When We Were Young Episode 23 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
The next morning, Xia Er brought chicken soup to Xu Konglin's house, and shortly after, Chu Yinyin arrived with a large bag of medicine. Xu Konglin thanked Chu Yinyin for the chicken soup, which he said he liked very much, making Chu Yinyin realize that Xia Er must have told him it was hers. Chu Yinyin simply told Xu Konglin to take the medicine after the soup.
Li Bai, surprised by the amount of medicine, joked it was too much for a fever. Chu Yinyin retorted that men often lacked basic medicine and should keep some for backup, insisting Xu Konglin take them all until he recovered. Xu Konglin assured them he was fine. As Chu Yinyin poured water for Xu Konglin, she accidentally spilled it on his leg and quickly rushed to wipe it with tissues. Seeing Chu Yinyin's attentive care, Xia Er felt uneasy.
Xia Er explained that Xu Konglin's illness might have stemmed from eating barbecue, while also admitting that he drank a lot and she worried he was exposed to a cold air conditioner while taking care of her the previous night, which made Chu Yinyin ask when they had barbecue. Li Bai noticed Xia Er's unhappiness and pulled her away from the house, leaving Chu Yinyin to care for Xu Konglin.
Xu Konglin's parents, who had been secretly observing, discussed the qualities of each twin and compared them. As Li Bai and Xia Er left, they bid farewell to Xu Konglin's parents, assuring them that Chu Yinyin would look after Xu Konglin. Li Bai suggested they go to the arcade since their plans to visit the retirement home were canceled due to Xu Konglin's illness.
Xia Er, feeling downcast, declared she would never return to Xu Konglin's house again, telling them to take good care of him. Li Bai, however, became ecstatic, proclaiming, "He needs you! And. . . I need you, too." He then asked if her visits were solely for Xu Konglin or if there was a slight possibility they were for him.
Xia Er responded that they were for him, which thrilled Li Bai, who said he knew he was always in her heart. He playfully called her a "lunatic and troublemaker" but then seriously warned her not to let Xu Konglin fall sick again, promising to ensure Xu Konglin's full recovery.
Li Bai concluded that Xu Konglin belonged to Chu Yinyin and enthusiastically proposed celebrating Xia Er's liberation from Xu Konglin and her return to their "Legendary Slag" group by playing video games. Xia Er dismissed him as "immature." Determined to undermine Xia Er and Chu Yinyin, Li Nike visited New Southern Vocational School.
There, she met Qi Xia'er, who showed her Xia Er's former room and desk, sharing details about Xia Er's cheerful personality, her love for culinary arts, and how popular she was, especially with Leng Shao. Qi Xia'er also showed Li Nike a video of Chu Yinyin, who was then impersonating Xia Er, confidently teaching an online English class.
Li Nike thanked Qi Xia'er and asked her not to disclose her visit to Chu Yinyin or Xia Er, deceptively claiming it was to prevent further trauma for Xia Er and to aid her memory recovery. Upon returning to Qing Teng, Li Nike immediately shared the video with Shangguan Na and other classmates.
She revealed that the confident English teacher in the video was actually Chu Yinyin, not Xia Er, and explained that Chu Yinyin had been disguised as Xia Er. The classmates were stunned, realizing the twins had swapped identities, especially noticing the current "Xia Er's" poor English skills. Li Nike further argued that memory loss wouldn't regress one's handwriting or IQ, implying that the "Xia Er" currently at Qing Teng was a fraud.
Shangguan Na and the others concluded that this revelation would "rock the entire school" and served as Li Nike's revenge for the sports meet incident. News of the identity swap quickly spread throughout Qing Teng. Li Bai's friends confronted him, asking if he knew about the switch, and he was surprised that the secret had reached the principal. Principal Zhang was enraged, believing Xia Er had caused too many troubles and was discrediting the school.
In his office, Chu Yinyin attempted to explain that they hadn't intended to deceive anyone, citing an accident and subsequent memory loss as the cause of their confusion. She nervously explained that she sometimes didn't know whether she was Chu Yinyin or Xia Er. Principal Zhang cut her off and instructed Teacher Shi to handle the matter strictly. Teacher Shi, without allowing further explanation, immediately suspended both Chu Yinyin and Xia Er from classes.
Teacher Lu tried to intervene on their behalf, but Principal Zhang overruled her, stating that he would handle the issue personally. Xu Konglin, looking unwell, confronted Li Nike, suspecting her of orchestrating the identity swap reveal. He asked if she truly intended to continue causing trouble. Li Nike insisted she was only revealing the truth, accusing Chu Yinyin and Xia Er of deceiving everyone, including Xu Konglin.
Xu Konglin retorted that she was not a judge and had no right to humiliate others. Yuan Ye, angered by Xu Konglin's attitude towards Li Nike, intervened and confronted him. However, Li Nike told Yuan Ye to back off, stating it was none of his business. Yuan Ye continued to argue that Xia Er was a fraud. Xu Konglin then reflected on his own indecision, acknowledging that his wavering had likely hurt both Xia Er and Chu Yinyin.
Li Nike acknowledged his point but insisted he stay out of her affairs, claiming that everything she did was for the school's reputation and for him, urging him to face reality. Xu Konglin dismissed her motives as merely satisfying her "own desire to control things." Enraged, Yuan Ye lunged at Xu Konglin, calling him a "hypocrite" who was "crazy" and oblivious to Li Nike's efforts, accusing Xu Konglin of hurting more people by his indecision.
Later, Li Nike told Yuan Ye not to do "stupid things" for her and applied medicine to his wound. Chu Yinyin and Xia Er returned home, having been suspended from school. Their mother was shocked by the suspension and considered calling the principal. Xia Er apologized for causing trouble for her older sister, expressing a desire to return to her original identity and regretting the deception. Their mother assured them it wasn't their fault.
Noticing Chu Yinyin's profound sadness, Xia Er urged her mother to talk to her. Their mother attempted to console Chu Yinyin, suggesting that Xia Er was straightforward and knew she had made a mistake. Chu Yinyin admitted to being unhappy, reflecting on her time impersonating Xia Er in the countryside after losing her memory. She felt that Xia Er was truly happy there and would be happier returning to her original self.
Chu Yinyin emphasized that she had been happy at New Southern, finding the friends there more innocent and adorable than the students at Qing Teng. She concluded that attending a prestigious school didn't necessarily guarantee good friendships. When her mother stressed the importance of academics, Chu Yinyin disagreed, stating that while studies were important, she prioritized genuine human relationships. Good academic performance without good relationships, she maintained, was not what she wanted.
That evening, Xu Konglin messaged Xia Er to meet him outside her home. When they met, he apologized for his previous actions and for not considering her feelings due to his own issues. Xia Er asked if he still liked Chu Yinyin and if his near-kiss with her was because he mistook her for Chu Yinyin. Xu Konglin denied it. Suddenly, Li Bai appeared, angrily confronting Xu Konglin for almost kissing Xia Er and accusing him of hypocrisy.
Xia Er tried to intervene, clarifying it was only "almost" a kiss, but a physical altercation broke out between the two boys. Chu Yinyin, hearing the commotion, came downstairs. Li Bai, in his anger, revealed to Chu Yinyin that Xu Konglin had almost kissed Xia Er, mistaking her for Chu Yinyin. Chu Yinyin was deeply hurt, sending a WeChat message questioning Xia Er why she was taking everything from her.
Xu Konglin tried to explain and deny a full kiss, but Chu Yinyin, heartbroken and feeling betrayed, walked away in tears despite his pleas. Xia Er, stunned by the message, then told Xu Konglin to forget anything that had happened between them, asserting she would not take anything that belonged to her older sister and that she had not intended to hurt anyone. She then told him to leave, and he did.
Xia Er then tried to dismiss Li Bai, but he confessed his enduring affection for her, regardless of her name or background. Xia Er, thinking he was joking, rejected him, stating she only saw him as a friend and called him crazy. Li Bai, frustrated, argued that if Xu Konglin could almost kiss her, so could he, claiming fairness since Xu Konglin liked Chu Yinyin and he liked Xia Er.
Xia Er vehemently rejected his advances, telling him she didn't want his pity or "ridiculous fairness." Later, Xu Konglin tried to get Li Bai to leave his house, but Li Bai cleverly used Xu Konglin's parents' fondness for him to stay, with his father even calling him "family," leading to a comical argument between Xu Konglin and Li Bai about who would leave.
Xu Konglin discussed the situation with Li Bai, explaining that his earlier actions, which led to the near-kiss with Xia Er, were a misunderstanding and an attempt to help Chu Yinyin regain her memories. Li Bai admitted his own rashness. They considered the sisters' suspension; Li Bai suggested a strike, but Xu Konglin argued it would only lead to expulsion.
Xu Konglin proposed that if Chu Yinyin could regain her memories, all current problems would be resolved, and the school would no longer be so severe in its judgment. Li Bai agreed to join Xu Konglin in this endeavor to help Chu Yinyin recover her memories. The next morning, Xia Er went to Chu Yinyin's room to apologize. Speaking through the closed door, Xia Er admitted her past mistakes and selfishness, confessing to envying Chu Yinyin.
However, she maintained that her actions were not entirely for her own benefit. Xia Er also shared her happiness at discovering her twin sister, expressing her belief that their parents, wherever they were, would be delighted to see them together. Chu Yinyin remained silent behind the door, listening, while internally wishing she had never left New Southern Vocational School.
