Episode Summary
Gao Ying decisively ends Gao Susheng's reign and avenges his victims. While other corrupt officials are executed, Zhao Jin is ambushed by Xia Mo and ultimately killed by Shen Ruchun. With their enemies gone, Xia Mo and his companions leave Shanghai to start anew, while Gao Ying stays behind, committing herself to cleaning up the city and continuing the fight from within the shadowy Zhuque Hall.
Spoiler Alert
"Rosefinch" Episode 30: The Reckoning
The power struggle reaches its bloody conclusion as Gao Ying confronts the former gang leader, Gao Susheng. Underestimating her, Susheng believes he can easily regain control, only to find that Gao Ying has already swayed the elders to her side. She shoots him twice—the first bullet is for her sister, Gao Yue, and the second is for all of his victims. As he lies dying, Susheng curses her, promising to haunt her from the grave. Gao Ying scoffs, retorting that if ghosts were real, he would have been tormented by the ghost of Gao Fei long ago.
To prevent further public unrest, the higher-ups order the immediate execution of Gao Susheng and his co-conspirators without a trial. They are taken to the outskirts and dispatched by a firing squad. As the convoy passes, citizens line the streets, cheering and cursing the condemned men. Watching the scene, Gao Ying reflects with bitter irony on the lessons Susheng once taught her. Meanwhile, Zhao Jin, protected by his connections, escapes all consequences and prepares for a transfer out of Shanghai.
Unwilling to let him escape justice, Xia Mo and Tang Zhenyun set a deadly trap, planting a bomb along his route. The explosion severely injures Zhao Jin. As he clings to life, Shen Ruchun approaches and finishes the job, stabbing him in the throat with her diamond-shaped hairpin. Sun Mei, devastated by Zhao Jin's death, attempts to kill Shen Ruchun in revenge but is shot and killed by the timely arrival of Tang Zhenyun.
With the old guard dismantled, a new chapter begins. Xia Mo urges Shen Ruchun to leave Shanghai and embrace her newfound freedom. Elsewhere, Fu Ying finds Xia Mo and leads him to Huian Li alley. She bids him farewell, encouraging him to let go of his past pain, which allows him to finally find closure.
A sense of awakening spreads through Shanghai as citizens line up to reclaim their land deeds. Xia Mo hands over Gao Susheng's remaining effects to Yang Zezhi, who looks upon the younger generation with hope, confident they will forge a new path for the country. Gao Ying symbolically burns a pile of stock shares, representing the greed that fueled the old regime. Yang Zezhi then arranges for Xia Mo, his sister, and Tang Zhenyun to leave the city safely.
After a heartfelt goodbye with Song Mama, the trio departs. Gao Ying, however, remains. She drives to the now-sealed Zhuque Hall, the former center of power. Tearing off the seals, she pushes open the heavy doors. Outside, the city bustles with life; inside, only darkness awaits. Poised between the light and the shadows, Gao Ying prepares to continue her fight against a corrupt world.
