Episode 30 recap: Luo Qi Qi persuaded Guan He to take the college entrance examination and get into her dream university.
After arriving in Beijing, Luo Qi Qi arranged to meet Ge Xiao Fei at the zoo. Ge Xiao Fei had already bought sugar-coated haws and eagerly waited at the zoo entrance. When they finally met, they were filled with excitement and gave each other a big hug. Luo Qi Qi noticed that Ge Xiao Fei had lost weight, but Ge Xiao Fei expressed her satisfaction with her current life. She mentioned that when she first arrived in Beijing, she lived in a basement for a week, busy looking for work, washing dishes, and distributing flyers. She discovered the zoo while distributing flyers and found it not only affordable but also very enjoyable. Whenever she felt down, she would come to the zoo.
Luo Qi Qi felt deeply concerned for Ge Xiao Fei, but Ge Xiao Fei believed that she was doing fine. She had a stable job at a hotel and was self-studying English. She planned to transfer to the foreign guest department, where the pay would be higher. Ge Xiao Fei had also contacted her mother, and their conversation was a mix of tears and laughter. Ge Xiao Fei had sent money to her mother, and they had reconciled. However, her father still refused to forgive her, but Ge Xiao Fei didn't mind since he wasn't physically present.
Luo Qi Qi felt regretful for Ge Xiao Fei, knowing that she could have had a bright future if not for her family circumstances. Zhang Jun, who was usually surrounded by a group of people, found himself alone in the park and coincidentally ran into Guan He, who was skating alone.
Zhang Jun heard that Guan He seemed resigned to attending a normal university. He mentioned Luo Qi Qi, believing that she would never settle for that. However, Guan He was not Luo Qi Qi. She chose to obey her mother's arranged path, despite feeling some reluctance.
Luo Qi Qi didn't know the meaning of her efforts, so she sought out Chen Jin, who was studying at Tsinghua University. Chen Jin understood Luo Qi Qi's confusion but couldn't provide an answer because it wasn't something that could be determined through experience. It was a personal feeling and choice. Chen Jin lent his library card to Luo Qi Qi and suggested she visit the library. If there was a place that made her want to stay, perhaps she would find the answer there.
The library at Tsinghua University was much larger than Han Nan High School. Luo Qi Qi felt small as she walked through it. She picked up books that interested her and unknowingly immersed herself in reading. Meanwhile, Guan He was taken by her mother to socialize, solely for the purpose of confirming her attendance at a normal university. Despite the unfriendly reception, her mother wanted Guan He to pretend everything was fine in front of her stepfather and even shared their future plans with Guan He.
Guan He observed her mother's enthusiastic demeanor and thought as long as her mother was happy, it was enough. However, her mother was dissatisfied with her response and reprimanded Guan He. One day, Guan He encountered her Chinese teacher at school. The teacher showed her an essay she had written last semester that had been published. If Guan He was interested, she could participate in the upcoming essay competition.
Guan He opened the book and saw the passionate words she had written that day, which made her even more uncertain about going to the normal university. Luo Qi Qi found the meaning of her efforts in the library and didn't want Guan He to have regrets. So she called Guan He, who was thrilled to receive the call and quickly went outside to return the call. Luo Qi Qi and Guan He apologized to each other for what happened before. With Luo Qi Qi's encouragement, Guan He mustered up the courage to prepare for the college entrance examination.
Zhang Jun also realized his own problems and began to concentrate on studying. When he felt tired and wanted to give up, he looked at the star that Luo Qi Qi had given him and suppressed his impatience, continuing to work hard. Today was the day of the college entrance examination. Guan He and Luo Qi Qi were in the same examination room. Guan He had already been inside for a while, but Luo Qi Qi hadn't arrived yet, causing Guan He to feel anxious.
Luo Qi Qi went to see the demolition of Yao'er Gou, which had been torn down. She had complex feelings and returned to the examination room to take the college entrance examination. Luo Qi Qi passed the examination and was admitted to Tsinghua University with the fifth highest score in the province. Guan He was happy for her and also happy for her own persistence and choices, as she had been admitted to her dream university as well.
Zhang Jun's performance in the examination was average, so he decided to repeat the year. He stayed in Han Nan with his father, who provided him with strong support, and their father-son relationship improved. After Xu Xiao Bo made a move in Han Nan, he started a legitimate business selling building materials with Li Jiajie and Wang Yan. The three of them became business partners and ran their business successfully. Eventually, Xu Xiao Bo realized his dream and opened a computer company.
Ma Li worked diligently and successfully became a daytime taxi driver. He contacted Ge Xiao Fei and volunteered to visit her. Ge Xiao Fei happily agreed. Many years later, Luo Qi Qi returned to Han Nan and Han Nan High School. Memories lingered in her mind. She and her friends had left many memories here, but they could never go back again.
(The end of the drama)
The movie-like visuals kept me captivated, unwilling to miss a single frame. Every character in the story was well-rounded. This is that era, those people, and those events. I loved Tonghua's novel from the very beginning, and I never expected to see it adapted into a TV series ten years later.
Kudos to the screenwriter and production team for their aesthetic choices. The adapted script is even more inspiring. This is how young people should be—youthful, determined, and without regrets in their pursuit of dreams.
The novel also had an open-ended ending. Zhang Jun went to the riverside but didn't have the courage to meet Qiqi, so he hid and cried from a distance. Qiqi left a note for Xiaojun saying, "I'll be here until the end, and I mean it." Zhang Shu encouraged Xiaojun to go and keep the appointment, and then the story abruptly ended.
It's just that it's enjoyable to watch, except for the part with Xiaofei in the middle that I found a bit disappointing. Everything else is pretty good. I've learned that I came into this world to see the sun, learned that there are ten thousand reasons to give up, but only one reason to persist.
I've learned to start finding my true self, learned about more possibilities, a different present, and a life of constant experimentation.
Since it's the irretrievable years of youth, it doesn't necessarily mean we can't meet again! What can't be retrieved is the youth, but we can still meet! With more experiences, perhaps we'll realize that the initial moments were the best!
Even if we meet other people in the future, it doesn't necessarily mean they're the right ones! There will always be something better than what's good, so why can't we move forward together, despite the notion that we can't go back?
Regardless of how things turn out in the end, whether it's good or bad, the past is already something we can't go back to.