Hello, the Sharpshooter Episode 23 Recap
> Hello, the Sharpshooter Recap
Xu Dian convinced Ai to get out of the car, explaining that Tang Xin was accompanying him to a celebration feast and that it would be inappropriate for Ai to be there given her history with Tang Xin. Ai reluctantly agreed, but not before taking a discreet photo of Tang Xin as she got into Xu Dian's car, promising to make Xu Dian make it up to her.
During training, Yang Zhou, who had written "Good Luck" on his hand, was ridiculed by Zhou Yue, who called his method superstition. Yang Zhou insisted it was a form of faith. Shen Qingyuan intervened, telling Yang Zhou to ignore the negativity and trust his own beliefs, emphasizing that many athletes have their own good luck charms.
Following Shen Qingyuan's advice, Yang Zhou's performance significantly improved, prompting a resentful glance from Zhou Yue, who still had to acknowledge Shen Qingyuan's superior skill. Tang Xin attended the feast with Xu Dian, where she was pressured to drink by a group of men. Despite her protests that she doesn't drink, the men insisted.
Xu Dian stepped in to shield her from some of the pressure but also made unwelcome physical advances by putting his arm around her, which Tang Xin clearly rejected. Meanwhile, Shen Qingyuan, having completed his training, tried to contact Tang Xin but received no response. He then received an anonymous message containing a photo of Tang Xin getting into Xu Dian's car and her current location at the Bay Hotel.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, and despite the strict rules against athletes leaving the closed base, Shen Qingyuan decided to scale the wall to go after her. Shen Qingyuan raced to the Bay Hotel. In the hallway, he overheard some men from the feast making crude comments about Xu Dian's intentions with the "little girl." His heart pounded as he then heard Tang Xin's desperate cries for help.
Furious, he kicked open the door and immediately punched Xu Dian, who could only watch, dazed, as Shen Qingyuan took Tang Xin away. Outside, Tang Xin felt better after throwing up. When Shen Qingyuan seemed ready to leave, Tang Xin feigned a sprained ankle to keep him by her side, though Shen Qingyuan quickly saw through her lie. He expressed his frustration with her for not listening to him, leading Tang Xin to reveal her own unhappiness.
She lamented that unlike other couples where the boyfriend humors the girlfriend, she felt constantly burdened with humoring him. Shen Qingyuan confessed his profound love and possessiveness, admitting he struggled to express it, wanting only to protect her completely from any harm or wrongdoing. Tang Xin began to understand his complex feelings. Tang Xin then remembered she had left a handmade gift for Shen Qingyuan back at the hotel.
She insisted on going back, but Shen Qingyuan initially opposed it, not wanting her to return to such a place. However, upon hearing that the "very important" item was a gift she had made for him with her own hands, Shen Qingyuan’s irritation melted away, and he immediately agreed to return with her to get it. Back at his hotel room, Xu Dian, with an injury on his forehead, was being tended to by Ai.
Ai initially speculated Tang Xin had caused the injury, but Xu Dian corrected her, revealing it was Shen Qingyuan. Ai seized the opportunity to sow discord, suggesting they use the upcoming winter training to "teach them a lesson." Xu Dian, however, was wary of jeopardizing his reputation as a "gold anchor" and dismissed her idea, preferring to keep the incident quiet.
As Ai massaged his head, Xu Dian praised her gentleness, completely unaware that Ai had orchestrated his predicament by sending Shen Qingyuan the photo. The next morning, Tang Xin woke early to get breakfast for Shen Qingyuan but found his room empty and couldn't find him at the shooting center. Worried his unauthorized departure had been discovered, she nervously approached Coach Zhang to inquire about his performance. Coach Zhang, however, was full of praise, highlighting Shen Qingyuan's improved average score.
Relieved, Tang Xin left to find him. Shen Qingyuan, feeling somber, sat by the river. When Tang Xin joined him, he expressed his desire to expose Xu Dian, asking if she had any harassing messages or other evidence and even suggested publicly reporting him online. Tang Xin, however, lied, claiming she had no such evidence and pleaded with him to drop the matter.
She explained that he needed to focus entirely on his training for the Olympics, warning that a public scandal could ruin her career as a livestreamer and negatively impact her company. Shen Qingyuan, struggling to grasp her perspective, reiterated his commitment to protecting her. Meanwhile, Zhou Yue devised a plan to gain an advantage.
After observing the Haiya team and identifying Chen Hai as their weakest link, he also noticed Shen Qingyuan's protectiveness towards Tang Xin, concluding she was his "soft underbelly." To exploit these weaknesses, Zhou Yue publicly proposed a new training format. He argued that instead of individual mock competitions, the teams should compete based on their collective average scores. This strategy was designed to pressure Haiya's less consistent members and disrupt Shen Qingyuan, a plan the coaches agreed to test.
A troubled Tang Xin left the shooting center, and Shen Qingyuan attempted to follow but was called into the lounge by Coach Zhang. Coach Zhang sternly confronted him about leaving the base, confirming that surveillance footage showed him scaling the wall. However, he revealed that Xu Dian had privately informed him of the incident rather than officially reporting it, which allowed the coach to keep it quiet for the time being.
Shen Qingyuan seemed unfazed, stating his willingness to accept any punishment. Later, as Tang Xin was on a balcony, Xu Dian brazenly approached her again. Frightened, Tang Xin fled, running directly into Shen Qingyuan and seeking refuge behind him. Shen Qingyuan warned Xu Dian to stay away, but Xu Dian retorted, revealing he had already told Coach Zhang about Shen Qingyuan leaving the base.
Just then, Tang Liqi emerged from the elevator, observing the tense confrontation with bewilderment as Tang Xin hurried back to her room in tears. As Xu Dian prepared to drive away, Zhou Yue approached him. Remarking that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Zhou Yue revealed that he was the one who had initially reported Shen Qingyuan for leaving the base, which explained why Coach Zhang wasn't surprised when Xu Dian later mentioned it. Driven by his singular desire to defeat Shen Qingyuan, Zhou Yue proposed they collaborate to remove their rival from the competition if he couldn't be beaten on the range.
