Chasing the Wind Episode 7 Recap
> Chasing the Wind Recap
Ms. Han advised Nie Chi to face his parents directly rather than running away, telling him that while she could help persuade them, ultimately he needed to resolve the conflict himself as they were his guardians. Lin Ge met Nie Chi's parents and offered to take them to see him.
She led them to a room where she presented a detailed overview of Nie Chi's journey, highlighting his dedication and achievements in short track speed skating from his time in sports school to becoming a national champion. Lin Ge spoke passionately about Nie Chi's love for the sport.
Gao Kai, the captain of the national team and a world champion in the 500m, also appeared, expressing his high regard for Nie Chi and his belief that Nie Chi could make the national team. Gao Kai spoke about the honor of representing the country and his commitment to staying healthy to continue skating. Nie Chi then joined them and apologized to his parents for not keeping his promise about studying abroad.
He explained how he felt free and in control only when he was on the ice, comparing his passion for skating to their passion for their careers and asking how they would feel if someone forced them to change their life path. Gao Kai supported Nie Chi, emphasizing his bright future and the pity it would be to give up now.
Nie Chi's father proposed an agreement: if Nie Chi could make the national team within a year, he could continue skating; otherwise, he would have to study abroad. Nie Chi agreed to this condition. Nie Chi's mother expressed her liking for Lin Ge, praising her articulateness and understanding of Nie Chi, and asked her to keep in touch and update her on Nie Chi's progress.
After his parents left, Nie Chi thanked Lin Ge for her help, admitting that communicating with them had been more effective than avoiding the issue, although he sometimes found communication tiring. He acknowledged that her detailed presentation had been particularly effective. Lin Ge explained she helped because she didn't want Nie Chi to experience the pain of resenting his own family and reaching an irreparable point in their relationship.
She also expressed a touch of envy that his family could watch him compete, as her loved ones were gone. Lin Ge then lightheartedly informed Nie Chi that he owed her money for Gao Kai's round-trip flight, hotel stay, food, and even the cost of the presentation template. Nie Chi was surprised by the expenses but agreed to reimburse her.
He was also reminded that he needed to focus and train hard to meet the one-year deadline his father had set for him to make the national team. Later that night, Nie Chi was practicing late on the dryland training ground when he encountered Zhu Zhu. He asked about her leg injury, which was almost healed, and then excitedly told her that he had finally skated under 45 seconds, thanking her.
He specifically mentioned that learning about making arcs during turns had significantly improved his speed. Zhu Zhu seemed taken aback and asked how he came up with the technique. Nie Chi, focused on his progress, continued talking about how practicing the technique further could improve his performance. Zhu Zhu abruptly left, stating she was going back, even though Nie Chi offered to go with her.
Later, at the dining hall, Zhu Zhu chose to sit separately from the rest of the team, including Nie Chi and Fang Chao, signaling her resentment. She spoke to Huang Han, declining his suggestion to help Nie Chi, stating she was different from him and would not give up any opportunity, indicating her rivalry with Nie Chi. During the competition, Huang Han competed in the men's 1500m final.
He was involved in a collision during the race and appeared to be in significant pain, forcing him out of contention for the gold medal. The women's 500m final was next. Lin Ge expressed nervousness about a competitor known for rough play. Nie Chi tried to calm her. Lin Ge went to the restroom. Nie Chi approached Zhu Zhu, asking if she had a bending tool, to which she replied she didn't.
Nie Chi recalled their earlier conversation where he had thanked her for the technique. Lin Ge returned, and Nie Chi brought her a bending tool. As Lin Ge prepared, Nie Chi noticed something was wrong with her skates. He realized they had been tampered with; the screws were loose, unlike how he had left them after tightening them earlier when only Zhu Zhu was in the preparation area.
He quickly gave Lin Ge his own "lucky" training skates to use for the race, telling her to just focus on competing. The race began, and Lin Ge took an early lead. Zhu Zhu initially started in last place. As the race progressed, Zhu Zhu began to make up ground. In the final lap, as she was accelerating, she fell on the curve. Lin Ge crossed the finish line first, winning the national championship race.
Watching Lin Ge celebrate, Zhu Zhu sat alone. Nie Chi approached her, and Zhu Zhu sarcastically suggested he was there to mock her. Nie Chi directly accused her of tampering with Lin Ge's skates, pointing out her suspicious behavior, such as telling Lin Ge to warm up slowly to avoid noticing the problem and her initially slow start which suggested she might have been waiting for Lin Ge to fall. Zhu Zhu denied the accusation.
Nie Chi countered that Lin Ge hadn't fallen because he had given her different skates. He pressed Zhu Zhu, explaining that he knew the screws had been loosened after he tightened them when she was the only one present. Zhu Zhu challenged him to provide concrete evidence or leave. Nie Chi offered to check the surveillance footage. He questioned how she could hurt Lin Ge, who looked up to her.
Zhu Zhu, in turn, expressed her anger and feeling of betrayal, arguing that Nie Chi had taken her technique regarding the arcing during turns and given it to her direct rival, Lin Ge, especially when Zhu Zhu was struggling while Lin Ge was improving. She questioned if he had considered her feelings, reiterating her own ambition to make the national team. It was later decided that Zhu Zhu would be suspended from training and competition for one year.
Zhu Zhu reflected on the incident and chose to leave the team, citing a need to recover from injury. Nie Chi thought about the difficulty athletes face and the importance of having the courage to start over. A teammate delivered a gift to Zhu Zhu from Huang Han, suggesting she visit him in the hospital. Nie Chi, Lin Ge, and Fang Chao also visited Huang Han.
Despite his injury, which he downplayed as a small bone crack, Huang Han remained optimistic, joking and claiming he could still feel like flying in his dreams. He acknowledged that he could no longer skate but stated he was still capable of taking care of himself.
He shared his perspective that injuries were an inevitable part of being an athlete and stressed the importance of maintaining a good mindset, cherishing the time on the ice while preparing for life after skating. He asked his teammates to comfort Zhu Zhu, knowing she must be upset about her race results and her stubborn nature. Separately, Zhu Zhu received the gift from Huang Han: a pair of skates and a note.
In the note, read aloud by Huang Han, he explained he had saved up for a year to buy them for her birthday and thanked her for her concern when he was injured. However, he stated he had to say goodbye because he could no longer be the man who could stand alongside her, implying his injury prevented him from reaching the national team.
He suggested they could be friends, mentioning that Lin Ge thought he was better suited as a friend than a lover. He wished her happiness. Later, Zhu Zhu went to the hospital to say goodbye to Huang Han in person. She asked if he could never skate again, and he confirmed it, again appearing upbeat despite the severity. Zhu Zhu explained she was leaving the provincial team to seek a new environment.
Huang Han was visibly saddened, expressing that it felt sudden and that meeting might be difficult in the future. Zhu Zhu reassured him that with modern transportation and communication, it wouldn't be hard to stay in touch or meet. Huang Han made her promise to take care of her old knee injury. Zhu Zhu agreed and thanked him. When he seemed confused about why, she replied, "Thank you for liking me for so many years."
She left, and Huang Han became emotional. Finally, Ms. Han called Nie Chi, Lin Ge, and Fang Chao into her office. She delivered good news: they had all been selected for the national team. The three were overjoyed and celebrated their achievement. As they left, Fang Chao, assuming they would take the bus together, excitedly boarded it, proclaiming his arrival at the national team. However, Nie Chi and Lin Ge walked past the bus.
Lin Ge questioned why Fang Chao didn't get on, to which Nie Chi pointed out that he did. Nie Chi joked about Fang Chao being an explosive player who still missed the bus, and suggested he and Lin Ge, despite also being explosive players, couldn't catch him either. He said he would walk home as it was close, implying Lin Ge would too. Fang Chao realized he was on the bus alone.
Nie Chi and Lin Ge were last seen walking together, passing street food stalls, with Nie Chi expressing temptation towards food items while Lin Ge encouraged him to maintain focus and resist such distractions.
