Be Together Episode 33 Recap
> Be Together Recap
Xia Yan informed Xu Cheng Yi that Lin Hao had gone missing and his phone was off. She mentioned that Zhao Xiaolei had also been unable to reach him, last seeing him over the weekend and their WeChat communication stopping two days prior. Xu Cheng Yi immediately suspected Xue Ning, believing she conspired with Lin Hao, especially recalling the past user information leak.
While Xue Ning had resigned, Xu Cheng Yi pointed out her deep understanding of SG could still allow her to orchestrate such events. Xia Yan, however, reminded him that Ling Wei had previously implicated Yan Chang Jun for his hacking skills. Xu Cheng Yi countered that many possessed such skills, and he felt Xue Ning had stronger motives. He expressed disappointment that his suspicions were proving true.
Xia Yan emphasized that their current suspicions were mere doubts, and the real truth could only be uncovered by locating Lin Hao. Meanwhile, Lin Hao met with Zhao Xiaolei, having arranged the meeting through her brother, Zhao Xiaojun. Xiaolei, distressed, had been searching for him. Lin Hao vehemently denied leaking SG's plan or framing Xia Yan, claiming these were baseless rumors designed to mislead them.
He explained his disappearance by stating he was trying to avoid persistent reporters and had turned off his phone to avoid trouble. He assured her things will be okay after this period, and they can be together again. Xiaolei questioned if he still wanted to be with her after all that had happened, to which Lin Hao responded that he knew she wouldn't abandon him even in his darkest days.
He declared her the person who treated him best in the world and vowed not to let her down. Before leaving, he gave her a bank card, insisting she keep it for emergencies, despite her initial reluctance. He encouraged her to remember their happy memories and smile when thinking of him, then cautioned her not to tell anyone they had met or defend him, as he didn't want to cause her more trouble.
Shortly after Lin Hao departed, Zhao Xiaolei received a mobile alert for a 500,000 yuan transfer to her bank account. When she immediately tried to call Lin Hao to clarify, his phone was off. Remembering that her brother, Zhao Xiaojun, had mentioned Lin Hao asking about reporters at his home, Xiaolei rushed there, finding Lin Hao packing to go abroad. She confronted him about the sudden influx of money, accusing him of leaking SG's plan and framing Xia Yan.
Lin Hao, without denying it, confessed that his actions were a deliberate act of revenge against Xia Yan, whom he felt had been ruthless towards him. He admitted to seeing himself as a "good-for-nothing" with no future, which fueled his destructive choices. He also revealed that he initially pursued Xiaolei as part of his revenge scheme against Xia Yan, who had quickly moved on with Xu Cheng Yi.
However, he claimed to have genuinely fallen for Xiaolei due to her kindness and unwavering support, promising to return for her after things settled down so they could immigrate to Chile. Xiaolei, distraught, refused to leave with him and pleaded for him to turn himself in to save Xia Yan from being ruined. She emphasized the legal consequences of trade secret theft and argued that self-surrender would lead to a lighter sentence.
Lin Hao vehemently refused to go to jail, accusing Xiaolei of betrayal after he had gone to such lengths for her. When he attempted to leave, Xiaolei desperately clung to his leg, trying to prevent him from taking his passport. In the ensuing struggle, Lin Hao struck her on the head with an ashtray. Immediately after, he sent a text message to Zhao Xiaojun, urging him to save his sister, then deleted Xiaojun's contact.
Zhao Xiaojun quickly arrived at Lin Hao's apartment to find his sister, Zhao Xiaolei, lying on the floor with blood on her face. Rushing her to the hospital, Xiaolei weakly instructed him to pursue Lin Hao, who was headed to the airport, and ensure he didn't get away. Zhao Xiaojun sped towards the airport in pursuit. Encountering a severe traffic jam, he abandoned his car and began searching vehicles individually.
He eventually located Lin Hao in a taxi, forcibly removed him, and began assaulting him, accusing him of harming his sister. Lin Hao, in turn, lashed out, claiming that it was Xiaojun and his family who truly mistreated Xiaolei, citing examples of how Xiaojun always received preferential treatment and how Xiaolei was often blamed for his wrongdoings. Their violent confrontation escalated, resulting in both men falling from an overpass.
Back at SG, Ling Wei called a company meeting to announce significant internal changes. She informed everyone that Xu Cheng Yi had temporarily departed from SG, and the Board of Directors had appointed her as the interim Chief Technology Officer in his stead, meaning she would be leaving the Operations Department. Ling Wei expressed her gratitude for the time she spent with the department, saying it gave her a sense of belonging and validated her decision to return to China.
She then introduced the new Director of the Operations Department: Xue Ning, a familiar figure from SG's past. Ling Wei officially handed over the department to Xue Ning before departing to report to the board chairman. Xue Ning's return was immediately marked by a harsh assessment of the Operations Department's performance.
She criticized the declining SG stock, the drop in "Show Me" users, and the lack of growth for "Confidante Planet," asserting that the department had embarrassed her since her departure. To address this, she announced the reinstatement of the "last-elimination system," aiming to instill a sense of urgency. When an employee questioned the department's accountability for stock price decline, Xue Ning targeted Xia Yan, implying she should resign for causing trouble.
Xia Yan defended herself, asserting she had committed no wrongdoing and would appeal any unjust dismissal. Xue Ning then dismissed Xia Yan's past achievements, claiming they were only possible with support that was now withdrawn. Instead of firing her, Xue Ning reassigned Xia Yan to a menial desk, ordering her to transfer all her current projects to Mei Qi.
Xia Yan's new duties were reduced to office chores, booking travel, and meticulously managing expenses, with the stipulation that any missed cheaper prices would be personally covered by Xia Yan. Xue Ning then summoned the rest of the team to a meeting, pointedly excluding Xia Yan. Aware of Xue Ning's oppressive treatment of Xia Yan, Xu Cheng Yi arranged to meet with Ling Wei.
He expressed concern for Xia Yan's predicament at the company and asked Ling Wei to assist her. Ling Wei promised to do her best, but also cautioned that the Board's decision regarding Xu Cheng Yi's departure was final and beyond even the chairman's influence. Upon returning home, Xu Cheng Yi began to intensely focus on refining the Sadoop algorithm.
At the hospital, Zhao Xiaolei, her head bandaged from her own injury, diligently cared for her brother, Zhao Xiaojun, who was slowly regaining consciousness. He muttered semi-conscious phrases about not bullying his sister, a reflection of Lin Hao's accusations during their fight. Xiaolei quickly called for a doctor. The employees were dismayed to find their monthly salaries drastically reduced, with many reporting their pay was less than half the usual, making it difficult to cover basic expenses like rent.
Xia Yan, however, was unsurprised by the cuts. During a department meeting, a colleague confronted Xue Ning, questioning why the Operations Department was penalized for a stock decline that seemed unrelated to their work, attributing it to the Technical Department's issues. Xue Ning clarified that while the technical vulnerability had been fixed, the Operations Department's poor handling of the public relations crisis had severely damaged the company's reputation and eroded investor confidence, leading to the stock plunge.
She announced that until the stock price recovered, their performance-based salaries would be reduced to one-third. Xue Ning urged everyone to unite and overcome these challenges, framing SG's crisis as a shared one. The employees later privately complained about Xue Ning's hypocrisy, questioning why she didn't sacrifice her own pay. Some circulated rumors of a major contract with a US company that could potentially restore the stock price.
Xia Yan discovered from the company's intranet that SG was planning to sell the Sadoop algorithm to an American company, with a signing ceremony scheduled for the following Monday. She informed Xu Cheng Yi, deeply concerned about how this news would affect him. She knew Sadoop was his life's work, like a child to him, and worried about how an American company might use it, especially since his optimization efforts were still ongoing.
Xu Cheng Yi was profoundly distressed by the news, describing Sadoop as his "baby" that he had been developing for five years. He lamented that while he wished more people would use his algorithm, he didn't want it sold off for mere profit. He explained that Sadoop was a big data processing tool, and he was working tirelessly to optimize it further, aiming to increase its efficiency test score from 68 to 85.
He believed that achieving this goal would not only honor his commitment to the SG chairman but also give him peace of mind, even if he eventually left the company. He reasoned that with SG's stock price continually falling and a barrage of negative news, the Board saw selling Sadoop as a necessary, albeit painful, "invigorating shot" to quickly rebound the stock, despite it being akin to "killing the goose that lays golden eggs."
He was convinced that no amount of emotional appeal would change their decision unless he could tangibly demonstrate Sadoop's greater, undeniable value, hoping even a 5% increase in efficiency could sway them. Xia Yan met with Yan Chang Jun once more, seeking his advice on how to deal with Ling Wei. Yan Chang Jun reminded Xia Yan of his earlier warnings about Ling Wei's manipulative nature and then presented her with Ling Wei's online shopping records.
Reviewing the purchases, Xia Yan realized that the flowers and jewelry Ling Wei claimed to be for her "boyfriend abroad" were actually for herself, confirming that Ling Wei's entire narrative about an overseas partner was a calculated fabrication. Yan Chang Jun affirmed this, explaining that in the digital age, people's online activities leave undeniable traces, making such deceptions easily exposed.
He stressed that Ling Wei had meticulously planned her actions against Xia Yan for a long time, driven by motives far more complex than just Xu Cheng Yi. Yan Chang Jun advised Xia Yan to carefully consider how she would approach Xu Cheng Yi with this information.
