Blossom Shanghai‘s previous episodes has Li Li’s (Xin Zhilei) rival Lu Meilin (Fan Tiantian) warn others about stocks. Police investigate Li Li, who leaves The Grand Lisbon under the capable hands of Manager Pan (Tong Chenjie). The police have nothing on Li Li so they let her go and she’s back on the stock market. Rivals become allies and Ah Bao (Hu Ge) hits her up, looking to make waves in Shanghai fashion. They go to both public and private meetings, just like Ah Bao’s former friend Ling Zi (Ma Yili). A new day means new trades and Uncle Ye (You Benchang) gets calls from people who want stock tips. He wards them off while spying on Miss Wang (Tang Yan), who wants to take Ah Bao’s deals.

We’re twenty two episodes in and Ah Bao is as enigmatic and mysterious as he is episodes prior. He moves in and out of rooms, transforms, moves within social classes easier than the characters around him. This show, like any other, juggles a lot of characters, even giving some of them some screen time. But it keeps finding its way to Ah Bao who finally meets his match with Li Li who has her own secrets. Their aura still permeates through even as they disappear into hotel rooms and holding rooms for a few minutes. Li Li lives in the minds of characters like Lu Meilin, the former a constant trending topic. Blossoms Shanghai also shows Manager Pan lie for Li Li, which shows her indestructible power.

Wong Kar Wai has always been a vibes kind of director, even in tackling populist genres like C-Dramas. Toronto’s version of Huanghe Road is Bay Street, which might as well be a different solar system to me. And I feel like despite Wong growing up in Shanghai, he doesn’t know what business looks like as well. Do deals really happen the way Ah Bao and Li Li make them in rooms of restaurants? Probably not, but Wong somehow takes away the viewer’s suspension of disbelief only to magically bring us back again. The same goes for the way he interprets characters who become allies just after betraying each other. In fairness to Li Li and the other characters, they never mess with each other and they don’t go all in.

As I previously mentioned, Blossoms Shanghai shows these clandestine, sexy business meetings between Ah Bao and Li Li. Again, a mirror version of those sexy meetings are happening between Ling Zi and Mr. Qiang (Huang Jue). And just like Lu Melin with Li Li, all Mr. Qiang talks about is Ah Bao’s business deals. This may be a source material problem where the show is painting characters with brushstrokes that feel similar. However, thankfully, there’s some variation here, with Ling Zi not caring about Ah Bao as much as she did. There’s still hope for them to be friends again, why can’t we all just get along like usual? But Ling Zi and Ah Bao’s fallout brings out the best in the latter that Wong portrays beautifully.

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