Episode Summary
In this episode, Xu Qingli confesses his true identity, but his relief is short-lived as he realizes a new danger. The police, led by Meng Chao, deduce that the burned body is the real Ni Xiangdong. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn about the violent and cruel nature of the real Ni Xiangdong, how Cao Xiaojun went to prison for him, and how Ni Xiangdong committed murder, which Cao Xiaojun helped cover up. In the present, Cao Xiaojun and Wu Ximei buy life insurance policies for Tianbao, bracing for disaster.
Spoiler Alert
The Big Confession
Xu Qingli Comes Clean
The man we know as Ni Xiangdong finally admits the truth. He tells Cao Xiaojun and Wu Ximei his real name is Xu Qingli. He says he's all alone. He doesn't care if they call the police.
Wu Ximei handles it strangely. She pours a drink and says they are still a family. On the surface, it looks like she's accepting him. But she is actually terrified. She's been worried this whole time. She knows Xu Qingli saw her and Cao Xiaojun bury a body. She's scared he will finally turn them in.
Xu Qingli feels a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He finally said the secret he's held for years. As he walks away, though, his face changes. He looks back at Cao Xiaojun's house with pure panic. It looks like he just realized something awful.
The Police Close In
Meng Chao's Theory
I've been saying it for weeks. Meng Chao is a sharp detective. He already suspected the burned body wasn't Xu Qingli. Now he has proof.
The DNA results are in. The dead man has no blood relation to Xu Caizeng. The report also says the victim was killed by a blunt object. He was a man in his 20s.
Meng Chao and his team go over the facts again. They look at the relationship between Wu Ximei and Cao Xiaojun. It seems too peaceful. The real Ni Xiangdong was a jealous guy. He would never have allowed that. This tells Meng Chao that Wu Ximei is lying.
He puts it all together. The man pretending to be Ni Xiangdong is actually Xu Qingli. That means the burned body in the car belongs to the real Ni Xiangdong.
A Look into the Past
How It All Began
The episode gives us a flashback to 1991. We see a young, mute Cao Xiaojun steal a bun for his sick grandfather. The real Ni Xiangdong and his crew are about to rough him up. But one of Ni's friends stops him. He says the kid is bad news and just lost his grandpa.
Ni Xiangdong feels a bit of sympathy. He goes to Cao's rundown home and sees him mourning alone. He leaves some money for him. This is how their long, complicated friendship started.
The Real Ni Xiangdong
We get more flashbacks. These ones are not so sweet. We see when Wu Ximei was pregnant with Ni Xiangdong's child. A man named Kan Lao San was deep in gambling debt. He pushed Wu Ximei during a fight. The fall caused her to have a miscarriage.
Ni Xiangdong went looking for revenge. A local boss tried to calm things down. He said family should be off-limits. Ni Xiangdong didn't listen. He attacked Kan Lao San's son. Later, Kan Lao San's crew cornered Ni Xiangdong and beat him badly. As he limped away, Cao Xiaojun came out of nowhere. He stabbed Kan Lao San from behind.
Cao Xiaojun went to prison for the attack. He did it for Ni Xiangdong.
The Downward Spiral
While Cao Xiaojun was in prison, Ni Xiangdong's life got worse. He fell under the protection of another boss. He became a well-known thug. He eventually killed Kan Lao San.
He was never home. He cheated on Wu Ximei. He even got into drugs. He was a complete mess. When Cao Xiaojun was finally released from prison, Wu Ximei was the one who went to pick him up.
Another flashback shows us the real Ni Xiangdong's cruelty. Xu Qingli was at a club begging a man named Bao Desheng for something. Ni Xiangdong was there, too. He just watched coldly as Xu Qingli was humiliated.
Later that night, Ni Xiangdong pretended to be a motorcycle taxi driver. He offered a very drunk Bao Desheng a ride. He drove him to a deserted field. Bao Desheng sobered up fast, but it was too late. Ni Xiangdong killed him and stole all his money. When he got home, Cao Xiaojun found his bloody clothes in a wash basin. He knew something was wrong, but he didn't say a word.
Preparing for the End
Back in the present, Cao Xiaojun and Wu Ximei are exhausted. They haven't slept. They are desperate to protect Tianbao. They don't want him to know the truth about his father.
They come up with a plan. We see Cao Xiaojun and Xu Qingli go to an insurance office. They each buy a life insurance policy. They name Tianbao as the beneficiary on both. They are clearly preparing for the worst.
