Episode Summary
Still reeling from A'Qi's death, Liu Zhendong is comforted by Hei Hu. During a Ghost Month opera, Liu Zhendong cleverly scares off disruptive foreigners, a scene witnessed by Cheng Nanping. Meanwhile, Cheng Hui uncovers that Liu Xiongwu was the target of multiple assassination attempts, including poisoning, which Dr. Xu Guangrong confirms. It's revealed Hong Yan was complicit in the poisoning with Liu Zhendong and is only feigning grief. Later, Cheng Nanping confronts Liu Zhendong about the Shanhai Gang's violent methods, threatening exposure. Their argument is cut short when assassins attack, forcing Liu Zhendong to protect Cheng Nanping as Qiu Laoda arrives.
Spoiler Alert
"Contenders" Episode 18 Recap: Ghosts, Guilt, and Gunfire
Man, Liu Zhendong is going through it. After A'Qi's death, he's been drowning in a sea of guilt and misery. His buddy, Hei Hu, steps in with some classic jianghu wisdom. He’s basically like, "Dude, life's a blink. We all kick the bucket eventually. You'll share a drink with A'Qi in the afterlife, square biz, no debts." And you know what? It actually seems to pull Liu Zhendong back from the brink, at least a little.
Just as things quiet down, a ruckus starts outside. Turns out, it's the first day of the seventh lunar month – Ghost Month! Cheng Hui, ever the traditionalist, has hired an opera troupe to perform for the departed souls. But then, three drunk foreigners stumble in and plop themselves down in seats reserved for, well, ghosts. Hei Hu is ready to blow a gasket. Liu Zhendong, though, plays it cool. He spins a spooky tale about spirits and scares the daylights out of the foreigners, who then bolt. The onlooking brothers are seriously impressed with Liu Zhendong's quick thinking, and guess who happens to witness this whole display? None other than Cheng Nanping.
Meanwhile, Cheng Hui is out on the streets and bumps into a beggar named Xiao Weiba. This encounter turns out to be a goldmine of information. Xiao Weiba reveals that someone tried to assassinate Liu Xiongwu – first with poison, which failed, and then by hiring hitmen. Clearly, someone has a serious vendetta. Cheng Hui, being the detective he is, digs deeper and tracks down Dr. Xu Guangrong, the physician who treated Liu Xiongwu. The doctor confirms it: someone was indeed trying to slowly poison Liu Xiongwu, but luckily, Liu Xiongwu was sharp enough to realize something was off and managed to dodge a bullet.
Now, Dr. Xu Guangrong isn't just some random doctor. He has a history with Cheng Hui; his family had adopted A'Zhen, and he even attended Cheng Hui and A'Zhen's wedding. Dr. Xu is a stand-up guy – he refused to get involved in shady accounting for some foreigners and decided to open his own small clinic instead.
On the flip side, we have Hong Yan, who's putting on a show, "mourning" at Liu Xiongwu's memorial. But her eyes? Pure hatred, not a shred of sadness. It turns out she and Liu Zhendong had cooked up that failed poisoning plot. The only reason she's even there is to try and ease her guilty conscience and hopefully ward off any bad juju.
Later, Cheng Nanping seeks out Liu Zhendong and doesn't hold back, criticizing both him and Cheng Hui for their methods. She calls them out, saying they're just as blood-soaked as the people they fight, yet they always seem to have someone else take the fall. Liu Zhendong tries to argue that the Shanhai Gang operates on a code of honor and righteousness. Cheng Nanping scoffs at this, accusing them of being a straight-up triad for openly defying the government and killing the police chief. She even threatens to write an article exposing the Shanhai Gang to the citizens of Shicheng (Lion City).
Liu Zhendong, realizing he's not going to change her mind, is about to leave when BAM! Three assassins with guns appear out of nowhere, closing in on them. Instinctively, Liu Zhendong shoves Cheng Nanping out of harm's way and prepares to defend her as Qiu Laoda and his crew rush in right behind them.
