Previously on Blossoms Shanghai, a new restaurant opens in Shanghai with a composed, hungry owner, Li Li (Xin Zhilei). And in these three new episodes, Ah Bao (Hu Ge) still hides from her while going to the Shanghai suburbs. There, he meets with Ling Zi (Ma Yili), and their long business relationship will factor in. In Li Li’s restaurant, the Grand Lisbon, she’s trying to help broker a deal for clothing manufacturer Mr. Fan (Dong Yong). Specifically, she knows that Fan is Ah Bao’s client but wants the former to try a new partner. That new partner is Mr. Wei (Ryan Zheng). Even Li Li is starting to hire Tao Tao (Chen Long), Ling Zi’s food supplier. But are Li Li and Wei smart enough to outmaneuver Ah Bao?

This show displays creator and director Wong Kar Wai’s interpretation of high and low business culture. Ah Bao represents the high, a person perpetually keeping up appearances of being a classy rich person. Ling Zi is one of the representatives of the low culture, familial and more comfortably homey. Wong also shows high and low bleeding into each other, and that these characters are doing what it takes to keep up with each other. He does this as he captures Mr. Fan’s – mild spoiler – temporary phase of business with Mr. Wei. Blossoms Shanghai turns up the decibels as it captures those business deals despite Li Li pining for Ah Bao’s more subtle approach.

Blossoms Shanghai is about business during the 1980s and the 1990s, Wong working within the confines of C-Drama stylistically and narratively. By this I mean that the show is asking which beautiful, eligible love interest Ah Bao is going to end up with. Even Uncle Ye (You Benchang) is asking this as the show’s way of depicting him as an astute observer. And there are maybe two candidates, three if one counts Ling Zi even if their vibe is quite questionable. These three episodes have Ah Bao and Li Li looking at each other across the street, Wong style. And then there’s loyal Miss Wang (Tang Yan), the fan favourite for Chinese viewers who destroys Mr. Fan’s deal with Mr. Wei for Ah Bao. Let the ship wars begin! Ling Hong (Jiang Yilei), a jewellery store owner next to Ling Zi, is thankfully out of the equation.

Loyal is a good word to describe Miss Wang, whom others describe as innocent, a word that I’m hesitant with. I write this as Blossoms Shanghai introduces Jin Hua (Wu Yue), who works with Wang at the liaisons office. The liaisons office gets more screen time in these episodes as Ah Bao and Wang’s favoritism becomes obvious. It also shows another character in that office, Mei Ping (Wang Ju) who has a longer business relationship with Fan and wants deals. But of course, Wang wins, showing that she’s inadvertently screwing other people over despite her ‘innocence’. This show is piling on more supporting characters, but it’s at least showing the ambiguous morality in business.

Blossoms Shanghai‘s fourth to sixth episodes are available to stream on the Criterion Channel.