Original subtitles

[The Outsider]

[Episode 24]

Nice. I like your honesty.

I became friends with Tianlin

because I saw myself in him.

The same resoluteness and determination

that no one could understand and accept.

Looks like I will have to put up

with Tianlin's stubbornness forever.

Ms. Su, I also hope

that someone will support your resoluteness.

Thank you, Ms. Zhang.

But I'd like to support

my own resoluteness.

Hello, pretty lady.

Hi, Su Mo.

You're still touching up at this hour?

Are you going on a date?

What date?

I still need to attend a dinner with some French clients.

[Iris Germanica and Saphir Background Survey Report] You mean this company?

They're in the world's top 500 list.

It's great that you can meet them.

What's great about that? I'm drowning in work.

I haven't slept much for the past few days,

and my brain is about to explode.

Look at my pale face.

I have no choice but to hide it behind makeup.

You should get more rest.

To do that, you need the time to rest.

How do I look?

Perfect, right?

Indeed.

Cosmetics are the greatest invention ever.

Alright, that's all for now. Talk to you later.

Okay.

Wait, your files.

That's just the briefing. I don't need it anymore.

Thank you.

Ms. Zhang.

We've booked a table at the restaurant

to host the Clermains today.

After the meeting,

we'll show them around Ansheng Plaza

and go for dinner.

Okay.

We've also prepared

some gifts for them.

What did you prepare?

We have four...

What's wrong?

Are you in pain?

What happened?

Ms. Zhang, I think it's appendicitis.

It's been hurting this morning

intermittently until now.

Appendicitis?

Can you still make it?

Yes.

The clients are here.

Stop pushing your limits.

Get her to the hospital.

Yes, ma'am.

Go.

-Sorry, Ms. Zhang. -Go.

I'll be back soon.

Right now,

get me another French interpreter.

Ms. Zhang.

Ms. Zhang, if you trust my abilities,

I can try.

Can you speak French?

Hello, welcome to our company.

Welcome to our company.

Hello, this is my wife, Isabel.

That's his wife, Isabel.

-Hello. -Hello.

This way.

"Got something urgent. Wait for me."

"Okay."

Today, I'm going to show you what else I can cook.

Let's play some nice music.

How are you feeling?

Cheng Man's job looks fancy on the outside,

but it's actually very demanding.

Most people can't handle it.

Still, you did very well

on your first attempt.

Thank you for the compliment, Ms. Zhang.

Since you have the capabilities, don't let them go to waste.

Come work for me.

Cheng Man will be recuperating in the hospital for some time.

She won't be back immediately.

Now, I need someone

to take over right away.

You mean, you want me to be your assistant?

Given your work experience,

it is a huge jump.

But I've always had

a keen sense of judging people.

I think you're up for it.

What's wrong? Not feeling confident?

Of course not.

But I'm Mr. Wang's assistant now.

Discuss this with Mr. Wang.

For the sake of your future,

I'm sure he will support you.

(Given your relationship with Mr. Wang,)

I'm sure you will offer me

the best conditions.

Would you swear that he's letting you

(work alongside him not because he likes you?)

You must have waited for a long time.

You're back.

You haven't eaten, have you? Let me warm up the food.

I have great news.

Sit down.

Great news?

What is it?

Ms. Zhang wants me to temporarily take over as her assistant.

Today, I replaced Cheng Man

and entertained the clients from the French jewelry company.

That's why I came back so late.

Ms. Zhang was happy with my work.

Cheng Man is planning to get married soon,

so she asked if I wanted to try.

So, how did you reply?

Of course I said yes.

This is no joke. I'm going to work as the Chairwoman's assistant.

Still, I haven't given her an official answer.

What's wrong? Are you upset?

I don't agree with your decision.

Why?

She and I are both partners

and rivals at work.

I don't want you to get involved.

It's just a change in position.

You're overthinking it.

Fine, you want a position change?

Pick any department in the company.

Go wherever you like

as long as you're not working alongside Zhang Yanan.

If I could go wherever I want,

I'd love to have Zhao Xiangqing's position.

Is that even possible?

To me,

being her assistant is currently the most suitable job I can do

while honing my skills

within a short time.

Think about it.

I've been an assistant in business development, marketing,

and to the CEO of the company.

If I get to work with the Chairwoman,

I can utilize my skills to the maximum.

You're a competent lady.

Still, please wait a bit more

while I figure out a solution.

I know you have the resources and networking.

But my goals are clear.

One,

I don't want to leave Ansheng.

Two,

there's a fixed number of positions in the company.

Right now, the only vacancy that suits me the most

is the Chairwoman's assistant.

There must be some other reason.

Yes.

I don't want people to think I'm depending on a man.

What's wrong with depending on a man?

Why do you care so much about what others think?

Don't you care about what others think?

Then, why do you refuse to make our relationship public?

Well, I...

I think you have a point.

I'll take care of this,

but you can't work with Zhang Yanan.

Why not?

Because she's not that simple.

If you get so close to her,

what if you get hurt?

Anyone who can become the chairperson

is definitely not simple.

That's why there must be a lot of things

that I can learn from her.

Besides, I'll just be her assistant.

Worst case scenario, I can just quit.

Your worries and concerns are unnecessary.

I...

Yes, they are unnecessary.

But you still need to give it much thought.

Anyway, let me warm up the food.

I made some ribs for you.

Really?

I love ribs.

I thought lamb chops are your favorite.

I love them both.

Ms. Zhang.

What brings you here?

Don't move. Just relax.

How are you doing?

I'm okay. It's just a minor operation.

The doctor said I can leave in two to three days.

I'll be back to work soon.

After you get discharged, I want you to get ready.

I'm planning to send you to France.

France?

Now that Wang Ju'an is back,

I need someone reliable

to keep an eye on our branch in France.

But...

I'm planning to get married soon.

If you think family is more important,

you can take this opportunity to resign

and focus on raising a family.

Still,

Wang Ju'an jumpstarted his career in France.

I'm sure it could be your launching pad too.

Only you can decide how high

you can reach in life.

Morning.

Ju'an.

Siwei is not having breakfast?

Don't you know?

Know what?

Today is his mom's death anniversary. (*"His mom" sounds like "Darn it")

Why are you swearing so early in the morning?

Oh, right.

I mean,

today is Siwei's mother's death anniversary.

He went to Jiading?

Yes, this morning,

he left with a bouquet of lilies and some fruits.

We know he's going to his mom's grave,

but others might think he's going on a blind date,

especially when he's all primped and preened.

His attire looked more formal than a work suit.

All these years,

he still goes there every year.

Other than her death anniversary,

he also visits her when it's Winter Solstice and Qingming Festival.

The funny thing is,

Dad's grave is just right beside his mom's, and he refuses to visit him.

I don't know why he hates Dad so much.

I thought you had it the worst

out of the three of us.

Oh dear, I guess I shouldn't have said that.

I wasn't wrong, though.

You see, when Dad died and left his shares to us,

I got the biggest share,

60%.

Siwei got 30%.

You only got 10%.

Sometimes, I think

Dad was probably senile

when he made that decision.

I also don't know why Siwei hates Dad so much.

You're the one who inherited the least.

If it weren't because Mom died,

I guess he wouldn't even get 3%.

What are you saying?

Is that what you should be thinking?

Focus on your studies.

If Dad didn't cause so much trouble back then,

Siwei's childhood would have been more normal.

And mine, too.

I was just thinking

that the three of us and Mom had it hard.

Still, Siwei had it worse sometimes,

right?

Eat up.

Let's eat.

Ju'an, have a baozi.

By the way, did Su Mo tell you

about the promotion?

I almost forgot about that. Yes, she did.

I think this is too hasty.

Is that so?

I thought you'd be happy for her.

I really wish I could be happy for her.

But first of all,

Su Mo just joined us a year ago,

and she's getting promoted too quickly.

Second,

what if people disagree with this decision?

Since when do you care

about what other people think?

Su Mo

still needs more experience.

Fine.

She's your assistant,

so you make the final decision.

Okay.

Hello, Shuwen.

When will you be free?

Let's have lunch together, my treat.

Sure.

Yiting is coming back to China soon, right?

If they talk about working as the Chairwoman's assistant later...

Mr. Wang, I'm still your assistant now.

At work,

I still follow your orders.

Then, what if you're not here as my assistant,

but as my girlfriend?

As your girlfriend,

I'm entitled to my own opinions,

but work is work.

We need to separate work and life.

Then, what if...

Ms. Zhang is waiting.

You keep hiding my affection

under your cool, unfeeling exterior.

Now, you're not my assistant,

but my girlfriend.

He's here.

An!

Yiting?

I've graduated!

I missed you so much, An.

Okay, okay.

When did you come back?

I've been back for three days.

I wanted to give you

a surprise visit,

but Aunt said you're busy,

so we asked you out for lunch.

You haven't changed at all.

You still like to ambush me.

An,

I thought you'd be mad at me.

Why would I be mad? I'm glad to see you.

Let me take a good look.

It's been a year. You haven't changed much.

But you are prettier now.

Look,

she even ordered your favorite molten chocolate cake.

She still remembers what you love to eat.

She ordered this for you.

An, excuse me,

but who is this?

You need to get to know her.

That's Ju'an's assistant, Su Mo.

Su, this is my niece, Chen Yiting.

She just returned from Germany.

She grew up with Ju'an.

From now on...

Yeah.

They'll be meeting frequently.

This is a good time for you to get to know each other.

Hello, Miss Chen.

Hello, Ms. Su.

An probably thought

Aunt called him over for work,

so he brought you along.

Sorry for making you come all the way here.

Yes, this is a private gathering.

Su, why don't you go back first?

Okay, I'll take my leave.

By the way, Ms. Su.

Please ask the waiter

to get us some black tea

when you walk past there.

Thank you.

I didn't finish introducing her just now,

so let me formally announce

that Su Mo is my assistant

as well as my girlfriend.

This is Yiting, Ms. Zhang's niece.

She's like a little sister to me.

Ms. Zhang.

Are you still planning to promote Su Mo?

What is it?

I can't bear to let her go.

She's my assistant

as well as my girlfriend,

so I'm feeling torn.

Su Mo hopes to learn more while working for you,

and she argued with me because of this.

So,

I hope that on my account,

if you keep your promise,

I'll be handing my girlfriend to you, Ms. Zhang.

Of course.

Talented people like Su

are always welcome here.

It's a deal, then.

Thank you for giving her the opportunity.

(You're really okay with me working for Ms. Zhang?)

So what if I'm not?

Anyway, we've talked about it,

so she won't do anything to you.

I thought about what you said.

You had a point.

Worst comes to worst,

even if she and I fall out one day,

you'd just lose your job as her assistant.

All the possible consequences

are within my control.

But why did you choose to tell her on that kind of occasion?

Probably because

if someone had to lose while arguing,

I don't want you to lose.

Do a good job, and make me proud.

The CEO's assistant

is no less inferior than the Chairwoman's.

Also,

if anyone doubts our relationship,

just tell them openly

that you

are my girlfriend.

♪Driving my beloved little car♪

Not again.

♪It never gets stuck in traffic♪

♪Riding on my beloved little camel♪

Su Mo

won't stay long beside him.

Aunt, what are you saying?

Now that An has a girlfriend,

of course I'm happy for him.

Liar.

You think I don't know what you're thinking?

All these years, you've never dated anyone

because of him.

But this time,

An seems serious about this relationship.

His fondness for her

literally exudes from every cell

inside his body.

You've been researching the arts for too long,

and you're getting too sensitive.

Believe me.

I've seen such so-called relationships

more than a zillion times.

In the end, when faced with reality,

it won't even withstand a tiny hit.

(Now that I'm getting promoted again,)

(I've had envy, doubt,)

(and indifference from other people.)

(I keep telling myself)

(to ignore how people look at me.)

[Su Mo, Chairwoman's Assistant] (I don't have to prove anything to anyone.)

(The only people I need to please and convince)

(are me, myself, and I.)

Hello?

Hello, Ju'an?

This is bad. Come home now!

Song Tianlin has been downstairs for the whole day,

and I can hear something like firecrackers from there.

The thing is, I think he's ripping

all his clothing materials.

He's destroying his work.

Please come back quickly.

Try talking to him. I'll be right back.

Song Tianlin!

Since you have the guts to rip your stuff,

don't you have the guts to come up?

We're all grown up,

so stop being so childish, will you?

Mr. Wang is back.

Ju'an.

He's still downstairs?

I don't want anyone here.

Tianlin, don't get too worked up.

We're all worried about you.

I've put my work aside.

You're not going to brush me off, are you?

Did something go wrong with the Celestial series?

Go away!

You're not coming up,

so you want me to come down?

What's with the ruckus?

Can't I even enjoy a peaceful nap?

It's just a dumb Hanfu workshop.

Is he even broke?

You're not broke, and you're still doing this stupid stuff.

Give up, will you?

Let me go down.

Don't.

You...

Siwei, listen to me.

Listen to me, listen to me.

You guys

are making things complicated.

I'm going to get that kid up here

and teach him a good lesson.

-Ms. Zhang, you're here. -This is outrageous!

What's going on?

Well...

So...

Tianlin is getting too willful,

and we're all worried about him.

Ms. Zhang, don't go down.

Tianlin is holding a pair of scissors.

Scissors?

He's not planning to hurt himself.

Tianlin, Ms. Su is here.

What? So what if she's here?

Come down.

Just Su Mo, though.

What...

What's going on?

Forget it.

I don't want it anymore.

All of them?

All of them.

I quit.

Well, that's great.

Go back to work at Ansheng.

Ms. Zhang and Mr. Wang would be pleased.

It's a happy ending for everyone.

So, I'm going to help you

throw everything out, okay?

Wait.

Careful.

Can't bear to throw it away?

So what if I can't bear to do so?

So far,

I've put in

the most preparations for this collection.

Take a guess.

How did things turn out

at the exhibition?

Not a single piece sold.

It's so expensive.

Of course no one would buy it.

I know.

I was prepared for this outcome.

But I thought

even if no one wanted to buy it,

at least they would love it.

At least these clothes

could have gotten a Judges' Choice award.

Not only did I not get any awards,

I didn't even get a single compliment.

Someone even commented online

that these designs are the dumbest

and that they're not practical.

I don't get it, Su Mo.

What's wrong with people today?

It's...

It's a piece of art,

and they only care about its convenience when using the toilet?

Or am I just bad at this?

Are my clothes simply worthless?

Tianlin.

Tianlin.

Your clothes are gorgeous.

If you don't care whether they'd sell well

and only care about their artistic value,

you can just ignore

what the others say.

You don't understand.

All this time,

I only wanted to promote the culture of Hanfu.

I thought

using the best materials

to make the grandest designs

would make people fall in love with Hanfu,

accept it,

and develop a liking for it.

Someday,

our Hanfu would end

like the Japanese kimono,

a symbol of our culture

that can integrate into our lives.

So, that's what you really think.

In Japan, they have the Fireworks Festival every year.

On that day,

everyone would wear

their traditional costumes

and throng the streets.

Just the crowd alone

is an amazing sight to behold.

Meanwhile, in Korea,

they would also put on

their traditional costumes.

I don't get it.

Why can they do so,

but not us?

Your ideas are good,

but I think

your methods and ideas contradict each other.

The price tag on your products

would scare most people away.

Promoting culture and merchandise are the same.

You need to segment your markets

so that your products

have an accurate positioning

and benefit-cost ratio.

You'd also attract more people

to learn and accept the culture of Hanfu.

Then, these people

would sustain your growth

and nourish your art.

Market segmentation, benefit-cost ratio...

That means I need to do business again.

Don't tell me I have to set up a shop

and stand idly at the counter every day

while people shop and pick around.

Don't look down on the business process.

There are many innovative ways today.

Pop-up stores are an excellent avenue for selling art.

What's pop-up?

You can introduce your products and ideas

along with music, dance, stage designs,

or other creative methods

within one to two hours.

There have been many successful cases.

If you're confident in your products,

I suggest you give it a try.

As long as you can attract customers,

I think

there's a future for it.

Music and dance?

Would it work?

I'm hungry.

Got any food?

You brat.

Starting tomorrow,

you don't have to work in the office.

What do you mean?

It means you need to focus on your pursuits.

You have no interest in the company anyway,

so there's no point in making you check in every day.

Since you've already set up a studio,

don't give up easily.

Do you support me in making Hanfu?

Why do I find it fishy?

Other people can support you,

let alone your own mother.

This isn't like you.

State your conditions.

My condition is,

make sure you succeed.

Don't embarrass me.

Mom.

Are you sick?

Are you okay?

What do you mean?

You're spouting nonsense.

Who's spouting nonsense?

Ms. Su must have persuaded you, right?

Well?

She makes a lot of sense, right?

Do I need anyone to persuade me?

As your mother, I want the best for you.

Come on.

What you think is the best for me

is never the same as what I have in mind.

What schemes are you hatching now?

Tell me. Don't beat around the bush.

Okay, stop that.

At this rate,

you're going to drive me to an early grave.

Listen.

I'll be investing in your studio.

Return Wang Ju'an's money.

I heard you.

Since you're investing, you'll be managing, too, right?

Small-time businesses like yours

are not worth my time.

You'll be fully in charge.

Just submit a year-end report to me.

Li, allow me.

I still need to write a report?

Forget it.

Even An won't make me go through all that trouble.

Really?

Didn't he order you

to work in his office every day?

Think about it.

Do you want to go to work every day

or submit a report at the end of the year?

Which is more troublesome?

Do you even need to think?

How did I give birth

to such an indecisive son?

You should do a DNA test, then.

Maybe you brought the wrong baby back home.

You're right.

I should have got a kid

who's cleverer.

Mom.

You said

that I'd be fully in charge?

Do you mean it?

What? You don't believe me?

How about this?

Go to my office tomorrow

and we'll sign a contract

that states everything in black and white.

Let me make this clear.

If the business loses money...

No investments are fail-safe.

I'd take the losses.

Then, I...

You're still mumbling this and that?

After you finish your noodles,

you clean up your studio.

Yeah, I should go there now.

What about the noodles?

Mom.

Thank you.

I must have owed you something in my previous life.

Ms. Zhang,

Su Mo messed up this time.

This was a good opportunity

to make Tianlin give up on Hanfu,

and she ruined it.

I made her do so.

At first, I was mad to see Tianlin dabbling

with his impractical ideas.

But hearing people say bad things about his work,

it makes me even madder.

Is my son that awful?

Not really.

I think Tianlin's clothes are beautiful.

Those judges lack good taste.

That's why I was thinking

that if Tianlin were to take over my place,

he needs to go through more hardships.

If he can't even handle a studio,

who would respect him?

That makes sense.

If he plans

to commercialize his products,

I've thought about it.

Whether it's Hanfu

or anything else,

once he sets up a brand reputation,

that would be a good experience for him,

and it would be helpful to him when he manages the company in the future.

Ms. Zhang, as his mother,

you've planned it out well.

In the future, you have to help him too.

When he starts to earn money,

he'll understand that doing business

is a joyful affair too.

Don't worry, I will help him.

You have to help him,

but don't let him know.

If he does,

he might just blast this roof off.

I understand. I know what to do.

Here's to you.

Hello, I'm Ms. Zhang's assistant, Su Mo.

Today, I'm gathering everyone here

to confirm the final preparations

of each department

for the plaza's opening.

This will be a long meeting,

so I have prepared

coffee, tea, and cakes

to perk everyone up

and work hard for the opening ceremony

next week.

[Ansheng Plaza]

Engineer.

Make sure you coordinate the music and lights.

Okay, it's all ready.

Thank you.

[Ansheng Plaza Opening Ceremony]

To all our distinguished guests.

Our opening ceremony is about to begin.

Now, let us invite

Ms. Zhang Yanan, Chairwoman of Ansheng Group,

and Mr. Wang Ju'an, our CEO, to come to the stage

to do the honors of officiating the ceremony

as we wish for future prosperity.

Let's welcome them.

Let us all turn our focus

to this heart-pounding moment.

Three, two, one.

Activate.

Distinguished leaders and guests.

Welcome to the opening ceremony

of Ansheng Plaza.

After enduring harrowing storms one after another,

today, I am proud to stand here and tell all of you

that Ansheng Plaza is just like its name,

representing robustness and prosperity.

Once again,

we stand strong in this industry,

and in the future,

we will create a brilliant legacy that belongs to us.

Physical renovation is far from enough.

To save our physical retail stores,

we need to offer our customers a different experience

so that people can enjoy

and fall in love with shopping.

As we complete renovating the plaza,

we have also started working on Phase Two,

and that will create a perfect and unique

shopping experience.

We will introduce

leisure infrastructure like Winterland Park,

and we are planning to build

a themed corridor that features an "East Meets West" culture.

As our customers walk past the corridor...

Ms. Zhang, people like him who only have slogans to shout

are the worst to work with.

We shall experience the present, learn from the past, and welcome the future.

There's no more red wine over there.

Take more wine there.

Okay.

Zhang, didn't I tell you

that Ms. Zhang prefers to show her right face in photos?

Go there instead.

Okay, got it.

Su Mo, this is a great event you've organized.

Thank you for the compliment, ma'am.

It's finally ending soon.

We still have another program.

I wonder who the last secret guest is.

Now,

to wrap up our ceremony,

we have invited

the young and talented pianist,

Ms. Chen Yiting, who has just returned from Germany,

to deliver a performance.

♪Straying into a glamorous banquet♪

♪We have no way back♪

♪Time is like water within the palm♪

♪We can't catch hold of it♪

♪Blundering around this city♪

♪To find ourselves a spot♪

♪Many people are smitten with the fantasy♪

♪I savor the taste of collapse♪

♪My heart becomes impregnable, then♪

♪Until anxiety and exhaustion♪

♪Are crushed down by me♪

♪Straying into a glamorous banquet♪

♪We have no way back♪

♪Time is like water within the palm♪

♪We can't catch hold of it♪

♪Blundering around this city♪

♪To find ourselves a spot♪

♪Many people are smitten with the fantasy♪

♪I savor the taste of collapse♪

♪My heart becomes impregnable, then♪

♪Until anxiety and exhaustion♪

♪Are crushed down by me♪

♪I savor the taste of collapse♪

♪My heart becomes impregnable, then♪

♪Until anxiety and exhaustion♪

♪Are crushed down by me♪

♪Refusing to muddle along in the darkness♪

♪Vulnerable and defeated♪

♪I see a silver lining♪

♪I make a desperate attempt to break through♪

♪I have been honest♪

♪I have fought♪

♪I want to protect you♪

♪We will overcome♪

♪We will experience♪

♪To be fortresses behind each other's backs♪