The Hope Episode 9 Recap
> The Hope Recap
In a flashback to 1998 at Xingzhou No. 1 Middle School, a young Lei Ming struggles under the harsh tutelage of his math teacher, Hu Chong, who often scolds him for failing to grasp concepts and implies he’s either unwilling or unable to learn. In contrast, Hu Chong treats other students, like Ye Chao, with warmth.
Lei Ming also faces social awkwardness due to his father being a teacher at the school, who insists on being called "Mr. Lei" within school grounds, emphasizing the student-teacher dynamic over their father-son relationship. This strict environment, coupled with his father's distance and Hu Chong’s demanding nature, ignites a fierce resolve in Lei Ming to study diligently and get into Qingbei.
He later tells Sang Xia that his determination is fueled by resentment, believing it to be a powerful motivator for success. The Class 11 incident, involving a false fire alarm, becomes a major topic of discussion among the teachers. They express concern about the severity of the situation and the potential consequences, with many labeling the Class 11 students as unruly and unserious about their studies, making Sang Xia’s job difficult. Punishment is widely seen as inevitable.
Lei Ming, however, had predicted these reactions. When Principal Gao arrives, Lei Ming reveals his anticipation of the school's response, foreseeing Class 11's potential suspension and the students' return to their original classes, leaving him to face repercussions. Despite admitting he has no immediate solution, Lei Ming reassures Principal Lou that Principal Gao will not choose the most severe outcome. He proposes that the core issue for Class 11 is the students' lack of a sense of belonging.
Instead of harsh measures, he advocates for leniency, treating them like any other students without excessive scrutiny or suppression. He believes this is the most effective approach, and the principal agrees, instructing Mr. Rong to handle the situation. During Tan Xiaozhou's Chinese class, the students are visibly unengaged and distracted. She teaches them rapid reading techniques, explaining that the increasing demands for reading in the college entrance exam are designed to prevent 15% of students from finishing.
She introduces "flowing reading," an approach that encourages reading like listening to a song, without word-for-word memorization, and "dehydrated reading," which involves extracting the 20% most crucial information from a book and understanding its connection to the rest. Meanwhile, Jiang Qinglang is absent from class. Sang Xia finds him at a milk tea shop, where he's consumed three sugary drinks. He expresses his frustration, feeling he doesn't belong in Class 11 and sees no reason to stay.
Sang Xia initially appears to agree, offering to call his mother and arrange a taxi to send him home. However, when Jiang Qinglang hesitates, revealing his fear of failure and the belief that Li Ran and Lei Ming expect him to fail, Sang Xia shifts her tone. She challenges him, suggesting his defiance masks fear, and reminds him of his past assertive self, the "assertive little lion." She then declares her "100% certainty" that he will not fail.
Observing Jiang Qinglang's empty seat, Yu Yang nervously confides in Li Ran that Jiang Qinglang genuinely wants to stay in Class 11, admitting that while cheating was wrong, he truly wants to help him. Later, Sang Xia leads the students to a cluttered storage room, announcing it as her new "psychology classroom." She emphasizes that being Class 11's headteacher is the highest authority she's held, and if the class dissolves, she'd lose even that power.
She then tasks them with cleaning and organizing the room according to their own preferences, likening it to interior decorating. Sang Xia later discusses her philosophy with Lei Ming, asserting that students need "partners," not "natural enemies," for learning. She illustrates symbiotic relationships in nature, like crocodiles and Egyptian plovers, sea anemones and clownfish, or pistol shrimps and goby fish, to show how mutual support benefits different species.
Lei Ming, however, remains skeptical, believing the students are self-motivated and haven't yet formed genuine bonds. He insists the upcoming comprehensive exam will be the true test of their unity. Jiang Qinglang returns to his desk to find various study notes from his classmates: Bian Xiaoxiao provided Chinese composition materials, Yu Yang left supportive English notes, and Cheng Yushan contributed a math problem set.
Li Ran also added a notebook, reminding Jiang Qinglang that Lei Ming expects him to memorize its key content. Overwhelmed, Jiang Qinglang laments the futility of rote memorization. Li Ran then shares a study technique called the "memory tree," explaining how to organize complex knowledge by creating a mental tree diagram, connecting main concepts to related branches. He explains this method, combined with the Ebbinghaus mnemonic, uses both the left and right brain for better recall.
Later that night, Jiang Qinglang is still studying when Li Ran, also awake, joins him under a small lamp. Yu Yang, Bian Xiaoxiao, and Cheng Yushan soon emerge from their beds to join the impromptu group study session. Bian Xiaoxiao captures this moment of camaraderie with a photo. Sang Xia, briefly awakened, observes their diligent study, notes the time, and returns to sleep with a sense of contentment.
On the sixth day of intensive training, the students of Class 11 wake promptly and engage in their morning routines with newfound discipline, a stark contrast to their previous relaxed attitudes. Outsiders, observing them, mock their "memory tree" exercise. As Li Ran attempts to deliver lunch to Shen Yao, Jiang Qinglang, Bian Xiaoxiao, Yu Yang, and Cheng Yushan execute a public prank.
Jiang Qinglang theatrically introduces Shen Yao as "the school's VIP-level pretentious crook" and presents his "exclusive bird's nest soup package" from the "Class 11 takeout team," providing an exaggerated description of the soup. Bian Xiaoxiao then confronts Shen Yao about his pampered lifestyle, feigning concern about his supposed "polio," and proceeds to finish his soup, publicly humiliating him. An enraged Shen Yao storms off.
Following this, Yu Yang expresses his gratitude to Li Ran, acknowledging Li Ran's earlier intervention to make Shen Yao delete a compromising post, referencing a previous bullying incident. The internal comprehensive exam for Chinese, Math, and English quickly arrives. The tests are randomly generated by subject teachers, totaling 150 points over two hours. After immediate grading, Lei Ming announces Jiang Qinglang's score: 89, regrettably one point shy of the passing grade needed to stay in Class 11.
Despite the other students' protests, Lei Ming upholds the rules, stating, "You bet, you lose," and that "one point can mean a world of difference." He informs Jiang Qinglang that he can join Peach Plum Class 4. Jiang Qinglang's parents prepare to leave with him. Sang Xia dramatically intervenes, urging his mother to reconsider and give her son another chance.
She passionately highlights Jiang Qinglang's recent transformation—ten days without a phone, focused in class, and eagerly seeking help from teachers—emphasizing his rare dedication. She promises he would thrive more in Class 11. However, Jiang Qinglang's mother remains resolute, and they depart. Lei Ming then reveals the scores of the other students: Li Ran 75, Bian Xiaoxiao 71, Cheng Yushan 61, and Yu Yang 69.
He points out that Jiang Qinglang's 89 points, despite being below the passing mark, made him "top of the class." He asks the disappointed students how they feel, eliciting responses of fear, disappointment, and sadness. Lei Ming clarifies that their true emotion is "resentment" and instructs them to deeply remember this feeling.
He explains that resentment, unlike mere regret, will be their driving force through future failures and disappointments, pushing them to try again and strive for better, making it their most significant achievement of the past few days.
