When We Were Young Episode 16 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
Xia Er, carrying a stack of design drafts, was hurrying back to her dormitory when Xu Konglin stopped her. He offered to be her partner for the school uniform competition, but Xia Er declined, explaining that it would be inappropriate for him to re-enter the competition after having already withdrawn. She stated her preference to complete the design herself. Back in the dormitory, Li Nike questioned Xia Er about participating alone and staying up late.
Xia Er provocatively mentioned that someone who had previously withdrawn from the competition had offered to help her, but she rejected him. Li Nike, sensing she was referring to Xu Konglin, scoffed at the idea. Xia Er then retorted, implying Li Nike's withdrawal due to lacking a partner was a shame, especially since Li Nike always aimed for first place.
During class, Xu Konglin stood up to ask Miss Lu if he could still join the school uniform competition to assist Chu Yinyin. However, Miss Lu informed him that the class would instead receive external help from their senior, Lin Jia Yi, who was returning to assist. This announcement sparked excitement among students, who lauded Lin Jia Yi's exceptional talents and achievements.
Li Nike, however, expressed her annoyance and jealousy that Chu Yinyin, whom she wished to see humiliated, was now receiving help from such an accomplished senior. Xu Konglin, upon hearing the news, felt a pang of nervousness, recalling how much the original Chu Yinyin had admired Lin Jia Yi. Lin Jia Yi arrived on campus to great fanfare, with students excitedly cheering and asking for autographs.
He greeted the principal and Miss Lu, who then introduced him to Xia Er, urging her to learn from the accomplished senior. Lin Jia Yi recognized Xia Er as Chu Yinyin, reminding her of their past experiences together at a UN Youth Forum, a summer camp, and a trip to Africa. Miss Lu intervened, explaining Chu Yinyin's memory loss. Xia Er, pretending to be Chu Yinyin, apologized for not remembering but later claimed to recall him from photographs.
Lin Jia Yi expressed happiness to compete with her and confidence in winning. Privately, Xia Er mused about Chu Yinyin's incredible luck, being surrounded by so many handsome men and having shared so much history with Lin Jia Yi. Meanwhile, Li Bai caught Xu Konglin secretly browsing Lin Jia Yi's Weibo, observing his immense popularity.
Xu Konglin admitted Lin Jia Yi was talented and likely to win the competition with Chu Yinyin, but he avoided going to the library where they were, stating he didn't want to disturb them. The arrival of Lin Jia Yi stirred a sense of crisis in both Xu Konglin and Li Bai, prompting them to form a united front against him. Xu Konglin later approached Xia Er, who was carrying a stack of documents.
He offered to help, but she declined. He expressed concern that she might neglect her studies due to the competition, and questioned if she and Lin Jia Yi had maintained contact, noting what he perceived as her "look of admiration" for him. Xia Er playfully asked if he was jealous, which he denied, claiming he was merely offering "kind advice." He then insisted that their tutoring sessions must continue, and he would check her progress daily.
Xia Er privately acknowledged Chu Yinyin's enviable position, with handsome men vying for her attention and expressing jealousy. She resolved that after the school uniform competition, she would return Chu Yinyin's identity, feeling that maintaining the deception any longer would cause her emotional distress. Meanwhile, at New Southern Vocational School, Xia Er's friends encouraged her to participate in a competition, hoping it would boost her popularity and help her repay her debt to Liu Qiang.
Xia Er submitted an apron design she called "Elves Cape," which was met with enthusiastic, if dramatic, interpretations by her friends. Mr. Zhu, impressed by the design, selected it to represent their school in the competition, aiming to get Xia Er through the qualifying rounds to the city finals. Back at Qing Teng, Xia Er and Lin Jia Yi worked late in the library, discussing designs.
Lin Jia Yi critiqued Xia Er's initial ideas, suggesting her memory loss had impacted her design sensibility, before showing her his own impressive concepts. Xia Er complimented his talent, and he remarked on her increased cheerfulness and confidence. Xu Konglin, after trying to reach Xia Er by text, arrived at the library, followed by Li Bai. Both expressed concern that Xia Er was neglecting her studies for the competition, with Li Bai openly accusing Xu Konglin of jealousy.
Despite Xia Er's promise to make up for tutoring, Xu Konglin and Li Bai insisted that grades were paramount, emphasizing their past efforts to help her. Lin Jia Yi countered that they should support Chu Yinyin in pursuing her passions, as creativity brought her joy. Xia Er sided with Lin Jia Yi, telling Xu Konglin and Li Bai they were interfering and should leave so she could focus on the competition, promising to double her efforts in her studies.
After Xu Konglin and Li Bai left, Lin Jia Yi told Xia Er that she had changed significantly from her past self. Xia Er attributed this to her memory loss. Lin Jia Yi acknowledged the rumors about her being troublesome, but assured her it was "nothing wrong with opening up another phase of your life" and found her "even cuter than the you in the past." Xu Konglin and Li Bai later discussed their predicament.
Li Bai dramatically described Lin Jia Yi's arrival as a "third tiger" or "wolf" entering their "mountain," suggesting that despite their rivalry, they should unite to protect their territory. Xu Konglin dismissed the idea of Li Bai as an opponent. Li Bai then expressed concern that Chu Yinyin's admiration for Lin Jia Yi might evolve into love, especially given her memory loss and potential infatuation. Xu Konglin, visibly uncomfortable, abruptly ended the conversation and went home.
Campus rumors about Lin Jia Yi and Chu Yinyin began to spread, with photos and videos circulating online. Students joked about "old love reviving" and "love sparks," noting Chu Yinyin's excitement to work with her idol. Li Nike, overhearing the conversation, sarcastically commented that if there were "sparks," they would surely win the award, then questioned if Xu Konglin believed such "ridiculous rumors."
Later, on the playground, as Xu Konglin and Li Nike were talking, Lin Jia Yi and Xia Er walked by. Li Nike offered Xu Konglin a soda in his favorite flavor, which he conspicuously accepted, hoping to draw Xia Er's attention. Seeing through Xu Konglin's attempt to provoke Xia Er, Lin Jia Yi deliberately invited her to a romantic dessert shop, and she readily accepted.
Afterwards, Yuan Ye confronted Xu Konglin, accusing him of using Li Nike and warning him not to involve others in his relationship issues with Chu Yinyin. Yuan Ye explicitly stated he had no respect for Xu Konglin's actions as a man. During a discussion about designs, Xia Er mentioned that Xu Konglin looked great in sports uniforms, prompting Lin Jia Yi to offer himself as a model.
Later, Lin Jia Yi challenged Xu Konglin to a basketball game, with Li Bai joining them. After a competitive match that ended in a draw, the three went to a bar. As Li Bai got heavily drunk, Lin Jia Yi observed that both Xu Konglin and Li Bai were hesitant to act on their feelings.
Lin Jia Yi then revealed to a stunned Xu Konglin that he had quit his overseas studies to start his own successful accessories brand, called "Unforgettable," whose pendants are named after emotions. He explained that Chu Yinyin's words, encouraging him to pursue his dreams and "not leave yourself with regrets," inspired his decision.
Lin Jia Yi urged Xu Konglin to reflect on his own potential regrets, hinting at his feelings for Chu Yinyin, before he took charge of the unconscious Li Bai. Driven by Lin Jia Yi's encouragement and his own drunken state, Xu Konglin went to the girls' dormitory and loudly called for Chu Yinyin.
When Xia Er came down, he tearfully apologized for his past actions, admitting his anger and sadness stemmed from how much he cared for her, and earnestly asked to start over. He then placed a necklace around her neck, emphasizing its significance to their shared memories.
As Xu Konglin leaned in to kiss her, Xia Er's internal thoughts warred; she longed to accept but reminded herself that he loved the original Chu Yinyin, not her, and that this situation was too dangerous. She pushed him away, resolving to return to New Southern Vocational School. Unbeknownst to them, Li Nike watched the entire exchange from her window, her jealousy intensifying as she vowed to deal ruthlessly with Chu Yinyin.
The next morning, Li Bai confronted Xia Er, asking if anything had happened with Xu Konglin, who was drunk and had seemingly looked for her. Xia Er feigned ignorance, and Li Bai revealed that Lin Jia Yi was the one who had encouraged them to drink. Li Bai, suspecting Xia Er was hiding something, pressed her for details, but she maintained that she and Xu Konglin were merely "ordinary classmates."
