Cute Programmer Episode 18 Recap
> Cute Programmer Recap
Lu Li confided in Gu Xiaoqi that Jiang Yicheng had pressured her to participate in a game design competition, demanding she win first place to secure investments and break free from his parents' control and their marriage. Outraged, Gu Xiaoqi asked for Jiang Yicheng's number, vowing to verbally insult him and labeling him a scumbag. Lu Li, however, defended Jiang Yicheng, asserting he wasn't a scumbag but simply didn't like her.
She confessed to feeling a thorn in her throat every time she saw him with Li Man. Gu Xiaoqi observed the similarity between the "Li" in Lu Li's name and Li Man's, then advised Lu Li not to forsake the "entire forest" for one "crooked-neck tree." Yet, Lu Li insisted Jiang Yicheng was her "only tree," describing him as "tall, straight, and with dense leaves," the "best-looking tree there is."
She tearfully explained that her "flowers would bloom for him" whenever she saw him, before reciting a poignant poem about unrequited longing, ending with the imagery of "pieces of her withered heart" falling unnoticed. Meanwhile, Jiang Yicheng, alone in his residence, spent the entire night seething with anger. The following morning, Lu Li, worried about her lingering hangover, accepted honey water from Chen Yiming, who subtly inquired if she had returned home the previous night.
Upon hearing Lu Li was in Chen Yiming's office, Jiang Yicheng stormed in. Chen Yiming attempted to explain Jiang Yicheng's motivations for Lu Li joining the competition, hinting at Li Man's involvement but clarifying it wasn't what Lu Li imagined. However, Jiang Yicheng abruptly interrupted, launching into a furious tirade against Lu Li. He accused her of staying out all night, failing to answer his calls, fabricating clumsy lies, and exhibiting a defiant attitude.
He further condemned her for drinking before a workday and lacking any game concept, declaring that forcing her to withdraw from "Xuan Zhong Ji" was his "wisest decision." He asserted that her participation in the competition wasn't essential and that she was not "irreplaceable," a remark that deeply wounded Lu Li. With a determined glare, Lu Li vowed to win the competition and not disrupt his "plan," a word Jiang Yicheng pretended not to understand.
As Lu Li departed, Chen Yiming chastised Jiang for his harshness and low emotional intelligence, comparing him to a "husky trying to rip apart the house." Chen Yiming expressed his initial desire to help but now advised Jiang Yicheng to "pray for himself." Back at her desk, Lu Li, still seething, resolved to prove her indispensability. She began coding a game where a character resembling Jiang Yicheng could be repeatedly struck, with his health points visibly depleting.
Huang Xun approached, offering a mint candy and commenting on the boss-employee dynamic, which he likened to a couple who, despite their bond, inflict pain on each other—a "double damage" for Lu Li and Jiang Yicheng. He approved of her game as a "healing" method but suggested less "gory" ways for the boss to "die," such as from a falling light bulb, or being disfigured and then succumbing to the horror of his own reflection.
Huang Xun clarified that bosses who demand constant overtime without pay, deny holidays, withhold promotions, or verbally abuse employees are natural adversaries, though he quickly added he wasn't referring to Jiang Yicheng, who had, in fact, given him a raise. He concluded that if everyone vented their frustrations "cutely," the world would be much more peaceful. Lu Li, impressed, praised Huang Xun as a "genius."
Later, Lu Li overheard Old Ape speaking frantically on the phone, distraught about losing all his money after investing everything. Lu Li cautiously approached, offering assistance, but Old Ape, flustered, awkwardly dismissed her, claiming he was merely arguing with a friend and that she and her peers were "too young to help." Later, Lu Li discussed Old Ape's behavior with Huang Xun, wondering if his family was facing difficulties, but Huang Xun had no information.
This conversation prompted Lu Li to ask Huang Xun for more "ways to kill bosses." Huang Xun, boasting about the "special creative ideas" he had amassed from enduring Jiang Yicheng's "torment" over the years, enthusiastically listed various methods, including death by alcohol poisoning, a falling vase, sudden death from straining on the toilet, swallowing flies, the overwhelming pungency of Luosifen noodles, being clamped by an elevator, shock from cockroaches, or drowning.
Inspired by Huang Xun's morbid creativity, Lu Li decided to enact the "death by Luosifen noodle's pungency" method, reasoning that "company matters should be resolved at the company." She retrieved a prized packet of Luosifen from her refrigerator and enthusiastically cooked a bowl. The intense aroma soon filled the apartment, drawing Jiang Yicheng, who, pinching his nose in disgust, declared it smelled "like dung" and called it a "biochemical weapon."
Lu Li, however, found the smell "great" and the noodles delicious, advising him to chew slowly. When Jiang Yicheng, exasperated, called her a "dung beetle" and tried to escape, Lu Li playfully blocked his path, claiming she was "pushing a dung ball." The next day, Jiang Yicheng complained about Lu Li's strong perfume, to which she retorted that it was due to a "dung beetle" in her house.
Later that day, Lu Li presented her game, tentatively titled "A Hundred Ways to Kill A Boss", to the team. She explained it was a high-difficulty casual puzzle game with a simple objective: reduce the boss's health points to zero using various methods. She proudly displayed the boss character design, confirming it was drawn by Gu Mo, noting its exceptional quality and striking resemblance to Jiang Yicheng.
She described the character as appearing "cool and wealthy" but being "arrogant and mean" in reality, allowing players to choose bosses with different charm, acuity, and stamina. Chen Yiming praised the concept, believing its focus on boss-employee conflict would generate significant buzz. When asked for his opinion, Huang Xun initially flattered Jiang Yicheng as "mighty and talented," but when pressed for honest feedback with the promise of a reward, he voiced grievances about tight development cycles and constant overtime.
Jiang Yicheng, unfazed, "rewarded" him with an additional 50 hours of overtime after his current 100. Despite his outward demeanor, Jiang Yicheng later privately admitted to Lu Li that she had done a "great" job, calling her inspiration a case of "fair weather after the storm" and offering his assistance should she need it. Meanwhile, Gu Xiaoqi visited a pet store and was captivated by a handsome male cat that strongly resembled her cat, Momo.
Upon confirming it was a male, she exclaimed it was a "match made in heaven" for her female cat, which was in heat. Although the cat was being fostered and not for sale, Gu Xiaoqi pleaded with the staff, Sister Zhang, to ask its owner about arranging a breeding session for Momo. Gu Xiaoqi was thrilled when she later received the owner's WeChat, confirming Mr. Ye's interest in a "matchmaking session" for their cats after his business trip.
Later, Lu Li's parents unexpectedly arrived at her apartment. Lu Li and Jiang Yicheng hastily tried to make their bedroom appear as if they cohabitated, despite it being noticeably filled with men's items. Lu Li claimed her belongings were in the "bridal chamber" next door, where they, as newlyweds, ostensibly slept.
They guided her parents through a quick tour, showcasing the spacious but messy "bridal chamber" which only had one pillow—Lu Li quickly explained Jiang Yicheng "drools" in his sleep, necessitating its frequent washing. Her mother, however, was unimpressed by the lack of "newlywed atmosphere," noting it made them seem like "housemates," and pressed them about their wedding photos. Jiang Yicheng quickly interjected, promising they would take the photos after his current project.
Lu Li's mother then decided it was time for dinner and, as retaliation for Jiang Yicheng previously standing her up, declared she wanted to try her "son-in-law's cooking," insisting he prepare the meal. Despite Lu Li's efforts to assist him, she was pulled away by her mother, leaving Jiang Yicheng alone in the kitchen, bewildered by the unfamiliar cooking utensils.
Jiang Yicheng presented his dishes: stir-fried carrots with tomatoes, which he described as belonging to the "same color scheme," and a fish so charred it looked like carbon, though he insisted the inside was "edible." While Lu Li's parents politely attempted to compliment the carrots as "sweet and sour," they struggled to swallow the fish. Her mother then pointed out that the eggs in the egg drop soup hadn't been beaten.
Lu Li privately grumbled to her mother about letting Jiang Yicheng cook, to which her mother responded that men needed to be made to work hard, citing her husband as proof. Their last hope for edible food lay with the rice cooker, but Jiang Yicheng had forgotten to turn it on. Resigned, Lu Li's parents took over the cooking.
The next day, inspired by the previous evening's events, Lu Li completed new "boss-torturing" scenarios for her game, finishing a full day ahead of the deadline. As she put the finishing touches, Li Man instructed Program Group 1 to retrieve new servers. Huang Xun volunteered, also expressing his desire to be the first internal tester for Lu Li's game.
During this time, Old Ape's phone rang with an unfamiliar number, which he quickly dismissed as a "sales call," attracting the attention of his colleagues. Later that evening, after work, Old Ape was confronted in the underground parking garage by Brother Long and other debt collectors.
He desperately pleaded for a one-week extension, but Brother Long was unsympathetic, stating that tomorrow was the final deadline and threatening to go to Old Ape's company and inform his boss if the debt was not settled. Old Ape was subsequently beaten. The next morning, Lu Li discovered that the source code for "A Hundred Ways to Kill A Boss" had vanished from her computer and the server.
Distraught, she reported the catastrophic loss to Jiang Yicheng, who erupted in a furious tirade. He berated her for her irresponsibility, likening the situation to "running out of bullets before a battle" on the submission day. He pointed out that rewriting a 70% complete demo by the 8 PM deadline was impossible, and such an incomplete version would never secure first prize. He called her "careless" and expressed his profound disappointment, leaving Lu Li devastated and repeatedly apologizing.
Chen Yiming, observing Lu Li's despair, chastised Jiang Yicheng for being "too harsh," reminding him this incident would only justify EG's decision not to make her the lead programmer for "Xuan Zhong Ji". He noted that Jiang Yicheng "clearly felt sorry for her" but inexplicably struggled to speak kindly. Jiang Yicheng dismissed Lu Li as a "dumb koala" for losing the files, then prepared to leave for a meeting, entrusting company affairs to Chen Yiming.
Despite his usual disdain for leveraging personal connections, Jiang Yicheng sought help from his father, Mr. Jiang. His father, surprised by the unexpected visit, remarked that "the sun was rising from the west." Jiang Yicheng admitted he needed his father to use his friendship with Mr. An of Netfalse, the competition organizer, to extend the submission deadline until the next morning. He blamed the situation on his "dumb wife," Lu Li, losing the game demo.
After some playful negotiation where Jiang Yicheng used his mother as leverage, Mr. Jiang agreed to help on his daughter-in-law's behalf. As a condition, he demanded Jiang Yicheng act as his "ball boy" for his upcoming golf game, a request Jiang Yicheng reluctantly accepted. The episode concluded with a reflection that people often mistakenly believe others can understand them without direct communication.
