Love At Night Episode 1 Recap
> Love At Night Recap
Xu Qingyou, the Director of the Operation Department I at Lemi E-commerce, is on the cusp of turning thirty. She believes a thirty-year-old woman should live on her own terms, a philosophy she embodies daily. The story opens with Xu Qingyou waking up in a luxurious hotel room, startled by a wake-up call from the front desk informing her that a Mr. Mo had booked the 8 AM service for her.
Observing the disarray of her clothes strewn across the floor, she grapples with the hazy memory of the night before. The narrative then flashes back to the previous day. Her boyfriend, Fan Yunxi, a lawyer, video calls her early in the morning. He urges her to quit her demanding job and become "Mrs. Fan," suggesting they move their wedding date forward. Fan Yunxi, believing women dream of "enjoying the fruits of others' labor," suggests her current work is too strenuous.
Xu Qingyou, however, firmly states that she prefers to be self-reliant and share his burden, dismissing his views as "erroneous assumptions." Meanwhile, Mo Lingze receives an urgent call from his secretary, Wang Ji, who reports that Zhao Lei of Golden Capital, Mo Lingze's former employer, has "robbed" their project and is now with Jia Weisi, a genius coder and the founder they are trying to secure.
Mo Lingze, unfazed, assures Wang Ji that the project is secure and instructs him to meet at a designated location. While searching for Jia Weisi on a street where he habitually has breakfast at 8:30 AM, Wang Ji reports that they still haven't found him. It is on this very street that Mo Lingze unexpectedly encounters Xu Qingyou.
As Jia Weisi attempts to escape, he shoves Xu Qingyou into Mo Lingze's arms, leaving a distinctive lipstick stain on Mo Lingze's pristine white shirt. Simultaneously, Director Zhai calls Xu Qingyou, questioning her department's temporary change to the advertising plan. Mo Lingze, misinterpreting Xu Qingyou as a rival sent by Zhao Lei to approach Jia Weisi, dismisses her actions as "drama queen" behavior and "too old-fashioned tactics," which she doesn't fully grasp.
Mo Lingze then proceeds to meet with Jia Weisi and Zhao Lei. Jia Weisi, keen on securing funds quickly in the "capital winter," asks which of them can deliver the investment first. Zhao Lei presents an agreement promising a quick process. Mo Lingze, however, critiques Zhao Lei's lack of due diligence, pointing out the homogeneity of their products and over-reliance on third-party channels, questioning his "awareness of risk diversification."
Mo Lingze presents a concise plan, asserting its sufficiency and the sincerity of Shangger Capital. Zhao Lei attempts to belittle Mo Lingze, implying his success is due to Mr. Lin's daughter's favor and that he's "overqualified" for his current role. Mo Lingze retorts that he isn't interested in being a "partner," which he considers a "retirement job," but rather in swiftly leading Shangger to surpass Golden Capital and become the premier investment company in the TMT track.
Jia Weisi is later presented with his favorite signed comic, further cementing his favor towards Mo Lingze. Back at Lemi E-commerce, Director Long Jin of Department II gloats about their projected performance surpassing Department I and makes disparaging remarks about Xu Qingyou's imminent departure to become a lawyer's wife. Xu Qingyou calmly refutes Long Jin's criticisms regarding advertising plans and reminds them about their scheduled use of the meeting room.
Soon after, news breaks on Weibo alleging Lemi E-commerce's cosmetics are fake, supported by dozens of inspection reports. Xu Qingyou immediately takes charge, instructing all staff not to respond until an official statement is released. Director Zhai, concerned about the approaching mid-year sale, suspects competitors are behind the rumors. Xu Qingyou volunteers to contact the whistleblower, as beauty makeup falls under her department, and acknowledges the new Shangger Vice President's imminent arrival.
Amidst this corporate crisis, Xu Qingyou receives photos from a friend, revealing Fan Yunxi embracing another woman, confirming his infidelity. Despite the emotional blow, she calmly accepts Fan Yunxi's subsequent dinner invitation to a couple's restaurant, betraying no emotion in her voice. She then methodically assigns tasks to her team: Dong Bao to contact the whistleblower, Xia Meng to verify purchase records, Yu Ming to prepare a lawyer's letter, and Xiaopang to prepare public relations.
Later that evening, Xu Qingyou meets Fan Yunxi at the restaurant. He attempts to explain his actions by claiming he was drunk and doesn't remember anything, but admits his mistake and promises her a "happy life." Incensed by his excuses, Xu Qingyou splashes a glass of red wine on his face, stating she cannot trust him after he cheated on her just three months before their wedding. Distraught, Xu Qingyou heads to a bar, drinking heavily.
In a game, she shatters the bar's highest record, previously held by Mo Lingze. The bar owner informs her of a rule: the record-breaker has the right to make a request to the previous record holder. Mo Lingze arrives at the bar and performs a song. Xu Qingyou, visibly intoxicated, waves light sticks, occasionally catching Mo Lingze's eye.
As the bar prepares to close, a staff member attempts to call her "honey" from her phone to pick her up, but Xu Qingyou snatches the phone and tosses it into an ice bucket. Mo Lingze intervenes, and Xu Qingyou confronts him, reminding him of the bar's rule: "bet is bet." She asserts her right to make a request and tells him, "Tonight, obey my order." Mo Lingze offers to take her home.
Xu Qingyou drunkenly confides that her "perfect boyfriend" of ten years cheated on her and she doesn't want to go home, believing people are not always "so lucky." Mo Lingze, expressing concern only for her "personal safety," suggests a coin toss: heads, he takes her home; tails, he hands her over to the police. Confused but unwilling to go home, she eventually collapses onto his shoulder. Mo Lingze, sensing her distress, takes her to a hotel.
The next morning, upon waking to a messy room and seeing her broken stockings, Xu Qingyou was convinced that she and Mo Lingze had done something "out of line" the previous night. Later that morning, Xu Qingyou's assistant, Meng Meng, confirms the whistleblower's purchase records are legitimate. Xu Qingyou arranges a meeting with the whistleblower, who insists on speaking directly with a leader.
Confronting him, Xu Qingyou reveals her discovery of his sixteen seemingly unrelated Weibo accounts, used since 2015 to extort nearly twenty companies by falsely accusing them of product issues. The blackmailer claims companies paid because they had a "guilty conscience." Xu Qingyou secretly records their conversation, asserts Lemi's "clear conscience," and warns him to delete the video and publicly apologize or face legal action, even sarcastically suggesting he follow the news from prison.
She confidently states Lemi is prepared for all investigations. Later, Mo Lingze, identified as the new Vice President of Shangger Capital, arrives at Lemi with his team to assess the crisis. He expresses concern that the negative news has "seriously affected Lemi's market valuation," suggesting its "investment value should be reevaluated." Director Zhai introduces Xu Qingyou as the person in charge of resolving the crisis. Xu Qingyou, despite her evident discomfort at seeing Mo Lingze, presents her findings.
She confirms the whistleblower's unboxing video was unedited and his purchase records were genuine, but the "only doubt" lay with the warehouse. Presenting surveillance footage, she reveals that the warehouse keeper, Wang Dachuan, was secretly changing products. Wang Dachuan, in an employment relationship with the whistleblower, resorted to this desperate measure to pay off "heavy debts" incurred from "poor consumption records."
Xu Qingyou explains she demanded a public apology from the whistleblower, who has since complied by posting a video on Weibo. Director Zhai commends Xu Qingyou for her excellent work. As Xu Qingyou escorts Mo Lingze out, he remarks that she looks familiar, though he can't place her. Xu Qingyou denies having seen him before. Just before leaving, Mo Lingze subtly reminds her, "Director Xu, you haven't paid me the fee for hotel accommodation yet."
