With You Episode 21 Recap
> With You Recap
Geng Geng arrived in Beijing with her parents to start school. Her friend, Jiang Niannian, who was already studying in Beijing, met them at the airport. Jiang Niannian had been impatiently waiting, having called Geng Geng earlier to ask about her whereabouts. After a warm hug, they went to eat. Jiang Niannian noticed a checkmark drawn on Geng Geng’s arm, which Geng Geng revealed Yu Huai had drawn as a lucky symbol.
Geng Geng asked about class gossip, and Jiang Niannian shared that Zhang Ping was now dating Shen Tong. Geng Geng expressed her surprise, while Jiang Niannian tried to appear unaffected, declaring she had moved on from her past feelings for Zhang Ping. Meanwhile, Yu Huai had successfully enrolled in Peking University and was preparing for a physics competition, for which he had entered a closed training program.
His mother had emphasized the importance of this competition, telling him it was a make-or-break moment. Upon entering the training facility, he was informed that parents were not allowed inside due to strict rules. He met his roommates, Fan Bin, Zhou Mo, and Zhao Shi. Fan Bin noticed the checkmark on Yu Huai's arm, mistaking it for a tattoo, but Yu Huai fiercely protected it, stating that Geng Geng had drawn it.
In a phone call with Geng Geng, Yu Huai tried to downplay the pressure of being surrounded by elites, promising they would call each other daily for encouragement. However, soon after, Mr. Wang, the strict instructor, collected everyone's cellphones, making it impossible for Yu Huai to contact Geng Geng. Unable to concentrate in class, he even struggled with simple homework problems in the dorm.
During a practice exam, Yu Huai was shocked to discover they only had twenty minutes to complete the paper, a stark contrast to the slower pace of high school tests. Mr. Wang stressed that as competition participants, they should answer such questions effortlessly, adding that their routine would now consist only of eating, sleeping, and studying. After successfully passing the first-round exam for the directing department, Geng Geng received a congratulatory call from Yu Huai.
She was surprised to find Chen Xuejun, a former classmate, also taking an exam there, this time for the acting department. Chen Xuejun asked why Geng Geng chose directing, to which Geng Geng admitted she mostly wanted to attend university in Beijing, seeing it as the nation’s cultural and economic center.
Chen Xuejun, who was trying out for acting for fun after being offered a leading role by a friend, joked that she only had a pretty face, while Geng Geng responded, "I can only direct since I neither know stuff nor have a pretty face." Later, Lu Xinghe took Geng Geng to the Central Academy of Drama to observe rehearsals, which he suggested would help her with her second-round acting exam.
He explained his philosophy on acting, comparing the detailed preparatory work to Da Vinci's numerous drafts before a painting was finalized. Lu Xinghe invited Geng Geng to dinner, but she declined, explaining that she hadn't had a proper meal with her family and her mother had an early flight the next morning, so she wanted to spend time with her.
Lu Xinghe was visibly disappointed, noting that he wouldn't see her again for a while as his class was going on a painting tour. As he dropped her off, he asked if she still liked her old deskmate. Geng Geng confessed that she had hoped a new life in Beijing would change her feelings.
Lu Xinghe then expressed his happiness at seeing her doing well in Beijing, to which Geng Geng replied that she was also very happy to see him. Lu Xinghe then spontaneously kissed her forehead, leaving Geng Geng flustered as she rushed into the school building, her heart pounding. Unable to contact Geng Geng by phone due to his confiscated device, Yu Huai desperately tried to repair a broken public phone on the street. Meanwhile, Geng Geng entered her acting exam.
The theme for her group was "waiting for someone important at a bus station." As the other students improvised, complaining about the wait, Geng Geng’s phone unexpectedly rang, and she answered it. It was Yu Huai, calling from the public phone. The connection was noisy, but Geng Geng's emotions poured out as she scolded him for his absence, reminding him of their promise to encourage each other.
She tearfully admitted she missed him, urging him to do well as she admired him. The examiners, witnessing her emotional outburst, mistakenly believed it was part of her improvised performance. One examiner commented on the romantic "Geng Geng Yu Huai" (a Chinese idiom meaning "to hold a grudge") pun, asking if Yu Huai was her imaginary boyfriend.
Geng Geng clarified that Yu Huai was not her boyfriend and that she had genuinely received a phone call, apologizing for breaking the rules but explaining that she just wanted to encourage a classmate who was about to take an important exam. She was then dismissed from the room. Later, Geng Geng called Yu Huai, leaving a message that she had failed her exam and wishing him luck. Despite her hopes for him, Yu Huai also failed his competition.
His mother expressed her disappointment, questioning if she (or others) had truly understood him and lamenting that more pressure had been added instead of relieved. Yu Huai was left contemplating his failures, questioning his talent, and feeling immense exhaustion and guilt, especially towards Geng Geng.
