The Hope Episode 17 Recap
> The Hope Recaps
The story begins in 1999, with news reports announcing Lei Ming as Xingzhou City's top scorer in liberal arts, a significant achievement for his family. While teachers prepared a celebratory feast for Lei Ming, his father, Mr. Lei, was absent, busy tutoring another student, Ye Chao. Lei Ming felt a pang of disappointment that his father wasn't present for this momentous occasion. At the feast, Mr. Lei was reminded that he needed to leave to join his son's celebration.
Ye Chao toasted Mr. Lei, expressing heartfelt gratitude for his free tutoring and even for buying him bus tickets during holidays, acknowledging his own lack of eloquent speech compared to his city peers. Mr. Lei, in turn, commended Ye Chao's achievement in getting into a second-tier college like the College of Finance in Beijing, calling it a good school with a promising finance major.
He reiterated his philosophy that the college entrance exam is about a clear conscience, not just winning, and that Ye Chao had certainly achieved that. As Mr. Lei prepared to depart, Ye Chao unexpectedly knelt, desperately asking for help. He explained that despite his hard work, inspired by Mr. Lei’s words about knowledge changing destiny, his family couldn't afford his travel expenses to Beijing.
The previous night, creditors had attacked his father, and all the money borrowed for his tuition had been spent on his father's initial surgery, with more payments still due. Ye Chao pleaded for assistance, promising lifelong repayment. Mr. Lei, visibly distressed, explained he couldn't touch the money saved for his own son, Lei Ming, who was also heading to Beijing. Ye Chao, distraught, apologized for his improper request, insisting he had no other recourse.
Mr. Lei, overcome, told Ye Chao to leave, claiming he needed to compose himself after drinking. Years later, Lei Ming received an official school notice stating his termination. The notice outlined how in September 2018, he concealed his true intentions, establishing Class 11 of Senior 3, recruiting five students, and utilizing school resources to bolster investment for his business, the Qingbei Training Class.
He was accused of misleading the school and students, exploiting Class 11 for commercial gain, and forcing students into off-campus business activities, all in severe violation of school regulations. When Lei Ming asked about the fate of Class 11, he was curtly informed it was no longer his concern. He packed his belongings from his office, pausing in Class 11's classroom, reflecting on the students' diligent study. Outside, Sang Xia, Li Ran, and the others were waiting.
Jiang Qinglang angrily confronted Lei Ming, demanding to know if everything had been a lie, a sentiment echoed by the visibly upset students. Lei Ming admitted his return to Xingzhou was a "last fight" and that the Qingbei Training Class was his final chance and entrepreneurial project. He explained that he selected them because they were "losers," and if even one of them got into Qingbei, he could secure investment elsewhere.
He expressed surprise at their rapid and superior commercial performance. Lei Ming then declared it a "win-win" situation: students could attend a good school with Zhixiang's faculty without his difficult teaching, and he wouldn't have to pretend to be an "enthusiastic teacher." Cheng Yushan, furious, threw her monthly test prize money at Lei Ming, followed by the other students, asserting their dignity and stating they didn't study for money, unlike him.
Lei Ming picked up the money, cautioning them to respect it and not to trust teachers who claimed to always be kind, because teachers are human and inherently selfish, and truly selfless teachers are rare. Sang Xia told him to get lost. As Lei Ming walked away in the rain, Li Ran pursued him, questioning if he ever truly believed the "dry sapling" (referring to their potential) could survive or if they could get into Qingbei.
Li Ran accused Lei Ming of speaking "nonsense" with his promises about changing their destiny. Lei Ming simply responded, "Right." Enraged, Li Ran punched Lei Ming, who made no attempt to defend himself and calmly continued on his way. A school meeting ensued regarding the disbandment of Class 11.
Sang Xia argued against it, highlighting the class's remarkable progress, from 300 to 450 points in under three months, and stating that dissolving it would render their educational experiment futile, like a rocket breaking apart mid-flight. However, Mr. Xiao argued that with Lei Ming, their "combustion," fired, no one would dare take over. Sang Xia, as Class 11's head teacher, admitted her initial "selfishness" in taking on the class but emphasized her belief in the students when others doubted them.
She asserted that Class 11 had entered its "coasting flight" and could succeed without its "combustion," asking for more patience and faith and offering to take responsibility for any associated risks. Mr. Xiao questioned her ability to bear such a burden, mentioning Mr. Ding was closely monitoring the situation. Ultimately, Gao Jingjuan decided to suspend Class 11, reassigning the five students to their original classes, and promised further instructions.
The students returned to their former classes, facing questions and comments from their peers. Cheng Yushan's teacher criticized her for sleeping in class, implying Class 11's teaching methods were "nonsense" and "misled the students." To her teacher's astonishment, Cheng Yushan effortlessly solved a complex problem on the blackboard, stating she had mastered it two months prior.
Feeling suffocated, Cheng Yushan left class and encountered Yu Yang, who was doing homework alone in the small garden, having also been bullied in his old class. Later, Jiang Qinglang, Bian Xiaoxiao, Cheng Yushan, and Yu Yang gathered at a bookshop after learning the "Guidance on Applying for National University" had arrived. Bian Xiaoxiao expressed surprise that Cheng Yushan was there, thinking the guidance no longer concerned them, a sentiment Cheng Yushan initially shared.
However, she realized her body had become "too honest," now waking her at 5:30 AM daily to study, a habit instilled by Class 11. She admitted to feeling uneasy without stretching or reviewing past mistakes, jokingly calling them "bad habits." Yu Yang, whose mother had been pressuring him to attend Zhixiang by emphasizing academic scores over friendships, stated he wouldn't have achieved his current academic level without his friends and refused to go anywhere without them.
Eventually, Li Ran, who had been skipping class for ten days, arrived. The group acknowledged their significant academic improvement, and Bian Xiaoxiao mused that Lei Ming would be happy to know. Li Ran seemed to have some undisclosed information. Meanwhile, Mr. Lei's health had deteriorated. Lei Ming rushed to the hospital to find his father struggling against medical staff who were inserting a catheter. Mr. Lei, disoriented, cried out for help.
A nurse explained that due to his inability to control his bodily functions, Mr. Lei had developed severe bedsores, making the catheter necessary. Lei Ming spent the night in the hospital corridor. The next morning, a nurse woke him, saying his father wanted him. Mr. Lei, barely coherent and frequently choking on phlegm, tried to tell Lei Ming something important but couldn't recall it. The nurse mentioned he had been fixated on this "important thing" for days.
In a brief moment of lucidity, Mr. Lei seemed to believe Lei Ming was after his house or money, yelling angrily at him and demanding the "Lei Ming kid" be brought. Lei Ming remained by his father's side, learning from the director that his father's aspiration pneumonia was a common and often fatal complication of advanced Alzheimer's disease, with surgery not being an immediate option.
Only anti-infective treatment was possible, and the doctor advised Lei Ming to prepare for the worst. Sang Xia visited Mr. Lei at the nursing home, only to find he had been transferred to the hospital. Elsewhere, Cheng Yushan overheard her stepfather and mother planning to dismantle her room to expand their mahjong parlor. They suggested she temporarily share her brother's room for six months, asserting that she would "leave home anyway" for vocational school or work.
Her mother also mentioned that her cousin's son, A-He, liked Yushan, and their home was closer to school. Cheng Yushan quietly retreated, her future suddenly uncertain. Mr. Wang, Gao Jingjuan's ex-husband, met with her to discuss Zhixiang taking over Class 11.
He stated that Lei Ming's financial and legal procedures were almost complete and sought her approval for Zhixiang's acquisition, promising that the students' academic records would remain with Mingying Longhai, and their college entrance exam results would reflect positively on her school. He also announced Zhixiang would establish a scholarship at Mingying Longhai for promising, financially struggling students.
Gao Jingjuan criticized Lei Ming for not informing her about his plan to use Class 11 to secure investment from Mr. Wang, especially given the strict regulations on private schools collaborating with commercial institutions. Reflecting on the definition of a "good teacher," she likened Lei Ming's teaching to "spicy and salty" beef noodles: not elegant or nutritious, but brutally effective at satisfying a deep hunger.
She believed Class 11's students were "starved" for knowledge, and Lei Ming's "crazy provision and zealousness" were precisely what they needed. She observed Lei Ming's almost "pathological fervor" in teaching and managing the class, concluding that he wasn't doing it merely for investment but genuinely cared about the children, wanting to help them achieve the near-impossible and believe in changing their destinies. She suspected Lei Ming himself hadn't fully realized the depth of his own dedication.
Meanwhile, Lei Ming was at Zhixiang, preparing for a press conference. Looking thinner, he was asked if he had been working out for his live streams. He provided detailed instructions to Zhixiang staff about each of the five students: Yu Yang, despite his strong foundation, had a slight social phobia and mental stuttering, requiring careful questioning and public speaking encouragement, with his mother kept out of the educational plan and no mention of him repeating Senior 2.
He also tends to get nervous and vomit before exams. Bian Xiaoxiao, though small, was tough and wanted to be an internet celebrity; she should be prevented from accepting commercial endorsements for six months to avoid distraction. Jiang Qinglang had excellent English but often showed off and interrupted in class. His cheating habit seemed reformed but might resurface under pressure, requiring close monitoring. His privileged background meant he might struggle to empathize with the team, but he was kind.
Li Ran, a highly intelligent physics whiz and hacker, appeared cool but harbored self-contempt, and his emotional "weakness" could easily be triggered; he should be provoked when needing soothing and encouraged when irritated. Finally, Cheng Yushan, a "genius girl," was the opposite of Li Ran; she should never be provoked as it would make her more irrational, and only Sang Xia could "subdue" her.
Cheng Yushan was also the most mature of the five, and her opinion could be sought if the others proved difficult. After confirming he had no further instructions, Lei Ming went with the stylist for a hair and makeup trial.
