Northwards Episode 23 Recap
> Northwards Recap
Xie Wanghe's three-person team had worked tirelessly and successfully brought their overtime rate down to five percent. Meanwhile, at Xia Fenghua's express station, employees began to resign en masse, drawn by the better benefits offered by Bee. Fenghua approved their departures, telling them to prioritize their health while earning money, as medical care in Beijing was expensive. Looking stressed, Fenghua later reached out to Shao Xingchi, inviting him for coffee to discuss him joining her station.
Xie Wanghe, overhearing this, quickly interrupted, joking about Fenghua poaching his staff. He refused to let Shao Xingchi go, instead suggesting that Fenghua join Bee herself, an offer she flatly refused. Unpersuaded, Fenghua continued to deliver parcels herself. While on a delivery, she witnessed a Shuntong courier being struck by a car.
She immediately instructed her employee, He Tianming, to call for an ambulance and the police, then quickly blocked the offending vehicle from fleeing, managing to save most of Shuntong's parcels. Mr. Wei, the head of the local Shuntong station, rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. Seeing Fenghua's actions, he felt a mix of gratitude and shame. After ensuring the situation was under control, Fenghua and He Tianming left.
He Tianming commented on Mr. Wei's lack of a "thank you," but Fenghua dismissed it, saying it was enough if he felt it in his heart, and that she considered it a good deed. Elsewhere, Shao Xingchi expressed concern for Fenghua to Xie Wanghe, saying she always shares good news but hides the bad. Xie Wanghe, however, believed she brought the trouble upon herself.
He recounted how he had tried to convince her to join him at Bee, where she'd earn more and he could look after her, but she refused because she couldn't abandon her employees. He angrily recalled her crying at his doorstep after her staff left for a mere 300 yuan pay increase from another company. Later that night, Shao Xingchi visited Fenghua, bringing crayfish.
He apologized for upsetting her, but Fenghua playfully told him to keep an eye on Xie Wanghe, implying he was prone to reckless behavior, which made Shao Xingchi slightly jealous. A few days later, Shuntong couriers once again harassed Fenghua's station staff, attempting to damage their parcels. Mr. Wei, passing by, intervened to stop the altercation. When Fenghua arrived, Mr. Wei uncharacteristically apologized for his employees' behavior and agreed to compensate for any damaged items.
The two then formally discussed a new partnership, agreeing to jointly manage the Keyuan Nanli area. Fenghua initially proposed a 40-60 split, but they settled on a 30-70 split in Shuntong's favor. Aware of the high accident rate among couriers, Fenghua proposed a new insurance plan to her employees: she would cover half of the "five social insurances and one housing fund," and they would cover the other half.
However, her employees, including He Tianming, were reluctant, viewing insurance as useless and preferring to keep their earnings. They explained that they came to Beijing to make money and most planned to return home eventually, feeling no sense of belonging. Fenghua then appealed to her company's headquarters, proposing the company split the costs with her to relieve the employees' burden, but the request was flatly rejected, with the company claiming such a plan would lead to bankruptcy.
Mr. Meng was very pleased with Xie Wanghe's performance and gifted him a car as a reward. He further motivated the riders in Haidian District by announcing a doubling of commissions for the next month. Amidst the enthusiastic cheers, Xie Wanghe proudly introduced Shao Xingchi and Zhou Haikuo to Mr. Meng, emphasizing their lifelong friendship. After the meeting, Zhou Haikuo confided in his girlfriend, Xiao Hui, about his plan to resign and fully commit to Bee.
Xiao Hui expressed reservations, stressing that while childhood friendships are precious, one must ultimately rely on oneself as an adult. Later, at a KTV celebration, a jubilant Xie Wanghe again invited Fenghua to join Bee, promising to absorb all her employees into his team and assuring her of much higher earnings. Fenghua, however, was unimpressed and resolutely declined his offer, stating she had no interest in working for him.
Meanwhile, Xie Wanghe's father, Xie Tiancheng, and his wife, Li Yan, were on a long-haul truck route when they discovered someone stealing their fuel. Xie Tiancheng confronted the thief and was stabbed in the abdomen. Upon receiving a frantic call from his mother, a distraught Xie Wanghe prepared to rush to Tianjin. Fenghua, realizing he had been drinking, took his car keys and drove him there herself.
She instructed Shao Xingchi and Zhou Haikuo to manage the company in Beijing, anticipating potential trouble from their rivals, Mr. Song and Qiu Lin. At the Tianjin hospital, Li Yan explained to the arriving pair that Xie Tiancheng was stable. His injuries were not life-threatening, requiring only a dozen stitches. While Xie Wanghe sat by his father's bedside, Fenghua comforted Li Yan, who asked her to keep an eye on Wanghe.
When Li Yan asked why she had refused Wanghe's job offer, Fenghua explained that she preferred running her own business and couldn't be bothered listening to his nonsense. Back in Beijing, Xiao Hui learned that Xie Wanghe's team had tried to poach Fenghua. Zhou Haikuo explained that Fenghua would never join Bee. He speculated that her primary reason for coming to Beijing was Xie Wanghe, and becoming his subordinate would effectively end any romantic possibilities between them.
Zhou Haikuo believed Xie Wanghe was aware of this unspoken truth, but neither of them dared to address it directly, fearing that if things didn't work out, they wouldn't even be able to remain friends. The next morning, Xie Tiancheng awoke to his son's complaints about his impulsive heroism. Fenghua pulled Xie Wanghe into the hallway, cautioning him against upsetting his recovering father. Meanwhile, Mr. Song and Qiu Lin attempted to take advantage of Xie Wanghe's absence.
Shao Xingchi and Zhou Haikuo were forced to deal with them, reporting that while market share had increased, order volume had decreased due to rival company Yuntu's increased subsidies. Mr. Song and Qiu Lin pushed for Bee to match the subsidies, but Shao Xingchi and Zhou Haikuo, adhering to Xie Wanghe's strategy, suggested further optimizing delivery processes and reducing delivery times instead.
