Episode Summary
A rumor about Lin Yingtao and Yu Qiao dating is started by a classmate, causing chaos at school and straining their friendships. The fallout reveals that Yingtao is the girl who wrote letters to Jiang Qiaoxi. While Yingtao reassures a worried Jiang Qiaoxi, her, Yu Qiao's, and Cai Fangyuan's grades drop significantly, landing them in academic trouble and facing the threat of being moved to a different class.
Spoiler Alert
"Our Generation" Episode 7 Spoilers: Rumors and Consequences
The episode kicks off with Lin Yingtao and Yu Qiao having breakfast with their parents. The families, all former colleagues from the mountain community, share a close bond. They laugh off any possibility of their children being in a relationship, remembering fondly how Yingtao always used to protect Yu Qiao when they were little.
Yingtao suspects that someone deliberately snitched on her for meeting with Jiang Qiaoxi. Yu Qiao investigates and realizes the test paper he used to arrange the meeting has vanished. He quickly deduces that Fei Linge must have stolen it, a suspicion confirmed by the hushed gossip from Cen Xiaoman and her friends. After school, Yu Qiao tricks Fei Linge into following him, but Cen Xiaoman, worried for Fei Linge's safety, tails them. In a twist of fate, Yingtao, also looking for answers, accidentally kicks Fei Linge to the ground as he opens a door. She confronts him, but he denies everything before Cen Xiaoman hurries him away.
The situation escalates when Fei Linge takes a photo of Yu Qiao and Yingtao from their trip to the aquarium to a teacher, officially accusing them of being in an "early love" relationship. Yu Qiao finally understands the strange looks he and Yingtao have been getting from their classmates. Their mothers are called to the school, where they explain that the two are like brother and sister and have grown up together. Outside the classroom, Yu Qiao’s mom loudly reminds him to take good care of his "sister" Yingtao, much to his embarrassment. The rumor also forces another secret into the open: everyone now knows that Yingtao is "Lin Qile," the girl who wrote letters to Jiang Qiaoxi. Yu Qiao nearly gets into a fight when he overhears some girls gossiping about Yingtao and Jiang Qiaoxi.
Determined to see Jiang Qiaoxi, Yingtao tries to rally her friends to go with her to his training camp. After most of them back out, Yu Qiao and Cai Fangyuan are cornered into joining her. Meanwhile, at the camp, Jiang Qiaoxi has already heard the rumors and is deeply worried. He's shocked when Yingtao appears, having snuck onto the campus. When a security guard spots them, Yu Qiao creates a diversion, drawing the guard away so Yingtao can talk to Jiang Qiaoxi. Using a kitten and a rabbit as metaphors for themselves, Yingtao assures him that she is strong enough to handle the situation and tells him not to worry. Seeing her resilience, Jiang Qiaoxi feels relieved.
The drama takes a toll on their academics. In the monthly exams, Yingtao ranks fifth from the bottom, and Cai Fangyuan is third from last. Yu Qiao's grades have plummeted, landing him fifteenth from the bottom. When a classmate suggests that Yu Qiao should stay away from Yingtao because she's dragging his scores down, Yu Qiao shoves him. The incident lands them in the teacher's office.
The teacher advises Yingtao to spend less time with boys to avoid fueling more gossip. However, Yingtao stands her ground, stating that her conscience is clear because her friends are like family to her. The teacher, unable to persuade her, warns her not to let her grades suffer further. The school has a rule: the bottom fifteen students must attend remedial classes, and those who don't improve risk being moved out of the prestigious Class 18. Yingtao promises she will study hard and abide by the school's regulations.
