The Hope Episode 28 Recap
> The Hope Recap
Zhou Weifeng, Cheng Yushan's stepfather, arrived at Class 11 and called Li Ran out. When Cheng Yushan inquired, Li Ran dismissively claimed he was "just being a good Samaritan." However, Zhou Weifeng was actually confronting Li Ran about stealing his phone and demanded 3,700 RMB for medical expenses, accusing Li Ran of "provoking trouble."
He warned Li Ran about receiving a disciplinary record before the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) and told him to stop seeing Cheng Yushan, mentioning that he had already collected his nephew's bride price. Later, Zhou Weifeng sent threatening messages to Cheng Yushan, instructing her to "be honest" or he would "ruin her reputation" by revealing "her videos" if her mother found out.
After school, Cheng Yushan caught Li Ran following Zhou Weifeng, suspecting he carried a weapon to "stab or beat him." She cautioned Li Ran about the severe legal consequences of violence, emphasizing that he was an adult. Cheng Yushan then urged Li Ran to focus on the upcoming third mock exam, reminding him that this was his last chance to surpass Shen Yao for the Wings Program, and he shouldn't "mess up" over "unimportant matters" like her situation.
Li Ran, visibly upset, retorted, "Is your matter not important?" before promising to "do well in the exam." While shopping with her sons, Shen Yao's mother, Mengyao, was asked about her dreams before becoming a parent. She shared that she was once the captain of the provincial figure skating team, but his father, Shen Hao, disapproved, calling it "just a performance to please people" and dismissing her talent, leading her to give it up and "become your mom."
Shen Yao encouraged her, asserting that "Dad was wrong" and that figure skating is a beautiful and challenging sport. Inspired, she returned to the ice, performing her old moves with her sons cheering her on. Later, they went to buy a birthday gift for Shen Hao. Mengyao was drawn to a high-quality ceramic and titanium sports wristwatch, described as the "latest sports wristwatch" with a "touch-sensitive" face, capable of recording "health conditions."
However, the salesperson informed her it had just been reserved. To her surprise, she discovered their family driver, Old Jin, attempting to purchase the same watch with a stylish woman. Old Jin awkwardly introduced the woman as his cousin, but Shen Yao and his mother immediately recognized her as Shen Hao's mistress. The mistress tried to assert her claim, telling Mengyao that it was inappropriate for her to buy the gift and insisting it was "first come, first served."
Shen Yao intervened, explaining that the card Old Jin was using was a "family joint card" meant "only for family members" and that his "dad probably made a mistake." He then calmly retrieved the card, promising to keep it for his father, and instructed Old Jin to have the watch delivered to their home. Back home, Shen Hao expressed his pleasure with the birthday watch, telling Mengyao, "You still understand me the best."
He then admitted to Mengyao that he had "known Wei for a while" and that "Wei is pregnant," though he assured her Wei "couldn't replace you" and he hadn't bought her a house. Mengyao, visibly hurt, reminded him of their "bottom line" of "no children," despite his desire for a daughter.
Shen Hao then coldly laid out his plan: he would have Jin take Wei to Hong Kong for an ultrasound, abort the baby if it was a boy, and keep it if it was a girl. Wei herself would be "sent to the US for study" and given money, with "no contact with the child" thereafter.
He optimistically stated that "a year later, our family will have sons and a daughter," and Mengyao could simply "sit at home, drink tea, and take care of the kid." Mengyao sadly realized she was just "useful" to him. Shen Hao, in turn, belittled her, saying she was only "a successful mother" and had "succeeded in nothing else."
He then told her not to be "nervous all the time" and reassured her that she was and "always will be" the mistress of the house. Mengyao, hurt, conceded, "I'm only good at being a wife and mother" and decided to skip his upcoming birthday party "to avoid causing you trouble." Shen Yao observed this entire exchange from upstairs, clenching his fists.
The results for the third mock exam were released, although the school chose not to publicly post the rankings. Lei Ming announced to Class 11 that their performance was "outstandingly" excellent. Cheng Yushan scored 669 points, prompting an excited classmate to declare she was "guaranteed admission to Tsingpei." Yu Yang achieved 621 points, and Bian Xiaoxiao scored 534 points.
Lei Ming praised everyone's performance but cautioned them not to "slack off," reminding them that mock exam scores typically "reflect 80-90% of your true performance in the NCEE." He then specifically warned Li Ran that if he didn't "perform as well as Shen Yao in this exam," he would "miss the Wings Program." Li Ran's score was 652 points. The class then wondered about Shen Yao's results.
At Shen Hao's birthday party, he proudly spoke of his son, Shen Yao, and the Tsingpei "Wings Program." He asked Shen Yao to announce his third mock exam results to the guests. To everyone's shock, Shen Yao declared his score of "397 points in total, last in the class," despite his father trying to pass it off as "697 points" due to "academic pressure."
Shen Yao, asserting that he was "not kidding," seized the opportunity to expose his father, stating that he celebrates his birthday "three times": once at home, once for "business," and once "for his current girlfriend." He then proceeded to name and shame several female guests present, revealing their past relationships with his father, including "Auntie Luo," his father's former secretary and "girlfriend for three months," and "Auntie Wu," whose relationship ended with his father "seamlessly shifting to his current girlfriend."
Shen Yao further revealed that this "current girlfriend" was pregnant, but his father "doesn't love her anyway," only wanting her "to give birth to another son for him." When his father attempted to strike him, Shen Yao defiantly challenged him, "Hit me! Hit me!" He then confronted his father, questioning if he still considered himself "an outstanding father" given that Shen Yao "bullied classmates at school" and was "severely depressed."
He confessed to "hurting myself in the basement" during his parents' arguments and his father's affairs, and revealed his school had given him a "school observation" as "punishment." He concluded by declaring himself "a weakling," the very thing his father "most disliked." Just then, Wei, the pregnant mistress—brought to the party by Mengyao—stormed into the private club, shouting at Shen Hao, "No one should touch my child!"
Fearing Li Ran would do something impulsive, Cheng Yushan confided in Lei Ming and Sang Xia. Li Ran clarified that he "didn't intend to harm Zhou Weifeng" but was "following him" to "figure out Zhou Weifeng's routine" and find digital evidence on his computer, which he believed Zhou Weifeng "shouldn't delete," without telling Cheng Yushan to spare her worry. Lei Ming then arranged a meeting with Zhou Weifeng, bringing the 3,700 RMB demanded.
Lei Ming insisted that Zhou Weifeng sign a guarantee letter promising "not to affect" his students, including Cheng Yushan, "before the NCEE." Zhou Weifeng, still claiming "bruises" from Li Ran, refused to sign and threatened to call the police to "make a big deal out of it," but Lei Ming pressed him to "take the money" and "don't harass Li Ran anymore." While Lei Ming distracted Zhou Weifeng, Li Ran, disguised as a repairman, searched Zhou Weifeng's computer at home.
Cheng Yushan's younger brother unexpectedly appeared, stating, "I know what you two are looking for," and located a disc amidst a pile. Li Ran quickly took the disc and left upon receiving a text from Lei Ming warning that "Zhou Weifeng is coming back." However, when Sang Xia checked the disc in the car, Li Ran confirmed, "It's empty." Fearing exposure, Zhou Weifeng preemptively made a false accusation to Cheng Yushan's mother, Qiao.
He suggested that "since Yushan is grown up, it's inconvenient for her to stay at home," then fabricated a story about Cheng Yushan asking him for 5,000 RMB while Qiao was out. He claimed Yushan "took off her outerwear, picked up her phone, and took a picture," threatening to "post the photo online, accusing me of harassing her" if he didn't give her the money. He further implied that Yushan "matured early" and this was part of her "rebellious" phase.
Zhou Weifeng then told Qiao that if she didn't believe him, she should check Yushan's school bag, where the "five thousand" would be "in a white envelope." Qiao, disturbed, indeed found a white envelope containing the money in Cheng Yushan's school bag that night.
