A Robot in the Orange Orchard Episode 26 Recap
> A Robot in the Orange Orchard Recap
Upon his unexpected early return, Uncle found Lu Sen kissing a sleeping Yang Shanshan. Lu Sen immediately took full responsibility, explaining that he genuinely liked Yang Shanshan and believed she returned his feelings. He assured Uncle that he would move out the next day if his presence was deemed inappropriate. Uncle, however, softened his stance, suggesting Lu Sen could stay if he found a job, emphasizing that love alone wasn't enough to provide a good life for Yang Shanshan.
Lu Sen promised to earn both Uncle's and Yang Shanshan's approval and to promptly handle company affairs while also safeguarding Yang Shanshan's aspirations. Before going to bed, Uncle, despite his initial disapproval, offered his knowledge as a "walking encyclopedia" if Lu Sen had any questions. The next morning, Lu Sen prepared omelets for breakfast, which Uncle thoroughly enjoyed. Later, with Aunt and Enbao returning, Lu Sen accompanied Uncle to the supermarket to buy groceries.
Lu Sen's expert knowledge in selecting fresh ingredients surprised Uncle, leading him to research Lu Sen online while waiting in line. To his astonishment, Uncle discovered that the young man before him was none other than Lu Sen, the chairman of IMU. Yang Shanshan arrived back home with Aunt and Enbao, finding Lu Sen carrying numerous grocery bags. Seeing her concern, Uncle took the bags, allowing Lu Sen a moment of rest.
Lu Sen offered to cook lunch for everyone, which prompted Yang Shanshan to playfully worry that Enbao would become too attached to his cooking. Neighbors who had tasted Lu Sen's previous cooking praised him, noting his good looks and culinary skills, and hinting at his relationship with Yang Shanshan, making her feel both sweet and shy.
Meanwhile, at an IMU board meeting, Li Jingcheng accused Lu Sen of authorizing the internal network, then proposed taking over the intelligent robot project himself, leveraging a top foreign robotics team. He suggested that whoever could deliver such a project would become chairman. He also proposed that Li Zhan temporarily take on the role of president to redeem himself following the information leak related to Project Edge-N.
Soon after, Mr. Xie informed Fu Yang that Friday was missing from the lab. Fortunately, they had already moved Friday's core data and files, preventing further damage. Fu Yang's team reviewed surveillance footage, which showed that the theft was carried out not by ordinary thieves, but by a professional robotics team. Kang Li'er suspected Li Jingcheng was behind it, noting his earlier mention of contacting a top foreign team.
The footage identified Tom, a former member of Fu Yang's lab who had previously framed Fu Yang for a data leak. Tom was described as someone driven by profit with no respect for science, a true "scum of academia." Tom presented Friday to Li Jingcheng, who was impressed by the robot's ability to speak, smile, and recognize him. Li Jingcheng attempted to set himself as Friday's master, but Friday refused, stating she only recognized one master.
Tom explained that Friday's core settings were locked because her core data had been transferred, and he was working to crack the system's key. Li Jingcheng urged him to expedite the process, fearing ridicule from the shareholders. Kang Li'er confronted Li Zhan in his office, demanding to know why he was forcing Team Alpha out and why he seemed unconcerned about Friday's disappearance, accusing him of becoming more like his father, Li Jingcheng.
She revealed that Li Jingcheng's "kindness" in adopting Lu Sen was merely a ploy to seize the Lu family's assets and implied his involvement in Lu Sen's parents' car accident. Li Zhan appeared remorseful but helpless. Fu Yang's team struggled to connect with Friday, consistently being blocked at the final step. They suspected it wasn't a firewall or human intervention, but Friday herself actively rejecting the connection. They worried that Friday might activate her self-destruct program.
Furthermore, they realized that Tom's team was attempting to format Friday, a destructive process that would erase all her data, though her defense systems made this difficult. Lu Sen and Yang Shanshan worked together to find Friday. Yang Shanshan posted "missing person" flyers with Friday's picture at various local businesses, hoping to gather clues from the public.
Meanwhile, Lu Sen outlined a strategy with Fu Yang's team to contact top AI teams for assistance (Kang Li'er later made phone calls to some of these teams). Lu Sen also instructed Si Secretary to investigate Li Jingcheng's alleged embezzlement of company funds. Lu Sen later met with Si Secretary, who confirmed that Li Jingcheng was attempting to buy his loyalty, but he vowed to remain loyal until his contract with Lu Sen expired.
Lu Sen assured him that he would remove Li Jingcheng from power before that time. Li Jingcheng, meanwhile, instructed his own secretary to keep Li Zhan completely in the dark about Friday's disappearance and other secret operations, fearing Li Zhan would become an obstacle. Yang Shanshan felt down after an unsuccessful attempt to deliver breakfast to Fu Yang's team, accidentally spilling it and feeling like she was only causing trouble.
Lu Sen, seeing her distress, gently reminded her that she could still help him search for Friday and "charge him with care" when his spirits were low. He then revealed that his parents had died in a car accident on a seaside road when he was young, and Yang Shanshan was the first person to hug him since then, thanking her for bringing him back to the world.
