Download The Early Spring Episode 1

The Early Spring Episode 1 begins with Shang Zhitao arriving in Beijing with a suitcase and the determination to build a career for herself. A fresh graduate with little practical experience, she goes for an interview at Lingmei, a prestigious advertising agency. There she briefly crosses paths with Luan Nian, the company's brilliant but notoriously sharp-tongued creative director. During the interview, Luan Nian remotely watches the proceedings and quickly decides that Shang Zhitao lacks the practical experience needed for the job. He rejects her without even allowing her to fully explain herself, leaving her deeply frustrated. After leaving the interview, Shang Zhitao calls her senior schoolmate Yao Bei and tells her about the rejection. Yao Bei reassures her that failing an interview at a major company is nothing unusual. Shang Zhitao returns to the apartment she has already rented in Beijing, goes over the interview in her head and tries to encourage herself rather than giving in to disappointment. She also sends the missing application materials to Liang Xin in the hope that her situation might still change. When her mother messages to ask about her new job and roommate, Shang Zhitao hides the truth and pretends that everything is going well. Soon after, Shang Zhitao hears an argument outside her apartment. A man and woman accuse her new roommate Sun Yu of taking something that does not belong to her. When the confrontation escalates, Shang Zhitao steps in and suggests calling the police. The situation turns physical, and Shang Zhitao boldly fights back when the man threatens her roommate. She then pulls Sun Yu into the room and calls for help. The incident eventually settles down, and Sun Yu is grateful that Shang Zhitao stood up for her. The two women eat together afterward and begin getting to know each other, marking the start of their friendship. Meanwhile, Liang Xin approaches Luan Nian about the candidates he has interviewed and asks him to reconsider Shang Zhitao. Although Luan Nian believes she has no practical experience, Liang Xin argues that a company needs people who are willing to learn and grow, not only established professionals. She reminds him that every experienced employee was once a beginner. After some resistance, Luan Nian finally agrees to sign off on Shang Zhitao's hiring. Shang Zhitao is overjoyed when she receives the acceptance email. On her first day at Lingmei, she unexpectedly meets Luan Nian in the elevator. Hearing other employees greet him respectfully, she assumes he was responsible for hiring her and sincerely thanks him. Luan Nian immediately corrects her and tells her that he was not the person who hired her. Instead of offering encouragement, he challenges her and suggests that she may only be at the company to gain experience before leaving. Shang Zhitao remains surprisingly calm and tells him that simply getting the opportunity to work at Lingmei is already fortunate and that she intends to learn as much as possible. Liang Xin then introduces the new employees to the company and explains that the probation period will last three months. Shang Zhitao is assigned to Lumi, who becomes responsible for guiding her. Lumi warns her about Luan Nian's difficult personality and advises her to be careful around him. But Shang Zhitao's first major assignment immediately puts her in Luan Nian's path: she has to conduct an interview with him for an internal company feature. Nervous about dealing with the intimidating creative director, Shang Zhitao asks Lumi for advice on how to survive the conversation without being humiliated. Determined to do her job properly, she enters the interview and faces Luan Nian's blunt questions, sarcasm and dismissive attitude. The encounter becomes increasingly awkward, and in the chaos Shang Zhitao accidentally knocks over Luan Nian's beloved antique typewriter, making an already difficult first impression even worse. Despite everything, Shang Zhitao stays late at the office and carefully records the interview. Near eleven at night, she sends her notes to Liang Xin exactly as required. Liang Xin forwards them to Luan Nian, who is surprised by how directly she has recorded his words. Rather than changing his comments to make him look better, Shang Zhitao simply writes down what he actually said. When Shang Zhitao finally leaves the office, she discovers that the last bus has already gone. A man offers her a ride for an unusually high price, but Shang Zhitao takes precautions by photographing the vehicle's license plate before getting in. Luan Nian happens to appear and realizes that the vehicle is an illegal taxi. He points out that the license plate in her photograph is not clear enough to identify the car properly. He then offers to drive her home himself. During the journey, Luan Nian asks about the interview. Shang Zhitao honestly explains that the human resources department told her to record everything accurately, so she simply wrote down exactly what he said instead of changing his words to make him look better. Luan Nian once again tells her that Lingmei is not suitable for her and suggests that she should leave while she still can. Shang Zhitao misunderstands his hostility and assumes he is still angry about the damaged typewriter, even offering to repay the cost. But despite his repeated warnings, she firmly tells him that she will not resign. Luan Nian watches her walk away after dropping her off. Behind his cold and dismissive attitude, he is already intrigued by her stubbornness and resilience. Shang Zhitao heads back toward her apartment, unaware that the night is not over yet. As she approaches home, Shang Zhitao suddenly realizes that someone appears to be following her. Alarmed, she rushes into the elevator and reaches her floor. She struggles to open her apartment door while the footsteps behind her become increasingly threatening. She knocks desperately and calls for Sun Yu, but receives no immediate response. Her fear grows as the person following her gets closer. Episode 1 establishes the central dynamic between Shang Zhitao and Luan Nian: she is inexperienced but stubborn, open-hearted and unwilling to give up, while he is talented, demanding and deliberately difficult to approach. Their first encounters are filled with clashes, misunderstandings and unexpected moments of protection, setting the foundation for a complicated workplace relationship that will gradually become much more personal.