Episode Summary
Gu Xuejiao stresses over her chances of getting into Beijing University, receiving encouragement from Lin Zhihua. Their growing closeness leads to several awkward and intimate encounters, which are discovered by her brother, Gu Mingze. After a night of heavy drinking over his own school-related frustrations, Mingze is brought home by Xuejiao and Lin Zhihua. The episode culminates in a major family conflict when Mingze's father destroys his computer, prompting Xuejiao to defend her brother's ambitions.
Spoiler Alert
The pressure of university applications is on. Gu Xuejiao, despite her high scores, finds that getting into her dream school, Beijing University, isn't a sure thing. Her father, Old Gu, suggests playing it safe and applying to any other top-tier 985 university, but Xuejiao is unwilling to give up on her primary goal. She spends her time anxiously checking the university's past admission scores online.
Meanwhile, Yi Tianyu, whose application to Beijing University of Finance and Economics is practically guaranteed, is out celebrating with friends. His mind, however, is entirely on Gu Xuejiao. His friends suggest a graduation trip as a way to get her attention. He calls her, but Xuejiao is far too worried about her applications to even think about a vacation.
Concerned about her stress, Lin Zhihua decides to intervene. He remotely accesses his friend Gao Rui's computer to send Xuejiao a message, arranging a meeting on the rooftop. There, Xuejiao confesses her fears; even though her scores exceeded her own expectations, anything less than Beijing University feels like a failure to her. Lin Zhihua calms her down by analyzing the admissions guide, telling her she still has a strong chance. Their conversation is interrupted when Li Sitong and Gu Mingze arrive to collect laundry. To avoid being seen, Lin Zhihua quickly pulls Xuejiao down between two hanging bedsheets to hide. In the close quarters, she shyly pulls her hand away from his.
Gu Mingze senses something is off. He sends his mother away on an excuse and confronts the two, asking how long they've been secretly seeing each other. He teases that Xuejiao's intense focus on Beijing University must have been because her crush was there. Both Lin Zhihua and Gu Xuejiao nervously deny it.
The next day, Lin Zhihua invites Gu Xuejiao to the drone lab at Beijing University, asking her to be his "free assistant" for the day. While organizing documents, Xuejiao leans back in her chair and accidentally reclines it all the way, nearly falling over. Lin Zhihua instantly catches her in his arms. They share a blushing, charged moment before she quickly sits up, flustered and finding it hard to focus on her work.
Later, Lin Zhihua suggests she apply for the Artificial Intelligence major, which would make them directly affiliated as senior and junior in the same department. Just then, Gu Mingze walks by, and Xuejiao instinctively hides. Mingze, however, grabs Lin Zhihua for a drink. During their conversation, he asks Lin Zhihua if he has someone he likes. Lin Zhihua immediately thinks of Xuejiao but remains non-committal. Mingze, upset that he won't be able to attend the same university as Zhou Shiyun, drinks himself into a stupor.
Once Mingze is thoroughly drunk, Xuejiao reappears, and Lin Zhihua helps her take her brother home. The journey is chaotic. A sick Mingze vomits all over Lin Zhihua's clothes. As Xuejiao rushes to help clean him up, Mingze suddenly collapses. In the scramble to catch him, Lin Zhihua accidentally pulls Xuejiao into a brief, awkward embrace.
They manage to sneak the unconscious Mingze back into his room without their parents noticing, and Xuejiao gives Lin Zhihua a change of clothes. The following morning, however, the drama explodes. When Old Gu finds out Mingze went out to play video games, he smashes his computer in a fit of rage. Mingze returns home to the wreckage and is furious. Just as the fight escalates, Gu Xuejiao steps in. She defends her brother, revealing that he isn't just wasting his time—he has just signed up for a digital design competition, and she pleads with their parents to give him a chance.
