Party A Who Lives Beside Me Episode 20 Recap
> Party A Who Lives Beside Me Recap
After leaving the class reunion, He Yucheng and Hu Yani walked side by side. Hu Yani expressed her confusion about He Yucheng's actions at the reunion, noting that while others engaged in superficial displays for vanity, he chose to embody the lowest social tier. He Yucheng replied that perhaps their classmates were aware, but the unspoken rule of adult society was to "see through and not say through."
He suggested that people live so deeply in reality they prefer to believe illusions rather than face the truth. When Hu Yani challenged him on whether he dared to face reality himself, he offered no direct answer. They soon reached Hu Yani's house, and He Yucheng lamented how quickly their walk had passed. Unwilling to part ways first, they agreed to leave simultaneously, heading in opposite directions.
As Hu Yani watched him go, He Yucheng turned back to see her getting into a taxi not far away. As the night grew late, Ye Xuan, anxious about her breath, practiced various scenarios in her mind and decided to brush her teeth again. Li Zenan, equally nervous, joined her. When faced with the room's single bed, Ye Xuan suggested Li Zenan take the sofa, but he confidently claimed the bed.
Ye Xuan, insisting she wasn't scared in her own home, reluctantly lay beside him. She asked him to turn off the light. In the darkness, Li Zenan kissed her, but Ye Xuan, overcome by nerves, promptly kicked him off the bed, suggesting he sleep on the sofa instead. The next morning, Li Zenan prepared a lavish breakfast. Ye Xuan, however, had an early meeting with Wu Kai and had to rush off with her meal.
Li Zenan reluctantly bid her farewell, feeding her a ginger slice and packing American ginseng for her, encouraging her to take it if she got tired from working overtime. At the meeting, Wu Kai lectured the team about a 10% decrease in clients and a 30% reduction in fast-moving consumer goods, showing data models that revealed most advertisements were unqualified. Bored, Ye Xuan messaged Li Zenan to complain that Wu Kai's speeches made her sleepy.
Li Zenan playfully responded by suggesting she take the American ginseng. Unfortunately, her phone was connected to the big screen, projecting their private exchange, including Li Zenan's question about how many steamed buns Wu Kai had eaten. Wu Kai saw the messages and, with a straight face, typed a response directly into the chat, telling Li Zenan to "go back" and questioning his "bad habit."
Ye Xuan, mortified, profusely apologized, promising to be a "determined, confident, hot-blooded employee" for the company. Just then, she suffered a sudden nosebleed, prompting Wu Kai to remark that her "blood had already overflowed," leading to a second wave of embarrassment for Ye Xuan, who quickly excused herself. Li Zenan announced that based on previous feedback, he had adjusted the survey questionnaire, making it more targeted, and asked the team to continue distributing them.
Xu Guoren supported him, emphasizing the importance of early client research. Xu Guoren then surprised everyone by distributing overdue bonuses, explaining that Li Zenan's investment had significantly improved the company's financial standing. The team, energized by the unexpected payment, thanked Li Zenan and eagerly committed to working harder for the company's future listing. Guo Tianlei, particularly enthusiastic, rushed off to hand out flyers.
Wu Kai then showed Ye Xuan a script for a new product placement for "bean shell milk tea" and instructed her to urge Li Zenan to complete 88 Ed's proposal as quickly as possible. Ye Xuan, subtly advocating for 88 Ed, suggested that thorough preliminary work would lead to a better outcome. However, Wu Kai sharply reminded her to prioritize Aoke's interests as its employee.
Ye Xuan then asked about the male lead for the show, "Hu Yunhao," seemingly disappointed that it wasn't "Ji Ruxing," and criticized the female lead, Wang Zixuan, claiming she was only cast because she was cheap. Wu Kai, annoyed, redirected her to call Li Zenan and focus on her work. Meanwhile, Guo Tianlei, realizing he had finally saved enough for his house down payment, wondered aloud how Xu Guoren knew his financial situation.
Lena sarcastically suggested he message Yueyue, his former girlfriend, to see if she would even respond, implying she wouldn't. Guo Tianlei, eager to share the good news, sent Yueyue a message despite Lena's doubts. To Lena's astonishment, Yueyue replied, stating she would come to Shanghai the next day. Guo Tianlei was ecstatic, thanking Lena as his "koi" and excitedly planning to book a hotel and dinner for Yueyue, carefully checking various "movie apartment" options online before dismissing one as "terrible."
Ye Xuan was working late when Li Zenan appeared, giving her a fright by surprising her from the office bathroom. He apologized for startling her but explained he wanted to give her a surprise. He noted how comfortable Aoke's office was and observed Ye Xuan working on advertisement placements. Ye Xuan reflected on how she used to dislike product placements but was now creating them, acknowledging the challenges of being a "Party A." Li Zenan offered to cook for her.
Ye Xuan confirmed the product placement script was finalized and, much to Wu Kai's surprise, asked if she had any other tasks. Impressed by her speed, Wu Kai granted her the day off. Ye Xuan eagerly asked if she could use the time to "supervise" Li Zenan. Wu Kai reminded her that Xinji's new proposal had already been submitted and warned her about 88 Ed, but Ye Xuan assured him she would handle it and left.
Later, Li Zenan was distributing flyers on the street when Ye Xuan playfully jumped onto his back. He instinctively performed an over-the-shoulder throw, leading to a long period of playful sulking from Ye Xuan. A street band then confronted Li Zenan, accusing him of stealing their audience. The situation escalated, with Li Zenan trying to assert himself by saying he had "practiced" and threatening to call the police.
Ye Xuan bravely stepped in front of Li Zenan, protecting him and challenging the band members, warning them not to "push" her as they were now "two people." Passersby recognized Ye Xuan as a "female online celebrity" from short videos. Capitalizing on her fame, Ye Xuan streamed live, offering photos and interactions with Li Zenan, whom she jokingly called her "tool man," to anyone who filled out their survey.
Li Zenan endured carrying several people on his back, playfully calling for help. Having collected numerous surveys, Ye Xuan teased Li Zenan about how much he needed her. She then reminded him about the "once-in-a-century Pisces meteor shower" that night, urging him to finish their work quickly so they could go home to watch it. Suddenly, Wu Kai called, demanding that 88 Ed submit their proposal for Zhe Ya Xuan by 5 PM.
Despite Li Zenan's initial estimate of "tomorrow," Ye Xuan, adopting a firm "Party A" persona, assured Wu Kai they would deliver by 5 PM. Wu Kai praised her for her assertive stance. Back at 88 Ed, Li Zenan and his team (including Tianyu and Xu Guoren) immediately entered "battle mode," dividing tasks to meet the tight deadline.
Ye Xuan diligently helped, delaying Wu Kai by claiming her USB drive was missing, then that her computer had a virus that might infect his, before finally "finding" her USB drive in her pocket. Against all odds, 88 Ed successfully submitted their proposal just before the deadline. After a tense wait, the news arrived: Zhe Ya Xuan had chosen 88 Ed.
The team erupted in cheers, thanking Li Zenan for his leadership and Ye Xuan for her crucial assistance, expressing hopes that she might return to 88 Ed. They suggested celebrating that night, but Li Zenan proposed celebrating another day, noting that it was the night of the meteor shower, and everyone likely had dates. Xu Guoren and Li Zenan quickly departed, eager to join their respective plans.
He Yucheng went to find Hu Yani and mysteriously told her he wanted to take her somewhere. The two drove to a campsite, where He Yucheng had prepared many things for camping. He Yucheng was in charge of the barbecue, but his cooking skills were poor. He secretly swapped the meat with pre-ordered takeout when Hu Yani wasn't looking. Unexpectedly, when he turned around, Hu Yani had gotten her hair caught in a fan.
He Yucheng couldn't help but burst out laughing, but after laughing, he seriously helped her resolve the problem. Hu Yani looked at him so intently and closely for the first time. Lena was still working late when a dejected Guo Tianlei returned. He told her Yueyue wasn't coming, showing her a message where Yueyue explained that her years of silence meant their relationship was over, and she believed he should have understood.
She wished him well and asked him not to contact her again. Guo Tianlei frantically tried to call her, but her phone was consistently unavailable. Lena asked him what he planned to do now, and he mumbled "buy the house," then lamented that the deposits for the restaurant and hotel were non-refundable, so he was going to eat alone.
