Please Classmate Episode 21 Recap
> Please Classmate Recap
Jiang Yuan and Lin Chuan were talking in the hallway when they noticed Ning Zeyu and Yuan Caixi arriving at school together, which surprised them. A short while later, Li He also arrived, carrying buns. He offered breakfast to his three friends, Jiang Yuan, Lin Chuan, and Yun Xiang, before heading to the restroom. Lin Chuan followed him, knowing the red bean paste buns Li He brought were intended for Yuan Caixi.
Lin Chuan urged Li He to genuinely trust Yuan Caixi if that was his decision, or to clarify things if he couldn't, reminding him of her reliable character and that there was no need for lingering misunderstandings. Li He then called Yuan Caixi out of the classroom. He told her he had gone to her house to pick her up that morning.
Yuan Caixi honestly explained that she had left home early and happened to meet Ning Zeyu, so they came to school together, and he had also bought her breakfast. When Li He asked why she left early, Yuan Caixi confessed that she didn't want to lie to him and had a reason for not waiting. She then asked if he could trust her this time, just as he had asked her to trust him before.
Li He, after a moment of frustration that it was another secret Ning Zeyu knew but he didn't, affirmed, "I trust you. I’ll also work hard to become a better person who’s worthy of your trust." Afterward, Han Yayi inquired why Yuan Caixi was blushing and whether Li He was upset about her arriving with Ning Zeyu. Yuan Caixi dismissed the idea, stating Li He was not angry.
During the morning run, Yuan Caixi felt unwell and excused herself from class. Ning Zeyu, seeing she was unwell, also excused himself, stating he had important things to discuss with her. Yuan Caixi then confided in Ning Zeyu that she might have leukemia, similar to her father's illness.
He then used a photo of her mother on his phone to help her practice telling her mother the news, encouraging her to speak her worries and frustrations as if her mother were there. Yuan Caixi closed her eyes, recalling moments with her mother, and tears welled up uncontrollably. Ning Zeyu offered her tissues. Meanwhile, on the track, Jiang Yuan noticed Yuan Caixi's absence and learned from a classmate that both she and Ning Zeyu were in the classroom.
Suspecting something amiss, Jiang Yuan decided to check on them for Li He. Lin Chuan and Yun Xiang, worried about Jiang Yuan's impulsive nature leading to an argument, followed him. Upon entering the classroom, they found Ning Zeyu wiping away Yuan Caixi's tears. Jiang Yuan immediately confronted them, asking what was happening, while Lin Chuan questioned if Chief knew about this.
Yuan Caixi quickly lied, claiming she was merely overwhelmed by stress from the upcoming college entrance exam and hadn't told Li He. Later, Li He confronted his friends about their questioning of Yuan Caixi. Jiang Yuan insisted they did it for his sake, detailing what they had witnessed in the classroom. Lin Chuan pressed Li He, asking if he wasn't curious about Yuan Caixi and Ning Zeyu's sudden closeness.
Li He revealed that he had already spoken to Yuan Caixi, and she explained she had a hidden difficulty she couldn't disclose, asking him to trust her, which he chose to do. Back home, Yuan Caixi shared with her mother and Yuan Haoxi the possibility of having leukemia, the same illness her father had. The news cast a heavy pall over the family, though Yuan Caixi reassured them she had an appointment for tests the next day.
Her mother, appearing unusually calm, asked to see the bruises on Yuan Caixi's arms and ankle, then insisted on canceling Yuan Caixi's scheduled appointment at the municipal hospital, preferring to take her to a doctor she knew. Their mother then said she felt tired and went upstairs. Yuan Haoxi, visibly distressed, pledged to be a better brother, while Yuan Caixi worried about their mother's calm reaction.
Li He later sought out Ning Zeyu to question him about why he was picking up and dropping off Yuan Caixi every day. Ning Zeyu maintained that he could not reveal anything unless Yuan Caixi herself chose to, stating he had no right to speak on the matter, and advised Li He to be more mature and stop looking for trouble.
Enraged, Li He returned home and challenged his father to a fight, which resulted in him being soundly beaten and forced to apologize repeatedly. Li He then sent a text message to Yuan Caixi, asking if she would come to his competition on Saturday. She replied, apologizing that she couldn't make it and wishing him good luck.
The next morning, Yuan Caixi’s mother, Yanan, prepared an elaborate breakfast, advising Yuan Caixi not to eat leftovers or cold food from the fridge, citing it as a "protracted battle" requiring strength. She noted Yuan Caixi's frequent fainting and bruises as signs of anemia. Yanan then went to the hospital to book an appointment with a hematologist, Dr. Qi, for Yuan Caixi, but found his schedule full for the next month.
She then called her sister for help, secretly trying to arrange an appointment while pretending it was for a friend. Meanwhile, Li He pushed himself through an intense run, which caused him to fall and injure his leg. Lin Chuan and his friends quickly took him to the infirmary. Li He, with his knee bandaged, instructed his friends not to tell Yuan Caixi about his injury.
Later, Lin Chuan approached Han Yayi, seeking information about Yuan Caixi, but Yayi had no new insights, as Yuan Caixi hadn't responded to any of her numerous messages or calls. Lin Chuan then revealed Li He's accident during practice, explaining he had scraped his knee and bled a lot, and pleaded with Yayi to convince Yuan Caixi to attend Li He's race, emphasizing its importance to him. In a separate moment, Yuan Haoxi found his mother awake early.
He revealed he couldn't sleep and had gone out to buy breakfast. His mother admitted her own fears but stressed they must remain optimistic and strong since no diagnosis had been confirmed. Haoxi tearfully expressed his fear that the same illness that took their father would also take his sister, but his mother comforted him, assuring him it would not happen and that they would face it with courage.
