The Heart of Genius Episode 15 Recap
> The Heart of Genius Recap
Lin Zhaoxi, still dazed, rushes into Class 1, where Zhang Liang and Lu Zhihao are solving problems on the blackboard. The teacher, not recognizing Lin Zhaoxi, questions her presence. Bao Xiaomeng then arrives and clarifies that they are in the wrong classroom. She explains that they are actually in Class 13, a class known for its low-achieving students, and not Class 1.
Lin Zhaoxi expresses confusion about her poor academic performance, recalling her past achievement of an Olympic mathematics gold medal in primary school and wondering how her grades could have become so bad. Bao Xiaomeng further reveals that Pei Zhi, despite being a top student, deliberately turned in blank papers for three subjects in every exam and purposely ranked at the bottom just to be in Class 13 with Lin Zhaoxi—a fact widely known throughout the school.
Concerned about Pei Zhi, Lin Zhaoxi presses Bao Xiaomeng to take her to their actual classroom. Classmates jokingly mention Lin Zhaoxi having fainted during PE. Bao Xiaomeng guides Lin Zhaoxi to her seat, pointing out Pei Zhi's empty desk beside her and noting that he hasn't returned. During chemistry class, when the teacher calls on Lin Zhaoxi to explain a question from their exam, Lin Zhaoxi mistakenly pulls out an English paper.
The chemistry teacher, annoyed, asks if she is joking. Bao Xiaomeng quickly interjects, explaining that Lin Zhaoxi suffered a heatstroke in PE and is still confused. Feigning illness, Lin Zhaoxi requests to leave class, intent on finding Pei Zhi, and a worried Bao Xiaomeng follows her out. Lin Zhaoxi hurries to the school gate and is stopped by Lin Zhaosheng, who is working in the mail room.
She is surprised to find him in this role and asks if he has seen Pei Zhi, to which he replies that Pei Zhi might have gone home. To get permission to leave, Bao Xiaomeng tells Lin Zhaosheng that Lin Zhaoxi is feeling unwell and wants to go out for lunch. Despite sensing something is off with his daughter, Lin Zhaosheng gives her money, instructing them to eat something good and return to school promptly.
Meanwhile, Pei Zhi returns to his home in Cheese World, finding his mother, Luo Jing, cooking. Luo Jing is surprised by his unexpected return during school hours. Pei Zhi falsely claims that school is on holiday and then anxiously asks about his father. Relieved to learn that Pei Donglai was on a night shift and would be home soon, Pei Zhi later greets his father, who arrives home exhausted from dealing with three accidents without sleep.
Pei Donglai barely acknowledges Pei Zhi before heading to eat, and Pei Zhi, overcome with emotion, privately sheds tears in his room. During lunch, Pei Zhi is overjoyed watching his father eat heartily and consumes three bowls of rice himself. Luo Jing then attempts to persuade Pei Donglai to transfer to an office position, reminding him of a motorcycle accident three years prior where he crashed while chasing a thief, narrowly escaping serious injury thanks to his helmet.
Pei Zhi distinctly remembers the accident happened in 2009, when he was in junior high. He also recalls a heated argument between Luo Jing and Pei Donglai regarding his math studies. Luo Jing had pushed for him to attend a math program for gifted youth, while Pei Donglai vehemently opposed it, asserting that their son wasn't a "math genius" and shouldn't have his life completely dictated by his mother.
After the argument, an angry Pei Donglai left for work, and Luo Jing, in a fit of pique, threw his helmet downstairs. Lin Zhaoxi tries to explain her situation to Bao Xiaomeng, initially offering a complex scientific explanation about parallel universes, which Bao Xiaomeng finds unbelievable. Lin Zhaoxi then resorts to claiming she has "lost her memory" due to heatstroke. Bao Xiaomeng, after some skepticism, promises to keep this a secret.
Lin Zhaoxi proceeds to gather information: she and Bao Xiaomeng met in high school, and Lin Zhaoxi's grades were poor, placing her in Class 13 from the start. She learns that Lin Zhaosheng works in the school mail room, having followed her to whichever school she attended, a fact that previously annoyed her.
Crucially, she discovers that Ji Jiang is her younger brother, nicknamed Hua Juan, and that Pei Zhi, despite being the city's top-ranked student, intentionally remained in Class 13 to help her with her studies, even resisting the principal's efforts to move him to an advanced class.
Bao Xiaomeng describes Lin Zhaoxi's relationship with Pei Zhi as "weird," certainly not romantic, and reveals that Lin Zhaoxi supposedly has a crush on a classmate named Zheng Tianming, which Lin Zhaoxi denies with an incredulous expression. Dismissing these personal matters, Lin Zhaoxi, still concerned about Lin Zhaosheng in Strawberry World, hastily leaves the cafe, leaving Bao Xiaomeng to pay, determined to find Pei Zhi and retrieve the voice recorder.
After lunch, while Pei Donglai is resting, Pei Zhi confesses to Luo Jing that he lied about school being on holiday, admitting he simply missed them and wanted to see them. Luo Jing, though understanding, urges him to return to school to avoid being late. Just as Pei Zhi is leaving his house, he encounters Lin Zhaoxi.
They confirm their shared experience of traveling between worlds by testing each other with a pre-arranged question: "Which country won the World Cup in 2014?" Pei Zhi, overjoyed and deeply emotional at seeing his father alive, expresses profound gratitude to Lin Zhaoxi, stating he would not have seen his dad again without her. He apologizes for rushing home to check on his father first instead of looking for her.
Lin Zhaoxi then asks for the voice recorder, which Pei Zhi produces, explaining it was in his pocket when he awoke, similar to how the photo remained with them. Pei Zhi embraces Lin Zhaoxi, who, despite his joy, remains focused on the task at hand. She notes that it is currently September 2012, and the recording is dated February 2013, giving them five months to uncover the truth about the recording and find a way back to Strawberry World.
Learning that Lin Zhaosheng works as a school guard in this world, Pei Zhi observes that the two parallel worlds have significant differences. He encourages Lin Zhaoxi to integrate into their current reality. Lin Zhaoxi informs him that while in Strawberry World she was in Class 1 and he in Class 3, they are now both in the lowest-ranked Class 13, and their relationships with teachers, students, and friends are altered.
As they head back to school, they are immediately confronted by Jie Ran, their homeroom teacher, whom Pei Zhi recognizes as an assistant from an Olympic math training camp he attended as a child. Jie Ran, frustrated, reprimands them for skipping class without permission, emphasizing that as high school seniors, they should act responsibly.
Pei Zhi attempts to reassure Jie Ran that Lin Zhaoxi's grades will improve, but Jie Ran expresses deep disappointment in Lin Zhaoxi's current academic performance, lamenting how a child once so intelligent in elementary school has declined. He sternly advises her that if she gives up on herself, no teacher, no matter how good, can help her. Jie Ran dismisses Lin Zhaoxi to class and speaks privately with Pei Zhi.
He congratulates Pei Zhi, revealing that due to his outstanding performance in the Olympic mathematics competitions for the past two years, the Mathematics Department of Sanwei University has offered him early admission. Jie Ran advises Pei Zhi to stop turning in blank papers and promises to talk to the principal to ensure he can remain in Class 13 if he chooses, overriding any grade-based transfer policies. Pei Zhi, seeing a class group photo on Jie Ran's desk, requests a copy.
Later, Pei Zhi hands the photo to Lin Zhaoxi, and together they identify their classmates. Lin Zhaoxi learns about Chen Zhu, the former burly commissary in charge of sports who now appears thin and spends his time in internet cafes, and Zhou Qian, a girl with glasses known for snitching. She also identifies Sun Wenqi, or "Qi," as her other best friend.
They discuss the upcoming basketball game between Class 13 and Class 1, and also confirm that, similar to Strawberry World, evening classes were initially suspended for inspection but were reinstated due to parental objections. The next day, preparations are underway for the basketball game between Class 13 and Class 1. Bao Xiaomeng and Sun Wenqi are enthusiastically practicing a "cutest" cheerleading dance and try to persuade Lin Zhaoxi to join their team.
Lin Zhaoxi, feeling it's too embarrassing and still disoriented, declines their invitation and heads home after school. That evening, at home, Lin Zhaosheng discusses household chores, mentioning a dart-throwing "old way" of deciding who cooks, which Ji Jiang opposes because Lin Zhaoxi is too skilled. Ji Jiang then brings up his plans to participate in the "Super Singer" competition, a fact Lin Zhaoxi is completely unaware of.
Later, as Ji Jiang practices his singing loudly, Lin Zhaoxi tries to study, surprising both Ji Jiang and Lin Zhaosheng, as she hasn't opened a textbook since starting high school. Lin Zhaoxi, annoyed by the noise, goes into Ji Jiang's room and tears down his posters.
Later that night, while Pei Zhi is playing cards with Luo Jing and Pei Donglai, Luo Jing expresses to her husband that she finds Pei Zhi's behavior unsettling and that he has changed a lot, despite Pei Donglai dismissing her concerns as oversensitivity. Lin Zhaoxi calls Pei Zhi, explaining that her situation is "complicated": she has become rebellious, and Lin Zhaosheng seems to have given up on trying to control her academic performance.
The most surprising revelation for her is that Ji Jiang is now her younger brother. She expresses concern that in Strawberry World, at this very time, Ji Jiang (Hua Juan) was already famous and filming commercials, whereas in this world, he has achieved nothing and is merely planning to enter a singing competition. Pei Zhi suggests they discuss these matters further at school the following day.
