Download The Early Spring Episode 13

The Early Spring Episode 13 begins during Lingmei's company retreat on a beautiful tropical island. Shang Zhitao catches everyone's attention when she appears in an elegant off-the-shoulder dress, and Lumi immediately notices several handsome foreign tourists looking in her direction. When Luan Nian joins them, Lumi proudly praises the company's female employees and jokingly asks their boss to buy them fresh coconuts. Luan Nian refuses to pay, so Lumi takes Shang Zhitao to buy them herself. Before they can pay, a handsome foreigner offers to buy Shang Zhitao a coconut drink. Lumi uses the opportunity to tease Luan Nian about his obvious jealousy, and Luan Nian refuses even to taste the drink offered by the man. Lumi then drags Luan Nian into a souvenir shop, joking that beautifully dressed women should not have to carry their own wallets. While shopping, Luan Nian notices a small flower in Shang Zhitao's hair. His expression softens immediately, and he quietly pays for the souvenirs while Lumi encourages Shang Zhitao to take advantage of their boss's generosity. The playful atmosphere continues until Luan Nian pulls Shang Zhitao back to his hotel room and closes the door so that they can be alone. Inside the room, Luan Nian admits that he disliked seeing other men staring at her. He tells Shang Zhitao that she should not dress so attractively in front of other men, revealing a possessive and jealous side that he normally keeps hidden. Shang Zhitao teases him about being controlling, but Luan Nian makes it clear that his jealousy is not something he feels toward everyone. It is specifically because he cares about her. The two share an intimate moment before a sudden phone call interrupts them. Alex asks Shang Zhitao to meet him in the hotel lobby to discuss work. Luan Nian is irritated that Alex is contacting her during the company vacation, but Shang Zhitao insists that she should go because Alex is her superior and his recommendation could affect her upcoming promotion to Account Manager. Luan Nian reminds her that his opinion matters as well, but Shang Zhitao confidently tells him that she intends to succeed through her own ability rather than depending on either man's support. Before she leaves, she and Luan Nian promise to watch the sunrise together the next morning. Soon after Shang Zhitao leaves, Liang Xin calls Luan Nian with unexpected news: Alex has resigned from Lingmei and accepted a position at the rapidly growing startup Chuangyu. Luan Nian is immediately concerned. He orders Liang Xin to secure Alex's existing projects and monitor the company's employees because Alex may attempt to recruit experienced staff from Lingmei. Luan Nian is particularly worried that Shang Zhitao could be one of the employees Alex tries to take with him. Liang Xin tells Luan Nian that retaining Shang Zhitao may ultimately depend on his personal ability to convince her to stay. Meanwhile, Alex meets Shang Zhitao privately in the hotel lobby. He praises her development over the past two years, recognizing her ability to learn quickly, handle pressure and recover from setbacks. He tells her that she would probably already be an Account Manager if Luan Nian had not repeatedly interfered with her career progression. Alex then makes Shang Zhitao a serious offer. He invites her to join Chuangyu as an Account Manager with a significantly higher salary and her own team. The offer would give her a faster route toward the position she has been working toward at Lingmei. Shang Zhitao is stunned by the opportunity and asks for time to consider it. Alex tells her to keep the conversation confidential while she makes her decision. Later that evening, Luan Nian announces special bonuses for the team as part of the retreat. Although he tries to behave normally, he keeps watching Shang Zhitao carefully. When he asks what Alex wanted to discuss with her, Shang Zhitao hides the job offer and tells him that they were only discussing ordinary work matters. Her decision to keep the offer secret becomes the beginning of a major misunderstanding between them. The following morning, Shang Zhitao and Luan Nian meet to watch the sunrise as they promised. Luan Nian again tries to find out whether she has something important to tell him. Shang Zhitao does not reveal Alex's offer. Instead, she tells Luan Nian how grateful she is for everything she has learned at Lingmei and for the difficult guidance he has given her. She says that she hopes they will be able to watch many more sunrises and sunsets together in the future. Although Shang Zhitao's words are deeply affectionate, they do not calm Luan Nian's growing anxiety. He suspects that something has changed and worries that she may be preparing to leave Lingmei. Shang Zhitao continues to hide the job offer because she has not yet decided what she wants to do. After the team returns to Beijing, Liang Xin officially announces Alex's resignation. Luan Nian is temporarily assigned to oversee Business Division Two. During the farewell dinner, employees discuss Alex's decision to leave and the possibility that several people may follow him to Chuangyu. Lumi reveals that Alex has already convinced Du Anni and Li Tianran to join him. Lumi warns Shang Zhitao about the risks of leaving a large and established company for a startup. She reminds her that Lingmei has provided her with valuable experience and that her involvement in the Yueteng project has made her an important employee. She also believes Luan Nian's leadership could help her career continue to grow if she stays. As the farewell gathering winds down, Alex privately approaches Shang Zhitao again. He asks whether she has made a decision about his offer. Luan Nian notices them talking from a distance and becomes increasingly suspicious. After seeing Alex speaking privately with Shang Zhitao, he sends her a harsh message suggesting that Alex only wants her because she is easy to control and inexpensive compared with more experienced employees. The message deeply wounds Shang Zhitao. She has spent years working hard to prove that she is capable, and Luan Nian's words make her feel that he does not respect her professional value at all. When Luan Nian later confronts her, he criticizes her for hiding the offer and accuses her of being short-sighted and too easily influenced by immediate financial rewards. Shang Zhitao finally loses her patience. She tells Luan Nian that money is not meaningless to her. She reminds him that she lives in a small rented apartment, spends hours commuting across Beijing and has worked extremely hard simply to build a stable life. Unlike Luan Nian, she does not come from a world where financial security can be taken for granted. She tells him that Alex's offer is not attractive only because of the salary. She is also considering it because Alex respects her abilities and speaks to her as an equal professional. She angrily tells Luan Nian that she has decided to join Chuangyu. Their argument becomes so painful that Shang Zhitao eventually blocks Luan Nian's phone number and WeChat account. After the confrontation, Shang Zhitao walks through the streets alone. She is devastated by the argument but refuses to cry in front of anyone. She eventually stops to comfort a stray dog, finding a brief moment of peace in its company. Luan Nian returns to his unfinished apartment and drinks alone. Tan Mian finds him and immediately realizes that something serious has happened. After hearing the story, Tan Mian refuses to simply blame Shang Zhitao. He tells Luan Nian that she has every right to make her own career decision and that their secret relationship has already made it difficult to separate personal feelings from professional judgment. Tan Mian asks Luan Nian a direct question: is he afraid of losing Shang Zhitao as an employee, or is he afraid of losing her as the woman he loves? He tells Luan Nian that if he genuinely wants her to stay, he should win her back instead of pushing her away with insults and criticism. Left alone, Luan Nian looks at the repaired wooden sign from his studio. The object triggers an unpleasant memory from years earlier. He remembers how his father treated him after his own startup failed. His father had mocked his ambition, called him naive and accused him of wasting the family's money. As Luan Nian remembers those painful words, he suddenly realizes that he has spoken to Shang Zhitao in exactly the same condescending way. The realization shocks him. He understands that while trying to protect himself from losing control, he has unconsciously become the same kind of person he once hated in his father. The next day, Luan Nian conducts a tense meeting with Business Division Two. He assigns Shang Zhitao a global new-media market research project and initially demands that she complete it in only two weeks instead of the original one-month schedule. Shang Zhitao refuses to accept the unrealistic deadline. She calmly explains that the division is already short-staffed and that completing the research properly within two weeks would be impossible with the resources currently available. Everyone expects Luan Nian to become angry, but he unexpectedly compromises. Instead of attacking her, he offers to bring employees from other teams to help her complete the research within the shortened deadline. He then publicly praises Shang Zhitao's careful planning and recognizes the amount of work she has already done for the company. The change surprises everyone in the room. Luan Nian is still demanding, but he is no longer using humiliation as a management tool. He has begun recognizing Shang Zhitao's professional judgment and respecting her willingness to challenge an unrealistic order. After the meeting, Lumi is impressed by Shang Zhitao's new confidence. She asks whether Shang Zhitao has finally decided to leave Lingmei and follow Alex to Chuangyu. Shang Zhitao admits that she still has not made a final decision. She explains that she simply told Luan Nian the truth about what she could realistically accomplish and that she does not want to compromise her professional standards merely to please him. Lumi tells Shang Zhitao that whatever decision she makes, her abilities are undeniable. Shang Zhitao then begins reflecting on everything she has achieved since joining Lingmei. She remembers the difficult assignments, the mistakes, the late nights and the lessons she learned from Luan Nian. For the first time, she seriously considers how much of her professional identity has been built through the company and how difficult it would be to start again somewhere else. Later, Shang Zhitao sits quietly and prepares a collection of postcards for her friends. Luan Nian approaches her and jokingly asks where his postcard is. He reminds her that he paid for the postcards and therefore deserves one as well. Shang Zhitao smiles and writes a sincere wish for his happiness on his card. Luan Nian is touched by her handwriting and keeps the postcard instead of sending it. He jokes that they can save the postage, then quietly takes another postcard for himself. The small exchange shows that despite their painful argument and uncertain future, neither of them has completely let go of their emotional connection. The episode ends with Shang Zhitao still caught between two possible futures. Chuangyu offers her a higher position, more money and greater independence, while Lingmei represents the place where she has built her professional foundation and where Luan Nian continues to influence her life. Luan Nian, meanwhile, has begun confronting his own mistakes and recognizes that his pride and harsh words may have pushed the person he loves toward leaving him. Episode 13 becomes a major turning point in both their careers and relationship. The romantic tension on the island gives way to a serious professional conflict when Alex offers Shang Zhitao a new future at Chuangyu. Her decision to hide the offer and Luan Nian's jealous, insulting reaction push their secret relationship to its breaking point. Yet Luan Nian's later realization about his father's influence and his changed behavior toward Shang Zhitao suggest that he is finally learning how to respect her as an equal rather than simply trying to control the situation.