The Heart of Genius Episode 1 Recap
> The Heart of Genius Recap
Lin Zhaoxi, who had just obtained her driver's license, was riding her bicycle through the alleys of Anping, feeling a calm that belied her 23 years. Ever since her childhood sweetheart, Pei Zhi, left for university in Germany, Lin Zhaoxi had changed, adopting a mature demeanor that kept her composed in any situation. Her father, Lin Zhaosheng, a mathematical genius, had forgone opportunities to study abroad to raise her, working as an accountant at a middle school.
Despite his wishes for her to study mathematics, Lin Zhaoxi chose philosophy. After college, she began an internship at a school and meticulously planned her life, including blind dates, cooking classes, and getting her driver's license. Returning home on her bicycle, Lin Zhaoxi was greeted by her best friend, Bao Xiaomeng, who brought her boyfriend Zhu's new automatic car for Lin Zhaoxi to practice driving. Bao Xiaomeng reassured her not to worry about scratches, as the car had full insurance.
Despite Bao Xiaomeng's encouragement, Lin Zhaoxi drove cautiously, reciting manual transmission driving formulas learned in driving school. Bao Xiaomeng pointed out that she was driving an automatic car as if it were a manual and retrieved a hand-drawn map from Lin Zhaoxi's bag, marveling at her friend’s thoroughness. During her internship, the Academic Affair Office director, Director Gao, introduced Lin Zhaoxi to her nephew for a blind date. Lin Zhaoxi reluctantly agreed.
The nephew, trying to impress her, spoke about philosophy and German education, using cliches he seemed to be looking up on his phone. When he mentioned Einstein getting one point in math as a child, Lin Zhaoxi corrected him, explaining that in Germany, a one-point score is the highest, not the lowest. Unbeknownst to Lin Zhaoxi, her father, Lin Zhaosheng, had arrived at the school by bus to see her and discreetly left upon seeing her on the date.
Later that day, Lin Zhaosheng waited for Lin Zhaoxi at their doorstep. He encouraged her to reconcile with Pei Zhi and prepare for the mathematics postgraduate entrance exam. Lin Zhaoxi expressed no interest in pursuing Pei Zhi or the exam, but Lin Zhaosheng knew she had secretly bought math exam textbooks.
He urged her not to give up, but Lin Zhaoxi, having been out of touch with math for four years, felt disheartened, remarking that "growing up is learning to compromise" and that people don't always do what they like. Meanwhile, Pei Zhi, having returned to China, left a group photo in Lin Zhaoxi's mailbox after seeing her and her father return home.
The next morning, as Lin Zhaoxi drove to work, Director Gao called, pushing for a second date between Lin Zhaoxi and her nephew. Lin Zhaoxi politely declined. Director Gao then criticized Lin Zhaoxi, mentioning her modest family background and average looks, suggesting she shouldn't feel inferior because her prestigious university degree still offered her a chance within their family. Lin Zhaoxi tried to clarify her stance, but the conversation was abruptly interrupted.
At a red light, Lin Zhaoxi's car was rear-ended. Before she could react, a man and a woman rushed into her car, urging her to drive faster. Journalists soon appeared, and Lin Zhaoxi realized the man was the actor Ji Jiang. Without time to think, she drove them away. Inside the car, Ji Jiang complained to the female singer about meeting at a hotel for script rehearsal, leading to paparazzi photos. He then forced the singer out of the car.
Lin Zhaoxi silently labeled him a "scumbag" and demanded compensation for her car. Ji Jiang readily agreed, asking her to pull over in a secluded spot. He gave her 1,000 yuan, much more than the 300 yuan estimated for repairs, then quickly left. Before leaving, he also took her contact information and address, threatening legal action if she spread rumors about their conversation, stressing that it was a private matter.
Lin Zhaoxi arrived home late to find her father leaving for his workplace. Lin Zhaosheng told her to eat first, mentioning he was just going to his unit and would be back soon. Later, Lin Zhaosheng received a call from his colleague, Sun Peigen, informing him that a window in the finance office was open. He rushed to the school, closed the window, and checked the safe, finding the money intact.
As he turned to leave, he was attacked from behind and knocked unconscious. Lin Zhaoxi was about to sleep when she received a call from the police, informing her that Lin Zhaosheng was hospitalized. She hurried to the hospital, where the police explained that her father was found unconscious in the school's finance office that morning, and 170,000 yuan was stolen.
They revealed that Sun Peigen had called Lin Zhaosheng to close the window, and he was ambushed as he was leaving the office. Lin Zhaosheng was in a coma due to a severe head injury. Lin Zhaoxi called Bao Xiaomeng to ask her to care for her father while she went home to retrieve money. In Lin Zhaosheng's room, she discovered old photos of herself, each with a handwritten note detailing the date, her age, and the activity.
Section Chief Sun from the school's security department called Lin Zhaoxi in, blaming Lin Zhaosheng for negligence and for concealing his Alzheimer's disease, which Lin Zhaoxi was completely unaware of. He emphasized that while the school was not pursuing Lin Zhaosheng for the lost 170,000 yuan, medical expenses were her responsibility. Lin Zhaoxi then spoke with the doctor, who revealed Lin Zhaosheng had been receiving treatment for Alzheimer's for five years, and his condition had worsened significantly in recent months.
The doctor couldn't predict when he would wake up. Lin Zhaoxi stayed by her father's bedside, but Bao Xiaomeng insisted she go home to rest, offering to watch over Lin Zhaosheng. Back home, Lin Zhaoxi found the group photo in her mailbox, triggering memories of her childhood. She recalled failing to get into Zhang Shuping's Math Olympic training camp, and her father comforting her despite his apparent disappointment.
She then saw a wall in her house covered with mathematical formulas that she and her father had written. Ji Jiang abruptly appeared, recognizing the photo as one from Zhang Shuping's Math Olympic training camp, which he had also attended. He pointed out discrepancies in the photo, mentioning that Pei Zhi had left the camp after only two days due to a conflict with Zhang Shuping and never participated in the competition.
Lin Zhaoxi then confessed that the photo was faked by her father, who had Photoshopped her into it because she hadn't been accepted. Feeling immense guilt, she began furiously scrubbing the mathematical formulas off the wall. Ji Jiang tried to stop her, leading to a struggle. Suddenly, a temporal shift occurred, and they were transported from 2018 back to 2006.
Lin Zhaoxi, now an 11-year-old, was brought into the office of Director Dang Aiping after a fight with other children at a welfare home. Confused and disoriented, Lin Zhaoxi insisted she was 23 and from 2018, desperate to return home. Director Dang, believing Lin Zhaoxi was hallucinating from reading too many novels, was saddened that she didn't consider the orphanage her home, given that she had supposedly grown up there.
Lin Zhaoxi refused to believe this and continued to demand to be let out, prompting Director Dang to lock her in the office for reflection. Lin Zhaoxi tried to call her father but discovered the number was out of service. Searching through archived files, Lin Zhaoxi found a document stating that Director Dang Aiping had found her as an abandoned infant at the welfare home's entrance in 1995.
A white paper found with her specified her name, Lin Zhaoxi, and birthdate, but her parents were unknown. As she pondered what had happened, Ji Jiang entered, bringing her food. He asked her to identify the host city of the 24th Winter Olympics, and when she correctly answered "Beijing," he immediately recognized her as a fellow time-traveler.
Ji Jiang, revealing his birth name was Dang Aimin, nicknamed Hua Juan, and that he grew up in this very orphanage before being adopted, showed her his own file. They both realized they had traveled back to 2006 and wondered if the time reversal was caused by the photo or by erasing the formulas. Lin Zhaoxi noticed her father, Lin Zhaosheng, in the photo, which led her to believe it wasn't Photoshopped by him after all.
Director Dang Aiping entered, sending them both to their rooms, with Lin Zhaoxi hoping to wake up and find everything returned to normal. Ji Jiang, however, found the secret of their time travel "exciting," comparing it to a spy drama and emphasizing the importance of not revealing their identities. The next morning, Ji Jiang woke Lin Zhaoxi, confirming they were still in 2006, attending Hongxing Elementary School, Class 2, Grade 5.
