Episode 17 recap: Ashley Learns About Her Mother's Illness
In Episode 17, after Coach Luo leaves, Ge Sang shares the good news about finding a job with Jiu Mei, which brings her great relief. Qu Zong is curious about why Coach Luo is so harsh with Jiu Mei. Jiu Mei explains that Coach Luo is serious and responsible, and he is even tougher on himself. He has won numerous awards, but he carries a deep regret from the national sports competition—he trained through a high fever and ended up injuring his leg, which haunts him.
The national sports competition represents all of Coach Luo's hopes and beliefs; he wants Jiu Mei to inherit that belief and lead him to the highest podium at the event. In the past, Jiu Mei was very close to winning a gold medal, leading significantly in the first half. All he needed was to hit the target with his last arrow, even if it was the lowest score, to become the champion.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Jiu Mei experienced an unexpected miss in the finals—something that had never happened in thousands of training sessions. He realizes that his mental state led to the technical error. As a result, he is forced to accept the outcome, and he and Coach Luo share a heartbreaking moment. Although Jiu Mei promises Coach Luo that he will one day win the national sports competition, new talents continuously emerge in the arena. He ends up with a silver and bronze medal, always just one step away from gold. Eventually, he decides to transfer to the equestrian team's logistics.
Coach Luo encourages Jiu Mei to try again, but Jiu Mei points out that 35 is the age limit for coaching exams. Faced with this dilemma, he feels torn. Since the equestrian team is located in a remote area, it's hard to get a ride at night, and with Qu Zong's phone dead, they have to stay overnight at the equestrian team.
Xu Shao Jie, unable to reach Qu Zong, suddenly remembers the equestrian team. Early the next morning, he rushes over to warn Jiu Mei to stay away from Qu Zong, as she is his girlfriend and they are about to get married.
However, Jiu Mei mocks Xu Shao Jie, claiming that Qu Zong hasn't even decided if she wants to return to Shandong with him. This hits a nerve with Xu Shao Jie, igniting his anger. Soon after, Xu Shao Jie and Jiu Mei engage in a physical contest, pushing each other to their limits, refusing to concede, until Coach Luo intervenes to stop them.
Meanwhile, Za Xi seeks information about Qiao Yanru's condition from a nurse, but the nurse, bound by patient confidentiality, cannot provide any details.
Yin Wei advised Za Xi that if he truly wanted to help, it would be best for the patient's family to come to the hospital. On the other hand, General Manager Wang of the company felt that the Gangba sheep project should be put on hold, as the headquarters was unhappy about the missing geographic certification.
To keep the Gangba sheep project going, Ashley assured General Manager Wang that she would implement an information technology solution to address the issue. She made a solemn vow to persuade all departments to cooperate, stating that if she failed, she would resign. Suo Lang took the initiative to accept responsibility for the loss of the geographic certification and pleaded with Ashley not to halt the project.
Ashley stopped Suo Lang and explained that they had already discussed a partnership with Blue Sky Inspection to develop an appropriate traceability system that could serve the same purpose as geographic certification. Just as Suo Lang was pleased about this, he suddenly received a call from Za Xi and accompanied Ashley to the hospital to see Dr. Yin Wei.
Yin Wei informed Ashley that Qiao Yanru had been diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Currently, the situation was not severe, and with their current endoscopic technology, if the tumor were removed early, there was a high probability of recovery, as early patients had a high cure rate. After leaving the hospital, Ashley immediately went to the school to convince her mother to agree to the surgery. However, Qiao Yanru was reluctant to leave her senior students and insisted on waiting until after the college entrance examination to undergo surgery.
Feeling powerless due to her mother's insistence, Ashley vented her emotions through rock climbing. Later, she explained to Suo Lang that Qiao Yanru's struggles stemmed from her brother, Luosang, who was an exceptionally talented child but tragically died while climbing a mountain to save someone. This loss had a profound impact on the entire family, especially on Qiao Yanru, who had never fully recovered from it.
That night, Ashley overheard her parents discussing plans. Pu Bu decided to retire and support Qiao Yanru, expressing his willingness to back any of her decisions while hoping she would undergo surgery soon. The next morning, Qu Zong noticed that Xu Shao Jie was walking awkwardly and learned it was due to a competition with Jiu Mei. When Jiu Mei saw the two playing around, he finally realized that he had lost to Xu Shao Jie and could not replace him in Qu Zong's heart.
Residents of Gaji Courtyard eagerly signed up for training classes, while only Cidan continued to daydream about becoming a small leader. Grandma Yu Zhen advised Cidan not to give up her embroidery skills, reminding her that climbing mountains must be done step by step.
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