To Fly With You Episode 1 Recap
> To Fly With You Recap
The 1996 Asian Cup Women's 1500-meter Short Track Speed Skating finals saw two Chinese skaters, number 255 and number 258, take an early lead. The competition was fierce as they maintained their positions, with number 255 pushing the pace to prevent any overtaking. However, a shocking accident occurred on the very last curve as the two Chinese athletes made a mistake in their cooperation and collided, with number 258 sustaining a serious injury, causing them to lose the gold medal.
More than two decades later, the 9th College Figure Skating Invitational Tournament concluded with a dazzling encore performance by Lingbei University's Wind Chasing Team pair skating champions, Shao Beisheng and Liu Fei. The Wind Chasing Team is a renowned institution at Lingbei University, celebrated for nurturing top athletes in both figure skating and short track speed skating, and having secured numerous championships.
Shao Beisheng, a rising star and the team's ace in pair skating, captivated the audience with his partner Liu Fei, with whom he had won the past three consecutive pair skating championships. After their performance, a throng of eager reporters approached, but Shao Beisheng's coach quickly intervened, claiming Beisheng had a hoarse voice and redirecting the media to allow the pair to retreat.
Shortly after, Shao Beisheng received a call from a junior speed skater named Tong, who reported that their training space had been taken over. Shao Beisheng promptly went to support his junior team, who were in a standoff with a group of amateur skaters. As Shao Beisheng confronted them, Shen Zhengyi, known as the "Wild Skating Princess" and the captain of the opposing group, arrived and scolded him for bullying children. Shao Beisheng arrogantly dismissed her group as amateurs.
The argument quickly escalated into a challenge: a race to collect cups on the ice. Despite his overconfidence, Shen Zhengyi noticed Shao Beisheng was wearing his figure skating skates, and she decisively won the race with her superior speed, forcing him to lead his junior team to another rink. Shen Zhengyi has harbored a deep passion for short track speed skating since childhood, despite her mother's staunch opposition.
On her eighteenth birthday, she expressed her wish to join a professional team, only to be met with a firm rejection from her mother. Driven by her dream, Shen Zhengyi secretly filled out an application for the Lingbei University Wind Chasing Team, seeing it as her final opportunity. Her roommate, Zhu Lele, who had already been specially recruited into the short track speed skating team, expressed confidence in Shen Zhengyi's chances.
Later, Shao Beisheng admired his newly acquired "Black Legend" shoes. At the recruitment desk, where he was assisting with applications, Shen Zhengyi arrived just moments after the 11:30 AM deadline. Shao Beisheng, recognizing her from their earlier encounter, mockingly told her the team was hiring cleaners. Shen Zhengyi retorted by calling him a "flower vase" and a "defeated foe," recalling his loss to her.
Shao Beisheng dismissed the race, arguing it was unfair to compare a figure skater's speed to a short track skater's. He then deliberately pointed out that she was a minute late, rejecting her application. Accusing him of abusing his power for personal revenge, Shen Zhengyi challenged him to a bet: if she failed to get into the Wind Chasing Team, she would owe him a favor; but if she succeeded, he would owe her one.
Shao Beisheng accepted, confident she would fail. The next day, Shen Zhengyi arrived for the tryouts. Xiao Han, the Wind Chasing Team's acting head coach, noticed Shen Zhengyi's shoelaces were loose and knelt to tie them for her. As the tryouts began, Shen Zhengyi's explosive power propelled her to a fast start. However, her lack of professional training became evident on the curves, a critical part of short track speed skating. Despite her raw speed, she lacked control.
Pushing herself to the limit on the final lap, she crashed into the barrier. Although she got up and finished, she did not achieve a qualifying score. Following the tryouts, Xiao Han approached the Director, advocating for Shen Zhengyi's recruitment. He described her as a "natural short-track speed skater" with immense talent, assuring the Director that he could refine her technical skills.
However, the Director firmly stated that the Wind Chasing Team was not a training ground and needed mature athletes who could deliver immediate results. Fearing the team would be disbanded if they didn't improve, he refused to take a risk on an amateur. Despite Xiao Han's persistent belief in her potential, the Director upheld his decision. Later, the retiring Coach Zheng formally entrusted the team to Xiao Han, encouraging him to fulfill the responsibilities of a head coach.
Meanwhile, Shao Beisheng taunted Shen Zhengyi about her failed tryout, reminding her she had lost their bet. In a fit of anger, Shen Zhengyi stomped on his new shoes and rushed off, inadvertently leaving her phone behind. Realizing her phone was missing, Shen Zhengyi used Zhu Lele's phone to call it. Shao Beisheng answered, disguising his voice as an older man and misleading them to the school's botanical garden, instructing them to search for the phone on a fertilizer shelf.
After futilely searching, Shen Zhengyi realized she'd been tricked, called her phone again, and heard it ring in Shao Beisheng's pocket. He then told her to meet him at the library, where he playfully admonished her before returning the phone. Shortly after, Shen Zhengyi received a surprising call from Xiao Han, who had tracked down her application and offered her a chance to train with the Wind Chasing Team starting the next day.
Overjoyed, she and Zhu Lele arrived early at the training room. As Xiao Han introduced the new members, the Director arrived with Zhuang Yue, a renowned gold-medalist coach, announcing her as the new head coach. Zhuang Yue immediately asserted her authority, stating her sole purpose was to improve the team's scores and announcing a rigorous new training plan. Zhuang Yue then called Shen Zhengyi aside, directly confronting her about her deficient cornering skills.
Despite Shen Zhengyi's earnest promise to improve, Zhuang Yue dismissed her, explaining that the team was not a training school and that admitting someone with such a fundamental weakness would be like putting a "time bomb on the ice." The Director later reaffirmed Zhuang Yue's authority to Xiao Han and instructed him to remove Shen Zhengyi from the team. A dejected Shen Zhengyi encountered Xiao Han on her way out.
He apologized and, acknowledging her talent, urged her not to give up. Shen Zhengyi then asked if she could still join the team if she mastered her cornering technique, to which Xiao Han promised he would do his utmost to help her secure a spot.
