Way Back Into Love Episode 23 Recap
> Way Back Into Love Recap
Song Juanxi made an exception to grant a media interview for the "Lost Time" software, previously known as "Crisscross." During the interview, he openly discussed his past romantic life, acknowledging that he had missed out on a girl he deeply loved.
When asked about the resemblance between Lost Time and Pickup, especially given Sixinte's prior connection to Pickup, Song Juanxi publicly declared that "Lost Time" stood on an entirely different level, positioned to become an essential part of daily life, unlike Pickup. He arrogantly compared it to Mount Everest, asserting that only the first is remembered, not the second. Xu Jiaxiu, Janice, and their team watched the interview, reacting with frustration at Song Juanxi's challenging remarks.
Xu Jiaxiu responded by declaring they would meet the challenge head-on and push Lost Time out of the top rankings, a sentiment echoed enthusiastically by the entire team, who vowed to fight back. Inspired by Janice, Ye Angyang had been working on optimizing Pickup's user interface.
He proudly demonstrated his work, explaining that while opening animations would now only play once and loading times were shortened, he had introduced a new, simplified friend discovery animation where leaves, flowers, or stars would be added to a "Friend Tree" as users accumulated more friends, making the tree more luxuriant. He revealed that he had also designed "Easter eggs"—hidden interactive elements that would trigger unique animations when a user long-pressed certain spots or dragged specific icons.
Janice, impressed by his creativity, hugged him around the head in praise. Ye Angyang, startled and blushing, accidentally touched her chest, creating an awkward moment between them. Meanwhile, Chen Han was in a meeting with Yu Bo, confidently outlining their extensive publicity plans for a major project, highlighting broad advertising reach both offline and online through their "Dandelion Plan." His phone rang, and despite being in a meeting, he took the call, speaking impatiently to an employee.
He casually dismissed a "small order" from Voya, instructing the employee to assign an intern, Xiao Guo, to handle it. Yu Bo, overhearing this, became visibly displeased, confronting Chen Han about his company, Juemi, taking on Voya's order while also managing their significant project, accusing them of being overly ambitious. Chen Han tried to justify it, explaining that Juemi needed to accept all orders to maintain its reputation in the industry.
Yu Bo, however, was not convinced and threatened to reconsider their cooperation if Juemi continued to operate in such a manner. Realizing his error, Chen Han quickly apologized and promised to resolve the situation to Yu Bo's satisfaction. Upon learning that Juemi had rejected his proposal to reduce expenses for Pickup's promotion, Xu Jiaxiu called an emergency meeting.
He informed the team that they would have no choice but to terminate their contract with Juemi, which would incur a substantial penalty. Lu Jia presented a grim financial assessment, calculating that after paying the termination fee, Voya would only have enough operating funds to last for one month. Despite the dire situation, Xu Jiaxiu remained resolute.
He explained that while they would make their own visual and graphic materials in-house to save money, they would need to invest their limited funds in securing the most cost-effective promotional channels. He then outlined a revised plan, assigning Ye Angyang to graphic design, Wang Di and Zhang Liang to video content, Janice to H5 page creation and debugging, Lu Jia to handle the copywriting, and Zhou Yunbo and Xiaoda to manage the contract termination aftermath.
Xu Jiaxiu then tasked Lu Jia with refining the promotional text for the H5 pages, noting that the external company had already revised it seven times but still failed to capture the essence of Pickup, likening their draft to a blind dating app's slogan. He challenged Lu Jia, reminiscing about her excellent writing skills in high school and playfully suggesting that even his own past eloquent attempts couldn't win her heart.
Lu Jia, recognizing the need, agreed to take on the copywriting, noting that it would also save the company money. Shortly after, Lu Jia received a call from Meng Tiantian, who was eager for her to visit the hot pot restaurant. However, Lu Jia, overwhelmed by work, abruptly hung up before Meng Tiantian could finish. Meng Tiantian then complained to Zhong Jin that Lu Jia was not being a true friend.
As the team continued to work late into the night, hunger set in. Ye Angyang offered to order takeout for everyone, but each time he opened a food delivery app, he was met with intrusive advertisements for "Lost Time." The pervasive ads for their competitor frustrated the team, particularly when they realized Lost Time was rapidly climbing the rankings.
Declaring that Lost Time's strategy of "burning money" was irrational and dangerous, and that true long-term success depended on technological innovation and user experience, the team, now too disheartened to order from ad-laden apps, decided against takeout altogether. Later, Ye Angyang secretly prepared the last bowl of instant noodles in the office for Janice, claiming he wasn't hungry. However, the rest of the team discovered them. Janice, caught, had no choice but to share the noodles.
Everyone took a small portion, leaving only a bit of soup for Janice. Ye Angyang, after taking a sip, watched Janice drink from the same spot, leading him to ponder if it constituted an "indirect kiss." Unfortunately, Zhou Yunbo did not get any, and the meager shared meal left everyone feeling even hungrier. Lu Jia, subsisting on an apple, was approached by the still-hungry Ye Angyang and others, but she had no more food to offer.
Just then, Lu Jia caught the familiar scent of hot pot. They followed the enticing aroma to find Xu Jiaxiu, who, having been alerted by Meng Tiantian about Lu Jia's busy schedule, had arranged for Meng Tiantian and Zhong Jin to personally deliver a feast of hot pot to the office. The team was overjoyed, devouring the food. In that moment, despite Voya's difficult circumstances, Lu Jia felt a profound sense of happiness and inspiration.
A new idea for the promotional text sparked in her mind, and she immediately rushed back to her office to jot it down. During the meal, Wang Di, Zhang Liang, and Zhou Yunbo playfully singled out Ye Angyang, making it difficult for him to pick up food with his chopsticks as a humorous form of retribution for the earlier ramen incident.
Janice, noticing their teasing, intervened by generously scooping a large bowl of food for Ye Angyang, making him feel defended and admired. Meng Tiantian observed that Xu Jiaxiu, who was typically sensitive to spicy food, was now eating the hot pot without blinking, remarking that his tastes must have shifted to align with Lu Jia's preference for spice.
Xu Jiaxiu then personally took a bowl of food, carefully selecting some vegetables and meat, to Lu Jia in her office, insisting she eat. He even fed her a bite. Lu Jia, eager to finish her writing, playfully warned him not to "disapprove" her draft and urged him to return to the others, promising to join them soon.
As he left, Xu Jiaxiu reminded her firmly to eat everything and jokingly asked her to portray him well in her copywriting, mentioning he had ensured her portion was extra spicy with no vinegar, just as she liked it. As it approached 3 AM, Xu Jiaxiu declared it was time for everyone to rest, suggesting they all make makeshift beds in the office. Ye Angyang thoughtfully covered Janice with a blanket.
Lu Jia, still immersed in her writing, tried to continue working, but Xu Jiaxiu gently but firmly guided her to the sofa, insisting she sleep. He then lay down on the floor beside the sofa, holding her hand. When Lu Jia attempted to subtly get up to resume writing after he appeared to fall asleep, Xu Jiaxiu tightened his grip, silently stopping her before wishing her goodnight.
In a flashback, a younger Lu Jia is shown in high school, diligently practicing writing a heartfelt love letter to "Esteemed Classmate Xu," introducing herself as Lu Jia from Class 9 and apologizing for her "presumptuous" gesture. Her father then entered her room, offering her fruit and reminding her to get some rest.
