Party A Who Lives Beside Me Episode 16 Recap
> Party A Who Lives Beside Me Recap
Ye Xuan received a phone call from her mother, who announced she would be arriving in Shanghai the next day, catching Ye Xuan completely off guard. Panicked by her messy apartment, Ye Xuan frantically shoved clothes into her closet to tidy up. Her neighbor, Li Zenan, disturbed by the commotion, knocked on her door.
Ye Xuan was busy cleaning because she had previously told her mother that her apartment was luxurious, spacious, and spotless, a "white lie" she confessed to Li Zenan. Ye Xuan asked Li Zenan to help her cram the remaining clothes into the closet, but their combined effort accidentally tore the closet door off its hinges. Seeing her predicament, Ye Xuan tried to persuade Li Zenan to let her stay at his place.
He initially resisted, even as she playfully banged on his door and threatened to "hit herself to death" if he didn't comply. Eventually, he relented, and Li Zenan reluctantly agreed to swap apartments with Ye Xuan for a few days to help her maintain the illusion for her mother. However, Li Zenan was dismayed to find a mountain of Ye Xuan's belongings already moved into his apartment.
Ye Xuan, however, left him to sort through the chaos alone, saying she needed to pack her own necessities and thanking "Boss Li" before rushing off. After Li Zenan tidied up Ye Xuan's apartment (the messy one he was temporarily occupying), he went to his own apartment, where Ye Xuan was already fast asleep on the sofa. He gently covered her with a piece of clothing.
He was looking for his razor, and as Ye Xuan tried to help him, she stumbled, falling into his arms. The moment was charged with an unspoken tension, which Ye Xuan quickly diffused by suggesting they go out for dinner and pick up some groceries to make her temporary home look presentable before her mother arrived. The next day, Li Zenan drove Ye Xuan to the high-speed rail station to pick up her mother.
Upon spotting her mother, Ye Xuan hastily urged Li Zenan to leave, saying she and her mother could take a taxi home. Sensing her discomfort, Li Zenan, ever the quick thinker, got out of his car and approached them, pretending to have "coincidentally" run into them at the station. He greeted Ye Xuan's mother, who was pleased to meet him, and offered them a ride home, which she readily accepted.
During the drive, Ye Xuan's mother openly admired Li Zenan, telling Ye Xuan that she should find a capable boyfriend in Shanghai and settle down so her mother could move in with her. She then began to subtly probe Li Zenan about his background, discovering he was not only Ye Xuan's former colleague but also her neighbor, a fact that seemed to delight her even more. Ye Xuan repeatedly tried to distract her mother, clearly embarrassed by her matchmaking attempts.
Upon arriving at the apartment building, Ye Xuan struggled with her mother's heavy luggage, attempting to carry it up herself. However, Ye Xuan's mother enthusiastically called out to Li Zenan for help, which he promptly offered, ignoring Ye Xuan's silent pleas. Once they reached the door, Li Zenan instinctively reached for his keys to open "his" apartment, but Ye Xuan quickly pulled him back, preventing him from giving away their apartment swap.
Ye Xuan's mother then invited Li Zenan to stay for dinner. He politely declined, citing work, but under her expectant gaze, he revealed that he actually lived right across the hall. This only further endeared him to Ye Xuan's mother, who gushed about the "deep fate" between them. Ye Xuan, feeling exasperated, commented that her mother was judging him solely on his appearance. Meanwhile, Hu Yani was still dealing with her store's landlord issues.
She was frustrated to learn from the current occupant that they didn't hold the property deed. The occupant eventually provided her with the WeChat contact for the real landlord, He Yucheng. Hu Yani immediately messaged him, introducing herself as a tenant of Zhe Ya Xuan, but He Yucheng simply ignored her texts, dismissing her as having an "urgent temper." Back at Ye Xuan's apartment, her mother was very satisfied with her "luxurious" living space.
Later, knowing Li Zenan didn't like spicy food, she prepared a meal specifically catering to his taste, excluding the water-boiled meat slices Ye Xuan had hoped for. She then instructed Ye Xuan to invite him over for dinner. Throughout the meal, Ye Xuan's mother showered Li Zenan with attention, constantly serving him food, making Ye Xuan feel like an outsider. After dinner, Ye Xuan's mother asked if Li Zenan had a girlfriend, hoping to set him up with Ye Xuan.
To deter her mother's matchmaking efforts, Ye Xuan vaguely suggested that she didn't even know if he was interested in girls, noting his delicate silk pajamas and impeccable style. Though initially disappointed, her mother eventually conceded, concluding that if he "doesn't like girls," then there's "no cure." She told Ye Xuan that she wasn't pressuring her to find a partner, only that she wished for her daughter to find someone who would truly care for her.
As a divorced woman, she understood that ultimately, one must rely on oneself for happiness in this world. Hu Yani met He Yucheng for dinner. As they waited, a man approached Hu Yani, attempting to get her WeChat contact. He Yucheng quickly stepped in, claiming Hu Yani as his girlfriend and sending the man away. He then proposed to Hu Yani that she become his fake girlfriend to appease his mother, who constantly arranged blind dates for him.
The plan was simple: Hu Yani wouldn't even need to meet his mother, just have dinner with his "big-mouthed" cousin, who would spread the news. In exchange, He Yucheng offered to share the WeChat contact for his "National Warm Man" mother, whom Hu Yani hoped to secure investment from. Without hesitation, Hu Yani agreed to the arrangement. Separately, Xu Guoren, Ye Xuan's former boss, began interviewing candidates to fill positions at his company, 88 Ad.
He found that most applicants had high salary demands and were generally unsatisfactory. Later, at the market, Li Zenan encountered Ye Xuan, who was buying ribs to make soup for her mother. He gently stopped her, explaining that ribs weren't the best for medicinal soup, and proceeded to select more suitable ingredients like barrel bones and black-bone chicken. As Ye Xuan watched him, a wave of happiness washed over her.
Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Ye Xuan's mother discovered a man's razor, sparking her suspicion about who else might be living there. When Ye Xuan and Li Zenan returned home, they found Ye Xuan's mother collapsed on the floor. They rushed her to the hospital, where the doctor informed them she suffered from severe iron-deficiency anemia, which caused her arrhythmia and sudden fainting spells. Ye Xuan was distraught, blaming herself for not paying enough attention to her mother's health.
The doctor reassured them that with a couple of days of rest, her condition would improve. Ye Xuan insisted on staying by her mother's side and urged Li Zenan to go home and rest. Concerned for her, Li Zenan returned home to prepare a nourishing soup before coming back to the hospital to support her.
