Summit of Our Youth Episode 17 Recap
> Summit of Our Youth Recap
Gu Xuejiao observed Lin Zhihua's formal sitting posture and deemed it insufficient for "slacking off." She took it upon herself to instruct him, demonstrating how to properly relax his legs. Lin Zhihua playfully suggested she had learned these techniques from her brother, a claim Gu Xuejiao hastily confirmed, fearing Lin Zhihua's suspicion, and admitted that her brother often acted indifferent to reality as a means of escaping it. As they conversed, Lin Zhihua unexpectedly kissed Gu Xuejiao.
She jokingly asked if this was part of "slacking off," to which he replied it was "meaningful slacking off." Gu Xuejiao then sat on his lap, warning him that he was "playing with fire." Undeterred, Lin Zhihua kissed her again, but their moment was interrupted by a call from Shu Lan. Gu Xuejiao answered, and Shu Lan informed her that the national contest's participation rules had been sent via WeChat.
Noticing Lin Zhihua's curiosity, Gu Xuejiao confidently declared her intention to transform their prolonged battle against Bochi Motors into a "swift strike." She envisioned winning the national contest using Lin Zhihua's patented technology, thereby proving its viability to the entire nation's media and experts and leaving Bochi Motors with no room for dispute. She proudly stated that she excels at fighting uphill battles. Meanwhile, Gu Ming frequently visited Zhou Shiyun, who gradually developed feelings for him.
A female classmate attempted to have a confession letter delivered to Gu Ming by placing it in Gu Xuejiao's book, hoping she would pass it on. Zhou Shiyun, however, did not transfer the letter and angrily warned Gu Ming to stop coming to her university, as it disturbed her studies. She also discreetly rejected the classmate, claiming Gu Ming had a girlfriend.
Gu Ming, feeling he was hindering Zhou Shiyun's social life, reflected that his frequent visits might be "misleading" her. Gu Xuejiao applied to the school to lead the national contest team, a move that directly usurped Lin Jiadong's presumed role. Enraged, Lin Jiadong accused her of overstepping and challenging his authority, asserting that he was the guaranteed team leader.
Gu Xuejiao calmly retorted that Professor Tan intended for them to compete internally for the position, highlighting Lin Jiadong's poor psychological resilience. She suggested he spend less time complaining and more time seeking guidance from Professor Tan. Lin Jiadong, in turn, threatened to make her lose badly. Despite Gu Xuejiao's determination, most lab members sided with Lin Jiadong for contest preparation. Only Shu Lan remained.
Gu Xuejiao, believing Shu Lan supported her, was told that Shu Lan was busy preparing for her postgraduate exams and didn't want to get involved in a situation that might result in a loss, especially since she didn't want 'losing' to appear in her life's dictionary. Backing Lin Jiadong, his aunt Zheng Qin, guaranteed his team would win if he secured the captaincy. Undeterred, Gu Xuejiao began recruiting.
Sun Feifei and Siqi were initially focused on civil service exams, but Gu Xuejiao strategically pointed out that a strong showing in the national contest would significantly boost their resumes. While Shu Lan initially refused, Gu Xuejiao provoked her by stating that Shu Lan wasn't indispensable, leveraging Shu Lan's own competitive spirit and aversion to losing to convince her to join. Wenbo, intrigued by Gu Xuejiao's innovative freshman-year topic, also joined the team, completing their roster.
To celebrate, Gu Xuejiao treated her team to a hot pot meal. Gu Xuejiao’s mother, Li Sitong, concerned that her daughter hadn't been home for three weeks, bought her new clothes. Gu Xuejiao's father, Dad, suspected she was dating Lin Zhihua, noting their constant proximity in the lab. They decided to visit the university to confirm their suspicions. At the university, they encountered Lin Zhihua. He informed them that Gu Xuejiao was out having hot pot with friends.
Li Sitong, cutting to the chase, asked Lin Zhihua if he had a girlfriend. Lin Zhihua, initially evasive, eventually confessed that he was pursuing Gu Xuejiao. Both parents were visibly pleased with this news. During their hot pot meal, Wenbo attempted to assign roles, but the three female team members immediately objected, expressing dissatisfaction with his suggestions and their respective fields of study for specific tasks.
Their bickering quickly escalated, and they all stormed out, leaving Wenbo crestfallen and contemplating rejoining Lin Jiadong’s team. After the others left, Lin Zhihua appeared at the hot pot restaurant, having learned from her parents that they had visited her at school. He revealed that he had confessed to her parents that he was pursuing her. Gu Xuejiao frowned, expressing her reluctance to make their relationship public, fearing scrutiny as a "lab romance" from classmates and extended family.
Lin Zhihua reassured her, agreeing to keep their relationship under wraps until after her thesis defense. He also playfully asked if she was feeling insecure, implying that even she could have such moments. Lin Jiadong, seizing the opportunity while Gu Xuejiao's team was out, successfully secured daytime lab usage rights from Professor Tan. Upon learning this, Gu Xuejiao realized her oversight and began brainstorming solutions.
Lin Zhihua brought her a new tea drink, and she confided in him about the difficulty of managing her talented but headstrong team. Lin Zhihua advised her that truly exceptional individuals are hard to impress with technical prowess alone; they need to share a common struggle. This sparked an idea in Gu Xuejiao, who decided to intentionally create challenging conditions for her team.
That night, as Gu Xuejiao and her team worked late, Shu Lan and Siqi grew weary and prepared to head back to the dorms. Gu Xuejiao, with a mischievous glint in her eye, posted on her social media about a "historic breakthrough" in their work, knowing it would pique Lin Jiadong's jealousy. As anticipated, Lin Jiadong, consumed by envy, cut the power and attempted to scare them with a "dead programmer" ghost prank.
Gu Xuejiao, recognizing his antics, seized the moment. When Lin Jiadong opened his laptop, she startled him with a terrifying prank, causing him to retreat hastily. The next day, Gu Xuejiao and her team put on a performance for Professor Tan, fabricating a story about Lin Jiadong's scare tactics and the power outage. Unable to counter their four combined accounts, Lin Jiadong received a stern reprimand from Professor Tan.
Following this, Lin Jiadong sought out his aunt, Zheng Qin, at her office. She was in a meeting but conveyed her continued support, dismissing Lin Zhihua's contest participation as a desperate attempt for prize money and vowing to deny him even that. Energized by their shared "hardship," Gu Xuejiao's team, unable to use the lab during the day, relocated their work to the hot pot restaurant. Their combined efforts led to rapid progress, and they quickly developed the source code.
As they returned to school that evening, Lin Zhihua called Gu Xuejiao. Their sweet exchanges were overheard by Sun Feifei, who immediately questioned Gu Xuejiao about her mysterious "boyfriend." Before Gu Xuejiao could fully deflect, several muscular men emerged from the darkness of the trees, blocking their path. The leader demanded Wenbo's laptop. A scuffle ensued, but Lin Zhihua arrived just in time. Recognizing the Bochi Motors work uniforms worn by the men, he quickly subdued them.
Gu Xuejiao, attempting to help with a wooden stick, stumbled and fell, accidentally pushing Lin Zhihua down and injuring his hand. In the ensuing chaos, a teammate, rushing to assist, accidentally hit Lin Zhihua's head with a stick, necessitating his immediate hospitalization. At the hospital, Gu Xuejiao attentively fed Lin Zhihua. He calmly revealed that he had long known Zheng Qin was Lin Jiadong's aunt.
He explained that he kept Lin Jiadong close because while Lin Jiadong was easily swayed and prone to petty tricks, he wasn't inherently malicious, just easily manipulated. Gu Xuejiao, relieved by his explanation, playfully accused him of "doting on his fans."
