Almost Lover Episode 3 Recap
> Almost Lover Recap
He Xiaoran and her colleagues arrived at the newly renovated Jifeng Hotel for their upcoming open tendering event. Upon learning that her room had been upgraded to an executive suite, He Xiaoran initially believed it was a special favor from Xiao Shangqi. She insisted on sticking to a standard room, aiming for professional conduct.
However, the front desk clarified that the upgrade was due to a shortage of standard rooms, and that five guests, including her, had been assigned to less desirable rooms at the end of the corridor, adjacent to noisy equipment rooms. To compensate, all five were upgraded to suites. He Xiaoran then accepted the hotel's arrangement. Later that evening, while enjoying the upgraded room, He Xiaoran’s colleague, Li Hui, reminisced about her own romantic journey.
She shared how she first met the guitar-playing Tang Yan at eighteen in a pub and immediately confessed her feelings. Since then, she has been devoted to him, asking for nothing in return, simply following him. He Xiaoran needed to go back to her rental apartment to retrieve some items but found it impossible to get a taxi due to the large number of guests at the hotel.
Xiao Shangqi offered to drive her, subtly using a sarcastic tone to prompt her acceptance. Upon seeing her shared apartment, its poor condition, and finding her using a "capsule for ideals" to store kimchi, Xiao Shangqi felt a pang of pity. He resolved to improve her living situation and help her in his own way. The Wusu NRTA open tendering officially commenced. He Xiaoran was on stage, passionately promoting her program, "Dajiabang For Everyone."
However, the presentation was abruptly interrupted by a dense mist that enveloped the stage, making it impossible for her to continue. This incident infuriated Director Zhou, who mistakenly believed Lao He had deliberately orchestrated it to gain attention. The advertising pitch was a complete failure, and a dejected He Xiaoran returned home, only to witness her flatmate, Liu Hang, violently assaulting his girlfriend. He Xiaoran intervened, resulting in a physical altercation that led her to the police station.
Liu Hang's girlfriend denied the assault, but He Xiaoran presented surveillance footage from her door to prove who initiated the fight. Xiao Shangqi arrived with a lawyer, but He Xiaoran, opting to avoid further entanglement, rejected his assistance and chose to settle the matter privately.
Outside the police station, Xiao Shangqi urged He Xiaoran to stay at the hotel, even admitting that he had deliberately sabotaged the tendering because he couldn't stand seeing her "waste her life" in such a job and living conditions. He Xiaoran, in turn, confronted him. She revealed that she failed her second interview for Hupu TV not because he wasn't there, but because her love confession video for him was accidentally played at their graduation party.
She had assumed his subsequent departure was because of the video, and overwhelmed with embarrassment, she fled to Wusu. Now, knowing he hadn't seen it, she regretted that he even knew of her secret, but felt it was best to move on from the past entirely. Meanwhile, Sui Mingwei confronted Xiao Shangqi, accusing him of orchestrating the mist at the pitch.
He warned Xiao Shangqi to stop bothering He Xiaoran, declaring her "his person" and threatening severe consequences if he continued to interfere. Xiao Shangqi covertly tried to offer He Xiaoran a heavily discounted, long-term stay at Jifeng Hotel, disguised as a prize from a post-tendering feedback event. However, she had already found a temporary solution, accepting an invitation from her colleague Li Hui to stay in her apartment, where a room was available, providing a comfortable and friendly environment.
Unbeknownst to He Xiaoran, Xiao Shangqi decided to invest in "Dajiabang For Everyone." When He Xiaoran learned of the sponsorship, she confronted him, suspecting he was doing it out of guilt for her eight-year secret crush. Xiao Shangqi clarified that Jifeng Hotel was looking to test the waters with radio advertising, and "Dajiabang For Everyone" offered the lowest price.
He also explained that his primary mission in Wusu was to get Jifeng Hotel listed on the "Black Pine Needle's Desirable Hotel" ranking. Realizing this would expedite his departure from Wusu, He Xiaoran agreed to the sponsorship. Xiao Shangqi later sought out He Xiaoran to learn the full content of her interrupted pitch.
He Xiaoran passionately explained that "Dajiabang For Everyone," despite its low listenership, aimed to transmit a "persevering faith" and serve as "a light in the dead night" for its listeners. Xiao Shangqi then earnestly apologized, explaining that he had left the graduation party due to an urgent matter and was genuinely unaware of her confession video.
He Xiaoran, reiterating that the past was behind them, assured him there was no need for guilt, as her secret crush had brought her many happy moments, and she felt no loss. Determined to elevate Jifeng Hotel onto the Black Pine Needle's Desirable Hotel list, Xiao Shangqi initiated a comprehensive overhaul of the hotel’s operations. This included revamping the kitchen, where he promptly dismissed the existing head chef due to the abysmal breakfast quality.
He then brought in Mr. Meng, a former five-star hotel chef who now ran a popular noodle shop. When Mr. Meng’s rendition of sweet and sour spare ribs failed to meet Xiao Shangqi's expectations, reminding him of a particular taste he’d experienced before at He Xiaoran’s home, he invited He Xiaoran to personally prepare her family’s version of the dish.
He Xiaoran’s sweet and sour spare ribs delighted Xiao Shangqi, prompting her to muse that a dish is "half taste, half story," and that this one simply evoked memories. Unexpectedly, Xiao Shangqi then proposed a "deep cooperation" with He Xiaoran, leaving her quite surprised.
