Almost Lover Episode 1 Recap
> Almost Lover Recap
He Xiaoran awoke from a vivid dream where she was a war correspondent reporting from Ajia City, Li Country, amidst bombings, remarking that it had been a while since she experienced such excitement. She tried to fall back asleep. On her birthday morning, her mother called, wishing her well and urging her to eat handmade longevity noodles for a smooth year.
He Xiaoran received numerous birthday messages, including a voice message from a time capsule she had buried in the past, presuming she had fulfilled her dream of becoming a war correspondent and advising her to stay safe. Despite these messages, her dream remained unfulfilled. She quickly ate instant noodles and prepared to leave for work.
Meanwhile, Xiao Shangqi arrived at a forest to fulfill a seven-year pact to dig up a time capsule, but the person he was supposed to meet was absent. As he unearthed it alone, he lamented that his companion had not kept their promise. Later, at a repair shop, he attempted to fix an old object but was informed that it was irreparable, with replacement parts unavailable even in the entire Hupu region.
His phone then displayed a birthday reminder for He Xiaoran, but his attempt to send her a message was blocked. Concurrently, Xiao Xian met with Zhao Mingxuan to discuss overdue operational funds for Xicheng. Citing economic difficulties, Zhao Mingxuan proposed transferring his family's four-star Jifeng Hotel in Wusu to the Xiao family as payment. Xiao Xian was hesitant, explaining that their company specialized in hotel operations for other property owners, not running their own.
However, when Xiao Shangqi arrived to play basketball with Zhao Mingxuan, his aggressive style led to Zhao Mingxuan's defeat. Annoyed, Zhao Mingxuan suggested entrusting Jifeng Hotel to Xiao Shangqi, implying it would keep him occupied and offering him a General Manager position in Wusu.
Afterward, Xiao Xian reprimanded Xiao Shangqi for his ostentatious play, which had forced them to accept the problematic Jifeng Hotel—an old, financially struggling property that Deju had acquired years ago to secure land in Wusu’s development zone, a "烂摊子" (mess) with continuous losses that Xiao Xian had tried to avoid. Xiao Shangqi, however, confidently stated that he would manage it regardless.
Xiao Xian urged him to mature, reminding him that his father had brought him back to help Yunlan, not to cause trouble, and warned him about Zhao Mingxuan's true intentions, noting that Zhao Mingxuan was using his new position to create difficulties for Yunlan. Disregarding the advice, Xiao Shangqi declared that his absence was the greatest help and promptly drove off to Wusu to take charge of the hotel.
He Xiaoran arrived at the Wusu Broadcast and Television Group, where colleagues openly discussed the imminent cancellation of her program, "Dajiabang For Everyone," due to persistently low listenership, which had never exceeded 0. 02%. Her team leader, Mr. He, complained about the program's mediocre topics and confirmed that if the final episode tonight didn't improve, it would be terminated, silencing He Xiaoran's voice on the airwaves.
When her team found the recording studio occupied by the "City Traffic" group, jeopardizing their 10 PM show, He Xiaoran calmly offered her birthday cake to them. The "City Traffic" host rudely rejected the offering, asserting their prior claim to the studio and mocking "Dajiabang For Everyone" as a "gathering place for losers" undeserving of a "perfect farewell." This exchange escalated into a physical confrontation involving her teammate, Sui Mingwei.
He Xiaoran intervened, then swiftly locked the studio door and threw her house key inside, instructing the "City Traffic" group to follow proper procedures to obtain a spare key, knowing it would cause a significant delay. After they left, she retrieved her key, surprising her colleagues with her unexpected resourcefulness.
Sui Mingwei then offered to book her a room at the nearby Jifeng Hotel (referred to as ZiX Hotel in the subtitles) so she could wash up while they prepared for the recording. Though initially hesitant about the expense, she accepted after learning of reduced prices. Before she could leave, Mr. He assigned her to distribute promotional flyers for their program, titled "Listen to your heart, Solve your loneliness, Comfort your soul," much to her annoyance.
Xiao Shangqi reached Jifeng Hotel, where he immediately challenged the front desk with a list of specific room requirements, including a south-facing, non-smoking room, away from gardens (due to his pollen allergy), the ground floor, elevators, and corners, while also requesting strict privacy for his details. He then informed them that his car, out of petrol, was parked inconveniently at the lobby entrance and needed to be managed.
Once in his room, he deliberately created a mess by scattering tissues and pouring water, then demanded it be cleaned within ten minutes. Shortly after, he went to the electrical room and intentionally cut the hotel's power. The sudden blackout forced He Xiaoran, who was in the middle of blow-drying her hair, to rush out.
She narrowly avoided a collision with a guest carrying luosifen, but as Xiao Shangqi tried to return her dropped towel, he bumped into the same guest, resulting in luosifen spilling onto his jacket. He then noticed her promotional flyer. Returning to the lobby, he confronted the staff about the power outage, criticizing the delay in activating backup power and the unattended electrical room, and expressing his disgust over the luosifen incident.
The staff soon realized he was the new owner, Xiao Shangqi, whose family company, Yunlan, now self-operated Jifeng Hotel. He then accused the hotel of allowing "uncivilized people" to distribute such flyers. The lobby manager clarified it was an advertisement for a local radio program and played the broadcast as proof, which immediately captured Xiao Shangqi's attention as He Xiaoran's voice filled the air.
As He Xiaoran hosted the final segment of her show, she received a harassing call from Mr. Liu, who expressed obsessive admiration and fantasized about their daily life together, insisting on meeting her. Listening to the broadcast, Xiao Shangqi, startled by He Xiaoran's voice, heard her denounce Mr. Liu's harassment as "loser" and "pitiful" behavior. Realizing the radio station was just across the road, he immediately called the live show, demanding He Xiaoran meet him downstairs.
Hearing his voice, He Xiaoran was visibly shaken, transported back to her university graduation. She remembered preparing a video confession for him on a USB drive, but after he expressed his strong aversion to public displays of affection, deeming them "forceful" and "unnecessary," she decided not to give it to him. Tragically, at the graduation party, a classmate accidentally played her video on a large screen, publicly revealing her five-year affection for Xiao Shangqi, which had begun in high school.
Devastated by the public humiliation and seeing Xiao Shangqi walk away, her heartbreak intensified when she later learned he had abruptly left the country overnight, reportedly "scared" by her confession, prompting her to block all contact with him. Back in the present, rushing downstairs to meet Xiao Shangqi, she was intercepted by the persistent Mr. Liu, who tried to grab her. Xiao Shangqi quickly intervened, scaring Mr. Liu away.
He Xiaoran, preferring to avoid further trouble, stopped Xiao Shangqi from pursuing him, stating it was "better to mind your own business." Xiao Shangqi then insisted she treat him to dinner, remarking on an odd smell emanating from her. At a humble crayfish restaurant, he questioned her presence in Wusu instead of working at the Hupu TV Station and why she had blocked him. He Xiaoran tried to steer the conversation away from the past.
Unrelenting, Xiao Shangqi criticized her current life, implying she had abandoned her ideals and passion for justice, comparing his difficulty in reaching her to Mr. Liu's reliance on a public hotline. He Xiaoran, reminding him it was her birthday, recounted her day's misfortunes: eating instant noodles instead of traditional longevity noodles, experiencing a blackout during hair drying, and the irony of her promotional flyer landing in his hands.
She highlighted that if he had been a day later, her program would have been off-air, leaving him no chance to "interrogate" her. She defiantly defended her "terrible" life, asserting that she found joy in small moments amidst the chaos and told him not to judge her from a high pedestal. As midnight arrived, her friends celebrated her birthday with cake and singing.
Emboldened by the moment, He Xiaoran declared that since he had "come to her," asking for a birthday gift was not too much. She then impulsively pulled him in and kissed him, quickly attributing her actions to drunkenness and leaving, citing the late hour. The following morning, He Xiaoran attempted to discreetly leave her residence, but Xiao Shangqi intercepted her, commenting on her need for secrecy.
He then brought her to Jifeng Hotel for breakfast, though she initially refused, accusing him of feeling guilty and avoiding confrontation. She stated that over the years, she had learned to face things head-on. Noticing his presence in the hotel across from her radio station, she commented on it, only for him to reveal that Jifeng was now his family's hotel.
During breakfast, Xiao Shangqi pressed her again about why she was in Wusu and not working at the Hupu TV Station, reminding her of her professor's recommendation that should have guaranteed her success. He Xiaoran, agitated by his probing into her past failures, retorted that she had indeed failed the exam, then turned the tables on him, demanding an explanation for his sudden, unannounced departure years ago.
Xiao Shangqi defended his hurried exit, claiming that waiting another day would not have changed her decision to block him. He Xiaoran then provocatively addressed their kiss from the previous night, stating it had left no lasting impact and even challenged him to "kiss her back" if he felt wronged.
She then criticized the Jifeng Hotel's breakfast—describing the porridge as leftover, the noodles soggy, and the buns filled with more scallions than meat—and asserted that he should be directing his questions to the hotel management, not her. She concluded by declaring them "even" and warned him explicitly not to seek her out again, threatening to kiss him every time they met.
