Ordinary Glory Episode 19 Recap
> Ordinary Glory Recap
Manager Su praised a report on a Diana face mask, which was actually written by Hao Shuai but presented by Manager Yin Sheng Chao. To appease Hao Shuai, Yin handed him a credit card without a PIN, encouraging him to treat his friends. Hao Shuai, feeling grateful, took Sun Yiqiu and Lin Yuming out for a meal.
Despite the free food, Sun Yiqiu and Lin Yuming appeared visibly unhappy, prompting Hao Shuai to deduce they were troubled by their new colleague, Lu Siqiu. Hao Shuai, drawing from his experience with "thugs," advised them to fight back against bullies like Lu Siqiu, warning that continuous tolerance would only encourage more abuse. Lin Yuming agreed with Hao Shuai's advice, but Sun Yiqiu's quiet "yes" left Lin Yuming doubtful that he truly understood.
The meal took an awkward turn when the waiter announced that Yin Sheng Chao's credit card had exceeded its limit. Hao Shuai, after a moment of disbelief, used his own card to pay for everyone. Later, Hao Shuai confronted Yin Sheng Chao, who feigned forgetfulness due to being busy. Hao Shuai presented the receipt, suggesting Yin Sheng Chao reimburse him via WeChat.
Yin Sheng Chao, however, produced a form for expense claims, asking Hao Shuai to submit it to the Finance Department. Hao Shuai, sighing, decided to cover the meal himself. Seizing the opportunity, Yin Sheng Chao immediately assigned Hao Shuai the task of picking up Italian clients at midnight and finding suitable accommodation for them, stating it was an opportunity to "display his value" given Hao Shuai's knowledge of such venues.
Overwhelmed, Hao Shuai confided in Sun Yiqiu, explaining that while Yin Sheng Chao seemed nice superficially, he consistently offloaded his work onto Hao Shuai without any apparent guilt, and always took the credit. Sun Yiqiu empathized, as he too was facing similar issues, immediately receiving a call from Lu Siqiu. At a mahjong game with Yin Sheng Chao and others, Lu Siqiu disparaged Wu Kezhi, calling him a "brainless and gutless fool" who thought too highly of himself.
Sun Yiqiu, following Lu Siqiu's instructions to pick him up, struggled to connect with Lu, who finally answered after many attempts, correcting Sun Yiqiu's location from "Basement 2" to "Basement 3." Sun Yiqiu was visibly uncomfortable witnessing Lu Siqiu's intimate behavior with a woman in the car. With Jiang Nan away on a business trip, Wu Kezhi had to rely on Gao Sicong to compile industry data and project-related information.
Wu Kezhi took the opportunity to advise Gao Sicong to think carefully about his career choices, reminding him that while leaving might be easy, returning could be much harder. Lu Siqiu arrived late to the office, immediately checking his stock portfolio, which had hit a "limit down." He gloated about having sold the stock just in time, dismissing Wu Kezhi's annoyance by claiming he was "studying the secondary market."
When Wu Kezhi pressed him about his commitment to work, Lu Siqiu declared he needed an assistant and unilaterally chose Sun Yiqiu. Lin Yuming vehemently objected, pointing out that Sun Yiqiu was already his assistant and had a heavy workload. Lu Siqiu dismissed Lin Yuming's projects as "trash," nearly provoking a physical fight. Sun Yiqiu quickly intervened, volunteering to be Lu Siqiu's assistant while also continuing to assist Lin Yuming.
Lin Yuming, frustrated by Sun Yiqiu's lack of pride, called him "Fatso." Manager Wang then arrived for a round, and Lu Siqiu immediately fawned over him, praising Team IV and bragging about Sun Yiqiu's willingness to be his assistant. Lu Siqiu even offered to find a Chinese medicine practitioner for Manager Wang's arm.
During a dinner later that evening, Wu Kezhi revealed that Lu Siqiu had once been an excellent and hardworking investment consultant, even creating a unicorn company in his first year, much like Sun Yiqiu's potential now. He emphasized that since Lu Siqiu was now a member of Team IV, they had to make it work. Wu Kezhi then instructed Sun Yiqiu to do his best to assist Lu Siqiu.
Lin Yuming, deeply concerned, warned Sun Yiqiu that Lu Siqiu would "bully him to death" and that unconditional compromise would only encourage Lu Siqiu to become more aggressive. Sun Yiqiu, however, internally resolved to approach the situation strategically, focusing on understanding his opponent and waiting for an opportune moment to counterattack rather than reacting impulsively. Sun Yiqiu later sought information about Lu Siqiu from Gao Sicong, asking about his character.
Gao Sicong admitted he only knew about Lu Siqiu's professional dealings with Jiang Nan and had no interest in his private life. He advised Sun Yiqiu to stay away from Lu Siqiu and not attempt to change his attitude, emphasizing that Lu Siqiu was unlike Wu Kezhi and beyond Sun Yiqiu's ability to handle. Undeterred, Sun Yiqiu presented Lu Siqiu with a list of potential projects.
Lu Siqiu, while acknowledging Sun Yiqiu's "potential," dismissed the list as readily available online information, questioning Sun Yiqiu's ability to do more than "copy and paste." Sun Yiqiu then demonstrated his in-depth knowledge of various founders and their companies, such as Fang Xu Hua of Lianlian Bao and Luo Yong Jie of Yuqing Culture, and even differentiated between three notable Xu Leis.
Lu Siqiu scoffed, stating that true connections meant mutual recognition, not just knowing names, and then flaunted his extensive network of contacts on his phone. He further derided Wu Kezhi, suggesting he hadn't taught Sun Yiqiu anything useful beyond copying and pasting. Meanwhile, a call came through to Jiang Nan's desk phone. Gao Sicong answered, learning that the "Xinyuan Energy Conservation" project's investment budget had been reduced by five percent.
Shortly after, Cui Manager rushed over, urgently needing the proposal revised for the Risk Control Centre. Despite Gao Sicong's initial hesitation, citing Jiang Nan's absence, Cui Manager pressed him, praising his intelligence. Cui Manager then called Jiang Nan, who, in turn, asked Gao Sicong to do him a favor and complete the revision for the team before his potential resignation. This request invigorated Gao Sicong, who immediately began working on the proposal.
Lu Siqiu's exploitation of Sun Yiqiu continued to escalate. He demanded Sun Yiqiu massage his stiff neck, complimenting his technique, then insisted he massage his aching legs, claiming he had played basketball all day. Just as Wu Kezhi and Lin Yuming were about to intervene, Lu Siqiu received a call from a "Director Liu" regarding "that project" and abruptly left. Lin Yuming pulled Sun Yiqiu aside, furiously questioning his constant deference to Lu Siqiu.
He expressed his confusion, stating that while he understood enduring Wu Kezhi's criticism, he could not comprehend why Sun Yiqiu would tolerate a "nasty man" like Lu Siqiu. Lin Yuming concluded that Sun Yiqiu had become a "real coward" and pleaded with him to explain his thoughts if he trusted him. Sun Yiqiu simply replied, "I'm not thinking of anything."
Back in his own division, Hao Shuai was mistakenly perceived by Manager Su as a playboy who spent his nights out, contrasting him with a supposedly diligent Yin Sheng Chao who "is always staying up to entertain our clients" and still managed to write the Diana face mask report. This misperception, combined with Yin Sheng Chao claiming credit for Hao Shuai's work, pushed Hao Shuai to finally confront Yin Sheng Chao.
Hao Shuai pointed out his heavy workload and the unfairness of Yin Sheng Chao taking all the credit. In response, Yin Sheng Chao dramatically apologized, even hitting himself, and appealed to their "brotherly" bond and his relationship with "Uncle Hao" (Hao Shuai's father), suggesting a video call. This manipulation effectively sent a flustered Hao Shuai back to his work.
Separately, Gao Sicong's revised proposal for "Xinyuan Energy Conservation" was rejected, and Cui Manager, unable to provide a reason, criticized Gao Sicong's recent performance compared to his trainee days. Meanwhile, Lan Qianyi was relegated to menial tasks in the Energy Division, wiping desks and cleaning up shattered glass while Xu and Zhao managers idled. Sun Yiqiu came to her aid to help with the broken glass.
Later, Hao Shuai joined Lan Qianyi, Sun Yiqiu, and Gao Sicong, intending to vent his frustrations, only to realize that their situations were even worse than his. Hao Shuai urged them again to fight back against the "evil forces." Sun Yiqiu, however, reiterated his strategy, explaining that direct retaliation would only expose their weaknesses. Instead, he advocated for observing their opponents, making them waste effort and lose composure, and waiting for an opening to counterattack.
Lan Qianyi found Sun Yiqiu's nuanced approach very sensible, while Gao Sicong, still disheartened, sighed about finding his "third option." As Lan Qianyi returned with takeout for her team, she encountered Lin Yuming and Sun Yiqiu, and then unexpectedly ran into her ex-girlfriend, Chen Zhan. Panicking, Lan Qianyi dropped the food and fled. At the bus stop, Sun Yiqiu checked on her, but Lan Qianyi remained visibly distressed and continuously ignored calls from Chen Zhan.
