When We Were Young Episode 21 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
With the upcoming transfer exam looming, Xia Er felt embarrassed to ask Chu Yinyin for help but did so anyway, seeking tutoring. Chu Yinyin, having previously spent time at New Southern, bluntly stated that she knew Xia Er's academic level and believed it would be difficult for her to catch up even if she returned to classes now. Chu Yinyin also expressed her fondness for New Southern's academic environment, considering it a relaxing and excellent place.
The next day, the Qing Teng Academy transfer exam took place. Xia Er, taking the exam under Chu Yinyin's name, struggled immensely and could not answer any questions. In stark contrast, Chu Yinyin, taking the exam under Xia Er's name, performed flawlessly. The school principal and faculty were impressed by "Xia Er's" perfect score. As a result, Chu Yinyin, identified as "Xia Er" on the exam papers, earned first place and was readmitted to the experimental class.
Meanwhile, Xia Er, identified as "Chu Yinyin," scored last and was transferred to the ordinary class. Teacher Lü accompanied Chu Yinyin, identified as "Xia Er," to the experimental class, while a disheartened Xia Er, identified as "Chu Yinyin," packed her belongings for the ordinary class. On her way out, Xia Er stumbled and fell. Although Chu Yinyin felt sympathy for her sister, she understood that she couldn't change the school's rules.
Upon arriving in the ordinary class, Xia Er, identified as "Chu Yinyin," faced immediate ostracism from her new classmates. The students were upset about someone from the experimental class being "demoted" to their ranks and loudly declared their intention to unite against such individuals. Xia Er internally groaned, anticipating another difficult struggle. Displeased with Xia Er's transfer to the ordinary class, Li Bai approached the principal, insisting on transferring to the ordinary class himself.
He argued that he wasn't suited for the experimental class and didn't intend to compete for the special quota to Evergreen University, as he planned to study overseas after a year. Despite the principal's initial reluctance to change school rules, Li Bai's persistence eventually led to his request being granted. Later, Xu Konglin took Chu Yinyin to the basketball court, hoping to trigger her memories.
As Chu Yinyin watched Xu Konglin play, she began to recall snippets of the past, including an instance where she wiped sweat from his face on the court. However, their moment was interrupted by Teacher Shi, who sternly reminded Xu Konglin that while she wouldn't interfere with his past relationship with Chu Yinyin, "Xia Er" (referring to Chu Yinyin currently posing as Xia Er) was Chu Yinyin's twin.
She blamed Xu Konglin for causing "Chu Yinyin's" (the real Xia Er's) grades to plummet and her subsequent transfer to the ordinary class. Having successfully transferred to the ordinary class, Li Bai sought information from Xia Er about the location of her foster father, Xia Jianguo's, nursing home. That weekend, he quietly visited the nursing home, hoping to learn more about Chu Yinyin and Xia Er's past from Xia Jianguo.
However, Xia Jianguo's dementia was severe, and his confused responses, claiming to have "three" or even "four" children when asked if he picked up one or two, provided no useful information, leaving Li Bai empty-handed. That evening, at home, the usually meticulous Chu Yinyin (still posing as Xia Er) became irritated by Xia Er's (still posing as Chu Yinyin) messy room. She criticized Xia Er for her lack of progress and untidy habits.
A dejected Xia Er jumped off her bed, proclaiming that she was simply not as outstanding as Chu Yinyin. Chu Yinyin, a bit speechless, then asked about her amnesia. Xia Er then shared her findings, presenting a malicious Weibo post and asserting that Li Nike was the primary suspect behind Chu Yinyin's memory loss and departure. Xia Er pointed out that only Li Nike would have known the personal content posted on Chu Yinyin's Weibo.
The identical appearance of Xia Er and Chu Yinyin continued to cause confusion on campus, even for close friends like Li Bai and Xu Konglin. To help distinguish them, Li Bai had an idea and gave Xia Er a blue hair clip, remarking that the color suited her independent and unique personality, and it would ensure people no longer mistook her for Chu Yinyin.
Despite their earlier argument, Xia Er sent a text message to Chu Yinyin late that night, apologizing for impersonating her. She explained her desperate circumstances, including her academic struggles, accumulated debts, and the need to care for her father, stating she had no choice but to make those decisions and never intended to steal Chu Yinyin's life. Chu Yinyin, not truly angry, reflected on her own shortcomings and sent an apology back to Xia Er via text.
Meanwhile, Xia Jianguo's dementia worsened, and he wandered off from the nursing home. Xia Er's friend, Xiao'er, received a phone call notifying her of his disappearance and immediately rushed out with Leng Shao and other friends to search for him. Late that night, Xia Er received a threatening email, which she realized was intended for Chu Yinyin. The sender accused Chu Yinyin of being too outstanding, thereby hindering their own chances of securing a direct admission spot to Evergreen University.
The email warned Chu Yinyin not to become too complacent. After a night-long search, Xiao'er and Leng Shao finally located Xia Jianguo and safely returned him to the nursing home. Xia Er forwarded the threatening email to Xu Konglin. He and Li Bai discussed the situation, concluding that the sender must be someone among the top ten students vying for the coveted spot.
They also considered the possibility that the sender was intentionally trying to create conflict between the sisters out of jealousy. In the cafeteria, Li Nike feigned concern and tried to gauge Chu Yinyin's reaction to the email. She pretended to be friends with "Xia Er" (the real Chu Yinyin), pushing food towards her and expressing sympathy for "Yin Yin" (the real Xia Er) being a victim of the intense quota competition.
Chu Yinyin, however, saw through Li Nike's disingenuous behavior and decided to play along to uncover her true intentions. Believing Li Nike was behind the threatening email, Xu Konglin confronted her, urging her to stop targeting Chu Yinyin and Xia Er. He emphasized that the sisters should be left alone. Li Nike, however, refused to back down, questioning Xu Konglin's concern for the twins and claiming she was simply trying to make new friends.
Xu Konglin warned her against any ulterior motives with Xia Er, but his intervention only intensified Li Nike's jealousy towards the sisters. Following the exam and class changes, Chu Yinyin's mother, Chu Mingzhu, asked her (the real Chu Yinyin, posing as Xia Er) via a phone call if she was settling well at school. Chu Yinyin assured her mother she could take care of herself.
Chu Mingzhu, feeling the house was too empty, instructed Xiao Mei to pack Chu Yinyin's luggage, indicating that Chu Yinyin would be moving into the dorms. Simultaneously, Xia Er (the real Xia Er, posing as Chu Yinyin) also moved into the dorms and received a warm welcome from her new roommates, Wang Tingting and Li Xiao Mi, who admired her academic attitude (believing her to be Chu Yinyin).
Li Nike later presented Wang Tingting and Li Xiao Mi with VIP concert tickets, seemingly using them to subtly isolate Xia Er. Li Bai then confronted Li Nike, who was arguing with her mother on the phone about switching schools. Li Bai questioned her sudden closeness with Xia Er and her long-standing animosity towards Chu Yinyin. Li Nike retorted that everyone has a past they wish to keep private, implying that Li Bai also had secrets.
