Pegasus Episode 19 Recap
> Pegasus Recap
Sun Yuqiang and Weiyi sat by Zhang Chi's hospital bed, telling him about the past few years and expressing their hopes for his recovery. Sun Yuqiang recounted buying fake Moutai for his father-in-law, which led to health problems, and later buying the real thing, but his father-in-law couldn't drink it properly. He also mentioned a lottery ticket they used to buy together that eventually hit the five million prize, which they missed by one number.
Weiyi shared her regret about not pursuing a motorcycle racing career despite dreaming of the Dakar Rally, and showed off a teddy bear she bought for her daughter who was doing well in school. The future consciousness, observing this (presumably from Lin Zhendong's body later), decided to help the team members fulfill their regrets, starting with Zhang Chi. The future consciousness, inhabiting Lin Zhendong's body, arranged to meet the conscious Zhang Chi.
It revealed itself to be Zhang Chi from five years in the future. Skeptical, Zhang Chi challenged it to prove its identity. The future consciousness answered every personal question, detailing Zhang Chi's birthday, bank password, primary school teachers' names, the exact amount of his first earnings as a racer (36,000 yuan), how he spent it (Moutai for his grandpa, a bag for Li Xiaohe), and his regret about not having enough money to buy Yu Tai'ang's used steering wheel.
It also correctly identified Zhang Chi's most unforgettable race: the 2014 Huanning Rally Invitational Youth of Volkswagen Cup where he won a circuit on his mother's birthday. Zhang Chi was astonished, and the future consciousness explained it understood his shock, having felt the same when it first returned and saw its younger self. It then recounted crashing off a cliff at Bayanbulak in the future, which is how it ended up in Lin Zhendong's body.
It gave Zhang Chi two pieces of advice: never make any bets with Wei Qianli, and learn from Lin Zhendong's driving style because there's something valuable there. Acting on its decision to help the team, the future consciousness found Sun Yuqiang and deliberately broke the fake Moutai he had bought for his father-in-law's birthday, offering to reimburse him.
It then handed Weiyi an application form for the next year's Chinese Rally Championship motorcycle race, encouraging her to race well and aim for Dakar, fulfilling her dream. It also told Sun Yuqiang to tell Ji Xing to continue buying the same lottery numbers daily, assuring him they would win five million yuan this year. Later, the team gathered for a barbecue by the river.
The future consciousness, still in Lin Zhendong's body, announced, with unusual seriousness, that it was leaving and returning to 2027. His teammates initially thought he was joking about joining another team or just being dramatic. Ye Gong commented on the return of his "double personality." The future consciousness became visibly emotional, expressing gratitude for the time spent with them and the chance to relive these moments, stating it felt lucky and had no regrets.
It explained its time was running out and it needed to say goodbye, implying it wouldn't exist after returning. It urged the conscious Zhang Chi to pursue Li Xiaohe, noting she is a good person. It then attempted to leave but found itself unable to. Unable to return to the future, the future consciousness sought out Xiting.
It told her it had come to say goodbye and expressed how happy it was to have met her, recalling her initial rough welcome but acknowledging she was a kind and helpful person. It promised to treat her to dinner if they met again in the future. It asked Xiting to scare it or do something to help it leave, saying it wanted to go back.
Xiting replied that it couldn't leave because it was too attached to the past and suggested it should try looking forward instead. Meanwhile, Hong Kuo was seen meeting Wei Qianli. Shortly after, Hong Kuo returned to the team in a rush, looking for Lin Zhendong. Separately, news circulated about the upcoming Chinese Rally Championship season, highlighting the Yecheng circuit which includes the famous Yu Tai'ang Bend, where his record remains unbroken after nearly twenty years.
The news also announced the resumption of the Dakar Qualification Race, with the top six CCRC finishers competing for a spot in the prestigious rally. Lin Mama spoke to Lin Jiaru, discussing the implications of Lin Zhendong's teammate returning and the possibility of him needing to return his car.
She mused on the thought of Lin Zhendong driving Yu Tai'ang's original car at the Yu Tai'ang Bend circuit and breaking his record, a prospect Lin Jiaru immediately understood and agreed to arrange. Lin Jiaru brought Lin Zhendong (inhabited by the future consciousness) to a garage. Inside was Yu Tai'ang's legendary red race car. Lin Jiaru presented it as a gift for Lin Zhendong's first CCRC race, hoping he would "inherit the legend of Red Flame."
The future consciousness in Lin Zhendong's body was thrilled, envisioning repainting it in the team's colors and driving it on the track as the center of attention. News later confirmed Lin Zhendong had registered Yu Tai'ang's modified red battle car for the new season, creating anticipation for whether this historical vehicle would bring him luck. The CCRC season began with the Longshou Circuit.
The return of Zhang Chi, the previous champion, was a major highlight despite his recent serious injury and lack of training. Commentary noted his aggressive and characteristic driving style, which put pressure on his rivals. Lin Zhendong (future consciousness), driving Yu Tai'ang's car in his CCRC debut, also raced. Zhang Chi ultimately won the opening race with absolute strength, confirming his comeback, while Lin Zhendong finished in fifth place.
The commentary also highlighted the good performances of other new racers like Li Aoduo (who finished third) and Ai Fei (who finished tenth). Later, the future consciousness, in Lin Zhendong's body, played a racing game with fellow new racers Li Aoduo and Ai Fei. Li Aoduo teased him about using the game to gather intelligence before the next circuit. Ai Fei was busy eating snacks.
Li Aoduo and the future consciousness discussed Lin Zhendong using Yu Tai'ang's car, with Li Aoduo commenting it was a waste on him. Lin Zhendong (future consciousness) offered to order takeout, noting how hungry Ai Fei was despite her snacking. Ai Fei playfully called them ungrateful. The second CCRC circuit, the Luochi Circuit, saw Zhang Chi continue his impressive performance, driving even more fiercely than before his injury.
Master Racing Team, known for their technology, seemed unable to counter Zhang Chi's surge. Zhang Chi secured another victory. Lin Zhendong (future consciousness) improved his result, finishing in fourth place. The commentary noted the strong performance of both Zhang Chi and Lin Zhendong led the Speeding Racing Team to a significant lead in the team points standings, suggesting Zhang Chi finally had a capable teammate, and the team was poised to contend for the championship.
The team gathered for another dinner. Sun Yuqiang and Jiaru discussed future plans, focusing heavily on getting Zhang Chi a new car for the next year, modifying it, and providing him with resources like training facilities, nutritionists, and masseuses, similar to what rival Wei Qianli has, anticipating Zhang Chi's potential retirement in a few years. Hong Kuo overheard their conversation, noticing they spoke only of Zhang Chi and made no mention of Lin Zhendong, who was standing nearby ordering food.
Feeling slighted for Lin Zhendong, Hong Kuo questioned them, asking why they didn't include Lin Zhendong in their plans. Sun Yuqiang, caught off guard, pointed out Lin Zhendong was right there and clarified they would arrange things for him next year, adding that since Zhang Chi was retiring soon and Lin Zhendong was wealthy, they didn't need to worry as much about him. Hong Kuo was deeply disappointed but said nothing further to Lin Zhendong.
Later, Hong Kuo watched race videos, and Zhang Chi joined him. Hong Kuo pointed out that in the second race, Zhang Chi was consistently half a second faster than Lin Zhendong after Turn 27 in every corner. He speculated that Zhang Chi had held back a technique from Lin Zhendong.
Zhang Chi confirmed he used a technique called the "Scandinavia Drift" but hadn't taught it to Lin Zhendong because it's difficult to master without years of experience and best suited for specific conditions like sand or snow. However, he decided to teach it to Lin Zhendong to ensure that if he was surpassed, it would be a fair defeat. The next day, Zhang Chi instructed Lin Zhendong (future consciousness) on the "Scandinavia Drift."
He explained the technique involved driving towards the inside of the corner before turning sharply to the outside to shift the car's weight, then snapping the steering wheel back to swing the car like a pendulum into the corner. Zhang Chi compared mastering it to taming a wild horse, requiring feeling rather than pure logic. Lin Zhendong struggled at first but managed to execute the technique successfully on his last attempt.
Zhang Chi noted that while it took him over a week to learn, Lin Zhendong accomplished it in just two tries. He encouraged Lin Zhendong to apply the technique well in the upcoming third race, and Lin Zhendong confidently stated he would surpass him. Zhang Chi commented that Lin Zhendong was a good teammate. Elsewhere, Wei Qianli discussed tactics for the third circuit with Hong Kuo. Wei Qianli complimented Hong Kuo, saying he was as handsome as Lin Zhendong.
Hong Kuo shared his disappointment that Lin Zhendong had gotten a chewing gum advertisement he was supposed to appear in and felt his brief period of prominence was already ending. He assured Wei Qianli he needn't worry about Lin Zhendong, but Wei Qianli suggested that Lin Zhendong didn't even consider him a rival, much like he felt Yu Tai'ang never truly saw him as a competitor.
Wei Qianli reflected on the significance of rivals in sports and life, concluding that perhaps his true rival was Lin Zhendong, although he quickly dismissed the thought and told Hong Kuo to focus on training. Meanwhile, Lin Mama spoke with Lin Jiaru, questioning if it was the right time for Zhang Chi to return, given Lin Zhendong's recent progress and untapped potential. Lin Jiaru expressed the difficulty of being their son, always under pressure.
Lin Mama mentioned she had entered Lin Jiaru's name for the rally every year, hoping for his return, and how this year it had finally proven useful. She felt the racing world had been too quiet and it was time to stir things up again.
