The Heart of Genius Episode 22 Recap
> The Heart of Genius Recap
Having made up his mind to return to Strawberry World, Pei Zhi earnestly requested Pei Donglai to treat him as his own son before he left, even if only for a short while. Pei Donglai readily agreed, reassuring him with a promise. Later, Pei Zhi reflected on his alternate self in Strawberry World, asking what kind of person he was there. Pei Donglai responded that in his heart, his son was like a mountain.
The next morning, Pei Zhi arrived early at Lin Zhaoxi's house, waiting for her to wake up. Lin Zhaoxi, eager to know the outcome of his conversation with his father, learned that they had reached a consensus. Pei Zhi explained that he had promised to leave the Cheese World, and in return, Pei Donglai had promised to treat him as his biological son before his departure.
He felt fortunate to have been able to meet his father and spend a few months with him, acknowledging that many who lost loved ones didn't get such a chance. He then reminded Lin Zhaoxi of his words from the previous night, stating they were now even. He also offered to help Lin Zhaoxi with the programming to find the location of Lin Zhaosheng's car accident.
Lin Zhaoxi, delighted, accepted his help, trusting that he wouldn't go back on his word. Suddenly realizing it was Monday, Lin Zhaoxi rushed to change, only for Pei Zhi to calm her, noting they could still make it to the first class in the afternoon. At school, their teacher, Jie Ran, was sternly reprimanding students with poor grades, including Zheng Tianming for his failing English score of 44 and Bao Xiaomeng for her last-place math score of 23.
Jie Ran expressed frustration that Bao Xiaomeng hadn't learned from Lin Zhaoxi, whose grades had significantly improved. Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi arrived late, prompting Jie Ran's further anger, but Pei Zhi quickly explained they overslept. The other students chuckled, and Jie Ran warned them not to let it happen again. After class, Lin Zhaoxi approached Jie Ran to request moving her seat next to Pei Zhi, a request Jie Ran granted.
When a classmate teased them about getting back together, Lin Zhaoxi clarified they had reconciled a past conflict. She then settled into her new seat, eager to begin their work. Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi immediately began discussing the car accident prediction.
Lin Zhaoxi outlined a sophisticated plan to use a Bayesian Network model with Python, dividing the city map into grids and incorporating various data points like longitude, latitude, time, historical accident data, traffic conditions, and traffic light timings to constantly update probabilities and predict the accident location. Pei Zhi commended her intelligence, especially given she had only been studying for two months. He also noted the need for extensive traffic data and suggested his father might be able to help.
Lin Zhaoxi then asked if Lin Zhaosheng knew about their time travel, to which Pei Zhi confirmed he had informed him. They agreed the safest approach was to be transparent with Lin Zhaosheng about the rules and have him follow a predetermined schedule for the day of the accident to minimize risk.
Pei Zhi then invited Lin Zhaoxi to his house that weekend for programming, but she expressed shyness and fear of his mother, Luo Jing, due to a past incident. Pei Zhi reassured her, dismissing the past event as his idea. Pei Zhi then contacted Pei Donglai to ask for traffic data, specifically a year's worth of car accident records, road traffic, and pedestrian flow, emphasizing the need for raw data rather than personal details.
Pei Donglai was skeptical about the privacy concerns. Pei Zhi explained that they needed the data to prepare for their return to Strawberry World, which required them to experience a car accident. He clarified that he would not be in danger, but Lin Zhaoxi and Lin Zhaosheng might be, hence the program was to minimize their risk. Pei Zhi further explained that identifying accident-prone areas is a basic application of statistical math.
Convinced, Pei Donglai promised to help, leveraging his many years as a traffic police officer. He then inquired about Pei Zhi's age and profession in Strawberry World. Pei Zhi revealed he was 23 and a university teacher who also became a boxer to commemorate his father. Pei Donglai, delighted by this revelation, recalled a famous Thai boxing champion named Pilavakhun and was impressed when Pei Zhi described how he defeated Pilavakhun by using his intellect rather than just physical strength.
Pei Donglai praised Pei Zhi for being even stronger than himself, expressing immense pride. The next day, Lin Zhaoxi went to Pei Zhi's house, bringing fruit for Luo Jing, who seemed unwelcoming. Pei Zhi quickly ushered Lin Zhaoxi into his room to work on programming, leaving Luo Jing uneasy. She immediately called Pei Donglai, expressing her concern about Lin Zhaoxi's presence and recounting their past conflicts.
Meanwhile, Pei Zhi was discussing the need for real-time computer monitoring, proposing that his father rent a car so he could follow Lin Zhaosheng with a laptop. He worried about creating new causalities, but Lin Zhaoxi suggested staying across the road or slightly ahead to minimize impact. Pei Zhi then received a call from his father, telling them to come downstairs. Pei Donglai confessed to them that he had failed to obtain the traffic data, feeling ashamed.
Lin Zhaoxi offered to collect the data themselves but admitted it would be a massive, time-consuming undertaking. Pei Zhi then proposed that they take a leave of absence from school to focus entirely on developing the program, reasoning that their current activities were already affecting other students. He suggested keeping his mother, Luo Jing, in the dark, pretending to go to school each day while secretly working on the program.
For a workspace, Pei Donglai offered an old, unused shop that he and Luo Jing had invested in years ago, which had electricity, water, and a bathroom. It had served as a resting place for him and his friends after night shifts. They eagerly accepted the offer. Lin Zhaosheng and Pei Donglai later visited Jie Ran at school to formally request a leave of absence for Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi.
Jie Ran expressed concern, emphasizing it was the final sprint stage of high school, but seeing their parents' determination and having Principal Zhang's approval, he reluctantly agreed. Lin Zhaosheng and Pei Donglai thanked him for his support before leaving. Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi then went to a furniture store to purchase necessities for their new "secret base." They found a bed particularly comfortable and lay down to experience it, feeling relaxed.
Back at the shop, Lin Zhaoxi enthusiastically decorated the space, placing a countdown timer on the wall marking 111 days until their return. She presented Pei Zhi with a key to their secret base, complete with a matching keychain. They shared a meal of frozen dumplings, celebrating their new workspace. Their classmate, Bao Xiaomeng, overheard someone discussing Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi taking a leave of absence. She seemed indifferent, remarking that they didn't belong in this world anyway.
Each day, Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi split up to collect traffic data, then reunited in the evenings to organize and analyze it. One day, a friend of Pei Donglai, a police officer, dropped by their secret base, explaining he was staking out the area due to a string of electric bike thefts. He frequently used their bathroom and drank water there, lamenting the difficulty of catching thieves and half-jokingly suggested they develop an anti-theft program.
This sparked an idea in both Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi. They realized they could use the electric bike theft situation to test the accuracy of their prediction program's logic. They immediately started collecting data on electric bikes in the neighborhood, seeing it as a way to validate their approach and help the community. With less than three months left until their return, Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi discussed their plans for Strawberry World.
Pei Zhi expressed his desire to spend quality time with Luo Jing and to fight a few boxing matches on behalf of Pei Donglai. Lin Zhaoxi intended to care for Lin Zhaosheng and diligently study for the postgraduate entrance exam. She then casually asked Pei Zhi about their relationship. Pei Zhi smiled and revealed that she was the reason he decided to go back, making Lin Zhaoxi's heart flutter.
Meanwhile, Luo Jing noticed Pei Zhi's intense focus on his computer work. Pei Donglai dismissed her concerns, claiming Pei Zhi was working on an extracurricular project to predict traffic conditions. Luo Jing, however, suspected Pei Donglai was hiding something, knowing his tells. Pei Donglai, trying to deflect, admitted he couldn't get the traffic data for Pei Zhi. Luo Jing chastised him for his inability to handle such a small task.
Unbeknownst to them, Pei Zhi and Lin Zhaoxi's efforts bore fruit. Their anti-theft program successfully aided in cracking a major electric bike theft ring. Pei Donglai was summoned by Director Wang, who intended to promote the program throughout the force, making Pei Donglai incredibly proud.
Reflecting on the program's success, Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi noted that while successful, the time prediction had a slight error, possibly due to their oversight of the thieves' psychological changes—speeding up after a theft due to nervousness, then slowing down once they felt safe.
