The Heart of Genius Episode 33 Recap
> The Heart of Genius Recap
Lin Zhaoxi confided in Ji Jiang, expressing her suspicion that the current Pei Zhi was actually Pei Zhi from the Cheese World. She elaborated on her doubts, noting that during a recent quiz competition, Pei Zhi had claimed to lose on purpose without discussing it with her beforehand. She also presented a receipt from a German class at Jordan Foreign Languages, which she had confirmed, indicating Pei Zhi was secretly learning German.
Lin Zhaoxi reasoned that if this Pei Zhi were from the Cheese World, he might not possess German language skills, as his counterpart in that world had struggled academically. Ji Jiang, initially skeptical, was convinced by Lin Zhaoxi's explanation and agreed to help her investigate. To test Pei Zhi, Ji Jiang invited him to play basketball. However, concerned about potential injuries that could affect his film shooting schedule, Ji Jiang suggested they play video games instead.
During their time together, Ji Jiang asked Pei Zhi about various past events, all of which Pei Zhi recalled with perfect detail, even remembering a specific amount of money—1,453,524 yuan—that Ji Jiang once had in his card. Ji Jiang then pretended to be preparing for a role as a con artist and asked Pei Zhi for advice on how to "sincerely deceive" someone.
Pei Zhi responded that he would tell a white lie if it meant everyone could live a better life. Pei Zhi seemed to sense Ji Jiang's unusual line of questioning and made to leave, but Ji Jiang insisted they continue playing and talking. Lin Zhaoxi, who was listening outside, heard the entire conversation. Despite Pei Zhi's flawless and detailed answers, Ji Jiang concluded that Pei Zhi was legitimate and advised Lin Zhaoxi against overthinking.
Nonetheless, Lin Zhaoxi remained unconvinced and disheartened, lacking any concrete evidence to support her theory. As she walked home, she encountered Bao Xiaomeng, who was attempting to deliver fruit to her house. Lin Zhaosheng was inside but refused to open the door, fearing that someone would steal his important thesis. Lin Zhaoxi quickly let them in, finding her father sitting by the window, staring blankly.
Bao Xiaomeng, noticing Lin Zhaoxi's low spirits, mistakenly assumed she was having a disagreement with Pei Zhi. Lin Zhaoxi, unable to explain her complex worries, was intrigued when Bao Xiaomeng suddenly recalled seeing Pei Zhi mending a hole in the wall with cement on the day of the modeling competition. Bao Xiaomeng then led Lin Zhaoxi to the old pagoda.
Lin Zhaosheng soon arrived, emphatically stating that there was something crucial hidden inside the wall, although he couldn't recall its exact nature. Lin Zhaoxi managed to calm him down and take him home, asking Bao Xiaomeng to stay and look after him. Lin Zhaoxi then went to Pei Zhi's house and confronted him, demanding to know what he had taken from the wall. Concerned that Luo Jing, his mother, might overhear, Pei Zhi led Lin Zhaoxi outside.
He admitted that he had taken a letter written by Qiu Yue, Lin Zhaoxi's mother. Lin Zhaoxi pressed him further, asking if he was Pei Zhi from the Cheese World and showing him the German class receipt she had found. Pei Zhi, realizing he could no longer hide the truth, confessed.
He explained that he was the Pei Zhi who had loved Lin Zhaoxi since childhood, accompanied her through the Olympiad training camp in the Cheese World, and ultimately helped her return to the Strawberry World. He revealed that he had willingly come to the Strawberry World for her, and that Qiu Yue's letter was instrumental in his journey. Meanwhile, a news report about the impending demolition of Anping Liberation Hospital triggered a forgotten memory in Lin Zhaosheng.
He abruptly left the house, with Bao Xiaomeng following closely behind. Bao Xiaomeng called Lin Zhaoxi, who then rushed to the courthouse with Pei Zhi. There, Lin Zhaosheng unveiled a startling revelation: he, too, had once traveled to a parallel world. He recounted the events of 1995. He had gone to court to appeal a defamation lawsuit against Professor Feng Ming.
Unbeknownst to him, Qiu Yue's water had broken on a long-distance bus as she traveled to meet him, and she was rushed to the hospital. While at the courthouse, Lin Zhaosheng suddenly fainted. Although his mind remained clear, he found himself unable to move or control his body, his thoughts completely disconnected from his words. The "other self" controlling his body frantically borrowed a bicycle and rode to the hospital.
Lin Zhaosheng witnessed everything but had no idea where he was going or what awaited him. Upon arrival, he learned Qiu Yue had given birth to Lin Zhaoxi but had died from a massive hemorrhage due to complications during childbirth. Before her passing, Qiu Yue had left a letter for her newborn daughter. Lin Zhaosheng later understood that the "other self" who controlled his body was desperate to see Qiu Yue one last time, knowing her fate.
Overwhelmed with grief, Lin Zhaosheng read Qiu Yue's letter daily, often contemplating joining her in death. However, the sight of his infant daughter, Lin Zhaoxi, always softened his heart, reminding him of his duty as a father. He had eventually hidden Qiu Yue's letter in the wall of the old pagoda. Lin Zhaoxi, now aware of its existence, desperately wanted to know its contents, but her father couldn't recall. Pei Zhi stepped in, reciting the letter word for word.
Qiu Yue's letter read: "I love you. Although I only saw you once, I want to be with you, but I have to leave. You don't have memory of me, but I don't regret it. Don't imagine about me. Imagination brings sadness. I'm just an ordinary mom who went far away." As Lin Zhaoxi listened, tears streamed down her face.
Lin Zhaosheng, in a moment of confusion caused by his Alzheimer's, mistook her for Qiu Yue, asking if she had come to pick him up from work. Lin Zhaoxi gently took him home. Later, she requested the letter from Pei Zhi. She observed a faint drop of blood on the paper and, rereading the words, felt her mother's profound love and reluctance to leave.
She then pieced together the full story: the Lin Zhaosheng of the Cheese World was in court during her birth and knew nothing of her mother's death. Her grandmother took her from the hospital and placed her in a welfare home. It was the Lin Zhaosheng from the Strawberry World, who had traveled to the Cheese World, who then possessed the Cheese Lin Zhaosheng's body to raise her, seeking to right the tragedy of his own world.
This meant that the Lin Zhaoxi of the Cheese World became an orphan. Lin Zhaoxi then asked Pei Zhi when he had come from the Cheese World. Pei Zhi recounted his journey in full detail. In July 2006, after the Olympiad training camp, Lin Zhaoxi (from the Strawberry World) was preparing to return to her own world. She said goodbye to Pei Zhi, asking him to take care of the Lin Zhaoxi who belonged to the Cheese World.
Pei Zhi, unwilling to believe she was truly gone, went to her home. There, he found that Lin Zhaosheng had adopted Ji Jiang, making him Lin Zhaoxi's younger brother. Pei Zhi immediately noticed that this Lin Zhaoxi was different from the one he had grown close to. Although the Cheese Lin Zhaoxi liked him, Pei Zhi remained haunted by the memory of the Strawberry Lin Zhaoxi, with whom he had spent a transformative month at the Oasis Camp.
He continued, describing how in 2012, the Strawberry Lin Zhaoxi and Pei Zhi once again traveled to the Cheese World after erasing the formula. During this time, Pei Zhi (the one from the Cheese World) temporarily lost control of his own body but saw the Strawberry Lin Zhaoxi again. They disagreed about whether to return to the Strawberry World.
Nevertheless, a few months later, they (the Strawberry versions) made preparations to return, gathering traffic data to predict and prevent a car accident that would later cause Lin Zhaosheng's Alzheimer's disease in the Cheese World. They successfully intervened and stopped the accident, changing the course of their respective fates.
He then explained the current situation of the Cheese Lin Zhaoxi: she was so overwhelmed by the expectation of being the second-best student in school, a status created by the Strawberry Lin Zhaoxi's presence, that she couldn't face the potential disappointment of her upcoming college entrance exam results, knowing she was only capable of getting into a second-tier university. In a desperate act, she intentionally injured her hand to avoid the exam.
Everyone else believed it was an accident, but Pei Zhi and Lin Zhaosheng knew the truth. Pei Zhi apologized to Lin Zhaoxi for what had happened to her Cheese World counterpart. He recounted how he had offered to tutor the Cheese Lin Zhaoxi, assuring her she could still get into her dream university next year. However, she vehemently refused, telling him there was no need and that she felt "relaxed and free." She then threw all her textbooks into a trash can.
