A Robot in the Orange Orchard Episode 1 Recap
> A Robot in the Orange Orchard Recap
Yang Shanshan dreams of her beloved prince accepting their love and escaping to a new world together, her greatest wish to open his heart. Meanwhile, Lu Sen awakens to the sound of a crash. Investigating, he finds a drone that had infiltrated his room.
In a hidden van nearby, Fu Yang and Li Chade discuss the drone's infiltration of Mr. Lu's high-security residence; Li Chade mentions needing stronger jammers to avoid time pressure, and Fu Yang defends his daring act, having managed two minutes to deliver a USB drive. Fu Yang also complains about their financial struggles, mentioning they're almost out of money for electricity bills, and promises Li Chade a private plane if their plan succeeds.
Lu Sen, despite his wariness, is intrigued and inserts the USB into his computer. A video message from Fu Yang, leader of Team Alpha, introduces "Friday," an advanced AI robot. Fu Yang describes Friday's world-class information storage, real-time deployment, and predictive motion capabilities, emphasizing she is indistinguishable from a human in thought and action. He invites Mr. Lu to meet Friday, promising both surprises and business opportunities, and provides a contact number.
However, Lu Sen closes the dialogue box before Fu Yang finishes speaking. Lu Sen instructs his subordinate to verify the USB's contents, which are confirmed to be authentic, including the existence of the high-IQ robot, Friday. Recognizing the advanced nature of this AI technology, Lu Sen foresees a significant shift in the domestic IT industry.
He stresses the utmost confidentiality of the project and explicitly forbids Fu Yang from collaborating with anyone else, especially the rival father-and-son duo, Li Jingcheng and Li Zhan. Taking matters into his own hands, Lu Sen travels to Fu Yang's factory. Upon entering, he is greeted by a futuristic display of technology. A female robot introduces herself as Friday, created by Dr. Fu Yang's Alpha Team.
Lu Sen, skeptical, believes she is a human acting as a robot and comments on her convincing performance. To prove her identity, Friday removes her outer clothing, revealing her intricate mechanical structure beneath. Amazed, Lu Sen removes his glove and touches her fingertip, confirming she is indeed a robot as he experiences no allergic reaction, a crucial test given his condition. Friday then leads Lu Sen to Fu Yang, who explains Team Alpha's long-standing research into robotic neural networks.
He recounts the development of the first and second generations of Friday, capable of association but unable to truly understand human emotions. He proudly introduces the third generation of Friday, a breakthrough deep-learning robot designed to read human emotions using their patented emotion-analyzing neural network system. During contract negotiations, Fu Yang demands an 80% upfront payment within 24 hours and a 300% penalty for delays, citing the high operational costs of Friday's neural network.
Lu Sen expresses doubt about their financial situation, remarking on the high price and suggesting they might not even be able to pay their electricity bills. Friday, to Fu Yang's dismay, interjects that he lied. When Lu Sen encourages her to elaborate, Friday explains that Fu Yang subconsciously touched his nose after speaking, an indicator of lying based on the "Pinocchio effect" in psychology. She declares that unlike humans, robots cannot lie and will always be loyal to their master.
Friday further boasts that her empathy surpasses all other AI products on the market, and with sufficient deep learning, she could understand Lu Sen better than he understands himself. Impressed by Friday's honesty and capabilities, Lu Sen agrees to the payment after the trial period. He adds two conditions: the project must remain strictly confidential, and Fu Yang's team must relocate to a laboratory provided by him.
Lu Sen demands that Friday be ready for testing the very next day, warning that failure to pass the trial will result in contract termination. He immediately instructs Mr. Si to prepare a private house on his estate for the team. After Lu Sen departs, Fu Yang's team celebrates their success, revealing they had secretly inflated the contract from 50 million to 100 million.
During their celebratory drinks, a beer bottle accidentally strikes a controller, burning out a circuit and rendering Friday's limbs inoperable. They find no replacement batteries available in India or the U. S. , and the one in Japan will take two days to arrive. Fu Yang calls Lu Sen to request a two-day postponement for the test.
However, Lu Sen, fueled by the news of Li Zhan's rising success and the competitive pressure it creates for IMU, adamantly refuses any delay. He warns Fu Yang that any deviation from the agreed-upon schedule will be considered a breach of contract, incurring additional penalties. A team member, recognizing Yang Shanshan from a previous encounter, suggests an alternative plan.
Meanwhile, Yang Shanshan, who had queued all night to purchase a limited edition "Record Knight Richman" figure for Lu Sen, delivers it. Lu Sen, however, claims the item is damaged with a dent and refuses to pay the remaining balance. Yang Shanshan indignantly refutes his claim, citing her impeccable record and extensive experience as a surrogate shopper, insisting the item was perfect when she handled it. She demands payment, emphasizing that the rare model is irreplaceable.
As Lu Sen attempts to drive away, he accidentally knocks Yang Shanshan down. Despite suspecting she might be exaggerating her injury, he gets out to check on her. Seizing the opportunity, Yang Shanshan grabs his wrist, making direct skin contact. Lu Sen immediately experiences a severe allergic reaction. He quickly breaks free, drives to a secluded spot, and injects himself with medication.
He then calls his doctor, who, alarmed by the incident, reiterates the extreme danger of his Haphephobia, a rare and potentially fatal condition where human contact triggers severe allergic reactions and breathing difficulties. The doctor urges Lu Sen to be extremely cautious and avoid human touch at all costs, noting the near-impossibility of a cure. Lu Sen reassures his doctor, stating he is accustomed to solitude and has a thousand ways to entertain himself, even celebrating his refrigerator's birthday.
He explains that maintaining a "safe distance" is essential for his self-protection. His medical smartwatch, which tracks his pulse, temperature, and allergy index, is now upgraded to include symptom relief time, and the doctor receives real-time alerts. Normal readings are green; above 100 turns yellow, above 1,000 (indicating full-body reactions) turns orange, and above 2,000, red, signaling a critical, life-threatening situation within minutes.
Though his index hasn't exceeded 2,000 in fifteen years, the doctor insists he keeps the watch on at all times. Later, Yang Shanshan's friend notices her injuries and asks about them. Yang Shanshan recounts her frustrating encounter with Lu Sen, whom she labels a "scum" and a "cheat," for refusing payment over an alleged dent in the figure. Her friend teases her, observing that few can outwit or control her besides her uncle.
Yang Shanshan laments her uncle's dismissive attitude towards her part-time work and her "Love Lamps" project, which he considers a frivolous hobby. She explains her "Love Lamps" concept: a pair of lamps that light up for one person when the other touches their corresponding lamp, symbolizing a silent connection between loved ones across any distance. She hopes to win first place in the Youth Creativity Competition to become a recognized designer.
However, her hopes are dashed when she receives a call from the organizing committee, informing her that the IMU Youth Creativity Competition has been canceled. The next morning, the day scheduled for Friday's test, Lu Sen prepares but cannot find his necklace. He quickly realizes Yang Shanshan must have taken it during their encounter and calls her, threatening legal action if she does not return it immediately. Shortly after, Fu Yang's team arrives to deliver Friday for the test. To Lu Sen's utter astonishment, the robot Friday bears an uncanny resemblance to Yang Shanshan.
