A Love So Beautiful Episode 16 Recap
> A Love So Beautiful Recap
Chen Xiaoxi and Wu Bosong embarked on their study plan, which proved to be quite challenging as they struggled with their lessons. The intense atmosphere of the upcoming College Entrance Examination filled the school. Chen Xiaoxi and Lin Jingxiao found a moment of freedom on the rooftop, where Chen Xiaoxi playfully remarked about wanting to "bomb Tsinghua," finally eliciting a laugh from Lin Jingxiao.
Each girl was preoccupied with her own thoughts, one thinking of Jiang Chen and the other of Lu Yang. Lin Jingxiao admitted she was touched by Lu Yang’s previous grand confession and felt his absence keenly. Chen Xiaoxi suggested that Lin Jingxiao surprise Lu Yang at the hospital so he wouldn't be able to hide.
Upon Jiang Chen's return from Beijing after taking Tsinghua University's independent recruitment exam, Ms. Liu asked all students to write down their desired university and future profession on a slip of paper to be displayed on the blackboard for inspiration. Lin Jingxiao wrote "Zhejiang University" and "Astronomer," and Jiang Chen wrote "Tsinghua University." However, Chen Xiaoxi and Wu Bosong stared at their blank papers, uncertain about their future paths. In the library, Chen Xiaoxi asked Wu Bosong about his plans.
He was considering giving up swimming, which Chen Xiaoxi felt would be a pity. Chen Xiaoxi then shared her numerous career ideas, from policewoman to scientist, but felt none truly fit her. When Wu Bosong asked if she had any long-standing passion, she quickly said "Painting," almost mentioning Jiang Chen before catching herself. Just then, Jiang Chen approached. Chen Xiaoxi eagerly asked him to help them with trigonometry, but Wu Bosong immediately declined.
As Jiang Chen left, he quipped, "You two are truly brave; one dares to teach, the other dares to listen." Following Chen Xiaoxi's advice, Lin Jingxiao unexpectedly appeared at the hospital to see Lu Yang. She gave him a meticulously annotated test paper, also asking him to write down his university choice as instructed by Ms. Liu.
Lu Yang, however, rejected her efforts, stating he already had many exams from his tutor and didn't want her to waste her valuable revision time with him. He angrily told her to leave and never come back. Infuriated, Lin Jingxiao tore the paper to shreds before storming out. After she was gone, Lu Yang carefully picked up each piece of the torn paper, muttering to himself that only he could tolerate her temper.
Back home, Chen Xiaoxi, still unsure of her future, wrote various professions on each side of an eraser and rolled it like a dice. After several attempts that didn't align with her wishes, she finally landed on "Cartoonist," solidifying her decision. She also secretly wrote "The wife of Jiang Chen" on a separate note. Jiang Chen visited Lu Yang at the hospital.
While there, he encountered a young girl crying over her sick father, which brought back memories of his own father's death from a rare disease. He later overheard that the girl's father had been saved by doctors, deepening his resolve. Lu Yang confided in Jiang Chen that he didn't feel healthy enough to be with Lin Jingxiao, fearing he would only hold her back.
Prompted by the fragility of life and his desire to save others, Jiang Chen made a profound decision. He told Lu Yang he would no longer be attending Tsinghua, as he intended to study medicine and remain by Chen Xiaoxi's side. Lu Yang expressed envy at Jiang Chen's clear path, prompting Jiang Chen to advise him not to avoid Lin Jingxiao, adding that overthinking wasn't his style.
One afternoon, Chen Xiaoxi pulled Jiang Chen into the classroom to teach her trigonometry. As the old fan whirred, Jiang Chen rested his head on his arms, eyes closed, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead. Chen Xiaoxi, captivated by his silhouette bathed in sunlight, leaned closer, intending to kiss him. The moment was abruptly broken when Jiang Chen suddenly opened his eyes and, seeing her close proximity, asked what she was doing.
Chen Xiaoxi, later regretting her response, awkwardly claimed she was trying to wipe his sweat. Jiang Chen calmly turned his head and told her to stop biting her pen. Outside the window, Wu Bosong witnessed Chen Xiaoxi's attempted kiss and Jiang Chen's reaction. Heartbroken, he walked away. Later, during a basketball game, a ball hit him, causing his nose to bleed.
In the infirmary, the physical pain was overshadowed by his emotional anguish, and he clutched himself tightly, seeking something solid to fill the void he felt. Suddenly, Wu Bosong received a phone call informing him that his grandmother was missing. He immediately rushed out of the classroom. The school director, who had been lecturing the class about "puppy love" and accusing Chen Xiaoxi and Wu Bosong, tried to stop him.
However, Chen Xiaoxi and other classmates intervened, creating a diversion by jokingly confessing to various romantic entanglements, allowing Wu Bosong to leave. Jiang Chen and Chen Xiaoxi quickly joined Wu Bosong in the search. They eventually found his grandmother across the road from a shopping mall.
She didn't recognize Jiang Chen and bit his arm, mistaking him for a bad person, but Wu Bosong quickly diffused the situation by pretending to be hungry, which prompted her to offer to cook noodles for him. She proudly showed them the swimming goggles she had bought for him, affectionately praising his swimming prowess and calling him "the world champion." Witnessing his grandmother's unwavering support, Wu Bosong decided to abandon his academic pursuits and return to professional swimming.
Later, Wu Bosong informed Jiang Chen of his decision to resume swimming, stating he couldn't let his grandmother down. He also mentioned that he wouldn't be going to Beijing. He then told Jiang Chen that he was leaving Chen Xiaoxi to him, but Jiang Chen promptly corrected him, saying it wasn't Wu Bosong's place to make such a statement.
After officially withdrawing from school, Wu Bosong received good news from his father: the national team still wanted him and he could go to Beijing once his shoulder injury fully recovered. That evening, Chen Xiaoxi expressed her distress to Jiang Chen, feeling that everyone else, including Wu Bosong focusing on swimming and Lin Jingxiao pursuing astronomy, had clear goals for the future, while she did not.
Jiang Chen then revealed his own change of plans: he would not be attending Tsinghua, but would study medicine at Zhejiang University. Hearing this, Chen Xiaoxi's spirits lifted, realizing she still had a chance to be near him. She excitedly told him she'd pursue art and attend a university close to his. She then asked him to write in her graduation album.
Jiang Chen refused, saying that graduation albums were for people who were parting ways, a response that filled Chen Xiaoxi with a quiet happiness, confirming her hope that he would always be by her side. Finding the "Go Go Go" sign Chen Xiaoxi made for him in his locker, Wu Bosong decided to make a final confession. He invited Chen Xiaoxi to the school auditorium and, wearing the T-shirt he wore when they first met, poured out his heart.
He revealed that he was the doll running with her at the Sports Meeting, that the "I love you" in the secret game was genuinely from him, and that he had caused the first snow in 2006 for her. He shared how he panicked when she was sad and laughed when she was happy, and now, seeing her cry, he wanted to cry too.
With tears in his eyes, he told her he was stopping his pursuit of her and was saying goodbye to chase his own dream, asking for her support. Meanwhile, Jiang Chen, having received his admission letter from Tsinghua University, spoke to his mother. He explained that he had initially pursued mathematics because she had once criticized his father's interest in it, and he wanted to prove her wrong.
He clarified that studying mathematics had been his father's dream, and attending Tsinghua was her dream, but his own dream was to study medicine at Zhejiang University. His mother was strongly against his decision. His younger brother, curious about Jiang Chen's refusal to go to Tsinghua and feeling ignored, asked if Jiang Chen hated him.
Jiang Chen gently explained that he had once envied his brother for their father's seemingly preferential treatment, but had since realized that their father's love for both of them was equal, just expressed differently. He told his brother not to use the word "hate" so casually, and his brother, understanding, promised to support him. Jiang Chen then gave his brother their father's organ donation certificate of honor. The long farewell of the College Entrance Examination finally arrived.
Ms. Liu offered final advice to her students on diet, rest, and preparation. As the students prepared to bid farewell to their adolescent selves, their aspirations were displayed on the blackboard: Wu Bosong as a Swimming Athlete, Lin Jingxiao pursuing Astronomy at Zhejiang University, Chen Xiaoxi as a Cartoonist at Zhejiang University, Jiang Chen as a Doctor at Zhejiang University, and Lu Yang simply wishing to be a healthy person. Their high school chapter closed, signaling new beginnings and the promise of future reunions.
