The Heart of Genius Episode 17 Recap
> The Heart of Genius Recap
Principal Zhang, Zhang Shuping, tried to mediate an argument between Zhang Liang’s mother and Lu Zhihao’s mother in the hallway. Lin Zhaosheng was waiting nearby. Principal Zhang informed Lin Zhaosheng that the instigator of the fight was a friend of Lin Zhaoxi's from the orphanage. He observed that Zhang Liang, though often a troublemaker, also displayed a sense of responsibility.
Concerned about the upcoming college entrance exams for Zhang Liang, Lin Zhaoxi, and Lu Zhihao, Principal Zhang decided to downplay the incident as an accident to avoid severe consequences. He then urged Lin Zhaosheng to focus on setting up the tutoring center he had previously discussed, rather than worrying about others' affairs. Lin Zhaoxi felt burdened by guilt, believing her presence in Cheese World had ruined Ji Jiang's dream of becoming a star and led to Lu Zhihao's arm injury.
She confessed her regret about coming to this world. Pei Zhi, however, tried to persuade her to stay, arguing that many things are beyond their control and they should focus on making their future better in this world, which offered a "cheating" opportunity to overcome past regrets. He emphasized his desire to remain in Cheese World to be with his father, Pei Donglai.
Lin Zhaoxi, however, insisted on returning to Strawberry World, asking what Pei Zhi would do if she left. Their disagreement led to an unhappy parting. Later, Lin Zhaosheng noticed Lin Zhaoxi's melancholic mood, which he suspected was due to a quarrel with Pei Zhi. She vaguely spoke of complex "math problems" and then recounted a story about a little fox who, after her father became gravely ill, traveled to a parallel world where he was healthy.
The fox faced a choice: return to her sick father or stay in the easy life of the parallel world. Lin Zhaosheng initially suggested the fox should face her difficulties and return. However, when asked what he, as the sick father, would wish, he expressed that he would want his child to live a happy, unburdened life, and explicitly told her not to spend money trying to cure him if he were terminally ill, as parents feared being a burden.
He also reminisced about feeling helpless when he first learned he had a daughter. That evening, Pei Donglai downloaded an action movie and invited Pei Zhi to watch it. Instead of cola, Pei Zhi suggested they drink beer together, a moment Pei Donglai had anticipated for seventeen years. They enjoyed their drinks, and Pei Zhi felt a profound sense of comfort watching his father's happiness.
Meanwhile, Ji Jiang, upon hearing that Lin Zhaoxi had been bullied by Zhang Liang and Lu Zhihao injured, offered to avenge her. Lin Zhaoxi, however, urged him to focus on his singing competition. Ji Jiang then noticed a voice recorder in her hand, mistakenly thinking it was a gift for his practice. Lin Zhaoxi quickly claimed it was for English listening practice, and when he expressed disbelief, she dramatically pulled out an English textbook and began "studying," which satisfied him.
The next morning, Lin Zhaoxi found Lin Zhaosheng taking medicine for a cold. His hoarse, nasal voice, combined with his casual "do your things" and the memory of his 2013 car accident, made her realize something. She asked him to record several phrases from her mysterious audio clip, including descriptions of a fast car heading towards a passageway, him and his daughter walking, and "do your things."
Upon comparing his voice to the recording, Lin Zhaoxi realized Lin Zhaosheng was the car accident victim, and Pei Donglai was the one responding in the recording. She immediately called Pei Zhi to share this startling discovery, explaining that Lin Zhaosheng's car accident in 2013 in Strawberry World had led to his Alzheimer's. The recording now suggested she could prevent this accident in Cheese World, thereby preventing his future illness.
Pei Zhi seized the opportunity to persuade Lin Zhaoxi to stay in Cheese World, arguing that there were multiple ways to prevent Lin Zhaosheng's accident without returning to the Strawberry World. He reminded her that regardless of how long they stayed, their return point in Strawberry World remained fixed. However, Lin Zhaoxi felt an urgent responsibility to return to her original father, who was suffering, refusing to gamble his well-being on an uncertain "possibility."
She asked Pei Zhi to return with her, but he regretfully declined, citing his own compelling reasons to stay. Acknowledging their differing but equally strong motivations, they parted with mutual disappointment. Meanwhile, Zhang Shuping arranged a dinner for Lin Zhaosheng with a Mr. Zhou, hoping to secure investment for Lin Zhaosheng's tutoring center. Mr. Zhou, knowing little about mathematics, made superficial comments that irritated Lin Zhaosheng, who nearly walked out. Zhang Shuping intervened, smoothing things over.
After Mr. Zhou left, Zhang Shuping chastised Lin Zhaosheng for his lack of social grace, reminding him that this endeavor was for Lin Zhaoxi's future, especially with her recent academic decline. Stung by the remarks, Lin Zhaosheng impulsively decided to cut his long, twenty-year-old hair, which had been deemed unprofessional. However, at the barber shop, after much deliberation, he suddenly fled before the haircut could begin.
During class, Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi continued their debate on how to prevent Lin Zhaosheng's accident. Lin Zhaoxi believed she could save him by accurately predicting the time and location and maintaining vigilance. Pei Zhi countered that the recording lacked specific time or location details beyond mentioning "trees by the road," and that relying on her real-time intervention was extremely risky, potentially endangering her own life with low chances of success.
Their animated discussion led their teacher, Jie Ran, to send them outside. Back home, Lin Zhaosheng’s unusual behavior of diligently preparing dinner caught Lin Zhaoxi and Ji Jiang’s attention, though they couldn’t fathom the reason. After dinner, Lin Zhaosheng initiated a conversation with Lin Zhaoxi, asking if his perceived lack of concern or high expectations had caused her stress and affected her grades.
Lin Zhaoxi responded that academic performance was primarily a matter of self-effort, unrelated to external factors, and she could handle pressure. Reassured by her maturity, Lin Zhaosheng then expressed concern about her college tuition. Lin Zhaoxi confidently stated that she only needed his support for the first year, as she would manage the remaining three years herself. She then sought his advice on how an ordinary person could triumph over a genius like Pei Zhi.
Using a gambling analogy, Lin Zhaosheng explained that by consistently making small, incremental improvements to her "winning probability" each day, she could achieve a near-certain victory. He emphasized the power of "persistent effort" and "daily small accumulations," concluding with a playful remark about love, which Lin Zhaoxi brushed off.
Later that night, Pei Zhi's mother brought him fruit as he was writing computer programs, inquiring if he was troubled, to which he simply said no. Lin Zhaoxi decided to pursue a strategy of mathematical modeling, using Lin Zhaosheng's daily habits and extensive traffic data to pinpoint the exact time and location of the impending car accident. She borrowed a book titled "Neural Networks and Applications" from Lin Zhaosheng. Meanwhile, Ji Jiang prepared for his "Youth Super Singer" audition.
Lin Zhaosheng, wishing him luck, presented him with a red vest embroidered with "Go, brother!" , fabricating a story that Lin Zhaoxi had painstakingly sewn it over two nights using three of his own red vests. Ji Jiang was touched by the gesture. During the live broadcast of the "Youth Super Singer" competition, Ji Jiang began his performance of "Sailor," dramatically shedding layers of clothing as he sang.
A judge abruptly stopped him, criticizing his "greasy" performance and questioning if it was a striptease. Another judge, however, saw the act as an artistic representation of a "homebody's transformation into a trendy man," appreciating the creativity despite vocal and dance imperfections. Ji Jiang pleaded to finish his song, explaining that his father and sister were watching from home. The judges relented, allowing him to continue from where he stopped.
As he resumed, he again removed more clothing, revealing the red vest. He had altered the original "Go, brother!" to "Sister and brother, let's work hard together" with a red pen. Ji Jiang then shared his story, revealing that he and Lin Zhaoxi were not biological siblings but had grown up together in an orphanage. After Lin Zhaoxi found her biological father, he adopted Ji Jiang, forming a happy family.
Ji Jiang explained that he wanted to cheer up Lin Zhaoxi, who had been feeling down, and affirmed that as long as their family was together, no challenge was insurmountable. His heartfelt narrative moved both the judges and Lin Zhaoxi to tears.
