When We Were Young Episode 2 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
The episode begins with Li Yu and his father having dinner when their meal is interrupted by a knock at the door. It is Kong Xiaojun, the new head teacher of Year 12 Class 3 at Yu Cai High School, paying a home visit. Kong Xiaojun explains that this is his first head teacher position, and he is eager to understand his students' family situations.
He expresses his determination to transform their class, currently ranked last, into a "dark horse in progression rate" by graduation. Meanwhile, downstairs, Yang Xi calls her brother, Yang Zhao, to dinner. The siblings bicker at the table, while their father expresses bewilderment at Yang Zhao's fleeting interests, from pigeon-keeping to rock music, advising him to settle down.
Yang Zhao dismisses his father's concerns, claiming his latest research on the relationship between voltage and human body resistance is too complex for him to understand. Just as Yang Xi attempts to tell her mother she cannot participate in the long-distance race, Kong Xiaojun arrives, having just finished his visit with Li Yu's family. Kong Xiaojun presents Yang Xi’s dismal academic results from the previous semester.
Trying to save face, Yang Xi's mother brings up Yang Xi's specialty in long-distance running, which could earn her 10 bonus points on the college entrance exam if she places in the top three. At this moment, Yang Xi reveals the truth: her doctor warned her that running in the race could permanently damage her leg. Enraged, her mother grabs a feather duster and then finds Yang Xi's beloved martial arts novels, calling them a "drug" before tearing them up.
Heartbroken, Yang Xi argues with her mother and runs out of the house. Her brother, Yang Zhao, follows to comfort her. He reminds her that while their mother has a bad temper, she cares deeply for them, revealing she had been secretly saving money to buy Yang Xi a new bicycle for her birthday. Yang Zhao explains their mother's anger isn't about the poor grades, but about Yang Xi not knowing what she wants or what she is capable of.
He encourages her to apply the same persistence to her studies that she discovered for running when she used to chase the bus. The next day, on their way to school, Li Yu shows Yang Xi new policies allowing "outstanding student cadres" to earn bonus points, reigniting her hope. At the school's back gate, they are stopped by a group of thugs known as The Wild Bunch.
They demand to know the whereabouts of Hua Biao, accusing him of bragging about breaking their boss's leg. Just then, Hua Biao appears, dismisses the thugs for the day, and then surprises everyone by sweeping Yang Xi up onto his back, declaring he will be her "legs" as promised and carrying her to class despite her protests. He formally introduces himself as Hua Biao.
Later, Yang Xi proudly announces she has secured six performance slots for their class at the Mid-Autumn Party. This angers the entertainment leader, Huang Chengcheng, who confronts her for not consulting her or including ballet. Their argument is cut short by Kong Xiaojun, who, after a brief introduction, declares a change in leadership. He bypasses a vote and appoints Hua Biao as the new class leader, asserting that the "best student" is needed to lead the class.
Yang Xi protests, suggesting Li Yu. To settle it, Kong Xiaojun writes a challenging math problem on the board, declaring that whoever solves it will be the leader. While Li Yu struggles and gives up, Hua Biao confidently provides the correct answer, "16," officially becoming the new class leader and crushing Yang Xi's hopes for bonus points. Seeking revenge, Yang Xi devises a plan.
During gym class, she slips a note to The Wild Bunch, written in Hua Biao's name, daring them to a fight at the New Roller Skater rink at 5 o'clock. She then tells Hua Biao that the thugs are looking for him, relaying their supposed challenge. Taking the bait, Hua Biao asks Yang Xi to make an excuse for him and promptly leaves.
However, their classmate Situ Ertiao accidentally reveals Hua Biao's plan to fight to the director, who immediately heads out to intervene. Li Yu confronts Yang Xi for her reckless actions, but she dismisses his concerns. A short while later, the director returns with grim news for Kong Xiaojun: the rink is covered in broken glass and blood. Enraged, the teacher vows to find his student.
Overcome with guilt, Yang Xi and her classmates rush to the scene, only to find it empty. A guardian tells them the boys were taken to Ping'an Hospital. Yang Xi frantically searches the hospital, crying and apologizing, convinced she has caused Hua Biao serious harm. As she breaks down, Hua Biao appears, revealing only a minor, bandaged wound on his hand, which he jokingly compares to Doraemon's paw to reassure her.
Hua Biao recounts what happened: The Wild Bunch confronted him, but before a fight could start, a repairman working on the lights accidentally caused a set of lamps to fall. Hua Biao instinctively pushed the thugs out of harm's way, injuring his hand while protecting them. The next day, still too ashamed to face him, Yang Xi gives Kong Xiaojun a letter of self-criticism to pass to Hua Biao.
The teacher advises her to judge people only after getting to know them. He reveals that during his home visit, he learned Hua Biao's parents died when he was an infant and that he lives with his grandmother. He praises Hua Biao's intelligence and clarifies that the "steel pipes" Yang Xi saw were materials he was using to build a handrail for his grandmother.
Returning home, Yang Xi finds the martial arts novel her mother had torn up, now taped back together. Moved, she apologizes to her mother for her behavior and promises to study hard. She then borrows Li Yu's bike and rides to Hua Biao's house. She gives him a casserole, soda, and red dates as a peace offering and delivers a heartfelt apology.
As she is about to leave, Hua Biao stops her, inviting the "ex-class leader" to stay for tea with the "current class leader." At that moment, Li Yu, having followed her, arrives at Hua Biao's doorstep.
