Way Back Into Love Episode 2 Recap
> Way Back Into Love Recap
Lu Jia visited Voya Company, with Ye Angyang enthusiastically describing his and Xu Jiaxiu's journey in establishing the startup, its company culture, and employee benefits. Ye Angyang explained that Voya, despite its small size and single-floor office, was well-equipped and advocated for a humanized management concept, always prioritizing employees. He proudly showed her the "reading, recreation and workout area," which included a modest wooden bucket for arm strength and a shuttlecock.
Lu Jia was unimpressed, and her skepticism grew as they moved to the staff cafeteria. There, she discovered it was a small self-service area equipped with a microwave, where employees were expected to prepare their own meals. Lu Jia candidly expressed her doubts about the company's operating philosophy, finding it vastly different from her expectations.
Ye Angyang acknowledged Voya was smaller than the large companies in Beijing but insisted it was a legitimate startup, and Lu Jia would simply need to adapt. He then took her to the office area, which housed only four desks arranged face-to-face. Wang Di, one of the programmers, explained their primary business was providing mobile internet services, developing apps and mini-programs for clients, creating websites, and offering information systems, effectively an outsourcing model.
Ye Angyang added that their priority was to generate revenue to fund independent research and development in the future. Lu Jia then inquired about the HR department. Ye Angyang informed her that Lan, her interviewer, was an external hire and did not work in the office. He explained that outsourcing HR saved costs during their startup phase.
When Lu Jia asked about the CFO, expecting to hand over her work, Ye Angyang hesitantly revealed that the CFO had resigned that very morning. Feeling deceived by what seemed like false recruitment information, Lu Jia stormed into Xu Jiaxiu's office, relieved she hadn't yet signed the contract. She directly stated she would not take the job, citing the misleading job posting and the company's unaligned atmosphere and culture.
Xu Jiaxiu, who had meticulously orchestrated her recruitment by instructing Lan to hire her specifically, calmly tried to persuade her to reconsider. He offered an immediate promotion to Chief Financial Officer with a 30% salary increase, tempting Lu Jia. Playing hard to get, Xu Jiaxiu advised her to think it over, mentioning that Lan had already posted new job advertisements. Just then, Lan called Xu Jiaxiu to confirm an interview with another applicant for 2 PM.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Lu Jia swiftly accepted the offer and signed the contract. Xu Jiaxiu then casually reminded her to carefully read the employee handbook, specifically highlighting a recently added clause prohibiting office romance—a rule he instituted after an uncomfortable interview with a prospective employee who had deliberately spilled water on him. Ye Angyang then led Lu Jia to her new office space, providing her with supplies and proudly showing her the employee handbook.
He introduced her to her new colleagues: programmers Wang Di and Zhang Liang, and cashier Xiaoda. Her new colleagues warmly welcomed her but immediately began complaining about Xu Jiaxiu's incredibly strict and demanding nature, emphasizing his sharp eyes, excellent memory, and tendency to hold grudges, likening him to a "Scorpio." Lu Jia initially dismissed their warnings, recalling how Xu Jiaxiu had been pleasant to her earlier despite her directness.
However, Ye Angyang, who identified himself as Xu Jiaxiu's childhood friend, cautioned her not to upset him. This triggered a realization in Lu Jia: she wondered if drunkenly kissing Xu Jiaxiu at Meng Tiantian's wedding had already created a "feud" between them. Later that evening, upon returning home, Lu Jia's father, Lu Hongwei, eagerly asked about her new job.
Lu Jia proudly told him she was working at Xu Jiaxiu's company and had been promoted to CFO with a 30% raise. Lu Hongwei, a former Director of Studies at Dongzhou High School, vividly remembered catching Xu Jiaxiu and a girl named Yang Shanni dating in the woods and then publicly criticizing them throughout the school. This revelation further worried Lu Jia, who feared Xu Jiaxiu might take out his past grievances on her.
Just then, Xu Jiaxiu called Lu Jia. He questioned why she hadn't replied to his WeChat message and then assigned her the task of completing the financial statement for the previous quarter by the end of the next day, as the former CFO had left it unfinished. Lu Jia tried to explain that the timeline was too tight, especially since she was new and unfamiliar with the company's business.
However, Xu Jiaxiu cut her off, stating that based on her resume, she was capable of completing the work on time and hung up before she could say more. Frustrated, Lu Jia muttered that Xu Jiaxiu was exploiting her and suspected he was blaming her for the past incident with Yang Shanni. The next morning, Xu Jiaxiu was already at the company entrance, meticulously noting employee arrivals in a small notebook.
Lu Jia, rushing to avoid being late, arrived one minute past the official start time. Xu Jiaxiu, adhering to company policy, informed her that she would be docked two hours' pay for being late. Lu Jia argued that the deduction was unfair for a mere minute's delay, proposing a more precise, minute-based calculation. Just then, Ye Angyang arrived, casually eating breakfast, and Xu Jiaxiu did not record his lateness. Lu Jia immediately pointed out the unfairness.
Xu Jiaxiu explained that Ye Angyang had voluntarily agreed to sacrifice a quarter of his monthly salary to be allowed two hours of lateness each day. Lu Jia suggested implementing a punch-in recorder, but Xu Jiaxiu dismissed the idea, stating that for a company of their small size, manual attendance tracking was more efficient and cost-effective, before redirecting her to focus on the financial statement. Lu Jia grumbled, calling him an "old fogy" for using manual attendance.
Despite the old computer, Lu Jia, leveraging her extensive experience from a reputable accounting firm in Beijing, quickly started working on the financial statement and made significant progress. However, the computer suddenly crashed, and all her unsaved data was lost. She desperately sought Ye Angyang's help, but even after an hour, he couldn't fix it. Just then, Xu Jiaxiu summoned her to his office, demanding the financial statement.
Lu Jia explained her computer malfunction and the loss of data, but Xu Jiaxiu bluntly stated he didn't believe her, quoting her former teacher: "Not submitting your homework means you didn't do it. Not doing it means you couldn't do it." Infuriated, Lu Jia accused him of insulting her character and professional integrity, announcing her intention to resign.
Xu Jiaxiu calmly directed her to review her employment contract, reminding her that as a director-level employee, she was required to give one month's notice or pay a breach penalty equivalent to three months' salary. Left with no choice, Lu Jia had to continue. Zhang Liang later confirmed that Lu Jia's computer was beyond repair and suggested scrapping it. Ye Angyang offered his laptop to Lu Jia to complete her work.
Lu Jia realized that the breach penalty clause was a new addition to the contract, solidifying her belief that Xu Jiaxiu was deliberately targeting her. She racked her brain, eventually remembering her drunken kiss at Meng Tiantian's wedding. Ye Angyang confirmed her fears, explaining that Xu Jiaxiu was a germophobe, and the incident was undoubtedly "on his grudge list." Lu Jia, feeling doomed, resigned herself and resumed working on the report from scratch.
As Lu Jia worked late into the night, her colleagues, Xiaoda, Wang Di, and Zhang Liang, expressed concern about Xu Jiaxiu's harsh treatment of her, wondering if there was a personal vendetta. Ye Angyang, observing Lu Jia's diligent work, thought she was attractive and wished he had recruited her sooner. He moved a chair outside her office and began sketching her focused profile. When Lu Jia finally completed the financial report, Ye Angyang offered to walk her home. During their walk, Lu Jia suddenly confessed her feelings to him, asking if they could be together, leaving Ye Angyang completely stunned.
