When We Were Young Episode 26 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
Under his father's instruction, Li Bai decided to act on his feelings. He strode into the classroom and, in front of the entire class, confessed his love to Xia Er. At the same time, Xu Konglin, who was helping Li Bai, entered holding a bouquet of roses. Students mistakenly believed that Xu Konglin was also trying to confess to Xia Er. Feeling overwhelmed and embarrassed, Xia Er rushed out of the classroom, with Li Bai quickly following her.
Li Bai caught up to Xia Er and, despite her initial embarrassment and calls for him to stop, seriously conveyed his feelings. He told her that he knew she was unique from the first day he saw her, an innocent and genuine person, unlike anyone else in the school, and that he liked her for being herself. Xia Er, however, questioned if these words were truly for her and not Chu Yinyin.
Li Bai reassured her, stating unequivocally that his feelings were "Just you. Xia Er." Xia Er then expressed her concern about her eventual departure for New Southern Vocational School, asking, "What if I disappear one day?" Li Bai promised he would not let her out of his sight and would follow her wherever he went. Despite his heartfelt declaration, Xia Er internally wrestled with the promise, considering it unrealistic and acknowledging that they came from "two different worlds."
She also internally critiqued Xu Konglin for not daring to eat chicken feet and Chu Yinyin for constantly stirring up trouble. She realized she couldn't allow herself to become too attached to the people there before she had to leave. Meanwhile, Xu Konglin was left standing awkwardly with the bouquet Li Bai had given him. He encountered Ms. Lu in the hallway, who inquired about the flowers. Thinking quickly, Xu Konglin claimed that Mr. Lan had sent them to her.
Later, Mr. Lan saw the flowers on Ms. Lu's desk. Believing Ms. Lu had received them from someone else and was flaunting them, he sarcastically congratulated her, criticizing the "lame" and "out-dated" gesture of sending red roses. Ms. Lu, realizing the flowers were not from Mr. Lan as Xu Konglin had implied, was left confused by the situation. Later, Chu Yinyin and Xia Er invited Li Nike to dinner.
Chu Yinyin genuinely hoped to reconcile, expressing that after this meal, all past misunderstandings and unpleasantness would vanish. Li Nike feigned agreement, secretly plotting after noticing surveillance cameras in the restaurant. During the meal, Chu Yinyin chose dishes she thought Li Nike would enjoy and apologized for any past wrongs, offering a toast to their renewed friendship. Li Nike accepted her apology and reciprocated, promising to treat them next time.
After the meal, Li Nike claimed to feel unwell and asked Chu Yinyin and Xia Er to accompany her to the restroom. Once inside, Li Nike insisted her stomach was bothering her and told them to leave first, assuring them she would be fine and her father's chauffeur would pick her up.
Concerned, Chu Yinyin and Xia Er offered to wait or take her to the hospital, but Li Nike repeatedly urged them to go, saying they would "see you tomorrow at school." Believing her, they left. The next day, Chu Yinyin and Xia Er discovered Li Nike's true intentions. Ms. Shi summoned them to the principal's office, where they were shown a video from the restaurant.
The footage depicted Chu Yinyin and Xia Er entering and leaving the restroom, and then, after they had gone, Li Nike emerged with injuries on her face, claiming the sisters had assaulted her. The girls were astonished, vehemently denying any wrongdoing. However, Ms. Shi accused them of having ulterior motives, causing harm, and taking inappropriate photos and videos of Li Nike.
She threatened them with legal action and suggested that Chu Yinyin's interview for the Ivy League program be canceled due to the school's reputation being at stake. The principal noted that while the video showed their presence and Li Nike's injuries, he had not yet reached a definitive conclusion regarding the assault, stating that the evidence presented was based on footage and student accounts whose veracity was still undetermined. He decided to call their parents.
News of the incident spread rapidly throughout the school. Shangguan Na, among others, publicly denounced Chu Yinyin and Xia Er, calling them "shameless" for allegedly hitting Li Nike and taking inappropriate photos. Li Bai defended the sisters, urging Shangguan Na to stop spreading rumors and criticizing Li Nike. Inside the principal's office, Ms. Lu tried to defend Chu Yinyin and Xia Er, asserting their innocence, but Ms. Shi accused her of bias.
When their mother, Chu Mingzhu, arrived, Chu Yinyin and Xia Er explained they had done nothing wrong and were being framed. Chu Mingzhu assured them of her belief and unwavering support. Li Nike's father then arrived, addressing Chu Mingzhu as "the mother of the perpetrators." He suggested a private settlement that would involve Chu Yinyin and Xia Er transferring schools. Chu Mingzhu adamantly refused, declaring that her innocent daughters would not be forced to transfer.
She challenged Li Nike's father to pursue legal action, insisting on a police report to thoroughly investigate how Li Nike sustained her injuries and clear her daughters' names. Li Nike's father agreed to call his lawyer. At that moment, Li Nike, visibly injured, walked into the office and pleaded with her father not to call the police, stating she didn't want the "whole world to know." Li Nike's father, however, remained determined to have the "perpetrators" punished.
Chu Mingzhu stood firm, emphasizing that her daughters' reputations were at stake and that they would fully cooperate until the truth was revealed. Later, Xu Konglin confronted Li Nike about the surveillance video, pointing out that without police cooperation, she shouldn't have been able to obtain it. Li Nike claimed the restaurant manager took pity on her.
When Xu Konglin also mentioned having discovered that she hired a hacker to infiltrate Chu Yinyin's Weibo, Li Nike feigned ignorance and tried to leave. Xu Konglin pressed her further, even asking if she was responsible for Chu Yinyin's amnesia, but Leng Shao intervened, telling Xu Konglin to release Li Nike and questioning his harshness towards her. Li Nike, distressed, insisted she knew nothing and simply wanted the matter to conclude quickly without involving the police.
Xia Er sent a lengthy text message to Leng Shao, detailing the situation. After a brief playful exchange with Qi Xiaoer, Leng Shao learned the full story and immediately decided to help, with Qi Xiaoer also offering assistance. Concurrently, Li Bai and Xu Konglin went to the restaurant to investigate. They questioned a waiter about the incident and whether someone had obtained surveillance video. The waiter was evasive, citing customer privacy and directing them to the police, raising Xu Konglin and Li Bai's suspicions.
