Only Side by Side with You Episode 9 Recap
> Only Side by Side with You Recap
Despite the flawless technical design and advanced features of Phoenix One, Future Up's new drone product faced dismal sales, with high return rates and unsold inventory. Nan Qiao reviewed data from all three departments and concluded that the main reason for the sales failure was simply that consumers did not like their drone. Her employees were baffled, believing their technology was superior and flawless, giving consumers no reason to dislike it.
However, market feedback indicated that the drone's controller was too complicated, making it difficult for users to learn how to fly it and understand the instruction booklets. Nan Qiao realized their approach was wrong; instead of imbuing consumers with their passion for drone technology, they should focus on providing an enjoyable experience. She emphasized that not every drone buyer is a technology enthusiast and that "simple is best."
The Future Up team worked through the night, during which Nan Qiao fell asleep in the men's restroom, prompting an amused Wen Di to wake her up. After waking, Nan Qiao rushed to the flight club to seek the president's help in improving Phoenix One. The club president pointed out that the complicated controls alone negated the drone's intelligent advantages, calling it "a pile of metal scrap without any soul."
He explained that technological advancement should prioritize bringing convenience to ordinary people's lives, and intelligent devices should be easy to operate, much like smartphones. Nan Qiao grasped his core idea of linking drones to smartphones and left the club with a renewed sense of purpose. Only then did Shi Yue, who had been hiding nearby, emerge.
He revealed to the club president that all the solutions shared were his ideas, but he preferred not to tell Nan Qiao directly, calling it his strategy of "I like her but pretend that I don't." He further explained that he wanted to stimulate Nan Qiao indirectly, using the club president as an intermediary, and that his final words were for both Nan Qiao and the president to hear.
Inspired, Nan Qiao returned to the company and announced her decision to develop a new operating system that would allow drones to be controlled directly via smartphones. The team, however, was at a loss, as Future Up lacked professionals specializing in mobile software programming. This was precisely Shi Yue's plan, as he intended to introduce Hao Jie, a genius mobile software programmer, to the company.
Shi Yue sent Hao Jie to Ouyang Qi's pet store, knowing Hao Jie harbored feelings for Ouyang Qi. Hao Jie tried to impress Ouyang Qi by asking Shi Yue for fashion advice and boasting about his "real interest," but Ouyang Qi remained unimpressed. Shi Yue then advised Hao Jie that Nan Qiao was the key to getting into Future Up, since Hao Jie possessed something she needed. Later, Nan Qiao unexpectedly found Hao Jie at Ouyang Qi's pet store.
She discovered his phone was a central control data platform, effectively a mobile miniature controller. Intrigued, Nan Qiao approached Hao Jie and suggested they "do something fun together." However, Hao Jie, knowing Nan Qiao was Shi Yue's "heart's desire," misunderstood her intentions and declined, stating that Shi Yue was his manager and she should direct any requests to him. That night, Nan Qiao called Shi Yue to the company to ask him to let Hao Jie join Future Up.
She requested Hao Jie's support to develop a mobile remote control app and asked for his price. Shi Yue described Hao Jie as a Stanford graduate, a computer science major who won every competition, and a "legend in the headquarters of Microsoft" known as "China Hao," declaring him his "priceless treasure." Nan Qiao countered that "all valuable items have their price," reminding Shi Yue that he had offered ¥50 million to invest in Future Up.
Shi Yue playfully dismissed her negotiating skills as "impersonating but failing miserably" and told her that if she "sa jiao" (acted cute) with him, he would agree. Nan Qiao, confused by the term, searched online and attempted to imitate a robot voice saying, "Don't be like that. I'm still a baby." Shi Yue, dissatisfied with her lack of sincerity, coached her to be more genuine. She then repeated, "Momoda. I like you so much. Momoda," to his delight.
Amused, Shi Yue agreed to her request, and Nan Qiao was overjoyed. The next day, Nan Qiao introduced Hao Jie to the company, showcasing his facial recognition technology installed at the entrance. She explained that Hao Jie would lead the mobile app development. After her presentation, Shi Yue approached Nan Qiao, stating he had delivered Hao Jie and now expected "actual actions," suggesting "technological investment."
Nan Qiao welcomed his investment, but Chang Jianxiong, as the major shareholder of Future Up, asserted his right to welcome Shi Yue, not Nan Qiao. Shi Yue and Chang Jianxiong immediately began to bicker. Shi Yue used the company's AI system to order coffee, while Chang Jianxiong ordered green tea, both giving conflicting commands to the robot.
The robot, programmed to prioritize Nan Qiao, then Wen Di, then Chang Jianxiong, then Qin Shiyu, and finally "Brother Q," humorously pointed out that Shi Yue, as a shareholder, still ranked below the others and even stated that "shareholder is also divided into major and minor."
The tension escalated as Shi Yue sat in Nan Qiao's chair, insisting he did so precisely because it was hers, prompting Chang Jianxiong to accuse him of "give him an inch, and he'll get a yard." Nan Qiao entered, exasperated, and demanded the "Mr. Shareholders" move their discussion elsewhere. She also instructed the robot that only core team members were allowed in the room and non-technical personnel, including the two shareholders, would be kicked out.
Nan Qiao then threw a basketball at them, challenging them to a one-on-one game, while the remaining staff gossiped about the complicated relationship between Nan Qiao, Shi Yue, and Chang Jianxiong. Nan Qiao quickly refocused the meeting on the practical details of smartphone-controlled drones. On the basketball court, Chang Jianxiong and Shi Yue, old rivals from military academy, engaged in a fierce match.
Chang Jianxiong asked if he was fighting "Shi Junqing or Shi Yue," to which Shi Yue coldly replied, "Remember, my name is Shi Yue." Chang Jianxiong retorted that what he owed was to "Shi Junqing," not to "Shi Yue." Shi Yue then walked off, stating that since they were now "family," they would have many more opportunities to compete, and the victor would not be determined in that moment.
Chang Jianxiong agreed, saying the current victor wouldn't determine the final result. Later, Hao Jie questioned Shi Yue about his next steps, suggesting they might steal core secrets or insert a virus into Future Up's code. Shi Yue corrected him, explaining that the "main door" into Future Up was not opened by Nan Qiao, but by Chang Jianxiong.
He deduced that Chang Jianxiong's intention was to transform "Nan Qiao and Shi Yue's Future Up" into "Shi Yue and Chang Jianxiong's Future Up." Meanwhile, Wen Di confronted Chang Jianxiong, questioning his decision to actively urge Nan Qiao to accept Shi Yue as a shareholder, especially after he had previously called it "inviting the wolf into your house." Chang Jianxiong insisted it was the only way to deal with Shi Yue.
Wen Di was skeptical, but Chang Jianxiong explained that this was his most rational decision, aimed at bringing his fight with Shi Yue into the open rather than letting Shi Yue covertly pursue Nan Qiao. Wen Di acknowledged the strategic advantage: as the major shareholder, Chang Jianxiong had established himself as the "ringmaster," controlling Shi Yue's access to the company.
However, she warned that using business means to settle a personal fight was naive unless he possessed a "trump card" to use at a critical moment. Chang Jianxiong then recalled a past meeting with a man named Tai. Tai had attempted to offer Chang Jianxiong a USB drive containing compromising information about Shi Yue, portraying himself as Shi Yue's rival and hinting at Shi Yue's past relationship with Sister An.
Tai claimed that with Chang Jianxiong's strength and his resources, "crushing a measly Shi Yue can be done in just minutes," driven by a personal grudge over Shi Yue having taken "Older Brother's woman." However, Chang Jianxiong refused the USB, destroying it in front of Tai. He warned Tai to keep silent about Shi Yue's past, asserting that Tai was not a match for either him or Shi Yue and would "burn himself playing with fire."
Shi Yue, aware of the USB incident, asked Hao Jie if his past traces had been thoroughly cleaned up, expressing concern that Chang Jianxiong's "trump card" might harm the wrong person. Qie Hao later confirmed to Shi Yue over the phone that Chang Jianxiong had indeed refused the USB and destroyed it in front of Tai, warning him not to mess with either Chang Jianxiong or Shi Yue.
Despite this, Shi Yue instructed Qie Hao to continue monitoring Tai, rather than Chang Jianxiong. Hao Jie, confused, questioned Shi Yue's decision, calling it "stupid" to focus on Tai, whom he considered inferior to Chang Jianxiong. Hao Jie then realized that Shi Yue wanted them to keep watch on Tai because he did not want Tai to harm Nan Qiao. Later, Wen Di called Chang Jianxiong to remind him he was fifteen minutes late for an internal evaluation meeting. Chang Jianxiong replied he had some matters to attend to, and Wen Di mentioned that Shi Yue was also not yet present.
