My Calorie Boy Episode 22 Recap
> My Calorie Boy Recap
The coming-of-age ceremony concluded with parents presenting letters and gifts to their children. Feeling isolated as her family was absent, Xu Jingjing quietly left the gathering. Seeing this, Kang Jiawei and Gao Zhan quickly followed, both carrying gifts. In a playful attempt to get ahead, Kang Jiawei tripped Gao Zhan by pulling his shoelace. Kang Jiawei presented Xu Jingjing with a pencil sharpener, calling it an essential tool for art students that could help her forget her troubles.
Gao Zhan then offered her a complete set of detective novels by his favorite author, Lawrence Block, emphasizing their benefit for creative thinking. After Xu Jingjing left, Gao Zhan confronted Kang Jiawei, reminding him of their agreement where Kang Jiawei was to act as his mentor. Kang Jiawei confessed he could no longer pretend, revealing he wanted to remain in Wuxi and wanted Xu Jingjing to stay there too.
They debated their futures, with Gao Zhan advocating for a police academy in Beijing by citing roasted duck and the Great Wall, while Kang Jiawei promoted Fuxing University in Wuxi with sweet and sour pork ribs and Lake Tai. They agreed to let Xu Jingjing decide her own path. Xu Jingjing’s father arrived belatedly, explaining he was delayed by a rear-end collision.
However, an upset Xu Jingjing refused to listen, accusing him of prioritizing a wedding he was hosting over her ceremony. After she stormed off, Kang Jiawei spoke with Mr. Xu, who reiterated the story about the accident and expressed his regret. Meanwhile, at the ceremony, Wang Jiayao gave Ni Dapeng a hand-drawn sketch as his gift. Another classmate, Xu Jingjing, gave Wei Xue a gift, accepting her apology and regretting not being a better friend.
They agreed to restart their friendship with a new commitment to honesty. Later, Kang Jiawei mediated by explaining to Xu Jingjing that her father's delay was genuinely due to the car accident and that he had bought her special art paint. That evening, Xu Jingjing approached her father with beer, apologizing for her outburst.
Her father shared a painful memory from his youth: he had been a city-level Taekwondo champion with dreams of joining the provincial and national teams, but a severe training injury forced him to retire. This instilled in him a deep-seated fear of injury and failure. He explained that he opposed her art studies not because he doubted her talent, but because he didn't want her to suffer the same heartbreak of losing a passion to setbacks.
Xu Jingjing revealed that her teacher had harshly criticized her work, nearly causing her to quit, but she was now determined to prove him wrong, asserting she was strong enough to face any outcome. Moved, her father acknowledged his mistake and her resilience. Xu Jingjing later confided in Kang Jiawei about her elder sister, Xu Liangliang, who died at age two when a wardrobe fell on her.
This tragedy led her father to see all commercially made furniture as the "murderer" of his daughter. He began building all their furniture himself—heavy, sturdy pieces fixed to the walls—to ensure Xu Jingjing's safety, explaining the unique state of their home. When the mock exam results were released, Xu Jingjing was distraught over her failing grade. Gao Zhan consoled her, pointing out her failure was due to simple calculation errors, not a lack of understanding.
He offered to tutor her daily at a milk tea shop, promising unlimited matcha red bean milk tea. As a thank you, Xu Jingjing gave him a video streaming membership card to watch crime shows. Teasingly, Gao Zhan remarked that he "liked to be taken advantage of." Meanwhile, Kang Jiawei grew annoyed after seeing Gao Zhan’s social media post thanking Xu Jingjing for the gift.
Separately, their teacher, Ms. Tian, criticized Kang Jiawei for submitting an essay on rocket fuel, a topic not on the approved list for an innovation competition. She urged him to choose a pre-approved topic to improve his chances of winning for university admissions. Gao Zhan told Xu Jingjing he needed a pre-operative eye exam for a surgery required to qualify for the Public Security University, and she agreed to accompany him.
Kang Jiawei, who had been waiting to walk home with her, was disheartened to see her leave with Gao Zhan. On the way to the hospital, Gao Zhan again asked Xu Jingjing about her university plans, implying her answer was more important to him than his surgery. She avoided a direct reply.
After his pupils were dilated for the exam, Gao Zhan's vision became blurry, and he jokingly asked her to be his "eyes," using cheesy lines he admitted learning from Ni Dapeng. Later, he had Ni Dapeng read an English email about a book's copyright for him, quickly grasping the key details despite his impaired sight.
In a separate online chat, the classmate Xu Jingjing advised Kang Jiawei to transfer to the arts stream, noting his constant glances towards that classroom and revealing she knew his crush was the "Give-up Virtuoso" (Xu Jingjing's online alias). Urging him not to have regrets, she bid him a final farewell from their chat. The next morning, Kang Jiawei quietly watched Xu Jingjing as she slept at her desk.
Gao Zhan entered, interrupted the moment by claiming the seat near her, and moments later, an announcement was made: to the class's surprise, Kang Jiawei had officially transferred to the advanced arts stream.
