The Hope Episode 29 Recap
> The Hope Recap
With only ten days left until the college entrance exam, the school announced a holiday for students to prepare at home. Mr. Lei gathered Class 11 at the small tree they had planted, declaring it their last class together. To mark the occasion, Mr. Lei and Ms. Sang decided to play a game with them, similar to their very first class.
This time, the students answered Mr. Lei's questions with confidence and determination, all stepping forward to affirm their journey in Class 11, their understanding of the exam's significance, and their clear goals for the future. They also showed courage in facing difficulties, working hard for loved ones, and overcoming injustice. Afterward, students expressed their personal feelings.
One student shared that they hadn't cut their hair for three years, seeing it as a symbol of their perseverance through classes and exams, which they would now cut as a goodbye. Yu Wenjing confidently declared she would get into the best university in Nanjing, while another student encouraged her friend, Zhang Xiaorui, telling her she deserved a wonderful future.
Another student announced her parents' recent divorce but stated she wasn't sad, reassuring her mother that she was grown up and would take care of her. Li Ran declared his dream of exploring the moon, meeting Chang'e, and researching anti-cancer drugs to ensure his granny lived to a hundred, making a promise to his future self that he would live a good life. Together, the students bid farewell to being eighteen and eagerly welcomed nineteen.
Meanwhile, at the chess room, Cheng Yushan's mother was busy arranging for Yushan to stay elsewhere during the shop's renovations, unaware of the lurking danger. Police officers arrived, arresting Zhou Weifeng on suspicion of sending obscene, insulting, and threatening information, disturbing normal life, peeping, taking photos, eavesdropping, and spreading others' privacy. Zhou Weifeng vehemently denied the charges, accusing Cheng Yushan of framing him.
However, Cheng's mother had already discovered the camera he installed in Yushan's room, confronting him with the evidence. Enraged, Zhou Weifeng lashed out, calling Yushan and her mother "ingrates" and accusing them of plotting to take his chess room and house, claiming they would starve without him. Yushan's brother intervened, defending his mother and revealing how she tirelessly managed the family business and household without ever asking Zhou Weifeng for money, only to be constantly belittled.
The police then cuffed Zhou Weifeng and took him away. Earlier, Mr. Lei and Ms. Sang had informed Cheng's mother about Zhou Weifeng's actions. Overwhelmed with guilt and regret, Cheng's mother cried, realizing the suffering Yushan had endured. Mr. Lei urged her to help Yushan by finding the hidden videos, as Zhou Weifeng still possessed evidence that could be used against Yushan.
Cheng's mother then remembered that Zhou Weifeng, who never used USB drives, had recently attached one to his keychain, suspecting it might contain the videos. She successfully retrieved the USB drive and later moved out of the chess room with Cheng Yushan and her son, starting a new life working at a convenience store.
As the college entrance exam approached, Mr. Lei and Ms. Sang meticulously tested various routes to the exam centers, simulating peak traffic conditions to find the most efficient paths for their students. Mr. Lei appeared even more anxious than the students themselves. He had advised Li Ran's grandmother to praise him often to boost his confidence, suggested Cheng Yushan find ways to relax, and reminded Yu Yang's Auntie Feng not to nag him, as it increased his stress.
Bian Xiaoxiao's biggest challenge was selecting the perfect outfit for the exam, with Mr. Lei cautioning against brightly colored, patterned, or new clothes that could cause distractions or be mistaken for cheating. On the day before the exam, Bian Xiaoxiao's aunt and friends arrived, having spent several nights embroidering a banner wishing her "topping the list."
Yu Yang's mother also went to great lengths to ensure a lucky atmosphere, preparing auspicious dishes and insisting he wear purple underwear, believing "purple brings success." On the first day of the exam, Mr. Lei found himself at the school, recalling his own lonely college entrance exam experience in 1999 when no one sent him off. He felt a pang of old grievance until his former teacher, Hu Chong, appeared.
Hu Chong revealed that Mr. Lei's father had secretly asked him to tutor Lei Ming, and had even waited outside the exam hall for two full days during Lei Ming's exam, fearing his presence would pressure his son. This revelation dispelled years of Mr. Lei's resentment. Outside the exam hall, Mr. Xiao, the director, enthusiastically cheered on each student with unique, personalized slogans crafted over three nights. All students had arrived except Li Ran, whose phone was unreachable.
Three days prior, Li Ran's grandmother, Granny Ge, had been hospitalized. She had called Mr. Lei and Ms. Sang, entrusting them with her secret, pleading with them not to tell Li Ran, as his exam was more important than her life and she didn't want him to repeat his father's interrupted education. Despite Ms. Sang's advice to keep it from Li Ran, Mr. Lei ultimately decided to tell him the truth, believing that regrets related to family were irreversible.
Li Ran rushed to the hospital just as Granny Ge fell into a coma. Though nurses prevented him from entering the room immediately, he was grateful to Mr. Lei for informing him. After surgery, the doctor reported that while Granny Ge was temporarily stable, her condition had progressed to chronic renal failure, or uremia, affecting multiple organ systems, and advised a kidney transplant as soon as possible for better recovery.
Li Ran spent the entire night before the exam at his grandmother's bedside. On the morning of the exam, with only five minutes left before the exam hall doors closed, Mr. Lei and Ms. Sang anxiously scanned the crowd for Li Ran. Just in the nick of time, a police escort arrived, clearing the way for Li Ran to rush into the exam hall.
Mr. Lei and Ms. Sang quickly urged him to enter, ensuring he made it inside, finally easing their worried hearts. During their final gathering before the exam, as Class 11 prepared to depart, they surrounded Mr. Lei, demanding an "adult gift" that wouldn't cost money or effort: they wanted him to perform a stunning dance.
Mr. Lei scoffed at the idea, but the students insisted, making a deal that if they all smoothly completed the college entrance exam, he would dance for them. Mr. Lei, with a smile, playfully retorted, "Don't even think about it. It's your own exam." He then gave them his heartfelt final advice: "That's all for your last class. I wish you grow up, but also, don't grow up.
I wish you gain the wisdom of survival but never lose the most genuine passion and innocence of life. The next few decades, the next hundred years, you'll have to live on your own!"
