Cute Programmer Episode 4 Recap
> Cute Programmer Recap
Continuing from the horse riding excursion, Jiang Zitong watches alongside Lu Li as Jiang Yicheng and Chen Yiming ride. Hearing that Chen Yiming is Lu Li's idol, Zitong asks what Lu Li admires about him. Lu Li uses this as an opportunity to speak about her feelings for Jiang Yicheng, describing him as a guiding light she has been following for years.
Overhearing the conversation, Jiang Yicheng approaches and, after hearing about the "light," declares that he is Lu Li's sun—one that will never go out. He then abruptly ends the outing. Later, as Lu Li heads for the company bus, Jiang Zitong tries to make her ride with her and Jiang Yicheng. Lu Li declines and instead accepts a ride from Chen Yiming, leaving with him.
Lu Li later explains to Gu Xiaoqi that her brother, Gu Mo, took a photo of her with Jiang Yicheng and is using it to demand she break up with Xiaoqi. Furious, Xiaoqi wants to confront him, but Lu Li suggests they stage a breakup to placate him without revealing her secret. Xiaoqi agrees but voices her frustration with her brother's overbearing nature. The conversation then turns to the company's "female attire day" punishment.
Seeing Lu Li's anxiety, Xiaoqi promises to help her prepare an unforgettable look, earning Lu Li's affectionate gratitude. The next day, Lu Li arrives at the office dressed as the beautiful Zixia Fairy from a classic film, leaving her colleagues and Jiang Yicheng stunned. Visibly captivated, Jiang Yicheng summons her to his office and insists she remove the veil that is part of her costume. When he takes it off himself and sees her face, he becomes even more flustered.
To mask his reaction, he gruffly calls the look "hideous" and orders her to change, admitting that the punishment intended for her is now torturing him instead, leaving him to question his own feelings. During lunch, Gu Xiaoqi puts on a convincing performance of being heartbroken over her "breakup" with Lu Li for Gu Mo's benefit. Feigning ignorance, Gu Mo asks for the reason and even offers to have Jiang Yicheng removed from the company.
Xiaoqi calmly explains that they separated amicably due to personality differences, an explanation Gu Mo appears to accept. Later at the office, Lu Li gets her period unexpectedly and texts Gu Xiaoqi for help. Xiaoqi, still with Gu Mo, rushes to the company with supplies. She arrives to find Jiang Yicheng searching for Lu Li, who is hiding in a restroom stall. In a panic, Xiaoqi calls Gu Mo, explaining the situation and asking for his help.
Gu Mo hangs the bag of supplies on the restroom door for Lu Li and then distracts Jiang Yicheng by telling him a concept draft needs his immediate approval. After Jiang Yicheng leaves, Lu Li emerges, looking unwell. Jiang Yicheng returns, and Lu Li claims she has a stomachache. Showing uncharacteristic concern, he insists on driving her home. At her apartment, Gu Xiaoqi rushes out to greet them.
After Jiang Yicheng leaves, Lu Li learns that Xiaoqi had to tell Gu Mo the truth. Xiaoqi reassures a worried Lu Li that Gu Mo has promised to keep her secret. The next day, Gu Mo proves his trustworthiness by giving Lu Li a package on Xiaoqi's behalf, sending her the compromising photo before deleting it, and offering his future support. Jiang Zitong makes a grand entrance at the office, announcing a new fashion-forward policy and banning checkered shirts.
She singles out Lu Li, attempting to forcibly change her clothes until Jiang Yicheng intervenes, reminding his sister that it's a game company, not a fashion show. In his office, he rejects her bid to be Deputy Director of R&D. When she asks for a publicity role to be closer to Chen Yiming, Jiang Yicheng offers her the position of Publicity Director but forbids her from disrupting the technical director, calling her "lovestruck" and giving her a take-it-or-leave-it offer.
Lu Li finds Chen Yiming in the breakroom and he offers to teach her how to make latte art. As he patiently guides her, Jiang Yicheng and Jiang Zitong observe them from a distance. Annoyed by their proximity, Jiang Yicheng interrupts, sarcastically asking Lu Li if she was hired to make coffee before pulling her away. Left behind, Jiang Zitong asks Chen Yiming to make a coffee for her with a heart on it.
Jiang Yicheng takes Lu Li to test the company's new VR games. They enter an ancient sword-fighting simulation where he expertly protects her, playfully calling her a "lousy teammate" but reiterating his promise to keep her safe. Afterward, at a sticky wall attraction, Lu Li playfully jumps onto the wall and poses to form the letters "Y" and "C." Jiang Yicheng snaps a photo but is puzzled by the pose.
Lu Li simply smiles and says they are the initials of the person she likes, leaving him completely oblivious. The programming team works late into the night. Having finished her own tasks, Lu Li offers to help her struggling colleagues, bridging the gap between them. The team, including Da Huang, bonds over the shared work, calling each other "best brothers."
Watching them, Chen Yiming nostalgically asks Jiang Yicheng if it reminds him of their early days, but Jiang Yicheng just declares he wants fried chicken. The group decides to take a break for a late-night snack, playfully fighting over the single chicken drumstick. At home, Lu Li's mother, Huang Caixia, despairs over her daughter's wardrobe of men's clothing and drags her to the mall to buy more feminine attire.
While there, Lu Li runs into Jiang Yicheng, who corners her and asks why she always runs from him. She flees into a lingerie store's storeroom to hide. A shop assistant tells a confused Jiang Yicheng that no one is inside, prompting him to leave after making a bizarre excuse about measuring the door. As Lu Li exits the store, she comes face-to-face with Chen Yiming, who was at the mall with Jiang Yicheng, and they lock eyes in mutual recognition.
