Summit of Our Youth Episode 5 Recap
> Summit of Our Youth Recap
Gu Mingze was approached by Mr. Fu, who asked about his university. Gu Mingze's apprentice quickly interjected, claiming Mingze graduated from Galidon College in the UK, a "prestigious newcomer." Mr. Fu, momentarily confused, let them go, and Gu Xuejiao swiftly pulled Lin Zhihua away from the scene. Later, Gu Xuejiao found Gu Mingze and his apprentice squatting on the roadside eating from meal boxes.
Gu Xuejiao began to scold her brother, but the apprentice fiercely defended Mingze, stating he was the best game designer he had ever seen and that he was working to bring their game, "Roller Blast", to mobile. Inspired, he declared he was changing his name to Flag. Gu Xuejiao suddenly recalled seeing that "Flag" would become the Best Designer at the 2023 Hangzhou Game Expo, realizing Mingze's early, positive influence on his apprentice.
She was surprised that her seemingly aimless brother could inspire such talent. After pulling an all-nighter gaming, Gu Mingze quietly sneaked back home in the morning. Gu Xuejiao opened the door for him, only for their dad to catch them. They quickly concocted a story about doing "morning exercises" to cover their tracks, though their dad found their attire suspicious and forced Mingze to go for a jog.
Days later, Mingze received a new smartphone as a reward from the stock exchange. Gu Xuejiao found it curious that the stock exchange would be so generous, but she was not particularly envious, stating she had "bigger dreams." Lin Zhihua received news that Gao Rui had finally regained consciousness and rushed to the hospital, with Gu Xuejiao following shortly after. Seeing Gao Rui lively enough to playfully complain about his lack of humor, Lin felt a sense of relief.
Later, Gao Rui teased Gu Xuejiao over text, suggesting she wanted him to stay in the hospital longer so Lin could continue tutoring her without interruption. Lin later brought fried chicken to the hospital, but revealed it was for Gu Xuejiao, not for Gao Rui who, as a post-surgery patient, couldn't eat it, prompting Gao Rui to playfully complain about the preferential treatment.
Gao Rui informed Gu Xuejiao that Professor Tan had removed Lin from the C1 Lab months ago, believing Lin's mental state wasn't right after the accident. He pleaded with Gu Xuejiao to help convince Lin to return, as the project was their joint effort and couldn't be completed without him. Recalling that a decade later Lin would be in management rather than engineering, Gu Xuejiao resolved to prevent that future.
She prepared notes on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder counseling, hoping to inspire Lin, but he dismissed her efforts and flatly refused her request to give an alumni speech at their old high school. Gu Xuejiao later found Lin working part-time at a coffee shop. When he made intricate latte art for a delivery order, she remarked that his talent was being wasted, like "making latte art for takeout coffee."
Unfazed, Lin simply told her she lacked a "craftsman's spirit" and urged her to focus on her homework. Meanwhile, at the school, Mr. Fu was visibly upset that Lin was not coming to give the alumni speech as Gu Xuejiao had guaranteed. Just then, Lin Zhihua arrived. Lin delivered his speech at Seven High, emphasizing that memorizing formulas was the foundational step in physics. Afterwards, a crowd of female students swarmed him for photos.
Zhou Shiyun approached, offering a drink and asking him to be her tutor, mentioning their family connections and offering double his rate. Lin declined, stating he already had his hands full with one student and couldn't waste time on someone "irrelevant" so close to the mock exam. During the First Mock Exam, Gu Xuejiao diligently applied Lin's methods and achieved an impressive rank of ninety-ninth in her grade.
Her parents, who had been bracing for a poor result, were astonished and delighted, immediately offering to treat her to a hotpot dinner. Inspired by her success, Yi Tianyu surprised his basketball friends by announcing he was quitting the team to focus on studying, even passing on his old cheat sheet.
Gu Xuejiao excitedly pulled Lin Zhihua to the hospital to share the news with Gao Rui, only to learn he had been discharged and gone straight to the lab for a test drive. Extremely worried, Lin knew the program still had a critical flaw that could cause a system crash. He rushed to the training ground, where Gao Rui was preparing to enter the test vehicle.
Lin vehemently tried to stop him, but Gao Rui, desperate after learning he had only a low chance of a full recovery, was determined to proceed. Stepping in, Gu Xuejiao claimed that Lin had been secretly debugging the program all along. Despite Lin's initial, sarcastic denial that he was just "watching dramas," he relented and declared he needed just "ten minutes" to implement a safer version.
True to his word, a new version of the program was ready within ten minutes. Professor Tan, observing the scene, was satisfied and formally asked Lin to rejoin the C1 Lab. Lin, who had already been planning to return, readily accepted. Gu Xuejiao, proud of her role in his return and her exam score, playfully demanded a celebration gift. Lin jokingly offered her "a hundred" sets of mock exams, which she declined. That night, Lin Zhihua had a vivid dream.
He found himself in the future, attending the funeral of his best friend, Gao Rui, who he learned had died in a tragic car accident on September 5, 2014. Later in the dream, at a low point in his career, he encountered a job-seeking Gu Xuejiao. She encouraged him not to give up, saying, "as long as you're alive, you always have the chance to start again." Lin woke up and saw the date: September 5, 2014.
Realizing he had returned to the very day of the accident from his dream, he saw his chance to alter fate. He immediately called Gao Rui and, in a serious tone, warned him that the road test scheduled for that day "must be canceled" because he feared there would be an accident. Gao Rui, however, was dismissive, jokingly asking if Lin was hallucinating from debugging all night. He insisted on proceeding, noting that Professor Tan and other experts were already waiting to begin.
