All language subtitles for The Early Spring Episode 17

SAY NO TO PIRACY, SUPPORT ORIGINALS

ADAPTED FROM THE EARLY SPRING ON JJWXC.NET
AUTHOR: GU NIANG BIE KU

Lime caps each cash advance

at 500,000 yuan.

So Dony split it into multiple requests
and successfully bypassed Luke.

Hi, Zhu.

I found out he has a criminal record.

Are you sure?

I scraped the web for information on him.

His real name is Chen Dong.

When he left his previous company,

besides embezzlement, there was also…

IN JUNE 2011, AFTER A COMPANY DINNER

AN EMPLOYEE REPORTED
HE HAD SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

…a sex scandal.

A sex scandal?

What scandal?

Is he married?

He's currently in his third marriage.

A female employee
came forward with evidence.

He may have abused his position
to sexually assault a subordinate.

I see.

Thank you, Zhu.

Thank you for always helping me
when I need it most.

You're welcome.

That's all I can do for you.

Tao.

Please be careful.

Your safety comes first.

Don't worry.

I'm only gathering evidence.

I'll be careful.

COURAGE IS ACTING DESPITE FEAR

What are you doing here?

Did you miss me?

I'm here to back you up.

And to take care of some business.

Did Luke send you?

Smart.

But I can't tell you yet.

Top secret. You know the drill.

I'm glad you're here.

There's definitely

something wrong with Dony.

No wonder you're in management now.

You've got sharp instincts.

What's your plan?

Tell him I'm here
for an urgent special audit.

It's top secret and top priority.

OK.

Lumi looked into the two budget items
Flora flagged.

They were for pu'er tea
purchased as gifts.

Besides that,

he privately contacted
several local shell companies.

Their names are all listed here.

He created sham projects,
inflated the contract prices,

then funneled money to shell companies

through inflated purchases
at affiliated auction houses.

Every step was tightly linked.

Have Lumi keep investigating.

Sure. No problem.

Thanks.

People say Hangzhou
is a culinary wasteland.

I wouldn't say so.

Try this.

Dony, didn't you say
you wanted to discuss work?

What exactly is it?

Don't be so tense.

We work so we can enjoy life.

Eat first.

Then why is he so brazen?

Maybe he's never faced
consequences for it.

Or perhaps he has powerful backing.

It's hard to say.

Why did Lumi come and go in such a hurry?

I don't know the details.

I only know she came to review
the project's progress

and how the budget was being used.

I'm overseeing the Hangzhou project.

Why did she come and interfere?

Did Luke put her up to it?

Sorry, Dony.

I really don't know the details.

PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE ON DONY CHEN'S

SUSPECTED EMBEZZLEMENT
AND PAST SEXUAL HARASSMENT

BANK TRANSFER RECORDS

SCREENSHOTS OF VULGAR
AND SUGGESTIVE MESSAGES

COPIES OF THE VICTIMS' MEDICAL RECORDS

You really don't know?

Shang Zhitao, you'd better
understand the situation.

If the Hangzhou project fails,

you'll be the first one out.

Dony,

if you're only asking me why Lumi came,

I honestly don't know,
so I have nothing to tell you.

But if you're talking
about whether I'll stay at Lime,

I don't think
that's yours alone to decide.

I'm leaving.

What are you doing?

Keep this up, and I'll scream.

Go ahead.

See if anyone can hear you.

I don't understand
what's so great about Luan Nian.

You've only moved up
two levels in two years.

Work for me, and I'll fast-track you
when we're back in Beijing.

You won't have to work
yourself to the bone.

Do you really need to resort to this?

The means don't matter.

Only the result does.

Let go of me!

LUAN NIAN

LUAN NIAN

LUAN NIAN

Luan Nian.

When are you coming back?

I miss you.

Your dog's about to revolt.

I'll straighten him out when I get back.

Is work in Hangzhou going well?

It's OK.

It's just a bit messy.

I need to sort it out.

One question.

Has Dony ever harassed you?

No.

Why do you ask?

Because at Lime,

you look like the easiest person
to control and push around.

Aren't you angry?

No.

Dony is bad news.

If he ever crosses a line,

tell me.

Don't worry.

He wouldn't dare.

Come back soon.

Flora.

He took nude photos of me
and threatened me with them.

That night,

after the project celebration dinner,

I was drunk.

He took me back to my room.

I was barely conscious.

I felt so cold.

When I woke up,

I realized I had no clothes on.

He was taking pictures of me.

I tried to grab his phone,
but he pinned me…

pinned me down on the bed.

He tried to force himself on me.

I fought with everything I had and barely…

barely managed to stop him.

Then he tried to coax me.

He said if I behaved

and did as I was told,

he could take me straight to the top.

He also said this was how things worked
with his previous secretary.

That's when I knew he'd done it before.

Just now, I actually
thought of asking you to…

I'm sorry.

It's OK.

Let's go to the police.

No. We can't go to the police.

He still has the photos.
We can't report him.

If he releases them, my life will be over.

If I'm not his only victim,

all the other victims' lives
will be ruined too.

I don't know what I did wrong.

You did nothing wrong.

He's the one at fault.

He's vile and disgusting,
hypocritical and depraved.

VOICE MEMOS

He has to pay for what he did.

Keep this up, and I'll scream.

KITTY

I know you have your concerns.

But trust me. Trust us.

Don't be afraid.

No matter how powerful he is,

he must be punished.

Turns out courage
isn't the absence of fear.

It's acting even when you're afraid.

Why are you back so suddenly?

I missed you.

I wanted to see you today.

What's wrong?

What happened?

Luan Nian.

Luan Nian.

I'm here.

The rollout data
fell short of expectations.

Headquarters recommends

we focus on operations in Beijing

and recall the Hangzhou team for now.

Luke.

Don't you think

it's too soon to draw a final conclusion?

I'll email Headquarters
and ask them to reassess the project.

Let's hold off
on recalling the Hangzhou team.

I understand how much work you've put
into this new business expansion.

Hangzhou can still support
our New Media network in the future.

But for now, the team must return.

Why should they return
just because you say so?

Let's pause the meeting.

COMPLAINT: I AM FLORA SHANG

I AM FILING A FORMAL COMPLAINT AGAINST
DONY CHEN FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT

I AM FORMALLY REPORTING DONY CHEN

FOR SEXUALLY HARASSING
AND COERCING ME AT WORK

EXTREME FEAR

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND WORKPLACE COERCION

HE PLACED HIS HAND RIGHT BESIDE MY NECK

Flora's recording is attached as well.

AUDIO EVIDENCE.MP3

That day in Hangzhou,
he insisted on taking me to dinner,

saying he had work arrangements
to discuss.

AUDIO EVIDENCE

So I went.

Then he tried to entice and threaten me

into handing over
confidential information.

If the Hangzhou project fails,
you'll be the first one out.

Keep this up, and I'll scream.

Go ahead. See if anyone can hear you.

Work for me, and I'll fast-track you
when we're back in Beijing.

You won't have to work yourself
to the bone.

Let go of me!

THROUGHOUT THE FLIGHT HOME
I COULDN'T STOP SHAKING

Hold me.

Hold me tight.

Luan Nian.

Luan Nian.

Even now,

thinking back on it
still fills me with fear.

The evidence is attached below.

I respectfully ask the company
to launch an investigation.

Don't leave!

- Don't leave!
- Let go of me.

- Are you even human?
- Let go of me.

- This has nothing to do with you.
- Don't leave!

You're not leaving
until you explain yourself.

I'm telling you.

You're not leaving!

- I have nothing to say to you, OK?
- Where do you think you're going?

- Apologize!
- Let go!

- I said apologize!
- Let go of me!

Luke, don't do anything rash.

What kind of scum are you?

All you do is prey on and harass women.

You make me sick.

Luan Nian, you set me up, didn't you?

Set you up?

You're not worth the trouble.

I could kill you right now.

Call the police.

I've been with Lime China

for nine years.

Our workforce is 45% men and 55% women.

Our female employees

have been at the forefront of Lime's
rapid growth in China.

I never imagined something like this
could happen at our company.

Flora's email broke my heart.

As a woman,

I'm deeply saddened
by what Flora went through.

This time…

we have to call the police.

Yes.

We should call the police.

Call the police.

Someone like him must be punished.

Dony has powerful connections.

We don't know how far
the investigation will go.

But I want to make one thing clear.

Luke and I will make sure
he goes to prison.

I know.

I'm not afraid.

I just want him
to be punished for what he did.

Flora, the first time I met you,

I knew you were
an extraordinary young woman.

I went against everyone else to hire you.

Looking back, it was a great decision.

Thank you.

Thank you for always believing in me.

Ms. Shang,

Headquarters takes the complaint you filed
against Dony Chen very seriously.

But the situation now

is extremely complicated
and highly sensitive.

Although the police
have opened a criminal case,

this is ultimately
an internal matter at Lime.

Issuing a public statement
could cause immeasurable damage

to the company's reputation
and share price.

We understand what you've been through,

but we still hope you'll settle the matter
privately within the company.

Of course,

the company is prepared to offer you
substantial financial compensation

and job security.

Thank you for the offer,

but what I want is justice.

Agreeing to a settlement
would allow a criminal

to continue to walk free.

I trust the company
won't handle it that way.

But the recording you submitted
doesn't clearly establish what happened.

It alone isn't enough
to secure a conviction.

What I want is for Dony Chen
to be punished for sexual harassment.

Just because he got away with it before

doesn't mean every woman
is an easy target.

I won't settle.

This contains evidence

that he tried to force himself on me
and sexually harassed me.

I was instructed to trace the funds

flowing through the high-end tea shops
Dony selected and Lanyuan.

The money ultimately went
into a private overseas account.

These are the materials
I gathered for my complaint against Dony.

A recording isn't foolproof.

What if things had gotten out of control?

I'd already made arrangements
with Kitty and Lucy.

I knew I wouldn't be in any danger.

You were in Hangzhou for 13 days.

We spoke on the phone 26 times.

Yet you never said a word
about any of this.

I want to know why.

You were already under intense scrutiny.

I… I didn't want
to cause you more trouble.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I asked you.

I asked whether Dony had harassed you,

and you said no.

Good for you, Shang Zhitao.

You're so strong now
that you don't need anyone to protect you.

Clearheaded and independent.

I can hardly resist applauding you.

Luan Nian.

I'm exhausted. I…

I just want to go home and sleep.

You've certainly been through a lot.

Go home and rest.

Good for you, Shang Zhitao.

You're so strong now
that you don't need anyone to protect you.

It's over now.

Everything's OK.

You're here, right?

I'll bring her down now.

According to our investigation,

Dony may be involved
in more than just this case.

There is also evidence of embezzlement
and other illegal activity.

Dony was hired by Headquarters,

and his background check
was never handled by Lime China.

The group also made a serious error
in appointing him.

None of the materials you've provided
have been verified.

Some are even complaint records
from years ago,

from different companies
with different systems.

Moreover,

none of them resulted in any substantive
disciplinary action or legal consequences.

Luke, you and Dony disagreed
over the New Media strategy.

If you use company resources

to investigate his private life
from years ago because of that,

it'll be a serious breach
of management principles

and could constitute
an abuse of authority.

Of course, we will review
the matter carefully,

but we must also consider the company's
overall stability and reputation.

I don't know whose interests
Dony truly represents,

but this disastrous appointment
proves the company has no trust in me.

Today, I resign
from every position I hold at Lime.

Hello?

The board is in an uproar.

They want you online for a meeting.

I'm not going.

People are already
talking about it online,

and the share price is falling.

Serves them right.

So,

are you really resigning?

Yes.

It's fine to teach them a lesson,

but resigning wasn't part of our plan.

I'm not trying to teach them a lesson.

I really am resigning.

Are you sure you're serious?

I am.

Tell the board
to find a replacement quickly.

I'm taking leave starting today.

The flight from Hangzhou to Beijing
covers 1,520 kilometers.

I was trembling the entire way.

Keep this up, and I'll scream.

Let go of me!

You were already under intense scrutiny.

I didn't want to cause you more trouble.

SHANG ZHITAO

Hello?

Hello?

Hello. This is Luan Nian.

May I speak to Shang Zhitao?

Tao is asleep.

She's exhausted.

When she wakes up,
I'll tell her you called.

- OK?
- OK.

Thank you.

TIANTONG DONGYUAN, SECTION 1

Hello?

Sun Yu said you called me.

I did.

What is it?

I came to apologize.

I'm downstairs.

There's no rush. Take your time.

I want to see the moon.

OK.

Kitty said she was terrified.

Were you scared?

We agreed

to be honest with each other.

But you had plenty of people around you,

so you never needed to ask me for help.

You wouldn't even tell me the truth.

I didn't feel it was my place to tell you.

It involved Kitty's privacy.

Then why was it your place to tell others?

Who do you mean?

Throughout all of this,
I was the last to know.

Shang Zhitao.

Do you even see me as your boyfriend?

Luan Nian, don't talk like that.

Of course I see you as my boyfriend.

Luan Nian.

I've learned my lesson.

It won't happen again.

Your punishment.

Lumi said you're resigning?

Because of me?

Because I'm rich.

I can quit whenever I want.

Could you not resign
and keep being my boss?

I like working with you.

I feel like I learn a lot.

And…

I get to see you often.

LMAD STOCK PRICE

Luke, when are you going back to work?

I'm not.

Running this bar must cost quite a bit.

It's manageable.

I can afford it.

Luke,

you can have full control
of Lime China from now on.

You've all come all the way from the US.

I know it wasn't an easy trip.

Enjoy yourselves tonight.

The drinks are on me.

Then go back and get some sleep.

Just name your terms.

Then process my resignation
as soon as possible.

Luke,

we came here in good faith.

Why don't you tell us
what you have in mind?

What Dony did
caused our employees great harm.

If the group won't even offer
a sincere apology,

how can our employees feel secure?

Yes. Right.

We completely agree.

How about this?

Tell us what you propose.

We'll do it.

I have two proposals.

The complainants have the legal right
not to withdraw the case.

First,

as an apology, the company will grant
immediately exercisable stock options

worth 200,000 yuan to the lead complainant

and options worth 100,000 yuan
to each of the other four.

It will be treated
as a confidential special award.

Second,

the group must not interfere
in personnel appointments at Lime China.

They won't withdraw the case,
and we're compensating them?

The complainants' lives
may even be at risk.

If they go to the press with the details,

Lime's stock could hit

its daily loss limit
for five straight days.

Go back and discuss it.

Handle it properly, and I'll return.

Are you firing me?

You're so good at your job. Why would we?

Take a look.

STOCK GRANT AGREEMENT

You know the company awards stock
to certain employees every year, right?

Aren't stock awards
only for specialist-level employees?

This is a special stock award
from the company.

I didn't do it for money.

Don't worry.

The grant will be confidential.

Thank you for making our workplace safer.

Without your courage and resourcefulness,

he wouldn't have been brought to justice.

Here.

Thank you, Tracy.

This was also one of Luke's conditions
for returning to work.

Thanks to Flora's persistence,

Dony has received
the punishment he deserved.

With the evidence we provided,

he was convicted of embezzlement
and forcible indecency and insult,

and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

You can come back now.

Stay away much longer,

and the board might replace you outright.

That'd be great.

I'll start another company
and steal Lime's business.

Come back to work, my junior brother.

Next week.

Luke.

Paw.

Silly.

Stay. Sit.

I'm doomed.

New user sign-ups hit another record low.

I've almost burned through
all the investors' money.

What was I thinking,
trying to start a business?

Everything takes time.

Don't rush.

I've tried every kind of promotion,

but nothing's working.

What do I do?

Tell you what.

I'll sign up right now and download it.

Zhu, download it too.

Every user counts.

And we're real, live users.

When Lei gets back,
we'll have him download it too.

And I'll promote it at work. OK?

Really?

Having you two as users
is a huge win for me.

Don't worry. I can limp along
for another month.

If I really go broke,
I'll be counting on you two for meals.

You won't go broke. It'll work out.

It'll work out.

Say something different.

You won't go broke.

See?

Luke, your other mom's about to go broke.

I'll have to eat your dog food.

STAY HAPPY TODAY