Cute Programmer Episode 3 Recap
> Cute Programmer Recap
Following up on Lu Li's new role as his "shield," Jiang Yicheng's personal life comes under scrutiny from his mother, Yueru. Concerned that her 28-year-old son is still single, Yueru is alarmed by rumors from her friends that Yicheng has been bringing a man to his blind dates. She dispatches her daughter, Jiang Zitong, who has a crush on Chen Yiming, to investigate her brother's company, fearing the man in question is Chen Yiming.
Meanwhile, Lu Li is confronted by Director Gu, who is revealed to be Gu Xiaoqi's protective older brother. Showing Lu Li a private photo of her with Jiang Yicheng, Director Gu threatens to have her fired unless she immediately breaks up with his sister. Lu Li reluctantly agrees, explaining that Xiaoqi is out of town, and promises to find a suitable excuse for the breakup.
Director Gu warns her to stay away from Xiaoqi and promises to delete the photo once the split is confirmed. Jiang Zitong's arrival at the office triggers an alarm, earning her the nickname "Witch Jiang," and her panicked colleagues push Chen Yiming to handle her. Zitong confronts him, asking if he's the one accompanying her brother on dates. Chen Yiming denies any interest in her brother.
When Zitong's own affections for him become clear, he gently rebuffs her, explaining he only sees her as a younger sister. Relieved that he isn't romantically involved with her brother, Zitong promptly drags Chen Yiming out for a shopping trip. Jiang Yicheng, aware of the situation, grants Chen Yiming a day off, and in their haste, Zitong and Yiming accidentally break a glass door. The company announces a team-building trip to a hot spring resort.
Lu Li fakes a house leak and claims her phone is out of service to avoid the trip, but Jiang Yicheng calls her bluff and forces her into his car. His reckless driving terrifies Lu Li, and he teases her, calling her a "koala" for her slow reactions. Due to their late arrival, they are forced to share the last available room, a suite with a king-sized bed.
Flustered, Lu Li flees the room only to be ambushed by her programming colleagues, who drag her to the men's hot spring. To protect her identity, she wears a full-coverage swimsuit, baffling her teammates who were expecting her to wear only a towel like a "real man." While in the hot spring, the male programmers discover a bug that lets them peep into the adjacent women's bath. They are caught by the female employees, led by Ms. Yezi.
Lu Li, who tried to warn them, gets caught in the middle of the confrontation. Jiang Yicheng arrives and supports the women's proposed punishment: the entire programming team must wear women's clothing to work for a day. When Lu Li tries to profess her innocence, Jiang Yicheng mistakenly assumes she was involved and teases her for having such a "fetish." Later, Lu Li encounters Chen Yiming outside the hotel.
He expresses concern upon learning she is sharing a room with Jiang Yicheng and offers to find her another, but she informs him they are all booked. He then reveals that he knows she wasn't involved in the peeping incident because he "accidentally" discovered she is a woman—a fact he learned earlier when he saw her wearing a chest binder in the men's changing room.
Lu Li goes to a distant pharmacy to buy a pain-relieving patch for Jiang Yicheng's neck. Back in their room, she applies it for him. Thirsty, Jiang Yicheng drinks two cans of beer with a straw and quickly becomes intoxicated. In his drunken state, he becomes clingy and repeatedly asks for a hug, forcing Lu Li to struggle to get him into bed. The next morning, Jiang Zitong arrives, sent by her father to find the "troublemaker" with her brother.
She enters their room and finds Jiang Yicheng and Lu Li asleep in bed together. Misunderstanding the scene, she jokingly anticipates inheriting the family fortune after their father disowns Yicheng. A groggy Yicheng clarifies that Lu Li is just his "shield." Realizing it's a ruse, Zitong demands hush money. To silence her, Yicheng agrees to let her join his company. Now part of the team, Jiang Zitong suggests a horse riding outing.
Chen Yiming, aware of Lu Li's secret, is especially attentive to her at breakfast. At the stables, Lu Li's horse gets spooked and bolts. Jiang Yicheng skillfully rides to her rescue, calming the horse. Impressed by her courage to continue, he offers to teach her properly, explaining that communication with a horse is physical. He mounts the horse behind her to guide her, causing her heart to race.
He then asks if he did anything strange the previous night, having blacked out from the beer, but Lu Li assures him he just fell asleep. As she rides, Lu Li internally reflects that she must hide her growing crush on him, like applying high-precision arithmetic to prevent her feelings from overflowing.
