Ordinary Glory Episode 31 Recap
> Ordinary Glory Recap
Ye Nongzhou arrived to personally deliver a proposal to Gao Sicong, and attempted to give him a business card. Gao Sicong politely declined, stating that all contact information was already in the proposal, and then escorted Ye Nongzhou to a waiting taxi, assuring him they would provide feedback. Lan Qianyi went to Manager Ma's office to apologize for her performance in the previous day's negotiation and requested to be removed from the team. Unexpectedly, Manager Ma urged her to stay.
He revealed his knowledge of her past romantic involvement with Chen Zhan from Youwei Capital, and suggested that her presence could secure an additional 5% profit for their company. Lan Qianyi felt deeply insulted, insisting her relationship with Chen Zhan was over. Manager Ma pressed her to reconcile with him, calling it a "Beauty Trap." Lan Qianyi angrily retorted that his suggestions constituted workplace harassment and threatened to report him to the Labour Arbitration Institute.
In response, Manager Ma scornfully dismissed her, yelling at her to "Get lost" and calling her "ungrateful." Distraught, Lan Qianyi was later found by Gao Sicong, who took her for dessert. He suggested she request a transfer to another department, but Lan Qianyi worried that such a move would make an enemy of Manager Ma, effectively blacklisting her from other divisions. As they returned to the office, they overheard Manager Ma disparaging Lan Qianyi.
A heated argument ensued, during which Lan Qianyi publicly exposed Manager Ma's unethical suggestion. Enraged, Manager Ma threw coffee at her, but Gao Sicong quickly stepped in front of Lan Qianyi, shielding her from the splash. Manager Ma left, muttering angrily. Lan Qianyi thanked Gao Sicong, her emotions a complex mix.
Sun Yiqiu approached Wu Kezhi, asking for permission to go out and find new projects, but Wu Kezhi flatly refused, instructing him to focus on assisting Lin Yuming with current tasks. Meanwhile, Hao Shuai, after completing a set of slides, received a phone call from Manager Yin, who assigned him another report due the next day, implying it was Manager Yin's own responsibility. Hao Shuai felt a surge of suppressed anger.
To express her gratitude, Lan Qianyi presented Gao Sicong with a new shirt. He appreciated the gesture, acknowledging the irony that after having coffee thrown at him, he received a gift. He encouraged Lan Qianyi not to lose hope, believing that good things would eventually come her way. Jiang Nan then assigned Gao Sicong to conduct due diligence for the "Justice Online" project at Thunder Fire Studio.
Gao Sicong argued that PC games were an outdated trend and a project that had been ongoing for four years was likely flawed, rendering a due diligence investigation unnecessary. Jiang Nan dismissed Gao Sicong's market analysis as biased and challenged him to investigate the project thoroughly, presenting it as his first independent project if successful. Gao Sicong reluctantly accepted. Later, Sun Yiqiu again questioned Wu Kezhi about being held back from finding projects.
Wu Kezhi retorted that Sun Yiqiu's current approach was aimless and assigned him to assist the IT Division with a project, stating that his performance there would determine future opportunities. This project was "Justice Online," meaning he would be assisting Gao Sicong. Believing the "Justice Online" project was a waste of time, Gao Sicong left the office for the day. However, Sun Yiqiu remained to continue working.
Lan Qianyi and Hao Shuai, also compelled to work late due to their demanding supervisors, saw Gao Sicong leaving. They expressed their frustration, feeling exploited while he was free to leave. Lan Qianyi reminded Gao Sicong that he was the project lead, not Sun Yiqiu. Prompted by their words, Gao Sicong returned to the office to join Sun Yiqiu.
Lan Qianyi and Hao Shuai also decided to stay, finding comfort in their shared plight and working together late into the night. When they eventually tired, they chose to play games to unwind. Gao Sicong, who had previously disparaged gaming, watched his colleagues play with a contemplative expression.
Over dinner, Lin Yuming questioned Wu Kezhi's reasons for preventing Sun Yiqiu from pursuing his own projects, especially since "Justice Online" was a TMT Division project and wouldn't earn Sun Yiqiu significant credit. Wu Kezhi hinted that he was helping Sun Yiqiu and that "Justice Online" was crucial for him. Ding Libo seemed to grasp Wu Kezhi's reasoning, but Lin Yuming remained confused, unable to understand how the seemingly "stupid project" could be important.
The next morning, Sun Yiqiu and Hao Shuai, having slept at the office, were ready for the day. Lan Qianyi, however, had spent a sleepless night, disturbed by phone calls and messages from Chen Zhan. Sun Yiqiu and Gao Sicong, now dressed as investment consultants, met Ye Nongzhou. Instead of leading them into a grand office building, Ye Nongzhou directed them to a cluttered underground warehouse, explaining that financial constraints had forced Thunder Fire Studio to relocate there.
Inside, Ye Nongzhou passionately detailed their meticulous historical research for every game element, from weapons to daily objects. Gao Sicong pointed out that Ye Nongzhou had previously claimed a team of over a hundred, but only three people were present (Ye Nongzhou, an art director, and a chief programmer). Ye Nongzhou explained that the others were on holiday after completing a milestone demo.
Gao Sicong then demanded all the studio's registration and financial information, instructing Sun Yiqiu to test the game's demo. Hao Shuai, despite working through the night to complete his report, was met with relentless criticism from Manager Yin. Manager Yin nitpicked every detail, ordering him to redo the entire report by the end of the day and burdening him with additional urgent tasks.
It became clear that Manager Yin was seeking personal revenge for Hao Shuai having previously exposed him in front of Chief Su. Infuriated, Hao Shuai resolved to challenge Manager Yin. Simultaneously, Lan Qianyi’s submitted documents contained numerous errors, which Manager Zhao highlighted, commenting on her recent distraction.
Xu Manager intervened, sending Lan Qianyi away to collect a document and then privately explained to Manager Zhao that Lan Qianyi's past relationship with Chen Zhan was the root cause of her current absentmindedness. Back at Thunder Fire Studio, Gao Sicong reviewed the financial reports, noting that all initial capital had been invested in improving game quality. He questioned the project's viability and how it would foster player loyalty.
Meanwhile, Sun Yiqiu was engrossed in testing the game, struggling with the final chess puzzle, "The Chess Demon." Ye Nongzhou explained that he found the puzzle in an ancient chess record and that it had no known solution, leading Gao Sicong to remark that Ye Nongzhou was "fooling the players." Dismissive, Gao Sicong announced that their work for the day was complete and prepared to leave. However, Sun Yiqiu asked to stay and solve the chess game, to which Ye Nongzhou happily extended an invitation for them to stay for lunch.
