When We Were Young Episode 12 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
Xia Er, currently posing as Chu Yinyin, arrived at Xu Konglin’s home to explain the recent online accusations against him. Xu Konglin’s parents warmly welcomed her. Alone in his room, Xia Er assured him that she did not create the latest accusatory Weibo post. When Xu Konglin questioned how she knew the third answer to Chu Yinyin's email password, Xia Er explained that Li Bai had deduced it from a periodic table anonymously placed on her desk.
She speculated that the person who left the clue might be the real hacker. Xia Er also mentioned that she had diligently deleted all unfavorable posts about Xu Konglin from the school discussion forum. Moved by her actions, Xu Konglin realized he had been too quick to judge her. Later, Chu Mingzhu called Xia Er, and someone inadvertently revealed that it was Chu Yinyin’s birthday the next day.
Xia Er tried to dismiss the idea of a celebration, stating she was too old at nineteen for such festivities. Despite her protests, Xu Konglin presented her with a birthday gift he had already prepared, promising to uncover the truth behind the mysterious posts and rumors. Xia Er, however, still harbored suspicions that Li Nike was involved. The following day, Xu Konglin and Li Bai confronted Li Nike, asking about her connection to the third password clue.
They mentioned seeing her father at the medical center. Li Nike, cornered, admitted that she had accompanied her father to that medical center and discovered Chu Mingzhu’s blood type was AB. Believing she was helping, she then informed Chu Yinyin of her finding. Xu Konglin immediately connected these events, realizing that the news, coupled with Chu Yinyin’s mistaken belief that he had betrayed her, had triggered Chu Yinyin's emotional breakdown and subsequent disappearance.
He pressed Li Nike further, accusing her of being behind the malicious posts on Chu Yinyin’s Weibo and the school forum. Li Nike vehemently denied it, claiming the posts also attacked her and questioning why she would intentionally harm herself. Xu Konglin and Li Bai remained unconvinced, firmly believing she was responsible for the forum posts and widespread rumors. Becoming agitated, Li Nike demanded why Chu Yinyin was always forgiven while her own actions were always deemed wrong.
Xu Konglin calmly replied that it was likely because she was not Chu Yinyin. Challenging him, Li Nike asked if he would still hold that belief if she proved that the current Chu Yinyin was not the real one, before walking away in tears. Later, crying alone on the basketball court, she reflected on the significant changes in Xia Er’s handwriting and habits, which cemented her suspicion that Xia Er was an impostor.
After their encounter with Li Nike, Xu Konglin and Li Bai discussed the delicate situation. Li Bai acknowledged that Li Nike's past actions were often mere pranks, but her recent behavior had crossed a line. He expressed concern for the original Chu Yinyin, noting her past sensitivity and fierce pride, and worried about the impact of the truth about her adoption if she were to regain her memories.
He observed that the current "Chu Yinyin" (Xia Er) was very different and less prone to running away. They decided it was best not to reveal Chu Mingzhu's true AB blood type to Xia Er for now, fearing it could cause a similar crisis to the one that led to Chu Yinyin's disappearance. They resolved to uncover the full truth before Xia Er regained her memories.
Separately, Xu Konglin informed Li Bai that his attempts to trace the culprit behind the online posts had led to virtual IDs and fake IP addresses, indicating a skilled perpetrator. They then visited the Haibei City Children's Welfare Home where Chu Mingzhu had adopted Chu Yinyin, hoping to find more clues. However, all adoption records were confidential, and they left empty-handed, speculating that Li Nike might still be withholding crucial information.
Meanwhile, at New Southern Vocational School, the real Chu Yinyin (now Xia Er) celebrated a significant victory in the Professional English competition, having outperformed Mr. Zhu. Leng Shao, acting as her image consultant, capitalized on her success to aggressively promote his hair salon. He boastfully claimed that his haircut had boosted her confidence and that her amnesia had "gloriously" transformed her into a straight-A student, making her a perfect endorsement for his business.
The real Chu Yinyin expressed her annoyance at his blatant self-promotion, reminding him that her win was unrelated to his styling, but Leng Shao justified his actions as a means to help her pay off her debts. Her friends later complained that most of her 2,000 yuan prize money had already been spent on celebrations and snacks, leaving little to pay her remaining debt to Liu Qiang.
Determined to settle her debts, the real Chu Yinyin decided to leverage her online presence. She asked her friends for her Weibo account ID, initially leading them to believe she would sell things. To their surprise, she began recording English teaching videos. While her initial attempts were met with online comments expressing confusion and longing for her "old Xia Er" persona, she persisted.
Over time, her dedication to learning began to resonate, attracting new fans who praised her transformation, and her videos started to receive positive feedback. In a nursing home, a nurse showed Old Mr. Xia a video of the real Chu Yinyin teaching English, but he firmly denied that the person in the video was his daughter, recognizing her instead as the child who had been left at the door of the welfare home.
Watching videos of the real Chu Yinyin's (now Xia Er) newfound success on Weibo, Xia Er (posing as Chu Yinyin) felt a pang of jealousy, reflecting on how those were her best friends, yet now she had no one and was burdened with her own set of problems. Back at Elite International, Xia Er, still posing as Chu Yinyin, was in the library searching for books to aid her memory.
She accidentally knocked over a large stack of books and stumbled, nearly falling and twisting her ankle. Xu Konglin, passing by, quickly intervened, catching her before she hit the ground. His swift action and concern made her heart flutter, as she realized she was developing feelings for him. Later, Ms. Shi confronted Mr. Lu, armed with a letter detailing student complaints about "Chu Yinyin" (Xia Er) and recent rumors affecting school discipline.
She insisted that "Chu Yinyin" required remedial lessons and, despite Mr. Lu’s protests about "Chu Yinyin"'s improving happiness and social life, demanded that Li Nike tutor her, viewing "Chu Yinyin" as a hindrance to the experimental class. Mr. Lu’s suggestion of Xu Konglin as a tutor was dismissed by Ms. Shi, who cited rumors about his complicated relationship with "Chu Yinyin." The school ultimately decided that Li Nike would be her tutor.
In class, when Mr. Lu announced the decision, he expected "Chu Yinyin" (Xia Er) to object, but she surprisingly accepted the arrangement, stating her intention to befriend Li Nike. Xu Konglin later found Li Nike and warned her not to make things difficult for "Chu Yinyin." Li Nike, however, expressed her deep hurt and frustration to Xu Konglin, accusing him of not understanding her true feelings despite their long history, and lamenting his constant defense of "Chu Yinyin" over her.
She challenged him, asking if they could ever return to their past friendship, believing that some things are permanently changed. Later, Li Nike directly confronted Xia Er, who was still posing as Chu Yinyin, with a math problem about water tubes. She provocatively suggested that "Yin Yin" return to her "original world," implying her "world of amnesia and bad grades," highlighting her ongoing belief that Xia Er was not the real Chu Yinyin.
