Cute Programmer Episode 15 Recap
> Cute Programmer Recap
As Jiang Yicheng and Lu Li are happily finishing the birthday cake they made together, he receives an urgent call from his investigator. The investigator reports that Li Man's father is a gambling addict, deep in debt, and lacks a fixed income. He also reveals that Chendong's President Xu Yuanzhi's secretary wired Li Man's father a large sum of money three years ago, a transaction that occurred immediately after Chendong stole Jiang Yicheng's company's source code.
Noticing Jiang Yicheng's somber expression, Lu Li kindly suggests he handle his emergency, assuring him she can take a cab home. Jiang Yicheng confronts Li Man's father, who initially denies knowing him and attempts to dismiss him. However, Jiang Yicheng presents monitoring footage and threatens him with jail time. Under pressure, Li Man's father confesses that he was the one who sold the game code. He clarifies that Li Man was completely unaware and had even refused Chendong's offers.
He claims he forcibly took the source code from her to sell it, driven by his overwhelming debts. He further asserts that Li Man was too engrossed in her relationship with Jiang Yicheng to care about his struggles, and he pleads for leniency, reminding Jiang Yicheng of his past with Li Man. Just as Jiang Yicheng grapples with this revelation, Li Man arrives to deliver a package to her father, inadvertently witnessing the tense conversation.
Jiang Yicheng immediately questions Li Man, asking why she didn't tell him the truth and instead took all the blame by moving away. Li Man explains that she couldn't stand by, given her father's crime and the company's loss, as the code represented everyone's hard work. Jiang Yicheng presses her, asking if he didn't deserve an explanation. Li Man explains that she wanted to tell him the truth but couldn't because she had been arrested.
She recounts a harrowing flashback: she desperately tried to stop her father from selling the hard disk, crying that it would "ruin Jiang Yicheng." In the ensuing struggle, she accidentally cut her father's arm with a knife, leading him to immediately call the police and accuse her of assault. While Li Man was detained for fifteen days, her father successfully sold the code.
Upon her release, she learned that Jiang Yicheng had been hospitalized after a car accident while searching for her. During his recovery, Jiang Yicheng’s mother, Cheng Yueru, had called Li Man a scheming woman from a poor upbringing, vowing never to accept her as a daughter-in-law. Overwhelmed and hurt by Cheng Yueru's words, Li Man confesses that her pride made her flee abroad, where she studied diligently to become a better person.
She believed she could move on but realized she couldn't, admitting that her "hatred" for Jiang Yicheng was what fueled her to brave through the company's darkest year. Jiang Yicheng clarifies that he distinguishes between Li Man and her father, stating he would have known right from wrong if he had known the full truth. He then questions why she didn't pursue legal action against her father.
Li Man explains that the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, and she lacked solid evidence to win such a case, deeming it a waste of time. Jiang Yicheng adds that suing now would be meaningless, as Chendong had already developed games and gone public with the stolen code. Li Man observes that Jiang Yicheng has moved on in both his career and personal life, while she remains stuck in the past.
She asks him if they would have been married if the past events hadn't occurred. Jiang Yicheng responds coldly, "What happened has happened. There's no rewind button. Your hypothesis doesn't hold." Jiang Yicheng returns home late to find Lu Li asleep on the sofa. Earlier, Lu Li's parents were worried and annoyed by his absence, especially since it was the first dinner with their son-in-law since the marriage.
Lu Li had tried to smooth things over, suggesting they wait for him and offering snacks Jiang Yicheng had bought for them. While her mother praised diligent young men, her father questioned Jiang Yicheng's commitment, noting he never visited after the marriage and had even abandoned Lu Li on her birthday in the past. Lu Li passionately defended Jiang Yicheng, asserting he treats her very well.
She recounted their recent birthday celebration in Ancient Town where he made her a fruit cake, lit sparklers, and prepared a surprise before midnight, and how they baked a cake together that day. When Jiang Yicheng arrives, a sleepy Lu Li asks him about the serious phone call he received. Apologizing for missing dinner, Jiang Yicheng simply dismisses her concerns and tells her to rest, before heading to his room. Lu Li, though outwardly understanding, feels a pang of disappointment.
At a meeting, Lu Li presents the "Xuan Zhong Ji" project, detailing its seamless open world and integration of "Shan Hai Jing" cultural elements. During the presentation, Jiang Yicheng receives an urgent call notifying him that Li Man has been hospitalized and he is needed immediately. He abruptly leaves, causing his colleagues to speculate about the female caller.
Lu Li, hearing their whispers, calls Jiang Zitong to confirm that both she and Cheng Yueru are fine, leading her to deduce that the hospitalized friend must be Li Man. Later, Lu Li meets her friend Gu Xiaoqi, who inquires about Lu Li's relationship with Jiang Yicheng, noting his recent strange behavior and suspecting his ex-girlfriend might be involved. Lu Li admits she's unsure.
Gu Xiaoqi playfully suggests checking Jiang Yicheng's phone, but Lu Li is reluctant, fearing she might find something upsetting and jeopardize their recently mended relationship. After they part, Gu Xiaoqi confronts Huang Xun, scolding him for his distant and insincere replies. Huang Xun awkwardly reveals that Gu Mo instructed him to stay away from her, believing he isn't good enough for her family. Enraged, Gu Xiaoqi realizes Gu Mo has been meddling in her romantic life since childhood.
Declaring she'll settle scores with him, she storms off. Jiang Yicheng arrives at the hospital to find Li Man bruised and battered. She confesses that her father continues to demand money, resorting to violence if she refuses. Jiang Yicheng urges her to call the police and get her injuries triaged, but Li Man hesitates, explaining she cannot be so heartless towards her own father.
Jiang Yicheng warns her that her kindness only enables him and she'll be his "ATM for the rest of her life." Meanwhile, a devastated Huang Xun confesses to Lu Li that his romantic prospects were thwarted by Gu Mo, who feels he can't compete with Gu Mo's "higher level." Huang Xun laments his difficult love life, asking Lu Li if she would choose love or career. Lu Li replies that her "love and career are related to the same person."
Soon after, Chen Yiming discusses relationships with Lu Li, expressing his admiration for her simple and pure approach to love. Lu Li shares her belief in perseverance but acknowledges there's a limit, and if things don't work out, she would "take defeat gracefully." Just then, an furious Jiang Zitong storms into the office looking for Chen Yiming, who has just rushed out. Declaring all men are useless, she drags Lu Li out to vent.
After her medical examination, Li Man thanks Jiang Yicheng and asks if they can still be friends, explaining that he, Jiang Zitong, and Chen Yiming are very important to her. Afraid to return home, she invites him to dinner. As they dine at a mall, Jiang Zitong spots them. She quickly invents an excuse, claiming her feet hurt, to whisk Lu Li away before she can see the pair. They head to Jiang Yicheng's apartment.
While Jiang Zitong is in the bathroom, Lu Li frantically tidies the bedroom, hiding her belongings to conceal the contractual nature of their marriage. Jiang Zitong later comments on Lu Li's "elementary school" aesthetic and observes that only Jiang Yicheng's clothes are in the main wardrobe. Lu Li claims Jiang Yicheng is "quite territorial" and they use separate wardrobes. Despite Lu Li's attempts to get her to leave, Jiang Zitong insists on staying, stating she needs to talk to her brother.
