Party A Who Lives Beside Me Episode 1 Recap
> Party A Who Lives Beside Me Recap
Ye Xuan, a twenty-three-year-old from Sichuan, arrived in Shanghai, a bustling international metropolis of twenty-four million people. She was captivated by the city's iconic landmarks like the Oriental Pearl, the Huangpu River, and the Bund, which were just as she had seen on TV as a child. She had always dreamed of living and striving there, believing she could one day shine as brightly as the city itself, finding both career and love.
However, the sight of 88 Ed, located on a somewhat remote and dilapidated street, made her question if she had taken the wrong path. Upon entering 88 Ed, she was largely ignored by the employees, one of whom even snatched the bun she was holding, thinking she was a delivery person. Ye Xuan clarified that she was there for a job interview. Upstairs, she met Xu Guoren, the erratic general manager, who startled her with his abrupt manner.
He quickly scanned her impressive resume, noting her graduation from a 985 university with an art design degree and her internships at major companies like Ogilvy & Mather and Coca-Cola. Xu Guoren explained that 88 Ed was a small, creative company with no overtime, performance reviews, or attendance checks, but also no project bonuses, overtime benefits, or paid leave. The internship was for six months, with a salary of four thousand yuan per month, which was low.
Despite this, he painted a grand vision of the company going public soon, promising Ye Xuan a position as a "veteran employee." Ye Xuan, expressing her preference for a creative company with more room for expression, accepted the offer. The four thousand yuan salary proved challenging for renting a place in Shanghai, even with her scholarships and part-time earnings. After viewing seven or eight unsatisfactory apartments, an agent attempted to charge her a five hundred yuan room fee.
She cleverly dodged the fee by feigning forgetfulness and attempting to escape by climbing over a locked gate, as the complex only had one exit. Stuck atop the wall, she called for help from a young man, Li Zenan, who was nearby. He mistakenly thought she had dropped her bag and tossed it back over the wall. Ye Xuan explained her predicament, and Li Zenan awkwardly guided her down, almost causing her to fall.
He then boastfully declared, "A great kindness needs no words of thanks," and ran off. The agent caught up to Ye Xuan, and the original five-hundred-yuan fee had now doubled to a thousand. She didn't realize that the real landlord was Li Zenan, and Mao Tianyu was just the agent.
Ye Xuan negotiated the eight thousand yuan rent down to four thousand, promising Mao Tianyu that she wouldn't cook or bring strangers home and would take good care of the place, on the condition that he buy her a TV. Mao Tianyu called "Nan Ge" (Li Zenan) to relay the offer, and Li Zenan reluctantly agreed, warning Mao Tianyu of consequences if there were any issues.
On her first day at 88 Ed, as she posed for her badge photo, the company photographer, He Yucheng, confided that the company was on the verge of collapsing, contrasting Xu Guoren’s talk of going public. He Yucheng showed her candid badge photos of other colleagues, including Guo Tianlei, the frugal accountant; Li Xinxia, the hot-tempered chief designer; and Yan Lina, the beauty-conscious marketing specialist, capturing their unique personalities, while describing himself as a photographer with a free spirit.
During a company meeting, Xu Guoren announced two "bad news" items: mandatory overtime for two weeks, and that Aoke Group had chosen them to design the packaging for their "bean shell milk tea" brand. While this sounded like good news, Xu Guoren warned them that the client's liaison, Director Li from Aoke Marketing Department, was notoriously strict, known for a low approval rate, and frequent changes in suppliers.
He assigned the core team members to the Aoke project: Li Xinxia for overall design, Guo Tianlei for production and cost control, He Yucheng for photography, and Yan Lina for client liaison. Ye Xuan, however, was assigned to the "Boss Zhang Boiled Fish" project. Although she diligently started her work, she was puzzled why no one seemed happy about landing the prestigious Aoke project.
He Yucheng explained that Aoke's design department, led by Chief Designer Zhang Bowen, was top-notch, making it nearly impossible for a small company like theirs to compete. Furthermore, passing Director Li's stringent approval was a monumental task, as he was infamous for demanding countless revisions and making designers "cry" in his office, despite his exceptional capabilities. It was soon revealed that the formidable Director Li was none other than Li Zenan.
At Aoke, Mao Tianyu complained to Li Zenan that Zhang Bowen was making a fuss and criticizing the marketing department's artist selection. Zhang Bowen, in turn, argued that the chosen artist, Ji Ruxing, was having contract disputes, which could jeopardize their client. Li Zenan swiftly produced a signed endorsement contract for Ji Ruxing, asserting that the artist was chosen based on data-driven metrics like fan purchasing power and target audience matching.
Zhang Bowen was left speechless and promptly departed with his team. Meanwhile, Ye Xuan stayed late at 88 Ed, diligently completing her design for the boiled fish project. She proudly shared it in the work group, but received an angry message from Boss Zhang, who vehemently rejected her design. He criticized her for not understanding his boiled fish and suggested she eat his homemade boiled fish to "replenish her brain."
Feeling disheartened, Ye Xuan went to the market to buy a grass carp, only to encounter Li Zenan, who also wanted the same fish. Their previous animosity from the wall incident flared up, with Ye Xuan calling him a "big silly guy." Amidst their bickering, Ye Xuan received a call from Li Xinxia, who demanded three design drafts that night.
Shortly after, her mother called, and Ye Xuan, trying to put on a brave front, lied, claiming she was out having French food with colleagues and didn't cook at home. As she finished the call, Li Zenan emerged from behind the elevator doors, having overheard her conversation, and mockingly questioned her "French meal." He then pressed the button for the fourth floor, the same as hers, and entered the apartment directly across from her.
Ye Xuan was aghast and filled with regret at the shocking realization that her landlord was not only Li Zenan but also her direct neighbor. When he asked if she lived alone, she quickly concocted a story about living with her boxing coach boyfriend, who would be back in five minutes. Frustrated by the day's events, Ye Xuan angrily chopped a cucumber for dinner, only to suddenly remember that her landlord didn't allow cooking.
At the same time, Li Zenan, bothered by the pungent, spicy aroma from her apartment, called Mao Tianyu, complaining about his tenant cooking and instructing him to warn her. Mao Tianyu informed him that Ye Xuan had already sent an apologetic message. Later, Li Zenan opened a package, only to find it contained women's underwear addressed to "Four Zero One," realizing it was Ye Xuan's misdelivered parcel.
