Download The Early Spring Episode 9

The Early Spring Episode 9 begins with Shang Zhitao and Sun Yuanzhu enrolling together at a driving school. Shang Zhitao struggles during her lesson and is harshly criticized by the instructor for making mistakes. When it is Sun Yuanzhu's turn, he deliberately makes the same mistake and allows the instructor to scold him as well, simply to make Shang Zhitao feel less embarrassed. His thoughtful gesture leaves her feeling much better and shows how naturally supportive he has become toward her. At Lingmei, Luan Nian continues his aggressive approach to company spending. During a major meeting, he rejects numerous budgets proposed by senior employees, including Zhang Ling and other veteran managers. Shang Zhitao and Lumi discuss the situation privately and acknowledge that although Luan Nian's methods are extremely strict, the board clearly chose him to lead the company because they believe his approach is necessary. His ability to challenge established practices becomes one of the qualities that makes him both frustrating and impressive. Shang Zhitao proposes organizing a company basketball game to improve communication between different departments and strengthen relationships with important business partners. She explains that people who know and trust each other are easier to work with, and that informal relationships can make future negotiations smoother. Lumi is impressed by her practical way of thinking and agrees that the event could help bring the company and its clients closer together. Luan Nian privately meets Zhang Ling and explains that his budget cuts are not intended as a personal attack. He reminds Zhang Ling that they are effectively on the same side and that both of them want Lingmei to succeed. Zhang Ling initially suggests canceling the basketball event because the available budget is far too small. Luan Nian disagrees. He believes the event should still happen, but with strict spending controls. In his view, showing clients the company's actual strength is a better way to maintain relationships than simply spending large amounts of money entertaining them. Zhang Ling tells Shang Zhitao that around sixty people are expected to attend but that she has only five thousand yuan to organize everything. Shang Zhitao is shocked by the tiny budget but refuses to give up. She begins calling venues and suppliers, searching for inexpensive options that can still provide a professional experience for the guests. That evening, Shang Zhitao continues making phone calls while eating dinner with her roommates. Sun Yu and Sun Yuanzhu notice how exhausted she is and keep putting food into her bowl. Sun Yu jokes that the budget is so low that the company might as well stand beside the road holding a sign asking strangers for money. The joke gives Shang Zhitao an idea. Instead of simply searching for cheap suppliers, she decides to use the event itself as an opportunity to attract sponsorship. Shang Zhitao contacts several suppliers and offers them priority consideration for future cooperation with Lingmei over the next three years. The suppliers immediately become interested because the promise of long-term business is much more valuable than a single event. Rather than paying for the venue, uniforms, food and drinks herself, Shang Zhitao creates competition among suppliers for the chance to sponsor the basketball game. Her strategy works remarkably well. She manages to secure sponsorship for almost every aspect of the event without using the company's limited budget. Lumi is extremely proud when she sees the finished arrangements and tells Luan Nian that Shang Zhitao managed to organize the entire basketball event without spending almost any company money. Luan Nian praises Shang Zhitao's intelligence and asks Lumi to carefully evaluate how well the suppliers perform during the event. Before the basketball game, Wan Jun from Yueteng visits Luan Nian. He brings a gift and asks Luan Nian to make an exception to the company's supplier-entry rules by allowing several suppliers recommended by Yueteng into the database. Luan Nian immediately refuses. He tells Wan Jun that Lingmei has established procedures for supplier evaluation and that he will not make exceptions simply because a client requests them. He also refuses to accept Wan Jun's gift. The basketball game is eventually held successfully, and Lingmei wins the match. Lumi calls Luan Nian to invite him to the celebration dinner and tells him that everyone wants him to come and celebrate with the team. Luan Nian initially refuses. However, before ending the call, he reminds Lumi that if Wan Jun attempts to discuss supplier arrangements privately, she must report everything to him immediately rather than negotiating on her own. Lumi later tells Shang Zhitao that the basketball event has made her extremely popular inside the company. Almost everyone now knows who she is because of the successful organization. The female employees are particularly interested in Luan Nian's private life and hope that he will attend the celebration so they can ask him about his relationship status. Lumi asks Shang Zhitao to persuade him to come, but Shang Zhitao refuses because she does not want to use their private relationship to influence his decisions. Luan Nian eventually arrives at the celebration anyway. Wan Jun immediately approaches Shang Zhitao and tries to use a toast as an opportunity to get closer to her. He also wants to learn more about the supplier prices and understand how much room there is for negotiation. Shang Zhitao remains professional and refuses to reveal confidential information. When Shang Zhitao leaves the room, Wan Jun follows her outside and again tries to obtain information about the supplier prices. Shang Zhitao firmly rejects his request and explains that the supplier system exists specifically to prevent this kind of private negotiation. Luan Nian has followed them and overhears the entire conversation. He is clearly pleased by Shang Zhitao's response and sees that she has understood the principles he has been teaching her. However, when Shang Zhitao returns to the celebration, Luan Nian stops her in the hallway. He criticizes her for drinking too much and asks why she has been so friendly with the suppliers. Shang Zhitao reminds him that he previously told her that professional socializing is normal and that showing gratitude to suppliers is part of maintaining healthy business relationships. She argues that the suppliers voluntarily helped with the basketball event and that she should respond with appropriate warmth. Luan Nian unexpectedly asks why she never treats him with the same warmth. Shang Zhitao is caught completely off guard and does not know how to answer. To avoid the question, she takes the basketball medal she received from the event and offers it to him as a thank-you gift. Luan Nian refuses to take it. Instead, he takes the medal and personally places it around Shang Zhitao's neck, telling her not to keep running away from him. The gesture immediately reminds Shang Zhitao of their previous intimate encounters. She steps backward and tells him that she is not running away because she dislikes him. She is trying to protect herself. She cannot afford to lose her job, and workplace relationships are not something she wants to allow to interfere with her career. Luan Nian responds that if her only concern is being discovered, then their relationship does not have to be public. He suggests that they can keep their relationship completely private. Shang Zhitao is stunned by how directly he says it. Later at the celebration table, Lumi represents the curious female employees and asks Luan Nian about his love life. Luan Nian repeatedly tries to redirect the conversation toward work and future projects, but Lumi refuses to let the subject go. Finally, Shang Zhitao is pressured into asking him directly whether he has a girlfriend. Luan Nian pauses before giving an unexpected answer. He claims that he has been married twice and has two children to support, explaining that his intense work ethic comes from the responsibility of raising them. The revelation immediately destroys the romantic curiosity of the women around him, and they quickly lose interest. Shang Zhitao quietly lowers her head and smiles because she understands that Luan Nian is obviously joking to escape the interrogation. After the celebration, Luan Nian waits outside for Shang Zhitao and offers to drive her home. Shang Zhitao instinctively wants to avoid being alone with him, but Lumi suddenly joins them and gets into the car as well. Luan Nian suggests dropping Lumi off first, but Lumi insists that Shang Zhitao should be taken home before her. During the drive, Lumi casually mentions that Wan Jun seemed particularly interested in Shang Zhitao and asks why he did not offer to drive her home. The question immediately triggers Luan Nian's jealousy. He suddenly brakes hard and begins speaking in an unusually formal and stern manner about workplace rules. He criticizes Shang Zhitao and Lumi for discussing project-related matters after drinking and insists that every conversation with Yueteng representatives must be documented. Luan Nian orders Shang Zhitao to prepare a written record of the conversation and send it to him by email, including a warning that the discussion occurred after alcohol had been consumed. Shang Zhitao notices through the rearview mirror that Luan Nian keeps watching her. She becomes nervous and quickly looks away. After returning home, Shang Zhitao looks at the basketball medal around her neck and thinks about Luan Nian's proposal to keep their relationship secret. She realizes that she is no longer able to deny her feelings. Eventually, she agrees to the idea of a private relationship, but she establishes one important condition: if either of them begins wanting to date someone else, they must tell the other person honestly. If they still fit together, they can continue; if they no longer do, they must separate. She also insists that their relationship must remain strictly exclusive and one-to-one. The following day, one of the suppliers recommended by Wan Jun privately contacts Lumi and offers her a three-percent kickback. Lumi immediately becomes suspicious. She tells Luan Nian that a legitimate supplier should be willing to compete openly and should have no reason to secretly offer money to an employee. Luan Nian agrees and becomes even more determined to investigate the supplier network carefully. Lumi also accidentally reveals that it is Shang Zhitao's birthday. She and the others have planned a karaoke celebration for that evening. Luan Nian immediately becomes uncomfortable when he realizes that Shang Zhitao is celebrating without inviting him. He repeatedly looks at his phone while sitting with Tan Mian, clearly wondering whether she will contact him. Tan Mian quickly realizes what is bothering him. He tells Luan Nian that both he and Shang Zhitao obviously have feelings for each other and that continuing to pretend otherwise is pointless. Luan Nian says very little, but his attention remains fixed on his phone. Eventually, he decides to call Shang Zhitao himself. At the karaoke celebration, Shang Zhitao spends the evening with Sun Yu, Sun Yuanzhu, Lumi and her friends. Yao Bei also joins them before leaving for Hong Kong. She says goodbye to Shang Zhitao and encourages her to continue building her career. Yao Bei believes that Shang Zhitao is becoming more mature and is learning how to balance her feelings with her ambitions. The group sings, drinks and celebrates Shang Zhitao's birthday. As the night continues, Shang Zhitao becomes increasingly drunk. Luan Nian finally calls her and immediately realizes from her voice that she has been drinking heavily. He asks Shang Zhitao whether she has made a birthday wish. In her drunken state, she answers honestly. She wishes that the people she loves will remain in Beijing, that she will be able to hold on to the things she has worked so hard to obtain, and that she will become a better version of herself. Then, without realizing how directly she is revealing her feelings, she says that she also wants to hold on to Luan Nian. Luan Nian becomes silent for a moment before an uncontrollable smile appears on his face. Hearing Shang Zhitao admit that she wants him to remain in her life confirms what he has been trying not to acknowledge throughout the episode. Episode 9 marks the point where Shang Zhitao and Luan Nian finally stop pretending that their attraction is merely professional. Shang Zhitao proves herself as a capable organizer by securing the entire basketball event through sponsorships, while Luan Nian continues protecting company rules and becomes increasingly jealous of anyone who gets close to her. Their decision to maintain a secret, exclusive relationship changes the dynamic between them, and Shang Zhitao's birthday confession at the end makes it clear that her feelings for Luan Nian have become genuine.