Episode Summary
Gu Xuejiao is held captive by a vengeful Yi Tianyu, who reveals he knows about their "past life" connection and holds a virus that could ruin Huachuang. While imprisoned, Gu Xuejiao cleverly sends coded messages to Lin Zhihua, leading him to discover the real mole is Siqi. As the press conference looms, Lin Zhihua tracks Siqi down to a new hospital, while Gu Xuejiao steals what she believes is the crucial USB drive, unaware that Yi Tianyu has a fake one as a decoy.
Spoiler Alert
Episode 23 of Summit of Our Youth begins with the team at Huachuang realizing they have a mole. Based on evidence from Zhou Shiyun, it's clear someone with tech skills on the inside is helping their enemy. Gu Xuejiao knows they need to find this traitor before the upcoming press conference to manage the crisis. Lin Zhihua, feeling the pressure, steps out for some air, but Gu Xuejiao has total faith that he'll figure things out.
Later, back at his place, the two of them try to piece together what happened. Gu Xuejiao's gut feeling is that Yi Tianyu orchestrated the entire car accident just to get to her. Lin Zhihua tells her not to worry, assuring her that they'll overcome this challenge together, just like they always do.
To get to the bottom of it, Gu Xuejiao decides to go straight to the source. She shows up at Yi Tianyu's home, pretending she's there to help while he recovers. When he fakes being drunk, she tries to use her own birthday to unlock his phone. But it's a trap. Yi Tianyu reveals he was just messing with her. As she tries to leave, he pulls out a USB drive containing the C2 virus program. He threatens to leak it and turn the "brake failure" into a massive public safety scandal if she dares to call the police. With no other choice, Gu Xuejiao is forced to stay.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhihua manages to recover some data from Dr. Tan's computer and discovers the shocking truth: the mole is Siqi. He learns from HR that Siqi has taken a long leave of absence. Her phone is off, and when Lin Zhihua calls Li Sitong, he finds out Gu Xuejiao hasn't been home. He immediately suspects that Yi Tianyu is holding Gu Xuejiao against her will.
It turns out Siqi's mom is sick in the hospital, and Siqi has been paying for expensive imported medicine. She lies to her mom, claiming the money came from company shares that Gu Xuejiao helped her secure. Unable to find Gu Xuejiao anywhere, Lin Zhihua, with help from Gao Rui, realizes she must be at Yi Tianyu's house.
When Lin Zhihua arrives, Yi Tianyu forces Gu Xuejiao to hide in the bathroom and make shower noises, trying to trick Lin Zhihua into thinking they're sleeping together. Gu Xuejiao plays along, hoping to get her hands on that USB drive. Lin Zhihua isn't fooled, especially when Yi Tianyu physically blocks him from entering the bedroom. Before he leaves, Lin Zhihua cleverly drops a hint that Siqi is the mole, then goes to wait in the building's basement.
Gu Xuejiao switches her strategy. She realizes that being confrontational with Yi Tianyu won't work, so she tries a softer approach. She tells him that she's not interested in guys who are obsessed with romance and that he should focus on his career. This actually works. Yi Tianyu agrees and tells his driver, Qi Lei, to take Gu Xuejiao wherever she wants to go.
The moment she's in the car, Gu Xuejiao checks the navigation system, but Yi Tianyu has already wiped it clean. She finds a blood test report from the First Hospital and secretly pockets it. All the while, Lin Zhihua is tailing them.
Gu Xuejiao directs Qi Lei to a high-end clothing store. She starts picking out items, seemingly at random, based on their price tags. When she goes to pay, she makes sure Qi Lei can't see and enters Lin Zhihua's phone number as the store's membership ID. Back at his house, Yi Tianyu is thrilled to see her spending his money and happily starts cooking a meal for her.
That night, Gu Xuejiao tries to reason with him one last time, begging him to stop targeting others. But this just makes Yi Tianyu angry. He reveals that he overheard her and Lin Zhihua in the lab, talking about how he was her boyfriend in a past life. Gu Xuejiao finally understands the source of his bitterness. He tells her he'll do whatever it takes to have her, no matter the cost.
Lin Zhihua knows Gu Xuejiao was trying to send him a message. He looks at the receipt from the clothing store and realizes the prices are a code. Using a phone's T9 keypad layout, he translates the numbers into letters, spelling out "First Hospital." He now guesses that's where Siqi is hiding. At the same time, Yi Tianyu drinks himself into a stupor, and Gu Xuejiao seizes the opportunity to grab the USB drive he wears around his neck.
With only an hour left until the press conference, Lin Zhihua rushes to the First Hospital. He's told that Siqi's mother has already been transferred to another facility. He gets Lin Zhiyue to search for any hematology specialists who have recently arrived in Jinghai. She finds that a certain Dr. Wei has just checked into a hotel right across from Xiehe Hospital.
Thirty minutes to go. A smug Yi Tianyu has already set himself up in Lin Zhihua's office at Huachuang, ordering Lin Jiadong to throw out all of Lin Zhihua's awards. After he leaves, Yi Tianyu glances at a different USB drive locked securely in his safe. He was prepared for this; the one Gu Xuejiao stole is a useless fake. At that moment, Lin Zhihua finds Siqi outside her mother's new hospital room. He sits down with her, ready to finally get the truth.
