When We Were Young Episode 18 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
On the playground, Xu Konglin informed Xia Er that he wanted to help her with the upcoming competition. Xia Er agreed, but a wave of disappointment washed over her, knowing that Xu Konglin’s true motivation for helping was Chu Yinyin. Despite her feelings, Xia Er and Xu Konglin began to dedicate themselves fully to preparing for the finals. Meanwhile, Nicole waited for Xu Konglin at the basketball court, but after a long wait, she only encountered Yuan Ye.
Yuan Ye advised Nicole to give up her pursuit of Xu Konglin, suggesting that if she let go early, it would be better for her. However, Nicole was resolute, stating that she would not abandon her feelings because she refused to lose to Chu Yinyin. In an effort to help Xia Er, Li Bai traveled alone to New Southern Vocational School. There, he was stunned to see Chu Yinyin, who looked exactly like Xia Er.
Upon his return, Li Bai told Xia Er about his visit. Eager to know about Chu Yinyin’s situation at New Southern, Xia Er pressed him for details. Li Bai, however, presented a condition: he would only share the information if Xia Er publicly confessed her feelings for him in class.
Though she felt he was taking advantage of the situation, Xia Er, desperate for news of Chu Yinyin, stood before her classmates and declared Li Bai her "god," causing a ripple of murmurs and surprise throughout the classroom. Xu Konglin, shocked by the declaration, confronted Li Bai after class. Li Bai, in a playful manner, simply stated that Xia Er had developed a crush on him.
Xu Konglin, exasperated, asked Li Bai to stop messing around, especially with the competition at a critical stage. Li Bai brushed off the accusation, clarifying that he wasn't the one causing trouble like Lin Jiayi. He then offered his assistance to Xu Konglin, recognizing Chu Yinyin’s importance to their competition. When Xu Konglin questioned how much help he could offer, Li Bai confidently responded, "More than you can ever imagine," and they struck a deal.
Later, Teacher Zhu, along with Xiao Er and Chu Yinyin, arrived at Qing Teng International School for the competition finals. As Chu Yinyin entered the campus, she felt a profound sense of familiarity with the place, though she couldn't recall specifics. Other students passing by recognized Chu Yinyin and wondered why she was with such an unusual group of people.
Around this time, Lin Jiayi, who was preparing to return abroad, met with Xu Konglin and asked him to help Xia Er with the competition. Nicole overheard their conversation and, overcome by jealousy, began to plot again. She secretly photographed Xia Er's design plans from Teacher Lu's office and anonymously sent them to the real Chu Yinyin at New Southern Vocational School.
Unaware of the true origin of the designs, Chu Yinyin, along with Xiao Er and Leng Shao, were impressed by their creativity. Backstage, Chu Yinyin and her team changed into their competition outfits. As Chu Yinyin went to the restroom, Xu Konglin spotted her. He started to follow, but Xia Er intercepted him, pulling him away. Xu Konglin was perplexed by Xia Er’s appearance, as she seemed to have changed outfits in a remarkably short time.
Li Bai, roaming backstage, encountered Chu Yinyin. Concerned that her presence would expose Xia Er’s impersonation, he deceived Chu Yinyin by claiming he wanted to explain something and led her to a basement room. Despite Chu Yinyin’s pleas and demands to be released, Li Bai locked her inside, apologizing as he did so. From inside, Chu Yinyin repeatedly called for help, asking who was doing this to her.
The uniform show commenced, and Xia Er, impersonating Chu Yinyin, walked to the waiting area with Xu Konglin. During her walk on the stage, Xia Er kept her head down, feeling a surge of guilt upon seeing Xiao Er and anticipating the presence of Teacher Zhu and Fei Fei in the audience. Teacher Lu, seeing Xia Er's demeanor, grew concerned about her strange behavior.
Onlookers in the audience also questioned "Chu Yin Yin's" strange behavior and expressed concern that she was damaging their school's image. Xu Konglin noticed her discomfort and asked if she was feeling unwell. Internally, Xia Er panicked, convinced that her identity would be exposed and she would be utterly humiliated. Xu Konglin tried to reassure her, telling her not to stress too much and that winning wasn’t everything. Meanwhile, Teacher Zhu learned that Chu Yinyin was missing.
He instructed Xiao Er and Da Biao to hold the stage while he, Fei Fei, and Only went to search for her. Following Chu Yinyin’s cries for help, they eventually located her in the basement. Relieved to be found, Chu Yinyin immediately rushed to the competition venue, determined not to miss her opportunity.
In the Qing Teng resting room, Xia Er, still impersonating Chu Yinyin, was awaiting the final segment of the competition, where contestants were to elaborate on their design concepts. Overwhelmed by the impending exposure of her identity, Xia Er decided to escape. In her thoughts, she expressed deep regret, apologizing to Chu Yinyin for potentially ruining things, despite her original intention to help her win.
When Xu Konglin offered encouragement, telling her he would always be by her side and that winning wasn't everything, Xia Er thought, "What do you even know? What happens next can end my life. Not good! I must leave!" Feigning nervousness, she asked to use the toilet. As she made her exit, she internally bid farewell to Xu Konglin, hoping they wouldn't meet again.
