Episode Summary
With the Hermes case seemingly winding down and Shoucheng Power's Sun Daren arrested, new suspicions arise around Zhao Yazhu. Her car was spotted near Sander's escape location, prompting Yang Guang to investigate further. Despite his initial doubts being cleared, this new evidence, coupled with confusing DNA results from two samples (both male, but from different individuals), puts Zhao Yazhu back in the spotlight. Yang Guang gets a tight three-day deadline from Zhang Baiqing to surveil her. Zhao Yazhu, however, proves to be a cunning adversary, discovering Yang Guang's listening devices and making counter-moves, including trying to secure a business deal for Lide Group with Huaze Group and planning to use Yang Guang. The episode ends with Yang Guang spotting a new mysterious figure while tailing Zhao Yazhu, deepening the intrigue.
Spoiler Alert
Alright, so the episode kicks off with the Hermes crew mostly busted and Sun Daren from Shoucheng Power officially in cuffs. The media is having a field day, and it looks like this whole messy case is finally wrapping up. Yang Guang is even seen on a morning run, trying to get back to some semblance of normal. That's when he bumps into Xie Xiaoman, who's in the middle of moving. She introduces him to her boyfriend, Luca, and after a bit of small talk, you can just feel Luca getting a little suspicious of our boy Yang Guang. Red flag, maybe?
Later, Yang Guang and his partner-in-crime-solving, Li Jian, swing by the testing center. They drop off two "capillary mixture" samples (sounds fancy, right?) with Director Hua Zhiyong, hoping to find out if they belong to the same person. With a rare two-day break, Yang Guang actually makes it home for dinner with his parents. His dad, glued to the news about the Hermes case, asks if their Third Department was the one to crack it. Yang Guang, ever the modest hero, denies they were the ones who solved it.
Just as they're settling in, who crashes dinner but Li Jian, wolfing down food like there's no tomorrow! His lively personality totally wins over Yang Guang's parents. Mom, of course, starts lamenting Yang Guang's perpetually single status, dreaming of grandkids. Yang Guang just laughs it off, telling them not to rush things – love will happen when it happens. Classic.
After dinner, Yang Guang and Li Jian are chilling outside, sipping sodas and munching on skewers, just shooting the breeze. That's when the tech department calls with a bombshell: they pulled surveillance footage showing Zhao Yazhu's car in the same villa area around the time Sander made his escape! Just when Yang Guang was starting to think Zhao Yazhu was in the clear, she's right back at the top of his suspect list. To make things even more complicated, Hua Zhiyong calls back to say the two samples are from different people, and they still need to determine if one of them is female. Dun dun dun!
Yang Guang immediately reports this to his boss, Zhang Baiqing. He lays out his suspicions: Zhao Yazhu could very well have been Sander's getaway driver or accomplice. Zhang Baiqing listens and then drops some more news: Shoucheng Power has nixed its deal with Zhounan Power Plant, and over at Huaze Group, Xiang Taisheng has completely taken over Liu Xinnian's duties. This means Shoucheng Power and Huaze Group are now talking, with an initial meeting scheduled for that very day. Security and intelligence have to be airtight. Yang Guang wants to put some serious surveillance on Zhao Yazhu, but Zhang Baiqing, mindful of the Lide Group's influence (Zhao Yazhu's company, remember?), gives him a tight leash: three days. If he doesn't find anything concrete, he has to pull the plug. The pressure is ON.
So, the day of the big meeting arrives. Xiang Taisheng is there representing Huaze. Our guys from the Third Department are parked nearby in their surveillance van, listening in as Yang Guang calls Zhao Yazhu and casually asks her to dinner. Smooth. Next up, the tech team pinpoints Zhao Yazhu's place, and Yang Guang, like a true spy, slips in to plant some listening devices.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yazhu isn't just sitting around. She approaches Xiang Taisheng, pitching Lide Group to be the service and PR provider for their new collaboration. Xiang Taisheng is hesitant, though, given the whole espionage scandal – he wants to keep Lide Group at arm's length. But then Zhao Yazhu dangles a carrot: Lide has information that could help crack the case. Xiang Taisheng is still wary but says he'll think about it. Seeing him hesitate, Zhao Yazhu and her associate James decide their next move is to get Yang Guang to help them out. Interesting strategy!
That evening, Yang Guang and Zhao Yazhu have their dinner date. Yang Guang is trying his best to get some intel out of her, but she's a pro at dodging his questions. Later, when Zhao Yazhu gets home, the first thing she does is turn on the TV. Then, she pulls out some professional gear and sweeps her apartment, finding every single one of Yang Guang's bugs! To cover her tracks and explain why she was in Lianhai (where Sander escaped), she makes a call to Dong Wei at Xuhui Group, putting on a whole act. This woman is good.
The next day, Yang Guang is back on surveillance duty, watching Zhao Yazhu in the underground parking garage and then tailing her car. But guess what? She totally knows he's there. At the next intersection, Li Jian takes over the tail, following her all the way to Lide Group. Inside, James is pushing Zhao Yazhu to clear her name ASAP. Just then, Yang Guang, still listening in, spots a mysterious man in a hat and mask. He's faced with a choice: go after this new guy or keep his eyes on Zhao Yazhu. He sticks with Zhao Yazhu. And to cap it all off, Hua Zhiyong calls again: both DNA samples are definitely male.
So, where does that leave us? Zhao Yazhu is clearly onto them, the mystery of the DNA samples continues, and there's a new shadowy figure in the mix. Yang Guang's three-day clock is ticking, and things are getting seriously intense!
