The Heart of Genius Episode 18 Recap
> The Heart of Genius Recap
The judges deliberated on Ji Jiang's performance. During his act, Ji Jiang had emotionally recounted his story: after Lin Zhaoxi found her biological father, Lin Zhaosheng, Lin Zhaosheng adopted him, and now they are a truly happy family of three. He expressed that despite their humble financial situation, he was content and wished for his father and sister to always be happy. He added that no matter what difficulties they faced, it was manageable as long as they were together.
Moved by his sincerity, the judges praised his heartfelt delivery, with one acknowledging that it changed her view on overly sentimental performances. All three judges agreed to let him advance, bringing joy to Ji Jiang, Lin Zhaoxi, and Lin Zhaosheng. Elsewhere, Pei Zhi diligently worked on developing a small program, even bringing his laptop to school.
Lin Zhaoxi approached him, eager to learn programming and mathematical modeling, believing these skills could help her calculate the exact location of Lin Zhaosheng's car accident. Pei Zhi, however, refused her request, stating firmly that he neither wanted to return to Strawberry World nor wished for her to go back. During math class, Lin Zhaoxi, out of spite, reported Pei Zhi for having his laptop in school.
Their teacher, Jie Ran, mildly cautioned Pei Zhi, telling him not to bring irrelevant items as they might distract other students. Unimpressed by this lenient warning, Lin Zhaoxi then openly began reading an extracurricular book. Pei Zhi promptly reported her to Jie Ran, who confiscated her book. Lin Zhaoxi protested the unfairness, pointing out that Pei Zhi’s laptop was not confiscated, but Jie Ran dismissed her, stating Pei Zhi was different.
Their classmates, Bao Xiaomeng and another student, observed their ongoing conflict, concluding they were definitely at odds. After class, Jie Ran summoned Lin Zhaoxi to his office. He questioned her motives for studying such advanced topics when her recent math scores were low. Lin Zhaoxi confidently claimed she had already mastered high school math and had intentionally scored 88 for "good luck." To prove her point, she asked for a test.
Jie Ran, skeptical, gave her a math paper from last year's college entrance exam. Lin Zhaoxi confidently stated she would finish before lunch, and indeed, she completed the exam in just over an hour. Jie Ran graded it and was astonished to find she scored 141 points. Still disbelieving, he suspected she had seen the paper before and gave her another randomly chosen test. Lin Zhaoxi insisted on taking it immediately, sacrificing her lunch break.
As she worked diligently, other teachers, including Principal Zhang Shuping, came to observe, with Zhang Shuping quietly sitting nearby. Bao Xiaomeng and her friend arrived, expressing concern for Lin Zhaoxi under the intense scrutiny. Lin Zhaoxi quickly finished the second paper. Zhang Shuping personally graded it, announcing a score of 148. The teachers were utterly amazed, referring to both Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi as extraordinary talents.
When Jie Ran asked why she deliberately scored low, Lin Zhaoxi playfully responded that she loved the atmosphere of Class 13 and didn't want to leave, even joking about not wanting to fight with Zhang Liang from Class 1. Despite another teacher trying to recruit her for Class 1, Zhang Shuping ultimately allowed Lin Zhaoxi to choose her class freely. Jie Ran, fulfilling his promise, returned her book and apologized to her.
Lin Zhaoxi returned to class, happily clutching her returned book. Pei Zhi attempted to engage her, but she treated him as an adversary, explicitly stating they were now enemies and that he couldn't stop her from going home. Bao Xiaomeng and her friend observed this interaction, confirming their belief that Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi had completely fallen out.
Later, Pei Zhi requested Jie Ran to move his seat to the back row, explaining he didn't want to distract Lin Zhaoxi. Lin Zhaoxi confronted Jie Ran about the seat change, but Jie Ran simply presented Pei Zhi’s perfect test paper, telling Lin Zhaoxi that if she also achieved a perfect score next time, all her wishes would be granted. Meanwhile, Pei Zhi trained in boxing with his father, Pei Donglai, and Yu Minghai.
Yu Minghai commented on Pei Zhi's rapid improvement in boxing, to which Pei Zhi humorously promised to reveal his "secret" later. Pei Zhi asked Pei Donglai about his work as a traffic policeman, and Pei Donglai affirmed his enjoyment, despite the demanding nature. Pei Zhi then subtly asked if his father would consider resigning if he earned a significant amount of money.
Pei Donglai initially joked about living a leisurely life of boxing and fishing, but then clarified that true success wasn't about money but about health and continuous effort, urging Pei Zhi not to put too much pressure on himself. Pei Zhi assured his father he felt no stress. Earlier, Pei Zhi had noticed that Yu Minghai’s father looked unwell.
Knowing from Strawberry World that Mr. Yu would pass away from late-stage liver cancer in 2014, Pei Zhi strongly advised Yu Minghai to take his father for a check-up, emphasizing the importance of early detection given Mr. Yu's smoking and drinking habits. When Yu Minghai expressed difficulty convincing his father due to cost, Pei Zhi suggested paying for it secretly and telling his father it was a prize from a lucky draw.
Later, Yu Minghai tearfully thanked Pei Zhi, revealing that his father was indeed diagnosed with early-stage liver cancer and would undergo timely surgery, a life-saving intervention thanks to Pei Zhi's foresight. At the hospital, Pei Zhi was playing chess with Zhang Liang, who repeatedly lost. Lin Zhaoxi and Bao Xiaomeng arrived to visit Lu Zhihao. Lu Zhihao recognized Bao Xiaomeng, whom Zhang Liang jokingly exposed as Lu Zhihao's secret admirer.
Pei Zhi received a call from the Steak Games platform and stepped out to answer it, with Lin Zhaoxi following him. Inside, Bao Xiaomeng confided in Lu Zhihao about the ambiguous, on-again-off-again nature of Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi's relationship. Zhang Liang interjected, disparagingly implying Pei Zhi shouldn't associate with "bad students" like them. Bao Xiaomeng quickly retorted that Lin Zhaoxi was now recognized as a genius by the teachers.
Outside, Lin Zhaoxi pressed Pei Zhi about his recent activities and the program he was writing. Pei Zhi admitted to having a plan but refused to disclose details, promising she would know in a few days. Soon after, Zhang Liang’s mother arrived with numerous tonics for Lu Zhihao. Charlie, the operations director for the Steak Games platform, contacted Pei Zhi, proposing a meeting to discuss a partnership for "Auto Chess Battle."
Pei Zhi agreed to meet him at noon at the fast food restaurant across from their high school. In class, Lin Zhaoxi was struggling with a math problem. Pei Zhi, despite their ongoing tension, offered to teach her, stating that even if she learned, he was confident she wouldn't be able to return to Strawberry World.
At the fast food restaurant, Charlie, who had arrived early, was surprised to find that the creator of the successful game was Pei Zhi, a seventeen-year-old high school student, not his father, Pei Donglai. Charlie lauded Pei Zhi as an extraordinary talent for developing such a creative and polished game in his spare time. They promptly began discussing the collaboration. The "Auto Chess Battle" game achieved phenomenal success, with downloads skyrocketing globally.
Reporters, under the impression that Pei Donglai was the game's developer, flocked to interview him. Pei Donglai was completely unaware of the game until the reporters’ questions. Back home, Pei Zhi explained to his parents that he had created the popular game. He proposed establishing a company with funding from the game platform and asked Pei Donglai to resign from his traffic police job to manage it, allowing Pei Zhi to focus on his college entrance exams.
Pei Donglai hesitated, citing his lack of knowledge in computers and his commitment to his police team. However, Pei Zhi's mother, Luo Jing, supported Pei Zhi, interjecting that the investment was 20 million, which made Pei Donglai concede. Pei Zhi then took Pei Donglai to meet Charlie. During the contract review, Pei Donglai struggled to understand the business terms and eventually fell asleep.
Charlie expressed reservations about Pei Donglai's lack of industry expertise but honored Pei Zhi's request for his father to be the company’s legal representative, ensuring a termination clause for risk mitigation. Pei Donglai signed the contract. Later, reporters swarmed Pei Zhi's school for interviews. Principal Zhang Shuping and Jie Ran proudly presented Pei Zhi’s academic records to the media, highlighting his exceptional talent and the school's policy of nurturing geniuses.
Lin Zhaoxi confronted Pei Zhi at school, accusing him of stealing the "Auto Chess" concept from Strawberry World. She realized his true intention when she found out that Pei Donglai had resigned and was now the CEO of "Donglai Network Technology Development Company."
Lin Zhaoxi understood that Pei Zhi had orchestrated this to prevent her from returning to Strawberry World by removing the specific circumstances of Lin Zhaosheng's car accident, which originally led to the crucial recording pen, thus eliminating her "path home." Pei Zhi confirmed her suspicions. Lin Zhaoxi expressed her profound disappointment, admitting she was foolish to believe he might change his mind.
Pei Zhi then reminded her of Yu Minghai's father, who, in Strawberry World, had died of late-stage liver cancer in 2014. Pei Zhi explained that by using this knowledge from Strawberry World, he had prompted Yu Minghai to get his father checked, leading to an early diagnosis and successful surgery, effectively saving his life.
