Episode Summary
The trial of Cheng Hui begins with heightened tension. Despite an attempt by Xu Guangrong to sway him, key witness Huang Zhongxin maintains his intent to accuse Cheng Hui but then fails to appear in court. Cheng Nanping attends, supporting her father, Cheng Hui, who denies the murder charge and claims his confession was coerced, a claim supported by visible injuries. Prosecutor Liu Zhendong emphasizes the government's anti-crime stance. When substitute police witnesses testify, Cheng Hui maintains he only moved his injured brother. The trial takes a dramatic turn when Liu Zhendong calls Hong Yan. Expected by Zheng Qiu to cooperate, Hong Yan instead slaps him and plays a recording exposing Zheng Qiu's plot to murder Cheng Hui, causing an uproar in court.
Spoiler Alert
On the day of the big trial, Xu Guangrong made a last-ditch effort, paying a personal visit to Huang Zhongxin. But it looks like Huang Zhongxin wasn't budging, still dead set on pointing the finger at Cheng Hui as the killer and ready to testify. Meanwhile, a frail Cheng Nanping, despite clearly not being well, insisted on being in court to see things unfold. And setting the stage for some serious business, Liu Zhendong, in his role as public prosecutor, kicked things off with a powerful declaration of the Shicheng government's iron will to crush organized crime.
Then came the moment everyone was waiting for: Cheng Hui, escorted by prison guards, walked into the courtroom, and boy, did it cause a stir among the onlookers. Seeing his father, Cheng Nanping was visibly emotional, tears in her eyes, finally seeming to let go of any past issues and fully believing in his innocence. When the police department's murder accusation was formally laid out, Cheng Hui denied everything. He made it crystal clear that even if the court found him guilty, this whole mess had nothing to do with the Shanhai Gang. He emphasized that the Shanhai Gang is just a mutual aid group for Chinese people, not the criminal organization the public has been led to believe.
Zheng Qiu, ever the antagonist, practically sneered as he presented a signed confession from Cheng Hui. But Cheng Hui immediately shot back, exposing that the confession was beaten out of him. And wouldn't you know it, as soon as he said it, people in the courtroom pointed out visible injuries on Cheng Hui, sending a wave of shock through the gallery and making everyone question the police department's integrity. Zheng Qiu then tried to call his key witness, Huang Zhongxin, but surprise, surprise, Huang Zhongxin was a no-show! So, they had to scramble and bring in officers Wang Ahui and Cheng Minghao to testify instead.
After the two officers presented their testimony, Cheng Hui once again refuted the murder charge, insisting he only moved his brother, Huang Jinhu, from the hospital. Just when things seemed to be going in a certain direction, Liu Zhendong, as a special investigator for the anti-gang task force, used his authority to request that Hong Yan be allowed to testify. Zheng Qiu probably thought he had this in the bag, assuming Hong Yan would cooperate to protect her son. Oh, how wrong he was! Hong Yan walked up, and instead of testifying as expected, she straight-up slapped Zheng Qiu across the face in front of everyone! Then, she played a recording of a secret conversation between her and Zheng Qiu. The audio clearly laid out Zheng Qiu's dirty scheme, conspiring with pirates to murder Cheng Hui.
Once that bombshell piece of evidence dropped, the Shanhai Gang members and the public gallery erupted. The courtroom nearly descended into complete chaos. Talk about a cliffhanger! This trial is far from over, and it looks like the tables might be turning.
