When We Were Young Episode 25 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
After Chu Yinyin’s impromptu piano performance, she and Xu Konglin left the concert hall. Meanwhile, Li Bai had stopped Xia Er from attending the concert, instead taking her to an amusement park. Xia Er was frustrated about missing the event, but Li Bai teased her about her punk-rock attire, claiming she wouldn't have been let in anyway. While walking, they bought colorful wigs, with Xia Er choosing green and Li Bai purple, which made them look quite comical.
Xia Er felt a sense of unfamiliarity with her old style, realizing how challenging it must have been for Chu Yinyin to live her life in New Southern. Li Bai reassured her that Chu Yinyin had returned to her normal life, but cautioned that Li Nike would likely continue to cause trouble, urging them to be careful.
Back at school, Li Bai was chatting with a hacker on his phone when Teacher Lan approached Xia Er, mistaking her for Chu Yinyin and urging her to hurry to the Ivy League direct admission interview. This was how Xia Er and Li Bai learned that Chu Yinyin was missing. To avoid any issues, Li Bai asked Xia Er to pretend to be Chu Yinyin in the waiting area.
Li Bai, accompanied by Teacher Shi, then went to the girls' dormitory to find Chu Yinyin. Xu Konglin, upon learning Chu Yinyin was absent from the waiting area, immediately rushed off to look for her. In the waiting area, Xia Er, posing as Chu Yinyin, was quickly recognized by Li Nike, who challenged her identity and expressed disbelief at her presence. Xia Er, suspicious of Li Nike's confident accusation, questioned if Li Nike already knew Chu Yinyin wouldn't be there.
Other students in the waiting area noticed the commotion, and Li Nike then accused Xia Er of causing problems and implicating Xu Konglin, who was also missing. Meanwhile, at Chu Yinyin's dormitory, the dorm manager, acting on Li Bai's request, persistently knocked on Chu Yinyin's door, eventually waking her from a deep sleep. Chu Yinyin had overslept, with a half-finished glass of milk on her desk from the night before.
Xu Konglin arrived just as Chu Yinyin woke up, giving her chewing gum to freshen up before rushing her to the interview room. However, Teacher Shi blocked their entry, citing their tardiness and disregard for rules. Teacher Lu attempted to intercede, but Teacher Shi was unyielding. Just then, Teacher Lan strategically led a group of students in loud exercises near the building, distracting Teacher Shi.
Seizing the opportunity, Chu Yinyin and Xu Konglin, with a subtle nod from Teacher Lu, dashed into the interview room. Teacher Shi, agitated by Teacher Lan's actions, began to reprimand him, while Teacher Lu subtly defended her students and questioned Teacher Shi's motives for hindering them. After the interview, Li Bai found Xia Er. They realized Chu Yinyin's oversleeping was suspicious and strongly suspected Li Nike was behind it.
When Chu Yinyin later recalled setting an alarm that never rang, her suspicion solidified. Li Bai then informed Xia Er that the hacker, after some persuasion and payment, confirmed Li Nike had hired him. He jokingly added that he had posed as Li Nike's boyfriend to get the information, which also implicitly verified Li Nike's involvement. Xia Er decided to take action to expose Li Nike. Xia Er went to Chu Yinyin's dormitory, pretending to be Chu Yinyin.
Chu Yinyin's roommate, Wang Tingting, appeared nervous. Xia Er, playing along, thanked her for the milk from the previous night and casually mentioned she hadn't wanted to attend the interview anyway. Wang Tingting, believing she was talking to Chu Yinyin, quickly confessed that it wasn't her idea and that Li Nike had instructed her to tamper with the alarm. She even offered to return the beauty card Li Nike had given her.
Unbeknownst to Wang Tingting, Xia Er secretly recorded the conversation and sent the audio to Chu Yinyin and Xu Konglin, who were in class. Upon hearing the recording, both of them immediately looked towards Li Nike. Li Bai and Xu Konglin discussed the recording. Xu Konglin believed Li Nike wasn't inherently bad and advised against a direct confrontation without more conclusive evidence of bribery, suggesting they needed Wang Tingting to testify.
Li Nike, who was secretly following them, overheard their conversation. Feeling cornered, she immediately found Wang Tingting, explained Xia Er's deception, and instructed her on a new plan to follow. Later, Chu Yinyin and Xu Konglin met with Wang Tingting, intending for her to clarify the situation. However, Wang Tingting, following Li Nike's new instructions, produced a handful of beauty cards and accused Chu Yinyin of bribing her to frame Li Nike.
Just as she finished, Li Nike arrived with a group of students, publicly accusing Chu Yinyin of trying to set her up. Many students believed Li Nike, turning public opinion against Chu Yinyin. Li Bai and Xia Er were enraged and wanted immediate revenge, but Xu Konglin and Chu Yinyin argued that Li Nike's actions stemmed from recklessness rather than malice and that forgiveness was the best approach. Xia Er strongly disagreed, criticizing their tendency to forgive everything.
In a moment of frustration, Chu Yinyin retorted that she had also forgiven Xia Er for impersonating her. The comment created an awkward silence. Eventually, Xia Er reluctantly agreed to try to resolve the conflict peacefully. Xu Konglin later reassured Chu Yinyin that Xia Er understood she hadn't meant to hurt her with the remark. That evening, Chu Yinyin sent Xia Er a text message apologizing for her earlier comment.
Xia Er accepted her apology, and they talked about how life at Qing Teng had been surprisingly more challenging than New Southern due to constant interpersonal conflicts. They agreed to be more accepting of others and decided to visit Xia Er's father together over the weekend.
Meanwhile, after an earlier conversation with Xu Konglin where Li Bai expressed his concern that Li Nike would not give up easily, Li Bai’s mother, Chen Jiaojiao, picked him up from school and they went to Xu Konglin’s house. At Xu Konglin’s house, Chen Jiaojiao chatted warmly with Xu Konglin’s parents, making general observations about Li Nike’s spoiled nature.
Li Bai, seeking advice from Xu Konglin’s father about how to pursue a girl, was told simply to "boldly say it if you love someone." Later that night, Chen Jiaojiao and Li Bai had a heart-to-heart conversation. Li Bai expressed his exhaustion with her constant pursuit of new relationships and longing for a stable, complete family like Xu Konglin’s. Chen Jiaojiao, tearfully, apologized for not providing him with such a family, confessing her deep fear of being alone.
The next day, Chu Yinyin, Xia Er, Li Bai, and Xu Konglin went to visit Xia Er's father, Xia Jianguo, at the retirement home. Despite his dementia, Xia Jianguo recognized Xia Er and correctly identified her as the older sister and Chu Yinyin as the younger sister. The caretaker then revealed that Xia Jianguo had previously spoken about twins, a photo, and an orphanage, indicating he had always known about Chu Yinyin's adoption.
Chu Yinyin was heartbroken that her father had kept this secret but affirmed that he was still her father. Li Bai presented a donation from his mother and conveyed her offer for Xia Jianguo to move back to the city with them. Before leaving, they all gathered for a group photo to create new memories with Xia Jianguo.
