Episode Summary
Cheng Hui promotes pedal-powered rickshaws to drivers at the docks, impressing Cheng Nanping with his business-like approach, while Hong Yan observes, realizing his focus remains on the Shanhai Gang. Just as things seem calm, Cheng Hui is attacked by Cha Peng, disguised as a beggar, but survives thanks to a leather vest. Liu Zhendong and Huang Zhongxin subdue the attacker. Police officer Zheng Qiu arrests Cha Peng but secretly instructs him to kill Cheng Hui later. Lian Liuliu arrives at the hospital and takes charge, demanding to observe Cha Peng's interrogation after consulting with lawyers and contacts.
Spoiler Alert
"Contenders" Episode 10 Recap & Spoilers: Wheels Turning and Knives Out
We open on a seriously bustling, steamy street by the docks. The air is thick with heat and the shouts of vendors. Amidst the chaos, Liu Zhendong is personally seeing Hong Yan and A Gui Jie onto a boat.
Just then, Cheng Hui makes an entrance, arriving in a rickshaw – but not just any rickshaw, it seems like he's showing off a pedal-powered one. This definitely gets the attention of the traditional pull-rickshaw drivers crowded around. Some are skeptical, grumbling that switching to pedals kind of defeats the purpose of the classic rickshaw. But Cheng Hui launches into a pitch, telling the crowd that pulling rickshaws was always about just scraping by, but switching to pedal-power? That's about building a better life.
Meanwhile, Hong Yan, making her way through the throng, freezes. She spots a tall, thin man in simple, rough clothes whose back looks exactly like Cheng Hui's. Her servant beside her whispers that there's no way the big boss of the Qing Bang (interesting detail, maybe implying Cheng Hui's past or rival associations?) would dress like a common worker. But Hong Yan knows it's him. For a fleeting moment, she thinks maybe, just maybe, he came to see her off. But as she listens to him talk passionately to the rickshaw drivers, it hits her again: this man's world revolves entirely around the Shanhai Gang and his ambitions for it. Ouch.
Back to the pitch: Cheng Hui really knows how to work a crowd. He wins over the skeptical rickshaw drivers by making a bold promise right then and there: anyone who wants to switch to a pedal-rickshaw, he'll front the money for the bike and waive the first month's operational fees (the "che fen"). It's a pretty sweet deal.
Watching all this, Cheng Nanping suddenly remarks that Cheng Hui is acting more like a sharp entrepreneur than a gangster these days. Cheng Hui's response? The Shanhai Gang isn't "black" (meaning criminal or shady) anyway. He's clearly trying to rebrand.
Things seem to be wrapping up. Huang Zhongxin is about to take Cheng Nanping back to the newspaper office when disaster strikes. A man named Cha Peng, disguised as a ragged beggar, suddenly collapses right in front of Cheng Hui. Like a decent guy, Cheng Hui leans down to check on him. As he does, he notices a nasty, festering wound on the ring finger of the hand peeking out from Cha Peng's dirty clothes. Before Cheng Hui can fully process this, Cha Peng springs up! A blade flashes from his sleeve, aimed straight at Cheng Hui's heart. In that split second, Cheng Hui recognizes him – he'd seen this guy before, at Jin Yaju's teahouse (remember that name, probably important!).
Chaos erupts! Liu Zhendong and Huang Zhongxin react instantly, tackling and subduing Cha Peng. Hei Hu arrives with Shanhai Gang reinforcements just as police officer Zheng Qiu shows up with his own men. Things get tense when Hei Hu objects to Zheng Qiu taking Cha Peng into custody. Zheng Qiu, clearly not appreciating being challenged, slaps handcuffs on Hei Hu! While that's happening, the others rush the wounded Cheng Hui to the hospital. The good news? Cheng Hui was wearing a tough leather vest (literally described as a "horse skin coat"), which miraculously saved his life. Close call!
Later, at the hospital, the capable Lian Liuliu arrives. After getting the rundown, she immediately decides she'll handle the Cha Peng situation on behalf of the recovering Cheng Hui.
Cut to the police station interrogation room. Zheng Qiu goes through the motions of questioning Cha Peng. But then, using what the text calls "Xiangfu language" (likely a specific dialect or code word understood between them), he subtly instructs Cha Peng that if he gets out, his mission isn't over – he needs to finish the job and kill Cheng Hui in the hospital. Whoa, dirty cop alert!
But Lian Liuliu is already making moves. She brings in a lawyer named Harry, meets with some figures named Charles and Steven (perhaps influential officials or contacts?), and then confidently walks up to Zheng Qiu, demanding the right to sit in on Cha Peng's interrogation.
And that's where we leave off! Cheng Hui survived the assassination attempt, but the danger is far from over, especially with a crooked cop pulling strings. Lian Liuliu is stepping up to play defense. Can she outmaneuver Zheng Qiu and protect Cheng Hui? We'll have to wait for the next batch of episodes to find out!
