The Early Spring Episode 3 begins with Luan Nian confronting Shang Zhitao at Lime Advertising about the missing notes from their recent business trip. Zhitao insists that she sent the meeting records by email to both Luan Nian and Lumi, but Luan Nian says he never received them. He then points out that another employee at the company uses the English name Luke, meaning Zhitao may have accidentally sent confidential company information to the wrong person. He sarcastically warns her that if she is going to submit a resignation letter, she should at least make sure it reaches the correct recipient. Zhitao becomes convinced that she is about to lose her job, but Lumi soon reassures her that the situation is not as serious as Luan Nian makes it sound. The company's filming proposal has been approved and production is about to begin, making it impractical to replace Zhitao at such a late stage. Lumi also reminds her that although Luan Nian speaks harshly, he is straightforward and genuinely cares about the people working under him. Before leaving for the filming location, Zhitao meets her senior Yao Bei for a meal. She admits that she is still nervous about passing her probation at Lime and worries that she may not be good enough for the demanding environment. Yao Bei asks about Zhitao's former boyfriend, Xin Zhaozhou. Zhitao explains that they broke up before graduation because their ambitions took them in different directions. He wanted to return home and pursue a stable government career, while she wanted to remain in Beijing and fight for the future she had imagined for herself. Yao Bei encourages her not to let fear prevent her from enjoying her youth and new life in Beijing. Zhitao and Lumi then travel to a remote rural location for the commercial shoot. Lumi begins suffering from severe menstrual cramps, but she insists on continuing with the work because the production schedule is already tight and Luan Nian is expected to arrive later. Zhitao takes care of her by preparing warm goji tea and helping her rest. When they reach the village, however, the accommodation turns out to be filthy and barely suitable for the production crew. Zhitao reveals that she anticipated poor conditions and brought her own clean bedding. She even travels to a neighboring village to obtain hot water and prepares instant noodles for Lumi. Luan Nian eventually arrives at the filming location to oversee the project. At the same time, Tracy sends Kitty from another division to provide additional assistance. When Lumi's condition becomes worse, Zhitao takes her to the hospital. Kitty then takes control of the shoot despite not properly coordinating with the director. She begins making decisions without understanding the existing arrangements and later orders Zhitao to handle various errands. The situation deteriorates when the lead actors refuse to stay at the terrible accommodation. Instead of solving the problem herself, Kitty tells Zhitao to accompany a local villager into the mountains to search for another place for the cast to stay. Zhitao has little choice but to follow the instruction. Meanwhile, dark clouds gather over the area and heavy rain begins approaching. Luan Nian soon realizes that neither Zhitao nor Lumi is at the filming site and becomes increasingly concerned after learning that Kitty sent Zhitao into the mountains. Luan Nian tries calling Zhitao, but she cannot answer because her phone loses signal. With the weather becoming dangerous and landslide warnings appearing, he orders the production team to stop filming and heads into the mountains to find her himself. Zhitao meanwhile begins to feel uncomfortable with the local villager driving the motorcycle. The man takes an unfamiliar route and makes inappropriate remarks, causing Zhitao to demand that he turn back. Before they can return, the motorcycle loses control on the muddy road and crashes down a steep slope. The storm intensifies as rainwater triggers mudslides and falling rocks throughout the mountain. Luan Nian eventually finds the area but his own vehicle becomes trapped by a massive landslide. Rocks crash around the car and the doors become jammed. Unable to escape, he is left inside the vehicle as the surrounding terrain continues to collapse. Zhitao, despite her own injuries, discovers Luan Nian trapped inside the car. She rushes toward him and desperately tries to free him. Remembering that striking the corner of a car window can help break the glass, she picks up a stone and repeatedly hits the window. Luan Nian strikes the glass from the inside at the same time, allowing them to break through and escape before the vehicle is completely buried. The two then work together to survive the dangerous mountainside. Luan Nian uses rope and safety equipment to secure them as they move away from the landslide. Zhitao has injured her ankle and her hands are bleeding from smashing the car window. Luan Nian carefully removes the thorns and debris from her hands and wraps her injuries, while Zhitao tends to his wounds in return. For the first time, their usual workplace hostility disappears completely as they see each other in a frightened, exhausted and vulnerable state. Unable to walk properly because of her injured ankle, Zhitao is carried by Luan Nian down the mountain. During the journey she admits that when she thought she might die, her first thoughts were of her parents. She regrets that she might never have had the chance to say goodbye to them. She also confesses that she still wanted to learn more from Luan Nian at Lime and become better at her work. Their conversation reveals how much she has already begun to respect him despite his harsh treatment of her. Rescue teams eventually locate them and take them to the hospital. Zhitao wakes during the night and becomes alarmed when she hears a nurse mention that another patient has been taken to emergency treatment with internal bleeding. She immediately worries that something has happened to Luan Nian. Moments later, however, he walks into the room safely, leaving Zhitao visibly relieved. During the night, he quietly helps adjust her blanket while she sleeps, revealing a gentler side that he rarely shows at work. On their journey back to Beijing, Luan Nian conducts a serious review of what happened. Zhitao assumes that he is preparing to tell her to resign again, but his criticism is actually about her failure to understand the company's chain of command. Kitty was a senior colleague from another division rather than Zhitao's direct supervisor, and Luan Nian tells her that she should not blindly follow instructions simply because someone has more experience. He nevertheless tells her to rest, recover properly and contact either him or Lumi if she encounters difficulties again. When Zhitao returns home, Sun Yu questions how her workplace could have allowed her to end up injured in a mountain storm. Instead of criticizing Luan Nian, Zhitao unexpectedly begins defending him. She points out that he personally drove into the dangerous area to search for her and risked his own life to rescue her. Sun Yu immediately notices Zhitao's unusual enthusiasm and teases her about how warmly she is speaking about her difficult boss. Back at Lime, a rival division leader attempts to mock Luan Nian over the mountain incident. Luan Nian responds by pointing out the rival team's lack of original ideas and the reduced budget associated with the Qipai project. During the team meeting, Luan Nian announces that Division One has successfully secured the annual Mulanshuo contract. Kitty attempts to justify sending Zhitao away from the main set, but Lumi openly challenges her explanation and reminds everyone that Zhitao was the person who personally helped secure the director for the project. Luan Nian accepts responsibility for the management failure and makes it clear that the incident will have consequences. Shortly afterward, HR confirms that Zhitao has successfully passed the evaluation and can remain permanently with Business Division One. Zhitao signs her formal employment contract with genuine excitement, finally earning the position she had worked so hard to obtain. Wanting to thank Luan Nian for saving her life and supporting her at work, Zhitao messages him and offers to treat him to dinner. He initially refuses, leaving her disappointed. A moment later, however, he changes his mind and messages her back, saying that he will take her to dinner instead and asking for her address so he can pick her up. The episode ends with Zhitao unable to hide her happiness as their relationship takes its first unmistakable step beyond the workplace.