Episode Summary
In this episode, Gu Xuejiao navigates post-military training life, facing romantic advances from Yi Tianyu and a surprise birthday celebration from Lin Zhihua, which stirs up conflicting emotions about her mission to change her destiny.Academically, she struggles, failing to get an English exemption and being rejected from a crucial elective lab due to her low grades, leading her to vow to prove herself. Meanwhile, Gu Mingze's attempts to reconnect with a bitter Zhou Shiyun end with him being drunkenly pushed home in a trash can.
Spoiler Alert
With military training over, Gu Xuejiao and Yi Tianyu join Sun Tiantian for a meal at the dessert shop where she works. Yi Tianyu tries to ask Xuejiao on a date, but she dismisses all his ideas as too cliché. When Xuejiao asks about Zhou Shiyun, she learns that Shiyun failed to get into her dream school, Polytechnic University, and ended up at Beijing University of Finance and Economics instead. Xuejiao feels a sense of pity for her, while elsewhere, Gu Mingze is desperately trying to find a way to contact Zhou Shiyun.
Later, Lin Zhihua enters the dessert shop. Startled, Xuejiao dives behind the counter to hide. Though Lin Zhihua clearly sees her reflection in the glass, he pretends not to notice, buys a cake, and leaves. When Sun Tiantian asks why she's avoiding him, Xuejiao is at a loss for words.
Back at the dorm, Xuejiao feels adrift. Her roommates all have clear ambitions: Shu Lan is preparing for the school's excellence program, Siqi is studying for the civil service exam, and Sun Feifei aims to work in the aerospace industry after graduation. Xuejiao, who barely scraped into the prestigious Beijing University, has no clear goal.
In a clumsy mistake, Xuejiao accidentally sends a red envelope containing 521 yuan to Lin Zhihua, which was meant for a friend. The amount, "521," is a numerical slang for "I love you," and she panics, immediately calling him to ask for the money back. Her roommates, Sun Feifei and Shu Lan, tease her about the potential misunderstanding.
Remembering Xuejiao once said she hoped to see him every day in college, Lin Zhihua uses the excuse of needing help with a banner to ask her to meet him on the sports field.There, he surprises her with a cake, revealing he remembered her birthday from their graduation trip.Deeply touched, Xuejiao reminds herself that her rebirth is a chance to change her fate, not to get sidetracked by romance.
Just then, Yi Tianyu shows up, having also snuck out of school for her birthday, but he forgot her gift and got his clothes caught on the wall while climbing over.Awkwardly, Lin Zhihua has to help him get down. While Lin Zhihua escorts Yi Tianyu off campus, Xuejiao tries to hurry back to her dorm with the cake but is stopped by Lin Zhihua, who she mistakes for a security guard in the dark. He quickly covers her mouth to keep her from shouting, and the sudden intimacy makes her heart race.
Xuejiao's academic struggles continue as she discovers she is the only freshman who has to take a mandatory English class, having failed to get an exemption from the placement test.
Meanwhile, Gu Mingze runs into Zhou Shiyun at a bar while celebrating his team's upcoming 3A game release. He tries to greet her, but she reacts with resentment, feeling humiliated for ending up at a "second-rate" university and coldly dismisses his attempts at conversation.
The challenges pile on for Xuejiao when she fails to register for a three-credit elective due to her low grades. The only remaining option is the notoriously difficult self-driving car lab, which has an extremely low pass rate. At the interview, she comes face-to-face with Lin Jiadong, who was her condescending HR supervisor in her past life. He predictably rejects her application, citing her poor grades. Frustrated, Xuejiao complains to Lin Zhihua, who unexpectedly agrees that her scores are too low for the lab's high standards. Feeling underestimated, she vows to join Professor Tan's team within a month.
In the subplot, Gu Mingze waits for Zhou Shiyun outside the bar every day. When he finally meets her, she challenges him to drink with her. Despite his alcohol allergy, he accepts and quickly passes out. In a bizarre turn of events, Zhou Shiyun stuffs him into a large trash can and starts pushing him home. On the way, a semi-conscious Mingze tells her he'll always be there for her, fondly recalling her shining moments in high school. Annoyed by the past, she abandons him in the trash can at his apartment complex entrance. The next morning, his mother, Li Sitong, finds him while taking out the trash and gives him a harsh scolding.
