The Early Spring Episode 9 continues the developing romance between Shang Zhitao and Luan Nian as their professional responsibilities and private feelings become increasingly difficult to separate. Following the emotional events of the previous episode, Zhitao tries to concentrate on her career while Luan Nian settles into his position as interim general manager at Lime Advertising. With the company facing strict budget controls and complicated relationships with important clients, Zhitao proposes an unconventional solution to bring employees together. Her idea leads to a basketball match that becomes both a professional success and an unexpected turning point in her relationship with Luan Nian. The episode opens with Shang Zhitao and Sun Yuanzhu enrolling together at Cheng'an Automobile Driving Training School. Zhitao struggles with the driving exercises, and her instructor becomes increasingly impatient with her mistakes. Feeling embarrassed by the criticism, she finds it difficult to maintain her confidence. When it is Yuanzhu's turn to practise, he deliberately operates the windshield wipers incorrectly and makes other mistakes so that the instructor will scold him too. His playful attempt to share her embarrassment makes Zhitao feel better and demonstrates the quiet consideration behind his easygoing personality. Although Yuanzhu often hides his concern behind jokes, his willingness to make himself look foolish for her sake reveals how closely he pays attention to her feelings. Meanwhile, Luan Nian demonstrates his uncompromising management style during a company meeting. Now responsible for major decisions at Lime, he reviews departmental budgets and rejects numerous spending proposals submitted by senior employees, including Zhang Ling. His strict approach creates tension among colleagues who are accustomed to more flexible spending arrangements. Some employees interpret his decisions as an attack on the company's established leadership, while others recognize that the board appointed him because it expects him to improve efficiency and accountability. After the meeting, Zhitao discusses Luan Nian's leadership with Lumi. Although both women acknowledge that his blunt manner can be difficult to deal with, they understand that he is willing to make unpopular decisions when he believes they are necessary. His willingness to challenge long-standing habits is part of what makes him effective, even if it also makes him an intimidating superior. Zhitao begins to see that professional leadership sometimes requires the courage to disappoint people rather than simply trying to please everyone. Looking for a way to improve communication between departments, Zhitao proposes organizing a friendly basketball match. She believes that bringing colleagues together in a relaxed environment will make future cooperation easier, particularly when different teams need to coordinate on projects. The event could also strengthen Lime's relationship with Yueteng Auto, an important client. Lumi initially questions whether such an activity is realistic under the company's newly restricted budget, but Zhitao argues that the benefits of building relationships could outweigh the costs if the event is organized intelligently. Luan Nian subsequently meets Zhang Ling to clarify his position. He explains that the budget cuts are not intended to target individual employees or undermine senior colleagues. Instead, he needs to control expenditure so that the company can withstand scrutiny from headquarters and avoid unnecessary financial risks. Zhang Ling understands his reasoning but suggests cancelling the basketball event because of its limited budget. Luan Nian disagrees with abandoning the idea entirely. He believes that Lime should still welcome its client properly, even if the company must find a more economical way to organize the gathering. The responsibility for the event eventually falls to Zhitao, who receives a budget of only 5,000 yuan to organize an activity for approximately sixty participants. Faced with the challenge of securing a venue, uniforms, food and drinks within such a small amount, she begins searching for affordable options. She makes numerous phone calls and explores different possibilities, but the costs quickly threaten to exceed the available funds. Her determination to make the event succeed reflects the same persistence she demonstrated while building the supplier evaluation database in the previous episodes. That evening, Zhitao continues searching for solutions while having dinner at home. Sun Yu jokingly suggests that she might as well beg on the street to obtain the money she needs. Although he intends the remark as a joke, the suggestion inspires Zhitao to consider a different approach. Rather than paying for everything herself through the limited company budget, she realizes that the event could be supported by the suppliers who want to establish long-term business relationships with Lime. Zhitao begins approaching suppliers and explaining the proposed basketball event. Instead of asking for unrestricted financial contributions, she offers them an opportunity to demonstrate their reliability and cooperation as potential business partners. She makes it clear that the company will continue to evaluate suppliers according to its established standards, but successful cooperation and dependable service will remain important considerations in future business relationships. Through careful negotiation, she secures sponsorship covering the venue, jerseys, food and drinks. Her ability to transform an apparently impossible assignment into a fully sponsored event impresses the people around her and demonstrates that creativity can be as valuable as a large budget. When Lumi reports Zhitao's strategy to Luan Nian, he recognizes the intelligence behind her solution. Rather than treating the basketball match as a simple social gathering, Zhitao has found a way to build relationships with suppliers while minimizing the company's direct expenditure. Luan Nian is pleased that she has understood the commercial opportunities behind the assignment. He asks Lumi to observe how the suppliers cooperate during the event, ensuring that the sponsorship arrangement does not undermine the transparent evaluation system he has worked to establish. Before the match, Wan Jun from Yueteng Auto visits Luan Nian with a gift. He asks Luan Nian to include several suppliers he personally prefers in Lime's supplier database. Luan Nian immediately refuses to accept the gift or make an exception to the evaluation process. He explains that supplier selection must remain objective and that personal recommendations cannot replace proper assessment. His response establishes a clear boundary between maintaining a valuable client relationship and allowing a client to influence internal purchasing decisions. It also demonstrates that he intends to enforce the principles behind the supplier database, even when doing so could create friction with an important business partner. The basketball match eventually takes place, and Lime wins. The event creates a lively atmosphere among employees and gives colleagues from different departments an opportunity to interact outside their normal work routines. Zhitao's planning receives widespread appreciation because the activity succeeds despite the extremely limited budget. Her ability to secure sponsorship, coordinate the arrangements and maintain professional relationships establishes her as a capable organizer who can contribute beyond her formal account-management responsibilities. After the match, Lumi calls Luan Nian to invite him to the celebration banquet. He initially declines to attend, preferring to remain focused on his responsibilities. However, he instructs Lumi to inform him if Wan Jun attempts to discuss suppliers or initiate private business conversations during the celebration. Luan Nian is particularly concerned that informal discussions could undermine the company's compliance standards or create the impression that suppliers can obtain special treatment through personal access. At the celebration dinner, Lumi admits to Zhitao that she has promised several colleagues she will bring Luan Nian to the gathering so they can discover more about his romantic life. Zhitao is reluctant to contact him because their relationship remains complicated after their recent kiss. She does not want to encourage office gossip or create a situation that could interfere with her professional future. Nevertheless, Luan Nian unexpectedly arrives at the celebration, surprising the women who had hoped to question him about his private affairs. During the dinner, Wan Jun attempts to invite both Luan Nian and Zhitao to drink with him. Luan Nian politely refuses because he is driving. His response maintains a professional distance while also preventing the gathering from becoming an opportunity for inappropriate business discussions. Wan Jun later follows Zhitao outside and begins asking about Luan Nian's expectations for supplier pricing and the selection process. Zhitao immediately recognizes that his questions go beyond ordinary social conversation. Instead of revealing confidential information, Zhitao firmly explains that the supplier database was created to ensure transparent evaluation and fair business decisions. She refuses to offer Wan Jun special information or suggest that personal influence can change the process. Her response pleases Luan Nian, who has overheard the conversation. He recognizes that Zhitao has understood the purpose of his reforms and can protect the company's interests without requiring him to intervene personally. Her actions also strengthen his trust in her professional judgment. Later, Luan Nian stops Zhitao in the hallway and questions why she has been drinking and why she continues to avoid him. Zhitao explains that she was participating in an ordinary client celebration and following workplace social etiquette. Their conversation quickly moves beyond the immediate circumstances as Luan Nian asks why she has never properly expressed gratitude for the help he has given her. His question reveals that the professional distance between them has become a personal source of frustration. Zhitao responds by offering him the medal she received after the basketball match. The gesture is partly playful and partly an attempt to acknowledge his support without having to discuss her deeper feelings. Luan Nian takes the medal and places it around her neck, using the moment to remind her that she should stop running away from their growing attraction. His action is intimate but also challenging, as he wants Zhitao to acknowledge what has been developing between them rather than repeatedly retreating whenever their feelings become difficult to ignore. Zhitao finally explains why she has been keeping her distance. She is concerned about the company's rules and the consequences of becoming romantically involved with her superior. Her career is important to her, and she cannot afford to jeopardize the position she has worked so hard to build. Luan Nian listens to her concerns and makes an unexpected suggestion: they could keep their relationship private. Rather than demanding that she make a public commitment, he proposes a discreet arrangement that would allow them to explore their feelings without immediately exposing their relationship to colleagues. Back at the table, Lumi continues questioning Luan Nian about his relationship status on behalf of the curious women in the office. Luan Nian attempts to redirect the conversation toward work proposals, but Lumi refuses to let him avoid the subject. With everyone waiting for an answer, Zhitao directly asks him whether he has a girlfriend. Instead of revealing his real feelings, Luan Nian jokingly claims that he has been divorced twice and has two children to support. The absurd explanation quickly discourages the curious women, allowing him to escape further questioning while concealing the complicated situation between himself and Zhitao. After the dinner, Luan Nian offers to drive Zhitao home. Lumi joins them and complains about Wan Jun's overpowering cologne and his persistent attention toward Zhitao. As the conversation continues, Luan Nian becomes visibly jealous and suddenly brakes the car, startling his passengers. He uses the moment to remind them that workplace rules apply to informal client interactions as well as official meetings. He instructs them to forward private business communications to the legal department and issue a formal warning to Yueteng regarding inappropriate attempts to discuss supplier arrangements outside approved channels. His reaction exposes the tension between his professional responsibilities and his personal feelings for Zhitao. When Zhitao returns home, she reflects on Luan Nian's suggestion that they maintain a secret relationship. She understands that being with him could bring happiness but also create complications in her professional life. Eventually, she considers agreeing to the arrangement under clear conditions. Their relationship must remain exclusive, both must be honest if their feelings change, and neither should prevent the other from pursuing a different relationship if they genuinely wish to move on. The agreement offers a possible path forward, although it also raises questions about whether two people with such different approaches to intimacy can successfully maintain emotional boundaries. The following day, the workplace challenges continue. One of the suppliers recommended by Wan Jun offers Lumi a three-percent kickback in exchange for favorable treatment. Lumi immediately rejects the proposal and reports the incident to Luan Nian. The attempted payment confirms the importance of his insistence on transparent supplier selection. Luan Nian responds firmly and demands that the revised Yueteng proposal be completed that evening. Lumi agrees to take responsibility for the remaining work but asks that Zhitao be allowed to leave on time because she has plans for her birthday celebration at Pure K. The request creates an opportunity for Zhitao to spend time with her friends away from the pressures of the office. Later that evening, Luan Nian visits Tan Mian's establishment and sends Zhitao a stiff, work-related text message. Tan Mian notices how formal the message sounds and teases Luan Nian for communicating with the woman he likes as though he were sending an official notice from a bank. He encourages his friend to call Zhitao directly instead of hiding behind professional language. The exchange highlights Luan Nian's difficulty expressing affection naturally, even after he has taken the bold step of proposing a secret relationship. Meanwhile, Zhitao arrives at Pure K to celebrate her birthday with her friends. Lumi offers to introduce her to a man, but Zhitao declines because she is not actively looking for another relationship. Her response reflects the uncertainty she feels about Luan Nian and the emotional risks of becoming involved with him. She also shares an emotional farewell with Yao Bei, who is preparing to leave Beijing for Hong Kong the following day. Their conversation brings back memories of the struggles they have faced while pursuing their ambitions and trying to establish fulfilling lives in the city. Zhitao wants the people she cares about to remain close, even as life continues to pull them in different directions. As the birthday celebration progresses, Zhitao begins drinking and becomes more relaxed. Luan Nian eventually calls her, and he can immediately tell from her voice that she has been drinking. Rather than beginning with another discussion about work, he asks what she wishes for on her birthday. The question gives Zhitao an opportunity to express feelings she has struggled to communicate directly. Zhitao shares several heartfelt wishes. She hopes that the people she loves can remain in Beijing, that she can hold on to her job, and that she can continue becoming a stronger and better version of herself. These wishes reflect the priorities that have shaped her journey: protecting her relationships, achieving professional stability and growing into an independent woman. However, her final wish reveals the emotion she has been trying to conceal. She admits that she also wants to hold on to Luan Nian. Her unexpected confession brings a warm smile to Luan Nian's face. For a man who usually hides his feelings behind sarcasm, professional authority and emotional restraint, hearing Zhitao express her desire to keep him in her life is a meaningful breakthrough. Although neither of them has fully resolved the difficulties surrounding a workplace romance, the birthday call confirms that their attraction is becoming mutual and increasingly difficult to deny. The Early Spring Episode 9 ends with Zhitao standing at an important emotional crossroads. Her success in organizing the basketball event proves that she can solve difficult professional problems through initiative, negotiation and creativity. Luan Nian's refusal to compromise the supplier evaluation process reinforces his commitment to ethical leadership, while his private proposal reveals a more vulnerable side of his personality. Their tentative agreement to pursue a discreet relationship introduces new possibilities but also creates the risk of future misunderstandings. Zhitao's birthday confession provides a hopeful conclusion, suggesting that beneath their guarded behavior, both are beginning to recognize how much they want to remain part of each other's lives.