Something Just Like This Episode 1 Recap
> Something Just Like This Recap
Duan Ran, son of retail magnate Duan Shengyun, returned to China after three years of overseas study. His father hoped he would return to QE, their family's company, and learn from Qian Xixi. However, Duan Ran declined, calling QE a "sunset industry" and expressing disdain for Qian Xixi's reliance on his father's investments, even though she worked at his father's live streaming company.
His father then revealed that Qian Xixi didn't know the company was his investment when she applied, secured her position purely on merit, and was now a popular streamer and director. Qian Xixi, whose parents divorced when she was young and whose mother died unexpectedly when she was in primary school, had won Duan Ran’s mother’s heart with her tears, becoming a permanent member of their household.
Known for her independent and strong-willed nature, and dubbed a "desperate third sister" for her relentless work ethic, Qian Xixi meticulously paid her share of household expenses, even though she lived with the Duans, striving to avoid being looked down upon as someone living under others' roof. She had resigned from QE to further carve her own path, joining an e-commerce live streaming company where she quickly became a popular streamer and director, showcasing impressive sales capabilities.
Still unconvinced by his father's praise for Qian Xixi, Duan Ran visited the e-commerce live streaming company. Chen Lang, the company's director, welcomed him and provided a tour, explaining the rapid growth of the live streaming e-commerce industry, which evolved from a "wasteland" before 2015 to a "street market" in 2017, becoming a "regular army" (formal industry) by 2018.
Chen Lang highlighted that among their 52 streamers, many were top salespeople he personally recruited from major retail counters, valuing their strong communication skills, experience, approachable image, and diligence. As Duan Ran observed the bustling live stream rooms, he playfully questioned if Qian Xixi fit the "easy-going" type, to which Chen Lang responded she was more of the "hardworking type." Duan Ran then witnessed Qian Xixi in action during the final day of the spring-summer special.
Her performance was outstanding; she surpassed her own record by achieving 50,000 in sales within 30 minutes, well on her way to meeting the two-million-yuan target for the day. Impressed, Chen Lang immediately instructed his staff to promote her live stream to the homepage. Witnessing Qian Xixi’s success, and seeing her mischievous, provocative smile from the live stream, Duan Ran felt a familiar wave of annoyance and grievance.
He recounted how, on his very first morning back home after three years abroad, he discovered Qian Xixi had encroached upon his personal space, claiming his room, closet, towels, and even his hats and car as her own dedicated items. He felt his parents seemed to prioritize her over him, treating her with more affection than their own son.
They constantly held his adoptive sister up as an example of self-reliance, instructing him to learn from her, despite his own achievement of securing a full scholarship while studying abroad, which they seemed to overlook. He perceived her presence as that of "the dove occupying the magpie's nest." After her live stream, Qian Xixi prepared to meet a client (Mr Wu of Pineapple Xpress), but Duan Ran shamelessly insisted on taking her to lunch, even tugging at her hair.
She expressed her frustration, explaining she had spent the entire morning brainstorming ways to sell a difficult denim jacket and had no time to check her phone, let alone eat. She revealed that she had already met with a client twice without success and had a crucial third meeting that afternoon. Duan Ran, undeterred, continued his persistence.
During their conversation, he challenged her company's low-end product strategy, arguing that selling only "dozens of yuan" items and relying on high volume would lower a brand's prestige. He suggested that if they couldn't provide "added value" to a brand like Pineapple Xpress, that brand wouldn't want to collaborate with them. Eventually, he offered to drive her to her appointment in his sports car.
As Duan Ran dropped Qian Xixi off at her meeting, he unexpectedly demanded his car keys back, revealing that the one she possessed was merely a spare. He asserted that he was reclaiming the "baby's" usage rights, leaving Qian Xixi furious and shouting "liar!" as he sped away, accusing him of breaking his promise. Later, Qian Xixi recounted the car incident and her frustrations to her friend, Zhang Jiayun.
Qian Xixi confided that her earlier meetings with Mr Wu of Pineapple Xpress, arranged by Zhang Jiayun, had been unsuccessful. Zhang Jiayun, observing the dynamic between Qian Xixi and Duan Ran, questioned if their relationship was truly just sibling-like. Qian Xixi vehemently asserted they were only siblings, explaining that even Duan Ran's parents, Mr Duan and Zhou Yi, consistently regarded her merely as his younger sister.
She added that having benefited from their hospitality and lived in their home for so many years, it would be morally wrong for her to harbor romantic feelings for their only son. Their conversation was abruptly cut short when they spotted Zhang Jiayun's boyfriend, Chen Lang, approaching, causing them to quickly hide. Meanwhile, Chen Lang at the office continued to discuss Duan Ran’s visit with his secretary.
He worried that Duan Ran's refusal to join QE, combined with his presence at the e-commerce company, suggested he might be eyeing Chen Lang’s position. The secretary, however, believed Duan Ran's visit was primarily for Qian Xixi, noting their interactions seemed more akin to a romantic couple than siblings.
Duan Ran, after leaving Qian Xixi, took his sports car to a 4S shop for a thorough cleaning and inspection, instructing staff to remove and discard any small ornaments from the front seat, lamenting the car had been "trashed" by Qian Xixi's usage. Later, he encountered Qian Xixi acting furtively, seemingly tracking someone. His sudden appearance caused her to lose sight of the person, leading to another lively dispute between them.
Duan Ran once more urged Qian Xixi to have dinner with him. She was preoccupied with perplexing financial calculations, still struggling to articulate the "value" proposition to clients like Mr Wu. Recognizing her difficulty, Duan Ran, in a few succinct sentences, clarified the concepts of value, investment return rate (ROI), and the necessity of using a "value proposal" when dealing with companies like Pineapple Xpress, in contrast to simply focusing on price-performance ratios.
Impressed by his insights, Qian Xixi agreed to dinner, hoping to glean more knowledge. Elsewhere, Chen Lang, still anxious about Duan Ran's intentions, secretly sought out Mr Shen to inquire about Duan Ran's future. Mr Shen informed him that while Duan Shengyun wished for Duan Ran to join QE, he would not object if his son chose to carve his own path in the e-commerce sector, a revelation that further unsettled Chen Lang.
Later, Qian Xixi presented Duan Ran with her projected ROI calculations for Pineapple Xpress, based on his earlier guidance. She estimated a gross profit of 1. 56 million yuan and a sales revenue of 5. 2 million yuan from a 100,000-yuan investment. Duan Ran dismissed her figures as mere estimations, emphasizing the necessity of a statistical analysis table based on past sales to accurately demonstrate profit potential.
He cautioned her against making overly ambitious projections, repeatedly telling her, "Don't make it too big. Silly." Undeterred by his warning, Qian Xixi confidently declared her intention to confront Mr Wu the following day, fearless of the outcome. The next day, Qian Xixi found Mr Wu rushing to a meeting. Unyielding, she pursued him into the men's restroom to pitch her proposal. There, she presented her detailed plan, reiterating that a 100,000-yuan investment would yield 1.
56 million in gross profit and 5. 2 million in sales revenue. To solidify her commitment, she boldly pledged to clean the men's restroom for a day for every 10,000 yuan she fell short of the target. Impressed by her determination, Mr Wu agreed to sign the contract, provided she included her pledge in the agreement. Upon successfully signing the contract, Qian Xixi excitedly called Duan Ran to celebrate, inviting him to dinner and proudly displaying the signed document.
Duan Ran, however, was aghast at the ambitious figures, especially the 5. 2 million sales target, declaring it impossible and telling her to prepare for half a year of cleaning toilets. Overwhelmed, Qian Xixi burst into tears, hysterically begging him for help and crying even louder when he initially refused. Fearing public embarrassment, Duan Ran quickly relented and promised his assistance.
Immediately, Qian Xixi's tears ceased, a smile broke across her face, and she cheerfully raised her glass to drink with him. Duan Ran initially planned to scold her for her reckless and carefree attitude after signing such a monumental contract. However, as Qian Xixi passionately elaborated on the workings of the e-commerce industry, he began to realize that achieving the sales target for her company might not be as impossible as he first thought. He decided to fully commit himself to helping her. The following morning, Duan Ran and Qian Xixi arrived at their company, only to find it completely deserted.
