Summit of Our Youth Episode 2 Recap
> Summit of Our Youth Recap
Gu Mingze teased Gu Xuejiao about her recent exam score, which was even lower than Yi Tianyu's, placing her last in their class. When Gu Xuejiao questioned how he knew about her school life, Gu Mingze revealed that Zhou Shiyun, whom Gu Xuejiao considered a close friend, frequently updated him, and he had promised Zhou Shiyun to keep Gu Xuejiao's secrets.
Gu Xuejiao, having been reborn, recognized Zhou Shiyun's true intentions: she wanted to spread embarrassing information about Gu Xuejiao, using Gu Mingze as an unwitting pawn. Gu Xuejiao reflected on her past, realizing Zhou Shiyun had always been jealous, particularly since Gu Xuejiao often outscored her in exams. Zhou Shiyun secretly believed that if Yi Tianyu hadn't entered the picture, Gu Xuejiao might have been accepted into Capital University instead of her.
Their mother often compared them, fueling Zhou Shiyun's resentment. Later, their mother intervened in an argument between Gu Mingze and Gu Xuejiao, who spoke different dialects, urging them to focus on their studies. The next morning, Li Sitong, who worked as a housekeeper for Zhou Shiyun's family, arrived late, citing urgent family matters, subtly blaming Gu Xuejiao. Zhou Shiyun, however, exaggerated Gu Xuejiao's recent diligence, claiming she had ordered so many study guides they blocked their doorway.
Hearing this, Zhou Shiyun's mother grew stricter with her own daughter, demanding she work harder too. To distract Gu Xuejiao, Zhou Shiyun presented her with an electronic dictionary, claiming it was a late birthday gift preloaded with romance novels and assuring her parents wouldn't find out. Gu Xuejiao, however, understood Zhou Shiyun's manipulative intent and instead downloaded English vocabulary words onto the device.
Zhou Shiyun was visibly frustrated when she later saw Gu Xuejiao diligently studying words on the electronic dictionary. Upon returning home from school, Gu Xuejiao found her father, Dad, furious. He had just received his severance pay after being laid off from the component factory and was upset that someone had tampered with his intention form, causing him to lose his job.
Gu Xuejiao denied it, suggesting he might have made a mistake himself, but he showed her the identical checkmarks. As Dad angrily pursued Gu Xuejiao, threatening to hit her, a news report on TV announced the bankruptcy of Yano, a prominent phone brand. The report detailed how the South District Component Factory, Dad's workplace and Yano's largest supplier, was devastated by massive order cancellations, leading to no legal recourse. The news intensified Dad's distress, causing him to collapse.
Dad was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with sudden high blood pressure. While waiting for him to stabilize, Gu Mingze questioned Gu Xuejiao about her recent unusual actions, suggesting she had a premonition that saved their family's financial situation. Gu Xuejiao joked about being able to predict the future and become wealthy. As she pondered her explanation, she spotted Lin Zhihua passing by the room and immediately followed him.
Gu Xuejiao found Lin Zhihua in a hospital room visiting Gao Rui, who lay unconscious. Lin Zhihua had been deeply affected by Gao Rui's accident, which was implied to be a result of a safety oversight involving the project team, not solely Lin Zhihua's fault. Gao Rui's teacher or supervisor suggested that since Gao Rui was working multiple part-time jobs to support himself, Lin Zhihua could take over these jobs.
This way, when Gao Rui recovered, his life would remain unchanged, serving as a meaningful form of compensation. Lin Zhihua agreed to tutor Gu Xuejiao, but only if she could find a specific list of out-of-print study materials. Gu Xuejiao expressed doubt, but remembered Gao Rui's earlier encouragement to "never give up." Lin Zhihua, however, refused to add her on WeChat, stating he had no room for "ineffective socializing."
Back home, Gu Xuejiao consulted Gu Mingze, who had taken the college entrance exam three times, hoping he had insights into rare study materials like "Top Student's 300 Must-Do Questions." Gu Mingze, however, claimed to have too many books to remember which ones were which. He then took the opportunity to steal some cash Dad had hidden in his shoe, claiming he also needed money for study materials.
At the basketball court, Gu Xuejiao was unusually subdued, more focused on her quest for study materials than on cheering. Yi Tianyu, noticing her lack of attention, tried to get her notice by deliberately throwing a basketball toward her, but it accidentally hit Sun Tiantian instead. Chen Xiao quickly offered Yi Tianyu an ice pack, showing concern. Gu Xuejiao, observing Yi Tianyu's popularity with other girls, decided to capitalize on his "value."
She created a "Barter Sharing Group" and began sharing photos and updates about Yi Tianyu, using "hunger marketing" to attract more members. Her ultimate goal was to acquire rare review materials by offering "Top Student's 300 Must-Do Questions" as a reward to anyone who could provide class notes from past top scorers.
Zhou Shiyun, also seeking the "300 Must-Do Questions," realized Gu Xuejiao was after the same material and determined to prevent her from getting it, believing Gu Xuejiao was trying to compete with her. One day after school, Gu Xuejiao and Sun Tiantian witnessed Chen Xiao bullying Liu, their class representative. Despite Sun Tiantian's hesitation, Gu Xuejiao decided to intervene, noting they outnumbered Chen Xiao.
Gu Xuejiao confronted Chen Xiao, accusing him of bad manners by pointing, and then, after a brief countdown, she and Sun Tiantian physically intervened. Gu Xuejiao, wielding a smelly object implied to be a bag of garbage and claiming to have Parkinson's making her hands shake erratically, repelled Chen Xiao and his companions, who fled in disgust. Liu, grateful for their intervention, offered Gu Xuejiao the "300 Must-Do Questions" as a reward.
Unbeknownst to them, Zhou Shiyun secretly filmed the entire encounter. Gu Xuejiao soon acquired all the necessary study materials and met Lin Zhihua at a cafe. Lin Zhihua immediately gave her a diagnostic test to assess her initial level. Gu Xuejiao performed poorly, prompting Lin Zhihua to advise her to quit, stating she wasn't cut out for academics and should "face reality," given her drop from a top-20 student in Grade 10 to near the bottom.
However, Gu Xuejiao refused to leave, determined to solve a challenging problem she was working on. As Lin Zhihua prepared to close the shop, he observed her perseverance. He checked her work, noting her approach was correct but could be simplified. Just then, they heard the door being locked from the outside, trapping them in the cafe. Meanwhile, Gu Mingze noticed Gu Xuejiao hadn't returned home.
When their mother came to check on Gu Xuejiao, Gu Mingze quickly slipped under Gu Xuejiao's blanket, pretending to be her to avoid their mother's "room check." He secretly texted Gu Xuejiao, who replied that she was at Zhou Shiyun's house and to "do not disturb." Gu Mingze then tried to call her but her phone was off.
He then texted Zhou Shiyun, assuring them both he had things covered at home so they could continue studying without worrying about being caught. Gu Xuejiao, though initially worried about her mother's "room check," decided to ignore the distraction, powered off her phone, and focused on solving the problem, believing it was better to study than to fret.
While waiting for the door to be unlocked, Lin Zhihua questioned Gu Xuejiao's commitment, suggesting she was impulsive and prone to short-lived enthusiasms. Gu Xuejiao accused him of stereotyping and giving her difficult problems to test her. She finally solved the problem, only to find Lin Zhihua had fallen asleep. Noticing his phone screen, she saw he only had five contacts. Attempting to "help him connect with the entire world," she accidentally deleted all of them.
Lin Zhihua then woke with a start from a vivid nightmare about Gao Rui, seeing a clear "time of death" for him. Gu Xuejiao reassured him, then proudly showed him her solved problem. Just then, the door clicked open. Gu Xuejiao, startled, grabbed a chair, fearing a "monster," and prepared to protect Lin Zhihua. He stopped her, introducing the new arrival: his sister, Lin Zhiyue, who also goes by the nickname "Petal."
Lin Zhiyue expressed surprise at seeing Gu Xuejiao with her brother, playfully asking if he had deleted her contact to make room for Gu Xuejiao. Gu Xuejiao explained that Lin Zhihua was her tutor, a claim Lin Zhihua confirmed.
