case to her former boss at No. 27. Meanwhile, Mr. Bao and Mr. Qiang engage in another brutal trading battle, both navigating new government regulations. An onslaught of market manipulation leads to a Black Monday crash.

In a deadly turn, the stock market crash claims its victims on Huanghe Road. Li Li brokers a deal between Mr. Bao and a sinister loan shark, using The Grand Lisbon as collateral. On the hunt for garment factories, Miss Wang struggles to outwit Uncle Ye on the Walmart order. Mr. Fan comes to her aid.