Pegasus Episode 5 Recap
> Pegasus Recap
Lin Zhendong called the team together, explaining that he has a split personality and they need to learn to distinguish between the "good" him and the "bad" him based on their actions, listing investments and gifts as good deeds and withdrawing funds or cursing racing as bad ones. The team was confused by his explanation.
Zhang Weiyi suggested using whether he wears glasses as a key factor, thinking the one with glasses is steady and speaks less, like a good person, while the one without glasses is glib-tongued and bad. Zhendong insisted they had it backwards, stating "he" (without glasses) is the good one and the one with glasses is bad. Sun Yuqiang overheard Zhendong's comparison to a drama trope where one personality kills someone and the other doesn't know, asking confusedly who killed someone.
Zhendong wrapped up by telling the team to only trust the him without glasses. He then spoke to Ye Gong alone, challenging him to choose between money (initially 500,000, then revised to 2 million) and winning the Master Racing Rally Invitational champion title (worth 1 million, corrected by Ye Gong to 2 million).
Ye Gong firmly refused any offer of money, citing regret from past decisions influenced by Zhendong and emphasizing that the honor of the Speeding Racing Team is now the top priority, especially after Zhang Chi's success in the CCRC. Zhendong tried to argue that the Invitational was just a commercial competition and taking money wouldn't be shameful, but Ye Gong remained resolute, telling Zhendong that as the team leader, he needed to be cool and rational and seize opportunities.
At the Master Racing Team headquarters, Li Aoduo reported his loss to Lin Zhendong to Mr. Wei, admitting he drove the car and was defeated. Mr. Wei was angered that his professional racer, driving their best new car, lost to a "rich second generation" and "amateur" like Lin Zhendong. Li Aoduo countered that Zhendong wasn't amateur and drove aggressively.
More disturbingly for Mr. Wei, Li Aoduo reported that Zhendong knew specifics about their team's latest engine technology, mentioning its fast acceleration and accurate braking point control – technology that had never been publicly revealed and was meant to be their secret weapon. Mr. Wei immediately feared that if Lin Zhendong knew, the entire Speeding team might be aware.
He dismissed Li Aoduo and sent Wei Qianli a message containing just "300", assuming Wei Qianli would understand it as a directive to offer Speeding 3 million yuan for peace. Back in a separate setting, Zhendong spoke to his grandpa (presumably, based on the dialogue about a previous timeline), recalling how he grandly refused Wei Qianli's previous offer of 3 million for peace in a past timeline, describing how he pounded the table and stared him down.
His grandpa approved, remembering Wei Qianli as a childhood bully who copied homework and stole popsicles. Zhendong then asked hypothetically if he should accept if Wei Qianli offered peace again, and his grandpa said only a fool would refuse. Zhendong concluded that the first step (refusing peace) was done, but worried about the "Lin Zhendong with glasses" interfering with his plan and stated he couldn't sleep.
Wei Qianli arrived at the Speeding Racing Team office, presenting the 3 million as a "good news" support fund from the FASC for small, high-achieving teams like Speeding. He explained the condition was that Speeding would have to lose the upcoming Master Racing Rally Invitational to maintain their status as a "small micro team" and qualify for the funding, suggesting they aim for second place instead of the championship.
Zhang Chi was suspicious, questioning why the FASC hadn't contacted them directly. Wei Qianli framed it as a kind heads-up. Zhang Chi noted that Lin Zhendong was supposed to be there but hadn't arrived. Meanwhile, Lin Zhendong was stuck in a taxi in a severe traffic jam on Minsheng Road caused by a van with a flat tire.
The taxi driver, who identified himself as an animal rescuer transporting goods, was also stranded and didn't know how to change the tire. A police officer, Shen Xiting, who Zhendong recognized from a previous interaction, was expertly directing traffic and helping the driver with the tire change, revealing her past as a professional rally team member with a record for tire changes. While Shen Xiting worked, Zhendong saw that the "goods" in the van were sheep.
The sight triggered a dramatic physiological response in Zhendong, shown by on-screen medical data indicating a sudden spike in heart rate. This event caused Zhendong's consciousness to recede, and Zhang Chi's returned, finding himself stuck in traffic and confused about the situation. Back at the Speeding office, Zhang Chi, now in control, was looking at the contract with Wei Qianli. Wei Qianli presented the 3 million offer as essential help for Speeding, which needed funds.
Zhendong suddenly burst in, immediately recognizing the situation and declaring that it wasn't a FASC fund but Master Racing Team's attempt to negotiate peace. He argued that Speeding's priority needed to be achieving results, not taking money for peace. Zhendong then dramatically tore up the contract, proclaiming, "Speeding Racing Team doesn't negotiate," and recalling his previous bold refusal of Wei Qianli's offer, even noting that he felt Zhang Chi (who was about to refuse anyway) had stolen his line.
Zhang Chi told Wei Qianli that Speeding would compete seriously in the Invitational, and Wei Qianli left, stating they would see each other on the track. After Wei Qianli left, the team observed that Zhendong wasn't wearing his glasses. Some still mistook him for the "bad" personality based on their previous misinterpretations, while others were unsure. Zhendong (without glasses) declared he was the "good Lin Zhendong."
When questioned about his two-week preparation plan, he revealed he had obtained a Racer Training Certificate and announced his intention to be Zhang Chi's co-driver for the Master Invitational. Zhang Chi was frustrated by Zhendong's unexpected actions, questioning his lack of experience and professionalism. Zhendong countered by demonstrating detailed knowledge of the Invitational track, including stage lengths, road surfaces, altitude changes, blind spots, and even specific turn conditions, stating he had acquired all the data on Wei Qianli's new car.
Impressed by his professional knowledge, Zhang Chi agreed to have Zhendong as his co-driver. They planned to perform a recce (reconnaissance) of the track in three days to build chemistry and create pacenotes. They conducted the track recce, with Zhendong learning to anticipate Zhang Chi's driving style and calling out pace notes based on his observations. During the recce, they reached the site of Zhang Chi's past major accident.
As they paused there, Zhendong saw an image of a sheep and drew it in his notebook. Later that night, Zhang Chi was running as part of his training when Zhendong appeared, noting Zhang Chi's dedication and underlying anxiety about the upcoming race. They ran together for a while until Zhang Chi was exhausted. Zhendong suggested they run back to the workshop for physical training. Zhang Chi demurred, feeling nauseous, and offered Zhendong a ride when the team truck arrived.
Zhendong challenged him to race back, with the loser buying hot pot. Suddenly, Zhang Chi's consciousness shifted. He found himself disoriented in the dark, asking Ye Gong where he was and what happened. Ye Gong told him that Zhang Chi, under Zhendong's influence, had scared Wei Qianli away that morning by refusing the 3 million offer, praising Zhendong's assertiveness. Zhang Chi was confused, asking what he did.
Ye Gong reiterated that Zhendong had refused the peace offer, guessing the amount correctly. Zhang Chi expressed frustration that Zhendong had interfered again, but also admitted that Zhendong's reasoning about needing to win was sound, though he worried about his own legs (referencing his past injury risk). Ye Gong intervened in a brief argument between Zhang Chi and Zhendong about their personalities, stating there was no turning back and their only remaining option was to win the Master Invitational.
Zhendong declared he needed a week to prepare and stated he must race "personally". He explained that due to the commercial Invitational's unpredictable nature, relying solely on advance strategy was insufficient. He referenced the unveiling of Wei Qianli's new engine in the past and Zhang Chi's emotional reaction, concluding that he had to take the wheel to prevent a similar outcome and that it was his time to perform. Zhendong meticulously executed his plan.
First, he secured his Racer Training Certificate. Second, he targeted Sun Yuqiang's role as co-driver. Knowing Sun Yuqiang kept his racing career secret from his parents, Zhendong visited them and revealed their son was racing, which resulted in Sun Yuqiang being grounded and unreachable. Zhendong then explicitly stated his intention to replace Sun Yuqiang as Zhang Chi's co-driver, calling it a perfect plan.
However, he identified Shen Xiting as the most unpredictable factor in his plan, noting that encountering her seemed to trigger his personality shifts. He decided the best course was to avoid seeing her. He obtained Shen Xiting's contact information from Zhang Weiyi, her best friend. He messaged Shen Xiting, revealing he would be in a race on a specific day (implicitly the Invitational) and making the unusual request that she "not" show up or let him see her there.
Shen Xiting found his request baffling and egotistical. Back at the team workshop, Sun Yuqiang was confirmed to be missing and not answering calls. With Sun Yuqiang gone and having presented his certificate, Zhendong again offered to be Zhang Chi's co-driver. Despite Zhang Chi's initial doubts about a newcomer's ability, Zhendong again detailed his extensive knowledge of the track and the data he had on Wei Qianli's new car, impressing Zhang Chi and solidifying his position as the new co-driver.
