Party A Who Lives Beside Me Episode 3 Recap
> Party A Who Lives Beside Me Recap
Ye Xuan prepared a meal in a thermal lunchbox and left it at Li Zenan's doorstep as compensation for the ride he gave her. As Li Zenan drove to work, carrying the lunchbox, he spotted Ye Xuan running frantically by the road. Since they were headed in the same direction, he offered her a ride. Ye Xuan struggled to fasten her seatbelt, so Li Zenan leaned over to help her, a sudden closeness that made her breath catch.
Noting that Li Zenan's head injury still hadn't healed, Ye Xuan worried he might try to exploit the situation, suggesting they go to the hospital after work, to which Li Zenan responded with an exasperated eye-roll. She also commented that her bag contained "love, dreams and hopes," but Li Zenan wryly noted that those couldn't pay the rent. Meanwhile, Mao Tianyu remarked on 88 Ed's history of taking on "low" projects like boiled fish and foot washing places.
Li Zenan revealed he was already aware of this. He added that Zhang Bowen was known for his arrogance, suggesting that even as a love rival, his overconfidence would not serve him well. Elsewhere, Li Xinxia was furious about being told to submit a draft the next day, threatening to quit. Xu Guoren quickly intervened, berating the other Director Li (not Li Zenan) and pacifying Li Xinxia with a raise and annual leave.
After the meeting, Ye Xuan visited Xu Guoren, who advised her to be cautious when working with Li Xinxia due to her quick temper. Ye Xuan then presented her research on bean shell milk tea, expressing her desire to join the project and gain experience. Xu Guoren agreed, telling her to discuss it with Li Xinxia.
Ye Xuan was delighted and went downstairs, observing Li Xinxia leading a meeting where, despite it being a discussion, Li Xinxia's word was clearly final. During lunchtime, Li Zenan opened the lunch Ye Xuan had prepared. It was a pink, girlish lunchbox, containing a spicy dish fitting for her Sichuan background. Mao Tianyu, seeing the meal, was curious and, upon learning Ye Xuan made it, commented that such "love lunch" was something usually seen in idol dramas.
Just then, Zhang Bowen nonchalantly handed them a USB drive, claiming it held a "surprise." Later, as Ye Xuan prepared to present her design to Boss Zhang, she discovered her work USB drive was missing from her bag. Boss Zhang became furious, slammed his hand on the table, and walked out, ending their contract. Since Boss Zhang was the company's only client that month, Li Xinxia was enraged, while Xu Guoren remained calm.
Despite Ye Xuan's repeated apologies, Li Xinxia refused to relent, stating that if Ye Xuan didn't leave, she would. Li Zenan and Mao Tianyu opened Zhang Bowen's USB drive, which contained an advertisement video. They critiqued the poor quality, assuming it was from an inferior design department, only to be shocked when it was revealed to be 88 Ed's work.
Ye Xuan seemed on the verge of losing her job when He Yucheng reminded her that she might have left the USB in Li Zenan's car. She urgently called Li Zenan, who confirmed he had sent his car for cleaning that morning, suggesting the USB might have been discarded then. Devastated, Ye Xuan blamed herself. Li Zenan, however, coldly stated that it was her fault for not backing up her files and for losing the drive.
He then ended the conversation, saying he had work to do. Upon returning to his office, Li Zenan noticed it was raining heavily. He took an umbrella and went to find Ye Xuan, discovering her sketching at a convenience store with He Yucheng sitting opposite her. Li Zenan watched discreetly as He Yucheng gently touched Ye Xuan's head, comforting her. The two then left together to meet Boss Zhang.
Arriving at Boss Zhang's boiled fish restaurant, Ye Xuan insisted on going in alone, stating that it was her mistake and she needed to resolve it herself. Inside, Boss Zhang barely glanced at her new design. Instead, he handed her a bowl of boiled fish and a vague address, instructing her to deliver an order. To secure Boss Zhang's business and keep her job, Ye Xuan dutifully carried the boiled fish, searching frantically for the address.
After running around for a long time, she still couldn't find "Xiao Zhang restaurant." Ye Xuan felt disheartened and received another call from Boss Zhang, who scolded her for the delay, causing her to break down in tears. At that moment, Boss Zhang appeared behind her. He led her to the delivery location, "Creative Restaurant," which was subtly labeled.
He used the experience to teach Ye Xuan about advertising, explaining that while he didn't understand art or design, he knew how to make a snack shop stand out on a busy street. He offered feedback on her new design, noting that the base color lacked "impact" and encouraged her to revise it, emphasizing that her new design was better than the previous one.
Reinvigorated, Ye Xuan returned to the company with a new chocolate crème brûlée milk tea for Li Xinxia, complete with no ice, no sugar, milk foam, and her favorite pudding. Li Xinxia initially dismissed her efforts, but Ye Xuan humbly admitted her lack of understanding of client needs and her design's immaturity. She expressed her desire to stay and continue learning from Li Xinxia, sincerely asking for forgiveness.
Moved by Ye Xuan's renewed determination and efforts, Li Xinxia eventually allowed her to stay and continue with the project. In the end, Ye Xuan successfully created a design that satisfied Boss Zhang.
