Episode Summary
In this episode, the younger generation is sent off to university after an emotional farewell dinner. Ying Tao begins her new life, moving into a dorm with three seniors. An initial misunderstanding causes friction between them, but it is soon resolved through a late-night ghost story session and an honest conversation, leading to a new friendship. The episode ends by introducing a new conflict involving one of her roommate's relationship struggles.
Spoiler Alert
"Our Generation" Episode 16
The episode opens with a farewell dinner. As the families send their children off to the next chapter of their lives, the parents give heartfelt speeches. They remind the kids that they are now young adults who must learn to face the world on their own, but that their families will always be their strongest support system. Chen Minghao, who had been studying abroad in Australia, makes a special appearance to see everyone off.
After dinner, Ying Tao and her friends walk Chen Minghao out. Ying Tao is noticeably calm about this goodbye, a stark contrast to her childhood when she would cry inconsolably whenever he left. Du Shang remarks that he wishes she could be as composed when it comes to Jiang Qiaoxi, but Ying Tao admits she can't, simply because he's Jiang Qiaoxi.
The night before Ying Tao is set to leave for university, her mother, Qin Yeyun, sleeps with her. Ying Tao feels a deep sympathy for her mother, who has always kept her worries to herself. The next day, Ying Tao insists on going to the university by herself to register. She is assigned to a dormitory with fourth-year seniors. When she arrives, the room is a mess, and her new roommates are just waking up, scrambling to tidy the place.
After settling in, Ying Tao calls her parents. They express concern upon learning she's rooming with seniors, thinking it would be better to be with classmates her own age. She reassures them not to worry, but after hanging up, her eyes well up with tears.
Ying Tao applies herself diligently during the mandatory military training, earning praise from the instructor. However, her dorm life gets off to a rocky start. Returning to her room one day, she overhears her senior roommates saying they wouldn't want a roommate like her. Feeling singled out, she quietly waits downstairs until the dorm lights go out before heading back. Later that night, the seniors try to spook her by telling ghost stories. Unfazed, Ying Tao turns the tables by telling a genuinely scary story that frightens them instead. She texts Jiang Qiaoxi to tell him about her day.
The tension breaks when one of the seniors, too scared to go to the restroom alone, asks Ying Tao to come with her. Back in the room, they all finally have a heart-to-heart talk. It turns out Ying Tao had misunderstood their earlier conversation. The seniors were actually worried that their messy habits would scare her off, and that she wouldn't want them as roommates. The ghost story session was their awkward attempt to bond with her.
With the misunderstanding cleared, Ying Tao begins to grow closer to her new friends. She learns about one of them, Sisi, who is having trouble with her boyfriend. With graduation looming, they have conflicting plans; he wants to return to his hometown in Shandong, while she wants to go back to Jiangsu. Neither is willing to compromise. The conflict comes to a head when Sisi's boyfriend waits for her with a bouquet of flowers below their dorm. She goes down, speaks to him briefly, and then runs back upstairs in distress, leaving Ying Tao and the others unsure of how to comfort her.
