Your Highness, The Class Monitor Episode 23 Recap
> Your Highness, The Class Monitor Recap
Gu Zi Chen escorted Su Nian Nian to meet his father, Gu Wei Ye, the chairman of Hao Cheng Enterprise, to discuss the competition project. Su Nian Nian was initially unaware of Gu Wei Ye's identity, only realizing it upon their meeting. Gu Wei Ye expressed great fondness for Su Nian Nian. He announced that Hao Cheng was deeply interested in their project and would provide sponsorship.
He also shared plans to expand the competition and create a "green employment channel" for outstanding students to join the company, promising further support for any needs. Both Su Nian Nian and Gu Zi Chen were elated by the news. During their conversation, Gu Wei Ye inquired about Su Nian Nian's academic excellence and questioned why she chose to attend Qun Ying, a decision she attributed to missing a National College Entrance Examination due to an accident.
Su Nian Nian revealed that her parents were also Qun Ying alumni and her father fully supported her enrollment. Intrigued, Gu Wei Ye pressed for her parents' names. Su Nian Nian disclosed her father's name as Su Dazhi and her mother's as Tang Xiaoru, adding that her mother had passed away many years ago. Hearing these names, Gu Wei Ye became visibly agitated and emotional, confirming his suspicion that they were old acquaintances, but deeply shocked by Tang Xiaoru’s death.
Noticing his father’s distress, Gu Zi Chen quickly steered Su Nian Nian away. After leaving, Su Nian Nian playfully chastised Gu Zi Chen for not revealing his father's identity sooner, to which he teasingly replied that she only had eyes for him and he had many more secrets for her to discover.
Meanwhile, Zhao Mingyuan was packing his belongings, having decided to withdraw from school to work full-time and repay the 100,000 yuan debt demanded by the repair shop owner for damages from a previous fight. He visited his younger sister, Xiao Jia, who sadly informed him that their father was drinking again, upsetting their mother.
Zhao Mingyuan instructed Xiao Jia to protect their mother and call him if his father drank, but also asked her not to tell their parents he had visited. His friends, Zhu Cheng and Chen Yuan, tried to dissuade him from leaving, offering to borrow money or combine their savings. When Zhao Mingyuan refused their help, they proposed they all work part-time together, calculating that even with minimum wage and frugal living, it would take them three years and five months.
Zhao Mingyuan insisted they should not sacrifice their studies for him, especially with the promising opportunity of the upcoming competition, and told them to find him at the garage if needed. Later, Ye Xing Yu visited Zhao Mingyuan, asking about his recovering arm and urging him not to feel guilty for the fight. Zhao Mingyuan expressed fatalistic sentiments, feeling cursed and destined to cause trouble, and hinted that finishing four years of university felt "a bit extravagant."
Ye Xing Yu encouraged him to believe in himself and change his destiny. At school, Su Nian Nian excitedly announced the Hao Cheng sponsorship and the "green employment channel," which thrilled most students. However, Zhu Cheng and Chen Yuan declared that their dorm would not be participating, prompting Su Nian Nian to question their decision and the absence of Zhao Mingyuan.
She confided in Gu Zi Chen, lamenting that despite being motivated, her friends were letting go of a rare opportunity, and Gu Zi Chen promised to investigate. When Ye Xing Yu found Zhu Cheng, Chen Yuan, and Zhao Mingyuan discussing their plans, they hastily made up excuses for not joining the competition. Ye Xing Yu directly questioned Zhao Mingyuan, sensing his friends were not telling the full truth.
Zhao Mingyuan tried to deflect, telling Ye Xing Yu not to ask further. Ye Xing Yu, undeterred, encouraged them all to join the competition, extending an open invitation. At home, Zhang Meilin, Gu Zi Chen's mother, received a package containing the results of her investigation into Su Nian Nian's family. Distraught and refusing to eat, she found an old photograph Gu Wei Ye had hidden, depicting Tang Xiaoru, Su Dazhi, and himself.
She recalled how Gu Wei Ye had constantly shed tears while looking at the picture and how he often came home drunk, calling out Tang Xiaoru's name. She revealed to Gu Zi Chen that Tang Xiaoru was Gu Wei Ye's college girlfriend, and they had even planned to marry before Gu Wei Ye married her instead.
This history, combined with Gu Wei Ye's persistent melancholy and secretive behavior, led her to a grave suspicion: Su Nian Nian was Gu Wei Ye's illegitimate daughter. Gu Zi Chen was stunned, remembering his father’s odd reaction during the meeting with Su Nian Nian earlier. He wanted to confront his father, but Zhang Meilin desperately begged him not to, fearing that the revelation would destroy their family and leave her with nothing.
She tearfully pleaded with him to break up with Su Nian Nian. That evening, Gu Zi Chen was supposed to attend Su Dazhi's birthday dinner with Su Nian Nian, having promised to impress her father. However, a frantic phone call from his mother forced him to rush home, leaving Su Nian Nian to celebrate alone with her father, who, despite having prepared a "Formal banquet," insisted on waiting for Gu Zi Chen, calling him a "savior."
Overwhelmed by his mother's plea and the disturbing possibility that Su Nian Nian might be his half-sister, Gu Zi Chen was unable to answer Su Nian Nian's worried calls. He went to a bar, ordering whiskey, as fragmented memories of happy moments with Su Nian Nian flashed through his mind, indicating his struggle to let go. Unable to reach Gu Zi Chen, Su Nian Nian's concern grew.
Meanwhile, Zhang Meilin, still distraught, called Ye Xing Yu, who confirmed Gu Zi Chen was not at school. She then contacted He Mei, admitting they had a "little quarrel" and asking her to find Gu Zi Chen, suggesting he might be at a bar. He Mei reassured her and immediately called Jason for help in locating Gu Zi Chen.
