Party A Who Lives Beside Me Episode 23 Recap
> Party A Who Lives Beside Me Recap
Du Xiaoyun, believing she had successfully signed a contract with Miss Tao, ignored Ye Xuan the next day at work. Ye Xuan confronted her, pretending to have waited late for Miss Tao and expressing disappointment that Du Xiaoyun had signed the contract that afternoon. Ye Xuan urged her to apologize, promising not to tell the director, but Du Xiaoyun remained defiant.
Du Xiaoyun stated that the contract was signed by her personally on behalf of the marketing department and no longer concerned Ye Xuan. Ye Xuan questioned if she was sure about her actions. After being dismissed by Wu Kai, a crestfallen Du Xiaoyun approached Ye Xuan, realizing that Ye Xuan had known about her schemes all along.
Ye Xuan reminded her that she had been given multiple chances, from the incident with Zhang Bowen to maliciously attacking Zhejiang Jas Pouch, secretly reporting Li Zenan, and finally taking credit for the Tao Tianlan contract. Du Xiaoyun, without remorse, explained that there was only one position for Wu Kai's assistant, implying that as long as Ye Xuan was there, she would never advance in the marketing department.
Ye Xuan then told her to pack her things and leave, wishing her well. Meanwhile, the company's investigation into Li Zenan's past issues concluded that he was a victim of malicious slander, and all involved perpetrators had been fired as a warning. The marketing department issued a sincere apology to Li Zenan, with the results to be publicly announced for seven working days on the Aoke Group official website.
Later, Li Zenan surprised Ye Xuan by picking her up from work. Ye Xuan, feeling a surge of renewed fighting spirit from her work, joked about Wu Kai's "chicken blood." Li Zenan then asked if she wanted to be even happier, revealing that he had managed to contact Miss Tao Tianlan by visiting Kirin Mansion and inquiring one by one, and they were going to have dinner with her. Overjoyed, Ye Xuan praised him and hugged him tightly.
Their joyful moment was interrupted by a call from Hu Yani, informing Li Zenan that a decorator had fallen off a scaffold at Zhejiang Jas Pouch. Hu Yani explained it happened in a surveillance blind spot but confirmed there was no life-threatening injury, only a slight calf fracture. They immediately went to the hospital, but upon arriving at the ward, they found the worker, referred to as Worker Wang, was no longer there.
The Zhejiang Jas Pouch incident quickly spiraled out of control, becoming a major public relations crisis overnight. Wu Kai furiously called Ye Xuan, demanding that Li Zenan immediately "put out the fire" at Zhejiang Jas Pouch, threatening to unilaterally terminate Aoke's cooperation with 88 Ed if it wasn't resolved promptly. Ye Xuan tried to reason with him but failed. The team felt helpless as public opinion was overwhelmingly against them, and any rebuttal would be quickly suppressed.
Li Zenan, admitting this was his first time encountering such a situation, worked through the night to prepare a crisis public relations plan, instructing Mao Tianyu to distribute it and for everyone to unify their statements and respond to various channels. Xu Guoren reviewed Li Zenan's crisis public relations program but immediately recognized that its standard approach would be too slow, especially with Aoke likely to shift blame. He suggested internal coordination first to prevent further escalation.
He then shared a story about the "Wine Industry on the Cloud," which faced a similar crisis years ago, nearly abandoned by Aoke. He revealed that he was the young man who, in just one week, not only resolved their crisis but doubled their sales. After a brief, humble exchange, Xu Guoren explained he brought it up to reassure them, having faced similar situations before. He rallied the team, stating, "There are always more ways than difficulties."
He quickly assigned tasks: Yan Lina was to control online public opinion, Guo Tianlei was to investigate Wang Jianguo's whereabouts after discharge, Mao Tianyu was to handle client inquiries and explain the situation, and He Yucheng was to go to Zhejiang Jas Pouch to support Hu Yani. Li Zenan thanked Xu Guoren, who confidently assured them he had it covered and urged everyone to work efficiently according to Li Zenan's plan.
Due to the escalating crisis, headquarters dispatched Zhou Feng to handle the matter. He and Wu Kai convened a meeting with representatives from Zhejiang Jas Pouch and 88 Ed. Li Zenan, Hu Yani, and Xu Guoren presented the facts: a construction worker named Wang Jianguo had fallen from a scaffold and, despite a minor calf fracture, had discharged himself from the hospital without permission and was unreachable. More critically, the construction team lacked insurance.
Hu Yani recounted that she and Guo Tianlei had met Wang Jianguo's wife the previous night, who claimed Wang had returned to his hometown and, upon hearing the calculated compensation of 57,000 yuan, furiously demanded one million yuan, refusing to compromise. When Hu Yani declined, workers quickly appeared to block Zhejiang Jas Pouch's entrance. Xu Guoren attempted to explain that there must be a misunderstanding, but Zhou Feng cut him off, stating he wasn't there for explanations.
Zhou Feng announced that the incident had already caused losses to Aoke, and the group had decided to re-evaluate its investment in Zhejiang Jas Pouch. He then delivered the devastating news: 88 Ed would be added to Aoke Group's supplier blacklist.
Xu Guoren argued that 88 Ed was not responsible for the worker's injury, but Zhou Feng countered that as 88 Ed was Aoke's entrusted executive company for Zhejiang Jas Pouch's promotional work, their failure to immediately manage the crisis and allowing it to escalate made them accountable. He asserted that someone had to take responsibility, and Aoke would not. Li Zenan conceded to Aoke terminating their cooperation but pleaded with Zhou Feng, acknowledging their long-standing relationship, to reconsider the blacklist.
He explained that a place on Aoke's supplier blacklist was a death sentence, as no company had ever recovered from it, leading to severed partnerships, potential lawsuits, and ultimately, bankruptcy. Zhou Feng remained firm, simply telling Li Zenan to "take care of himself" now that they were strictly Party A and Party B. Waiting anxiously outside the meeting room, Ye Xuan overheard the dire outcome.
She cornered Zhou Feng, admitting that she was the one who had found Zhejiang Jas Pouch's renovation team and was responsible for the inadequate background check. She desperately asked him not to terminate the contract with 88 Ed. Zhou Feng curtly acknowledged her, mentioning that two people had already come to intercede for Li Zenan and 88 Ed.
He told Ye Xuan that the group's decisions were beyond his control, and neither she nor anyone else could shoulder the fate of 88 Ed and Zhejiang Jas Pouch, asserting that Aoke and 88 Ed had their own destinies. He then advised her to find a more "decent reason" next time she tried to help Li Zenan. Ye Xuan pleaded for him to reconsider, but it was to no avail.
Following the blacklisting, 88 Ed was bombarded with calls from partners requesting contract terminations. The team was in despair, with Mao Tianyu eventually unplugging the main phone line in frustration. He Yucheng tried to lighten the mood by bringing steamed buns, reminding everyone that business could be ruthless but they needed to stay united. Xu Guoren, though admitting he had no immediate solution, echoed this sentiment and encouraged everyone to go home and rest, promising to keep brainstorming.
Later that night, Ye Xuan made dinner for Li Zenan, who was working late. She found him asleep on the sofa, having returned late to avoid disturbing her. The next morning, over breakfast, Ye Xuan noted Li Zenan's surprisingly calm demeanor amidst the crisis. He joked that he turned anxiety into appetite, confident that he could handle it because he was "tall enough to hold up the sky."
Ye Xuan confessed that she had tried to take the blame for 88 Ed with Zhou Feng, risking her job. Li Zenan, while appreciating her gesture, told her it was too risky, but she simply stated she didn't care about the risk at the time. Relieved to see his enduring strength, Ye Xuan told him he was the powerful Li Zenan she knew.
Back at the office, Mao Tianyu worriedly informed Li Zenan that Guo Tianlei, Yan Lina, and He Yucheng had all mysteriously taken leave, speculating they were looking for new jobs in light of the company's impending doom. Mao Tianyu also mentioned seeing Xu Guoren red-eyed and sleep-deprived, fielding numerous calls from brand and advertising companies, constantly apologizing and explaining the blacklist situation, making him fear the worst. Li Zenan, however, adamantly believed his team wouldn't abandon 88 Ed.
Li Zenan received a message from Ye Xuan, who had gone with the construction captain to the police station, filed a case, and obtained Wang Jianguo's home address. Li Zenan immediately took leave, ignoring Mao Tianyu's playful accusations of job-hunting. Upon finding Wang Jianguo, Li Zenan and Ye Xuan tried to talk, urging him to return to the hospital for proper treatment to avoid long-term issues. Wang, however, was unyielding, repeatedly demanding payment and refusing to discuss anything else.
Li Zenan warned him that a legal battle based on his minor injury wouldn't yield the large sum he sought, but Wang remained stubborn, eventually telling them to leave if they wouldn't pay. As they left, Li Zenan noticed the Su Ya Ge logo nearby, making him realize the restaurant, which had previously copied Ye Xuan's dishes, might be involved in instigating the crisis.
Ye Xuan later expressed her anger to He Yucheng, confirming that Li Zenan had pointed out Su Ya Ge's connection to the incident. While He Yucheng and Hu Yani went to investigate Su Ya Ge, Guo Tianlei made a drastic decision to help 88 Ed. He went to a real estate agent to sell his newly acquired, never-lived-in house, insisting on a quick, full-cash transaction. Just as a deal was being made, Yan Lina rushed in, vehemently objecting.
She argued that his house wasn't worth enough to significantly help the company and that he had worked too hard for it. She then produced her own property deed, declaring that her house was more valuable and she would sell it instead. When Guo Tianlei asked where she would live, Yan Lina, with a fierce embrace, playfully responded that she would live with him.
Xu Guoren frantically called his old connections, even offering to work for half price, trying to save 88 Ed. However, his contacts, like Mr. Zhang, explained that being on Aoke's blacklist was akin to a death sentence, and further collaboration would damage their own reputations. Just as he faced this rejection, Xu Guoren received a panicked call from his mother, informing him that Li Xinxia had fallen at home. He rushed to the hospital, drenched in sweat from worry.
Li Xinxia assured him that she and the baby were fine, trying to calm him. Despite her own condition, she was more concerned about the company. She told Xu Guoren that if they couldn't overcome this hurdle, they should simply close the company, find regular jobs to pay off debts, or even move back to their hometown and open a restaurant to utilize his cooking skills.
Seeing his despair, she offered him her savings, her dowry money, but Xu Guoren refused, insisting that 88 Ed started with him and would end with him, and he would find a way. Meanwhile, He Yucheng and Hu Yani, staking out Su Ya Ge, witnessed Wang Jianguo's wife meeting Mr. Su. They overheard her confirming that she and her husband had followed Mr. Su's instructions, asking if they would indeed get the money. Mr. Su confidently replied that 88 Ed wouldn't last a few more days, confirming his involvement in orchestrating the crisis.
