When We Were Young Episode 27 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
Xu Konglin and Li Bai waited late into the night for a waitress named Tingting to finish her shift at a restaurant. Tingting, holding an adult self-study book, insisted she knew nothing about the incident involving Chu Yinyin and Xia Er. Xu Konglin, recognizing her dedication to self-study despite leaving school, appealed to her sense of ambition, urging her to speak the truth for Chu Yinyin and Xia Er's dreams, suggesting she wouldn't want to see their futures ruined.
However, Tingting refused to cooperate, maintaining her ignorance and threatening to call the police if they continued to press her. Upon returning home, Xu Konglin shared the details of the situation with his parents and Li Bai's mother. His father immediately suspected Li Nike was the orchestrator, attributing her manipulative behavior to her father's unchecked indulgence.
Li Bai's mother expressed deep concern that Chu Yinyin and Xia Er might face expulsion and volunteered to join Xu Konglin's parents in the search for witnesses to clear their names. The effort to find witnesses expanded rapidly. Qi Xiao Er and Leng Shao were already actively looking when Liu Qiang and Du Zizi unexpectedly offered their help. Liu Qiang, despite his past dealings with Xia Er regarding debts, firmly believed she was not capable of bullying or violence.
Du Zizi echoed his sentiment, affirming Xia Er's inherent kindness and asserting that she was being falsely accused. They even enlisted the help of their friends to aid in the search. Meanwhile, in the experimental class, Nana and other female students gathered to discuss the alleged assault on Li Nike, unanimously blaming Chu Yinyin and Xia Er. Li Nike, seated nearby, listened, a subtle, cold smile playing on her lips, observing the unfolding drama she had orchestrated.
On their way to school, Xia Er confided in Li Bai, expressing a profound nostalgia for her time at New Southern, where disputes were handled fairly and openly, unlike the hidden schemes prevalent at Qing Teng. Li Bai comforted her, urging her to remain hopeful and promising to exhaust all efforts to find witnesses and vindicate both her and Chu Yinyin.
Xia Er later received a phone call from Qi Xiao Er, who shared the welcome news of Liu Qiang and Du Zizi's support, which deeply touched Xia Er. Xu Konglin's parents and Li Bai's mother subsequently visited the principal, demanding a fair and thorough investigation. Li Bai's mother introduced herself as the parent of a new transfer student.
They emphasized that Chu Yinyin and Xia Er were good children and that the school, which values student character, should not rush to judgment based solely on Li Nike's accusations. They urged the principal to handle the matter impartially. During class, Qi Xiao Er received a video from a neighbor who had captured a peculiar scene. The video showed Li Nike in a bathroom, carefully applying makeup to her face to simulate injuries, creating the appearance of being beaten.
Realizing the truth, Qi Xiao Er promptly sent the video to Xia Er. Xia Er then presented the video to Ms. Lu, who was visibly saddened and dismayed by Li Nike's calculated deception. Xia Er also revealed Li Nike's previous sabotage of Chu Yinyin's interview. Despite their anger, Chu Yinyin and Xia Er decided not to publicize Li Nike's actions, content with simply proving their innocence and respecting Ms. Lu's concern for Li Nike's future.
Ms. Lu, in turn, promised to handle the matter discreetly. Xu Konglin and Li Bai, having independently investigated, also uncovered evidence of Li Nike's scheme. They discovered she had hired a hacker to manipulate Chu Yinyin's Weibo account, fabricating posts and backdating them to make it seem as though Chu Yinyin had publicly revealed sensitive family information before her disappearance. Armed with this knowledge and the video, they confronted Li Nike.
Faced with irrefutable evidence, Li Nike confessed to everything: hacking Chu Yinyin's Weibo, revealing the identity switch, bribing Wang Tingting to disrupt Chu Yinyin's interview, and orchestrating the restaurant incident. However, she deflected blame onto Chu Yinyin, claiming that her constant feelings of inferiority and living in Chu Yinyin's shadow, coupled with Chu Yinyin's perceived arrogance, had forced her to act. She believed that everyone would always side with Chu Yinyin regardless.
Xu Konglin felt pity for Li Nike, recognizing the destructive power of her insecurity. Li Bai questioned if Li Nike was also responsible for Chu Yinyin's amnesia, but Li Nike vehemently denied involvement, expressing her own confusion about Chu Yinyin's memory loss. She reiterated that she was coerced into her actions and did not seek forgiveness, still holding Chu Yinyin responsible for her transformation. Xu Konglin reminded her that Chu Yinyin and Xia Er were willing to reconcile.
Li Nike then offered an apology for her past actions. Later, Chu Yinyin and Xia Er discussed the matter with Xu Konglin, reaffirming their decision not to publicly expose Li Nike. They stated that a clear conscience was enough and they did not require anyone's forgiveness. Chu Yinyin, however, still puzzled over how she knew she had a younger sister in New Southern before her memory loss, recalling Li Nike's mention of geographical coordinates on her Weibo.
The principal convened a meeting with Chu Mingzhu and Li Nike's father to resolve the situation. Li Nike's father offered a heartfelt apology for his daughter's misdeeds, proposing financial compensation and pleading for forgiveness. Chu Mingzhu accepted his apology but clarified that money was not the issue. She advised Li Nike's father to prioritize communication with his daughter over scolding her, emphasizing that children need parental time and interaction more than material possessions.
Ms. Lu also apologized for her oversight as their homeroom teacher. The principal agreed not to revoke Chu Yinyin's interview and suggested offering Li Nike a fair opportunity, respecting Chu Yinyin and Xia Er's willingness to forgive. Li Nike's father decided to have his daughter stay home for a couple of days to guide her. However, he then disclosed that Li Nike had not returned to her dormitory the previous night and her phone was switched off.
News of Li Nike's disappearance quickly spread, causing widespread concern. Her distressed father considered calling the police but was informed that Li Nike was an adult and it had been less than 24 hours. Chu Mingzhu offered to deploy her staff to aid in the search for Li Nike, and Ms. Lu instructed students to check her usual haunts. In the experimental class, Nana openly blamed Chu Yinyin and Xia Er for Li Nike's disappearance, speculating that Li Nike had gone into hiding due to the pressure they exerted.
