Episode Summary
In a desperate bid to save his position, Gao Susheng betrays his younger daughter, Gao Yue, leading to her assault by Commander Zhao Jin and her subsequent suicide. While he continues to grovel for a second chance, his elder daughter, Gao Ying, grows suspicious about the official story of her sister's "accidental" death.
Spoiler Alert
Rosefinch Episode 25: A Father's Betrayal
Following an order from Commander Zhao Jin, Shen Lian delivers a warning to Gao Susheng, kicking him while he's down and infuriating him. Gao Susheng's older daughter, Gao Ying, tries to visit Zhao Jin personally but is turned away at the door. She then urges her father to leave Shanghai, but he, still clinging to hope, refuses to give up the power that is almost within his grasp.
Desperate, Gao Susheng turns his attention to his younger daughter, Gao Yue. Aware that Commander Zhao Jin has taken an interest in her, he emotionally manipulates Gao Yue, even kneeling and begging her to go with him to meet Zhao Jin on his behalf. Unable to bear the sight of her father's life's work turning to dust, she agrees to accompany him to a private residence.
There, Gao Susheng deceives his daughter, telling her that her sister Gao Ying is waiting upstairs. He tricks her into entering a room, only for her to find Zhao Jin and Sun Mei inside. At this moment, Zhao Jin's true, predatory nature is revealed. Sun Mei adds to the horror by disclosing that Gao Yue's entire career as a star was orchestrated and controlled by her. The two then proceed to assault Gao Yue. Downstairs, Gao Susheng hears his daughter's terrified screams but, as her father, chooses to ignore them. With no hope of escape and devastated by her father's betrayal, Gao Yue jumps from the second-floor balcony to her death.
Despite his overwhelming grief, Gao Susheng forces a sycophantic smile for Zhao Jin, who is still upstairs, and presents him with the "Cixi Dongzhu" (Empress Dowager Cixi's Eastern Pearl) as an apology. Zhao Jin informs him that he might still have a chance if he pays back double the amount of money he embezzled. Meanwhile, the other girls in the house hear Gao Yue's screams. They realize that if Gao Susheng couldn't even protect his own daughter, they have no hope. Their fears are confirmed when Sun Mei enters and warns them that they will never leave this place.
When Gao Ying rushes back to the Gao family home, she is met with the sight of Gao Yue's cold body laid out in the mourning hall. Gao Susheng has already begun funeral arrangements, claiming her death was an accidental fall. However, Gao Ying refuses to believe her sister's death was so simple and insists on hiring Taoist priests to perform a proper ritual for her.
