Party A Who Lives Beside Me Episode 4 Recap
> Party A Who Lives Beside Me Recap
Ye Xuan profusely apologized to Li Zenan for being late, explaining she was caught in heavy traffic as they were heading to the hospital for his head injury. Li Zenan remained silent as they entered the elevator. Suddenly, the elevator made a piercing noise and then plunged into darkness, trapping them. Li Zenan, visibly terrified, crouched down and hugged Ye Xuan's leg. Once the power was restored, he quickly scrambled out of the elevator.
Ye Xuan, finding his reaction amusing, teased him about being afraid of the dark or heights. After doctors confirmed Li Zenan's head injury was not serious, Ye Xuan jokingly declared that any future ailments would not be her responsibility, while Li Zenan, still nursing his head, retorted that he would ignore her calls if she ever needed help. On their way home, Ye Xuan excitedly spotted a billboard featuring her idol, Ji Ruxing, and insisted on taking photos.
When Li Zenan playfully offered to get her signed photos, Ye Xuan confidently announced that she didn't need his help. She revealed that her company, 88 Ed, was handling the advertising campaign for bean shell milk tea, which Ji Ruxing had just endorsed, meaning she would soon meet him. Li Zenan initially scoffed, expressing sympathy for Ji Ruxing having to collaborate with someone "unreliable" like her, but a moment later, a look of realization crossed his face.
He asked for her company's name, and upon hearing "88 Ed," he appeared stunned. The next morning, Ye Xuan was rudely awakened by a phone call from Li Xinxia, who demanded her immediate presence at the office, noting it was already past ten. Rushing out in a panic, Ye Xuan accidentally collided with a delivery rider, who tried to extort 100 yuan from her for spilled food.
Li Zenan, conveniently passing by, intervened, accusing the rider of speeding and threatening to check surveillance footage. The delivery rider, flustered, quickly apologized and left. Li Zenan cautioned the rider to "be careful with your bike" and reminded him, "ten car accidents, nine fast." Ye Xuan thanked Li Zenan before hurrying off to work, shouting back about her lost takeout money.
At the office, He Yucheng greeted a breathless Ye Xuan, mistakenly thinking her proposal had been approved due to Li Xinxia's unusual tone. However, Li Xinxia harshly informed Ye Xuan that Aoke Group had rejected her design, finding it lacked "bright spots," "desserts," and "high points," remarking that "these three points were too flat."
Reminding Ye Xuan, an intern with six months left on her probation, that a creative company needed immediate results, Li Xinxia ordered her to redo the design by the day after tomorrow. Later, Li Xinxia privately expressed her doubt to a colleague about 88 Ed's ability to deliver a satisfactory proposal. That evening, Ye Xuan arrived home only to realize she had forgotten her keys. Li Zenan, seeing her squatting outside her door, invited her into his apartment.
She haughtily refused, stating she wasn't in the mood for his "poisonous chicken soup." After calling a locksmith, she learned it would take three hours for them to arrive. Li Zenan, amused, teased her about enduring the wait, suggesting she might get thirsty or need to use the restroom. Defeated, Ye Xuan finally accepted his invitation to come inside, on the condition that she wouldn't attempt to climb over the balcony to her own apartment.
To express her gratitude, Ye Xuan cooked a spicy meal for Li Zenan, explaining that where she came from, spicy food was for all emotions – happiness, sadness, excitement, and grief. She then passionately vented her frustration about Aoke's Director Li, who had dismissed her all-nighter plan as not "impressive enough." During her rant, Li Zenan nervously tucked his work badge out of sight. Ye Xuan then declared that she had painstakingly created the entire plan herself.
Li Zenan, aware that Li Xinxia's name was on the proposal, offered some advice: "Don't always think things so simple, the truth of many things not necessarily what you see." He suggested that instead of trying to impress Party A, she should first impress herself. He urged her to revisit the initial inspiration behind her design, refine it, and find stronger emotional connections to resonate with the audience.
After the locksmith finally arrived, Ye Xuan left, pondering Li Zenan's surprisingly profound words. Inspired by Li Zenan's advice, Ye Xuan worked tirelessly to create a new design. The next day, Xu Guoren praised her revised proposal, telling her it was "very good," and instructed her to present it alongside Chief Li Xinxia at Aoke Group the following afternoon. Overjoyed, Ye Xuan shared the good news, but then worried about what to wear, as all her clothes were casual.
Her friend, Yan Lina, came to her aid, guiding her to a clothing rental shop. Yan Lina convinced Ye Xuan that dressing elegantly would positively influence Party A's perception, making their requirements simpler and helping her "kill the competition." Although the elegant white dress Ye Xuan chose was expensive, Yan Lina assured her she could rent it for the day, which Ye Xuan gratefully accepted.
The next morning, Ye Xuan was still deep in sleep when He Yucheng called, urgently informing her that Aoke Group had rescheduled the proposal to the morning, and Chief Li Xinxia had already left without telling her. Panicked, Ye Xuan scrambled to get ready. As she rushed out, she spotted Li Zenan, who jokingly asked if she was eloping.
Ye Xuan quickly explained her predicament and begged him for a ride to Aoke Group on Huazhou Road, urging him to drive fast to avoid making Party A wait. Li Zenan's intuition suggested Party A might not have arrived yet, but he told her to "sit tight" and sped off. Upon arrival, Ye Xuan quickly thanked Li Zenan and dashed into the Aoke building. Li Zenan, who had not revealed his true identity to her, followed a few minutes later.
Inside, Ye Xuan apologized profusely to Chief Li Xinxia for being late, only to be coldly informed that Xu Guoren had likely forgotten to update her, and Li Xinxia would handle the presentation alone, dismissing Ye Xuan. As Ye Xuan stood stunned, seeing her own proposal with Li Xinxia's name on it, Li Zenan was told by the front desk that the 88 Ed team had arrived half an hour early.
He then entered the meeting room, where he found only Li Xinxia, who confidently introduced herself as the sole presenter, claiming responsibility for the design's "idea of inheritance." Devastated and feeling betrayed, Ye Xuan left the meeting. She later recounted her ordeal to Yan Lina, noting that while the rented dress was fine, she felt "particularly bad." In her distress, she accidentally damaged the expensive dress and had to pay for it.
Heartbroken, she wandered the streets, buying an extra-sweet ice cream but spilling it as she reflected, "I thought as long as I worked hard, used all my enthusiasm and energy, I could take root and realize my dreams in this city. But reality is often a cruel hit. Sometimes, it's not how lucky you are as hard as you work." As she broke down crying, Li Zenan appeared by her side, holding a cotton candy.
Li Zenan took Ye Xuan to a restaurant, ordering her favorite boiled fish with extra spice and two beers. Ye Xuan poured out her heart, expressing how painful it was that her tireless work ultimately amounted to nothing. Li Zenan explained that her lack of "the right to speak" was the root cause, and that she needed to become stronger.
He encouraged her by suggesting that if someone was stealing her work, it meant her designs were good, and she had the inherent ability to grow powerful enough to protect them. As the evening progressed, Ye Xuan became heavily intoxicated and launched into a drunken rant about her "stupid design" and "plan" that brought her no money or credit.
She loudly declared she was quitting, much to Li Zenan's chagrin, who tried to quiet her down and coax her into the car. On the way home, she continued to complain about Party A, asking Li Zenan if they even knew she was the real designer. He reassuringly told her they did. Suddenly, she vomited on his shoes.
Li Zenan gently carried her home and tucked her into bed, listening as she continued to curse all Party A, wryly remarking to himself, "I'm a bastard, Party A, that's really kind." The next morning, Ye Xuan awoke with a blush, having dreamed about Li Zenan. When He Yucheng called, she asked him to request a temporary leave, stating she felt unwell and was too angry at Chief Li to face work.
