The Hope Episode 3 Recap
> The Hope Recaps
In 2006, in Xingzhou City, Cheng Yushan's mother, Lu Qiao, remarried Zhou Weifeng, a man with a limp who owned a large house through housing relocation and operated a mahjong parlor from it. At their wedding banquet, Yushan was not allowed to sit at the main table and was instructed by her mother to call Zhou Weifeng "dad," though she later discarded the candy her mother had given her.
While searching for something in her room, Yushan accidentally broke her mother and stepfather's wedding photo. To her horror, she discovered a hidden camera within the frame, realizing her life had been secretly observed. Her home life was oppressive; one morning, her mother was busy fixing a leaky pipe while Zhou Weifeng complained about losing money on stocks and blamed her for the mess.
At breakfast, Yushan attempted to tell her mother about the camera, but Zhou Weifeng menacingly interrupted her by offering her food, silently warning her to stay quiet. Meanwhile, Li Ran and his grandmother, Granny Ge, were temporarily living in Shen Yao's home. One morning, Li Ran, looking for a restroom, inadvertently walked into Shen Yao's room while he was showering. Li Ran apologized, explaining he didn't know the room was occupied.
Shen Yao calmly told him the guest bathroom was downstairs and advised him to knock before entering rooms in his house. During breakfast, Granny Ge prepared a traditional village dish that Shen Yao's mother, Auntie Jiang, found too strong. Auntie Jiang asked Granny Ge to feed Shen Yao's younger brother, Liang, and requested that she not speak to him in the local dialect. Li Ran politely declined to join the family at the dining table.
Auntie Jiang, realizing Li Ran and Shen Yao attended the same school, arranged for their driver, Mr. Jin, to take them together. Shen Hao, Shen Yao's father, had offered them a place to stay after Li Ran's father passed away, also helping Li Ran secure school enrollment and hiring Granny Ge. Auntie Jiang explained to Granny Ge that due to frequent visits from relatives, they were given a storage room with a camping tent instead of a guest room.
Granny Ge cautioned Li Ran to be discreet, respect the family's rules, avoid being nosy, not eat at the main table, and keep his tableware separate. She encouraged him to get along with Shen Yao, whom she described as a good but quiet child. On their way to school, Li Ran offered Shen Yao a candy from Shen Yao's younger brother, which Shen Yao accepted. Shen Yao then asked Mr. Jin to stop the car a short distance from school.
Li Ran initially thought Shen Yao didn't want to be seen with a "poor student," but Mr. Jin clarified that Shen Yao was simply a low-key person. Lei Ming was actively working to secure approval for his special Class 11. He approached Xiao Rui, a former colleague from Zhixiang, who held the final signature needed. Lei Ming found Xiao Rui asleep in his office and woke him.
Xiao Rui expressed his skepticism, calling Class 11 "nonsense" and an "insult to teachers," arguing that no school could guarantee Qingbei University admissions with struggling students. Lei Ming challenged Xiao Rui to a plank contest, stipulating that if Xiao Rui lost, he must sign the approval. During the challenge, Lei Ming reminded Xiao Rui of how he had copied his teaching methods and catchphrases at Zhixiang.
Xiao Rui lost and agreed to sign, but only if Lei Ming could recruit a minimum of five students; otherwise, Lei Ming would have to disband the class himself. Cheng Yushan's school life was difficult, marked by bullying and unwanted attention from boys. During a physical education class, she was deliberately tripped. Other male students commented on her beauty, calling her aloof and a "celebrity."
Sang Xia, a teacher, observed this and enlisted the boys to help her move desks, leading them on a tiring journey up and down several floors as a subtle punishment. In class, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Rong, addressed unpaid school uniform fees, singling out Yushan and Li Ran. Li Ran argued that their old uniforms were fine and accused the school of using the fee as an excuse to get rid of students.
Angered, Mr. Rong declared that any student wearing an old uniform would not be permitted in his class. Frustrated, Yushan stormed out and went to the rooftop. Sang Xia followed her, and together they watched Lei Ming planting a tree below. Sang Xia dismissed the effort as "nonsense," noting the tree's roots were rotting and that only three days remained before a deadline. After school, Li Ran repaired phones at an electronics market to earn money.
He dealt with a customer who balked at his 380 yuan charge, firmly stating he would put the broken part back in if they didn't pay. Yushan approached him for a screen protector, for which he charged her "a cup of milk tea." She later returned with a cup of "Goodwill Milk Tea." Li Ran asked if Lei Ming had approached her about his new class.
She didn't answer directly, and he commented that he didn't "have the fate for that." That evening, despite it being her mother's birthday, Lu Qiao was busy in the kitchen while Zhou Weifeng and his friends drank. Zhou Weifeng had Yushan give her mother a gift from a friend, and Lu Qiao reminded Yushan to be grateful to these friends for helping with her brother's school fees.
Yushan gave her mother a small broach as a birthday gift, which Lu Qiao accepted with a faint smile. Immediately after, Zhou Weifeng called Yushan over and ordered her to toast his friends. Yushan refused, stating she was a student. Zhou Weifeng dismissed her as being in "adolescent rebellion" and mockingly revealed that she had been selected for a "special training class" for students at the bottom of the rankings, stating she lacked the "luck" and "brains" for Qingbei.
He then listed three reasons why she must drink: it was her mother’s birthday, his friends had helped them, and she had never called him "dad." Despite Lu Qiao's pleas, Yushan drank the entire glass of wine. Zhou Weifeng applauded, calling her a "heroine among women." Later that night, he went to check the footage from the hidden camera, only to discover it had been turned around, displaying his own reflection on the screen.
