Summit of Our Youth Episode 21 Recap
> Summit of Our Youth Recap
Lin Zhihua’s parents left the dinner, their faces grim. Meanwhile, Yi Dafa, Yi Tianyu's father, attempted to ingratiate himself with Gu Xuejiao’s parents. As Gu Xuejiao expressed her desire to return to her company, Yi Tianyu suddenly appeared. Yi Dafa lavishly praised his son, highlighting Yi Tianyu's exceptional foresight in the investment world, mentioning the business models he devised for their restaurant chain and his consistently profitable investments.
Gu Xuejiao's mother, Li Sitong, interested in small investments, immediately took a liking to Yi Tianyu and urged him to drive Gu Xuejiao back to her company, overriding Gu Xuejiao's polite refusal. During the drive, Yi Tianyu revealed he had cancelled his attendance at a Huachuang business lunch because of a minor dispute at his father's restaurant, where he unexpectedly found his father drinking with Gu Xuejiao's.
Qi Lei, who was driving for Yi Tianyu, remarked on Gu Xuejiao's unchanging competitive nature since their high school days. Gu Xuejiao then discovered Yi Tianyu was already advising her mother on investments via WeChat, prompting her to warn him against giving "wild" advice. At the company parking lot, Lin Jiadong was irate to find his designated spot occupied. He confronted Qi Lei, who was still in Yi Tianyu's car.
Their exchange quickly escalated, with Lin Jiadong asserting his authority as the GM's assistant. Qi Lei, however, revealed he was Yi Tianyu’s driver, representing Blue Mountain Capital, a major investor, implying a higher status. Lin Jiadong, feeling his authority undermined, stormed off. Inside the office, Lin Zhihua was examining Yi Tianyu's impressive investment record, which detailed a series of exceptionally accurate market predictions across various sectors, leading to significant wealth accumulation. Lin Zhihua described him as having a "crystal ball."
Lin Jiadong entered, delivering the weekly meeting agenda, and was instructed to receive Mr. Yi later. After leaving Lin Zhihua's office, Lin Jiadong vented his frustrations, accusing Lin Zhihua of forgetting his loyalty and being an exploitative capitalist. Observing this, Yi Tianyu approached Lin Jiadong, suggesting that "not all capitalists are bad," hinting at an opportunity. Gao Rui gave Yi Tianyu a tour of the company.
They encountered Gu Xuejiao’s technical team and Zhou Shiyun’s technical team embroiled in a heated argument over the C3's V2X module's real-world performance. Yi Tianyu attempted to enter the meeting room to catch up, but Lin Zhihua refused, citing it as an internal meeting. Lin Zhihua arrived, having just fired his own assistant. He then announced the board's decision to merge the two frequently clashing teams due to their ongoing disputes over protocol efficiency.
Both Gu Xuejiao and Zhou Shiyun immediately expressed strong opposition, forming a united front against the decision. Later that evening, Gu Xuejiao and Zhou Shiyun met at a bar, where they reconciled their earlier work-related argument, agreeing to keep professional and personal matters separate. Sun Tiantian joined them, bringing a rare bottle of Romanée-Conti wine. Gu Xuejiao shared her plan to move in with Lin Zhihua, hoping to alleviate her parents' concerns about their relationship.
Zhou Shiyun, frustrated by Gu Mingze’s lack of romantic initiative, concocted a plan to fake being drunk. She applied excessive blush and asked Gu Xuejiao and Sun Tiantian to call Gu Mingze to pick her up. Gu Mingze arrived, questioning if Zhou Shiyun's "drunkenness" was a result of him. Gu Xuejiao playfully told him to ask his girlfriend himself and then, with a hint of sarcasm, told him not to bother coming back for her, asserting her own independence.
Gu Xuejiao's hopes for a romantic evening with Lin Zhihua were dashed as he chose to work late, a decision she accepted. The following morning, Lin Zhihua accidentally walked in on Gu Xuejiao in the bathroom, prompting her to ask for greater consideration in their shared living space, to which he agreed to use a signal on the door.
Zhou Shiyun, still feeling dejected, confided in Gu Xuejiao that Gu Mingze had merely driven her home without a kiss, questioning his romantic interest. Gu Xuejiao reassured her. Zhou Shiyun also mentioned seeing Lin Zhihua working until 4 AM in their work group chat. Meanwhile, Gu Xuejiao received a call from her former Director Fu from Seven High, who had been promoted to Principal Fu. At the school, Gu Xuejiao noticed numerous new scholarship programs.
Principal Fu revealed these were funded by an education fund initiated by successful alumni, specifically mentioning her former tablemate, Yi Tianyu. Just as he spoke, Yi Tianyu arrived at the school. Outside Principal Fu's office, Gu Xuejiao directly asked Yi Tianyu about the education fund. They briefly reminisced about their high school days, and Gu Xuejiao acknowledged the positive changes at the school, remarking there was "nothing to regret."
Yi Tianyu attempted to reignite their past, reminding her of watching him play basketball, but Gu Xuejiao claimed not to remember. As Gu Xuejiao tried to leave for work, suggesting a class reunion later, Yi Tianyu stopped her, demanding to know what she was afraid of. He confessed that his return to China was for her and accused her of avoiding him because she knew his feelings.
Gu Xuejiao clarified that her avoidance was to spare him embarrassment, firmly stating that she was happily in a relationship with Lin Zhihua. She told him that if he couldn't maintain an appropriate distance, they should stop seeing each other. Yi Tianyu insisted he was her best choice, but Gu Xuejiao unequivocally declared that they had always been, and would only ever be, ordinary classmates.
Refusing to accept this, Yi Tianyu asserted he had changed everything she disliked about him, even giving up basketball, to become the person she liked, and asked for a chance. Gu Xuejiao, however, remained resolute, telling him not to romanticize a path she never chose and reiterating her love for Lin Zhihua, making it clear that a future together was impossible. Facing her definitive rejection, Yi Tianyu, still reeling, vowed to reclaim his happiness, and "their" happiness.
Gu Xuejiao returned to Lin Zhihua's house to find her parents, Dad and Li Sitong, already there. Lin Zhihua had invited them for dinner to make amends for the previous unpleasant encounter. Lin Zhihua offered his apologies for the past incident. Li Sitong assured him it was not his fault, explaining that Gu Xuejiao had told them about his family dynamics, where his mother "disciplines" his father, which had eased their worries about potential conflicts.
Dad happily toasted Lin Zhihua as his future son-in-law, welcoming him into the family. The next day, a news report broke, detailing a severe car accident involving Yi Tianyu in a Huachuang C2 model, with suspected brake failure. Lin Zhihua, Gu Xuejiao, and Gao Rui immediately went to the hospital. Yi Tianyu's driver, Qi Lei, initially prevented their entry, stating Yi Tianyu refused to see anyone from Huachuang.
Lin Zhihua explained their responsibility, as the C2 was a gift to Yi Tianyu's company. Gu Xuejiao then stepped forward, clarifying that she was there both as a Huachuang representative and as a concerned classmate. Qi Lei then allowed only Gu Xuejiao into the room. Inside, Yi Tianyu questioned her presence. Gu Xuejiao apologized to him as a friend and as a member of the C2 technical team, promising a thorough explanation once the accident's cause was determined.
Yi Tianyu, appearing weary, then asked her to leave. As Gu Xuejiao departed, Qi Lei sarcastically remarked that Lin Zhihua should be the one apologizing. A nurse intervened, warning them about Yi Tianyu's spinal injury and the risk of secondary damage. Lin Zhihua convened a meeting, demanding a swift investigation into the C2's brake failure before the upcoming accident briefing.
He assigned Gao Rui to hardware, Zhou Shiyun to software, and Gu Xuejiao to environmental modeling of the crash site, emphasizing the need for speed. Lin Jiadong, now aligned with Blue Mountain Capital and Yi Tianyu, interrupted the meeting, bringing police with him to investigate and handle Lin Zhihua. He announced that negative publicity about Huachuang was rampant, C2 orders were being cancelled, and investors were questioning Lin Zhihua's leadership. He declared he was there to "clean up their mess."
In response, Wenbo and other employees announced their resignation, choosing to stand with Lin Zhihua. Gu Xuejiao urged them to stay and focus on uncovering the truth, rather than acting impulsively. However, Gao Rui revealed that the accident investigation team's access had been revoked, and Lin Jiadong confirmed that Gu Xuejiao's personal access had been downgraded to "limited low-risk access" due to her relationship with Lin Zhihua. Gu Xuejiao reluctantly accepted the company's decision.
Later, Gu Xuejiao revisited Yi Tianyu in the hospital. He directly asked if her visit was an attempt to intercede for Lin Zhihua. Gu Xuejiao clarified that her apology was purely personal, and she believed Lin Zhihua was capable of overcoming the crisis on his own, without her interference. Yi Tianyu mockingly wished Lin Zhihua "to survive the crisis." After Gu Xuejiao departed, Yi Tianyu called his public relations contact, emphasizing the urgency.
He ordered that Huachuang's accident remain the top trending topic, leveraging the "explosive news" of an investor's crash in their C2 model to prevent Lin Zhihua from recovering. At Lin Zhihua’s apartment, where Gu Xuejiao and Zhou Shiyun were working late, Gu Mingze arrived with breakfast and light-heartedly chided Lin Zhihua for overworking his employees, noting that Zhou Shiyun was also working at his home. Lin Zhihua explained that with their investigation access restricted, they were depending on Zhou Shiyun.
Gao Rui pointed out that Zhou Shiyun's past workplace friction with Lin Zhihua had ironically led Blue Mountain to allow her to continue the software investigation. He speculated whether Lin Zhihua had anticipated Blue Mountain's restrictions, but Lin Zhihua deflected. Zhou Shiyun then presented a critical discovery: after analyzing all simulated driving trajectories, none aligned with Yi Tianyu’s actual path, which was unusually straight.
The team concluded that such a straight trajectory in an emergency suggested two possibilities: either the driver was too shocked to react, or he had prior knowledge that the vehicle would lose control. The most alarming detail, Zhou Shiyun added, was that the company’s servers had coincidentally been under maintenance at the exact time of the accident, resulting in the irreversible loss of the accident vehicle's program logs.
