When We Were Young Episode 8 Recap
> When We Were Young Recap
Elite International Academy’s sports meet commenced. Before the 3,000-meter race, students expressed frustration about girls having to compete, fearing it would lower their class's average score, specifically mentioning Xu Konglin. They collectively prayed for "Chu Yinyin." In the 3,000-meter race, Xia Er, representing the experimental class, initially lagged behind. Li Nike, positioned on the trackside, instructed Nana to observe "Chu Yinyin" (Xia Er) and play her part, emphasizing that competition was paramount, and friendship secondary.
An opposing runner taunted Xia Er, but Xia Er remained focused, telling the runner not to negatively affect her performance. As Xia Er began her sprint, Nana, following Li Nike's subtle cue, tripped her. Xia Er fell hard, her leg bleeding. Li Bai and Xu Konglin rushed to her side, and Xu Konglin expressed concern. Xia Er, however, inwardly acknowledged Xu Konglin's continued care for Chu Yinyin.
Resolved to endure for the truth, she pushed him away, declared she was fine, and bravely resumed the race. Defying her injury, she overtook most competitors and won first place, setting a new women's record. After the race, Xia Er approached Xu Konglin, asking if he would be willing to continue searching for answers with her if she won first place in all her events. Xu Konglin smiled and nodded, promising his support.
Li Nike, observing Xia Er’s surprising victory, remarked to Nana that "Chu Yinyin" must be "possessed" and wondered how it was possible. Nana added that "Chu Yinyin" seemed to have become stronger after being wounded, noting how her intelligence had plummeted while her sports abilities soared, contrasting this with her usual delicate appearance where she seemed able to "break a bone whenever she took a couple of steps."
Meanwhile, at the New South Vocational School’s sports meet, the original Chu Yinyin struggled in her 3,000-meter race. She was the last to finish, running ten minutes after the second-to-last person, and openly lamented being signed up for so many events by Li Nike. Her performance remained poor in the javelin and long jump. During the high jump, she accidentally struck the bar, which then hit her head, causing her to faint.
Back at Elite International Academy, Xia Er also collapsed from exhaustion during the high jump competition. Xu Konglin was the first to rush to her, carrying her to the medical room. As she regained consciousness in his arms, Xia Er reflected on his consistent rescues, feeling satisfied by his actions regardless of whether they were for her or Chu Yinyin. The doctor confirmed Xia Er was fine but needed rest due to overexertion.
Xia Er, however, wanted to return to the competition, feeling she hadn't achieved her goal. Xu Konglin gently stopped her, stating she had done very well and needed to rest. He then confirmed their plan to go to the library together on Sunday to find the answers. Xia Er secretly acknowledged the great effort she was making for Chu Yinyin.
Li Bai and other friends offered their unwavering support, with Li Bai proclaiming he would stand by her side even if the entire world opposed her. Thanks to Xia Er's exceptional performance, the experimental class secured many medals. Ms. Lu proudly displayed the results to Mr. Lan, boasting that their class led with "Experimental class 15: Normal class 6." Mr. Lan, however, remained unconvinced, finding "Chu Yinyin's" sudden athletic prowess "unreal" and hinting at a deeper issue.
Ms. Lu insisted he simply wouldn't admit her progress. Later, Li Nike confronted Xu Konglin, questioning his continued help to Yin Yin in finding "non-existent evidence." She reminded him of the answer to the first question, "lost the other party forever," and suggested Chu Yinyin was merely blaming him. Xu Konglin maintained that it was his own problem and he could handle it.
Li Nike also offered to help, though Li Bai, present at the time, humorously declined to persuade Xu Konglin on her behalf, stating he wouldn't do so just because she asked. Li Nike further argued that everyone believed Xu Konglin had changed since "Chu Yin Yin's" return, describing "Chu Yin Yin" as "weird" and not her former self, especially concerning the "evidence thing."
Xu Konglin calmly told Li Nike that he understood her concerns but urged her to "understand Yin Yin more," emphasizing that "no matter what she becomes, she is still Yin Yin." He told her that he and others would handle "future matters" and she should "not be involved anymore." Before he left, Li Nike confessed her long-standing affection for him, saying she had liked him for over ten years and found it impossible he didn't know.
She expressed her frustration, asking why he continued to like Chu Yinyin even if she was an "idiot" and if there was "only her" in his heart. Xu Konglin responded by suggesting she didn't truly like him but merely wanted to "go against Yin Yin." He advised her to "let the past be the past" and stop "making things hard for her." Li Nike was deeply hurt, questioning why he wouldn't believe her.
Meanwhile, Xu Konglin reviewed old photos and notes, attempting to reconstruct Chu Yinyin's past. He meticulously listed their favorite park (Hebing Park), her favorite playwright (Dario Fo), their preferred library seating (fifth and sixth seats from the left in the second last row), the first album he gave her (Chopin's Waltz), and their dream destination ("End of the world in Sri Lanka"). He then sent these details to Chu Yinyin via WeChat, hoping these reminders would trigger her memories.
The next day, as Xia Er was preparing for her date with Xu Konglin, she asked her younger sister, Xiao Mei, to prepare a specific lunch box and also asked for a pair of scissors. Deciding to get them herself from the study room, she stumbled upon Chu Mingzhu's physical examination report. Her eyes fell on the "Blood Type: AB" entry.
This immediately made Xia Er recall Chu Mingzhu's previous implied claim of having O blood type and the incident where Chu Mingzhu had pulled her hair, ostensibly for a "hair treatment." Xia Er realized the significance of the blood type discrepancy: if Chu Mingzhu was indeed AB, and Chu Yinyin (who shares Xia Er's O blood type) was her daughter, it would be genetically impossible.
She connected this revelation to the second security question, suspecting a deeper family secret and that Chu Mingzhu had perhaps suspected her true identity long ago. Xia Er quickly asked Xiao Mei if their mother usually got health checks at the medical center, to which Xiao Mei explained that Dr. Liu only handled treatments, not regular checkups. Declining Xiao Mei's offer to schedule a checkup for her, Xia Er excused herself, leaving Xiao Mei with the prepared lunch box.
Xu Konglin, waking up, found a note from his parents wishing him a happy date with Chu Yinyin. He dressed up and waited at the library for Xia Er, but she never arrived. He tried calling her, but her phone was off. Xia Er, having discovered Chu Mingzhu's secret, abandoned the date to pursue her newfound suspicions. Instead, Xia Er, donning a hat and sunglasses, returned to the New South Vocational School.
There, she encountered Liu Qiang and his gang confronting a group of students, including Chu Yinyin and Xiao Er, demanding money and calling them "losers." A skirmish ensued, and Liu Qiang's gang chased the fleeing students. Xia Er pulled Xiao Er aside, to Xiao Er's surprise, who immediately commented on Xia Er's different clothes. Xia Er urgently asked if she had truly lost her memories and if anything strange had happened since then.
Xiao Er, puzzled by Xia Er's current "strange" behavior and her apparent forgetting of her memory loss, confirmed that Liu Qiang had been constantly after them for money. Xiao Er explained that when she found Xia Er in the hospital after the memory loss, the circumstances were unclear, as there were no CCTVs at the school gate to capture what happened. They were interrupted again by Liu Qiang's gang and had to run.
Later, back in the dorm, Xiao Er saw Chu Yinyin (the original) in yet another different outfit, intensifying her confusion. She couldn't reconcile seeing what appeared to be two "Xia Ers" (or Chu Yinyins) in different clothes within a short span, wondering if she had seen a "clone." Her friends dismissed her concerns, suggesting she was overthinking and encouraging her to focus on more "useful things" like playing a mobile game called "Pai Pai."
Xia Er met with Li Bai, expressing her frustration about the unanswered questions. She recounted the first two answers to him: Xu Konglin's "betrayal" and Chu Mingzhu's blood type being AB while Chu Yinyin (and Xia Er) is O, which puzzled Li Bai. She then asked for his help with the third question, a sequence of numbers: "3-28-36." Li Bai speculated about patterns, upside-down English letters, and even Morse Code, but none of his attempts yielded a coherent answer.
As evening fell, Li Bai walked Xia Er back to her dormitory. He tried to reassure her, saying that if they didn't give up, "the heavens would definitely help them!" In a playful mood, Li Bai tugged at Xia Er's hair, and they engaged in a lighthearted scuffle, with Li Bai dramatically complaining about his waist. Unbeknownst to them, Xu Konglin, who had waited fruitlessly at the library all day, witnessed this scene from a distance. Misinterpreting their playful interaction, he turned and walked away, his face clouded with disappointment.
