Go Back to China 2020

Sasha Li, a nimble-fashion graduate freshly landed from Los Angeles, had been living off the generous support of her estranged father, a Chinese industrialist who had created a fortune through plush toys. The hefty trust fund amounting to a jaw-dropping one million dollars had been her financial safety net, allowing her to float through life without exerting much effort. However, as she reached another birthday, her father abruptly cut off her access to those funds, thrusting her into the daunting reality of adulthood.

In a quest to regain her independence, Sasha reluctantly agreed to return to China and take on a position at her father’s toy factory. There, she unexpectedly reconnected with her older half-sister, Carol Li, who evolved into a savvy businesswoman in her own right. As Sasha navigated the complicated family dynamics, she discovered that her father’s current girlfriend, Lulu, was startlingly close to her own age, a sobering disclosure about her father’s scandalous personal life.

As she settled into her role, Sasha found comfort in designing a distinctive collection of toys for Christmas, which surprisingly garnered widespread acclaim. Encouraged by her success, she began to assert her voice within the factory, earning praise from both her father and Carol. However, everything changed when dark secrets from her family’s history emerged, including the disturbing revelation that their father had coerced multiple girlfriends into terminating pregnancies of his illegitimate children, turning Sasha’s world upside-down.

With rising tensions, Sasha made a significant decision to alter one of the toy designs by substituting a basic fabric scarf with a shimmering sequinned one. Unbeknownst to her, this change sparked a disastrous chain reaction, as the sequins posed a choking hazard. Having ordered the fabric in bulk, it became impossible to revert the decision, and the toy was eventually withdrawn from the market following an incident involving a child. This prompted her father to unleash his fury upon Sasha, which led to her quitting the company and pleading with Carol to escape their father’s tight grasp. In a whirlwind of upheaval, Sasha left everything behind, creating turmoil and uncertainty in her wake.

As the repercussions of the recalled toys loomed over her like a relentless cloud, Sasha returned to Los Angeles, feeling disheartened by the unfavorable news. However, her eternally optimistic friends offered a creative solution: why not present one of the recalled toys to a well-known child social influencer? This ingenious strategy reaped remarkable rewards, with the toy’s popularity skyrocketing, compelling her father’s distributor to reconsider their recall and eventually reintroduce the toy without the scarves. The unexpected turnaround not only surprised everyone but also astonished Sasha herself.

This newfound attention soon sparked significant interest from her father’s company. They were so impressed with Sasha’s innovative design and marketing strategies that they extended an immediate job offer to her. Meanwhile, Carol Li visited Sasha, sharing that she had finally garnered the courage to break free from the confines of her corporate job and pursue her own ambitions.

As Sasha prepped for an upcoming business trip to China, she seizes the chance to have an open conversation with her father. Observing the need to uplift morale among his factory employees, she proposed utilizing part of her remaining trust fund to create quality childcare services within the facility. To her relief, her father consented, and she also offered to continue designing toys for him on a freelance basis — a proposition that he eagerly embraced.