Later, I Laughed Episode 8 Recap
> Later, I Laughed Recap
Wu Xiuya regained her confidence and performed exceptionally well on stage, earning waves of applause from the audience. Meanwhile, Xiao Lan crafted a new cocktail called Dream of a Lifetime and even printed words on the glass. Xiuya found the phrase quite meaningful, took a photo of the drink, and posted it on her social media. Zheng Hao, who hadn’t heard from Xiuya for a long time, saw her post and was tempted to check in on her.
However, he eventually deleted all the words he had typed in the chatbox. Usually sharp and decisive, Zheng Hao found himself at a loss when it came to Xiuya. At the Zhonghe Group, the chairman showed interest in the promotion of a small project. However, his true intent was to drive corporate departmental reform.
He proposed forming a joint task force, with the internal communications department as the lead and personnel from both the advertising and planning departments assisting in the project’s execution. Lao Gao told Hu Jianjun (Manager Hu) that the chairman was considering establishing a new independent brand promotion department that would report directly to him. If the project succeeded, Hu Jianjun would undoubtedly head this new department.
Hu Jianjun, who had risen through the ranks from a junior publicity officer to the manager of the brand promotion department, thought she had already hit the ceiling of her career. The prospect of further advancement stirred her excitement, even though she outwardly claimed indifference. Hu Jianjun knew well that the project’s success relied on Wu Xiuya, even though Ma Chao was the team leader on paper.
She devised a strategy to prevent Xiuya from outshining her in front of the chairman by assigning Xiuya to work behind the scenes on the proposal. Though disappointed, Xiuya was too busy with work to dwell on it. The long hours of overtime eventually led to illness, leaving her with a fever and cold. Despite this, she powered through to complete both the proposal and its presentation script, sending all the materials to Ma Chao.
During the joint meeting, Hu Jianjun came up with a plan to ensure that Ma Chao would only give a report without facing any discussion or questions. However, when the chairman unexpectedly arrived, Hu Jianjun’s attempt to flatter him backfired. Ma Chao failed to answer the chairman’s questions, revealing to everyone that he wasn’t the real mastermind behind the project. The chairman naturally deduced who was.
Furious, Hu Jianjun accused Xiuya of using her illness as an excuse and even implied it was part of a scheme. Lao Gao dismissed the idea, believing Xiuya wasn’t capable of such cunning. When Xiuya heard about what had transpired, she was stunned. She hadn’t expected the fairness she had long sought to come in such a manner. Later that day, Cao Zhiyong, Liang Dong, and Shi Ye came to visit her and care for her while she was ill.
After eating and drinking their fill, Xiuya fell asleep. Assuming that Shi Ye had already left, Cao Zhiyong and Liang Dong quietly departed as well. However, Shi Ye had been resting on a sofa behind the bookshelf. When he woke up and found that Xiuya’s condition had worsened, he immediately took her to the hospital for an IV drip. During their time alone, Shi Ye helped Xiuya address her doubts about bombing on stage versus killing it.
His words gave her a revelation: she needed to be her true self, even if that meant being disliked. She realized she had to muster the courage to stop trying to please everyone. After the IV treatment, Shi Ye brought Xiuya home, cooked something for her, and only then left. On Monday, when they returned to work, Manager Hu softened her attitude toward Xiuya. However, she refused to approve the new promotional plan Xiuya had come up with.
Left with no choice, Xiuya presented the original proposal to the chairman. When asked if she had confidence in it, Xiuya, remembering her resolution to be authentic, gave her honest opinion. To her surprise, the chairman highly praised her new plan, recognizing her capabilities. Zhang Yan shared the news of Xiuya being praised by the chairman with Zheng Hao and casually suggested that Xiuya might appreciate congratulations from him. Zheng Hao thought back to Xiuya’s social media post.
After work, he bought balloons and planned to confess his feelings and ask to get back together. However, as he arrived at Xiuya’s home and saw Shi Ye by her window, Zheng Hao silently released the balloons into the night sky and walked away.
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