With You Episode 5 Recap
> With You Recap
Zhenhua High School faced a rising challenge as Affiliated Middle School to Normal University declared its intent to surpass Zhenhua within three years. This news sparked a sense of urgency in Director Pan, who called a meeting with his teachers, including Zhang Ping, to emphasize the critical task of competing with their rival school.
Director Pan expressed concern over Class 5's lax attitude and criticized Zhang Ping, stating that "fish begins to rot from the head" and demanded that he find ways to improve the class's overall academic performance. Zhang Ping promised to be strict with his students. Director Pan then instructed Zhang Ping to send Geng Geng to his office. Ahead of the mid-term exams, students were already feeling the pressure.
Some students discussed a competition student who had committed suicide years prior after a bad exam result. Outside the school gates, a grieving mother was seen burning joss paper for her deceased child. Subsequently, some students, including Jiang Niannian, gathered in the classroom, praying to a "God of Exams" for good fortune, with a peach wood sword and offerings. Jiang Niannian even chastised a classmate for disrespecting their ritual.
However, their superstitious activities were interrupted by Zhang Ping, who was displeased to see them "still having fun." He questioned Jiang Niannian about her unfinished quiz from a week ago, reminding the class of their promise to study hard when they swapped seats. He threatened to revert their seating arrangements if they performed poorly in the upcoming mid-term exams.
Geng Geng had previously confessed her worries to a classmate, stating that Director Pan had made her take photos, leaving her no time to study for physics, geography, or math. The classmate challenged whether she would have studied even if she had been in class, and cautioned her against spending too much time with Lu Xinghe, suggesting it might jeopardize her college admission.
Geng Geng had questioned why, to which the classmate replied they would be "even madder" if she continued to do so, urging her to "turn over a new leaf." When Geng Geng finally arrived at Director Pan’s office, he immediately inquired about the photos of the Japanese delegation, which he needed for the education authority and the evening news. Geng Geng fabricated a story about the photo shop's equipment being broken.
Director Pan dismissed her excuse, insisting on getting the crucial group photo. With the first set of photos for the Japanese delegation unusable, Geng Geng was in a bind. Lu Xinghe offered his help. He suggested taking a new group photo of the Japanese delegation and then using darkroom technology to "patch" Director Pan into it later, rather than trying to perfectly composite every individual.
Geng Geng was concerned about gathering all the necessary equipment like reagent, a basin, red light, and a magnifier, but Lu Xinghe insisted they had no other choice but to try. Subsequently, Lu Xinghe approached the Japanese delegation and secured their agreement to retake a group photo. During this retake, a Japanese delegate mentioned that Director Pan often subjected his students to "training on their will," implying his strictness.
Geng Geng attempted to photograph Director Pan discreetly, but she struggled to get a clear focus. Meanwhile, at home, Geng Geng's stepmother, Miss Qi, greeted her warmly, explaining she was on a day off. Later, Geng Geng called her mother, expressing how much she missed her. Her mother playfully questioned if her father or "his new wife" were treating her poorly, but Geng Geng reassured her that everyone was kind and she simply missed her.
Geng Geng's mother later visited her, bringing a new SIM card with prepaid credit, encouraging Geng Geng to use it to contact her if she needed anything she couldn't discuss with her father. Geng Geng affirmed that she didn't lack anything. Later, in a hidden corner of the school, Lu Xinghe led Geng Geng into a deserted women's restroom he had converted into a makeshift darkroom. He demonstrated his equipment and process.
Geng Geng observed that images were inverted due to the convex lens. She joked that Director Pan looked like "Tarzan the ape man" in a test print, suggesting they only develop his head. However, Lu Xinghe dismissed her idea and confidently took the negatives, promising to "fix it," telling her to "have faith in me" if she wanted to avoid trouble. As the mid-term exams approached, Zhang Ping's pressure on the students was palpable.
Geng Geng was given a practice question by Beta, which Beta had copied after finding it in Zhang Ping's office. It turned out to be a difficult competition-level problem. Geng Geng initially struggled, but Yu Huai, who had spotted her, offered to explain how to solve it by drawing a coordinate axis. They also had a brief conversation about Lu Xinghe, with Geng Geng describing him as "special" and "nice" despite their homeroom teacher Mr. Zhang Feng's dislike.
Yu Huai then walked Geng Geng home, and they discovered a shared appreciation for Beyond's music, particularly the song "Life is Wonderful." Yu Huai admitted that he only knew how to play that one song on his harmonica. On the day of the mid-term exams, Geng Geng was surprised to find that the challenging physics question Beta had copied was an exact match to one on the test. After the exam, Director Pan summoned Geng Geng.
Instead of scolding her, he was ecstatic, praising the group photo of the Japanese delegation. He believed Geng Geng had delayed delivering it to surprise him and called it "nicely done." He announced that the evening news would be invited to take pictures. Director Pan publicly credited Lu Xinghe for his work on the photo, but also lightly chided Geng Geng for her "carelessness," playfully noting how her name had become associated with Lu Xinghe as "Geng Geng and Xinghe." Geng Geng, elated by her success in the physics exam, called her mother to excitedly share that she had done "great" and solved the last physics question.
