Episode Summary
Driven by financial desperation, Liu Yan accepts a dangerous fighting job from Mr. Luo, ignoring Lu Tianchi's pleas. After a brutal initiation and discovering her brother is being threatened by Mr. Luo's men over a debt, she confronts Mr. Luo with a final, high-stakes proposition: a fight to the death against a fearsome opponent that promises a huge payout.
Spoiler Alert
A small act of kindness from Liu Yan, who brings a homemade meal to her landlord, begins to melt his cold exterior. He starts to smile and patiently explains the principles of Chinese medicine to an attentive Liu Yan.
Desperate for money, Liu Yan approaches Lu Tianchi, asking if he can offer her protection in exchange for living expenses. Lu Tianchi sternly rejects her request. This sets Liu Yan on a difficult job hunt; she tries to become a hotel waitress and a bar promoter, but faces repeated rejections, leaving her disheartened.
Later, Liu Yan is puzzled by some money she finds in her pocket. Her brother, Li Zan, signals that he earned it through clever, legal means and warns her to stay away from a man named Mr. Luo. The next day, she notices Li Zan hiding something in his clothes but dismisses it as strange behavior before leaving for school. Meanwhile, Wang Yang's mother, suspecting Liu Yan is in contact with her son, hides his bank card and sends Liu Yan a small red envelope as a warning to keep her distance. Unaware of this, Li Zan manages to borrow some money from friends and sends it to his sister.
The weight of her situation hits Liu Yan when she sees Li Zan working a grueling job at a bar. Pained by his sacrifice, she makes a firm decision and returns to Mr. Luo's film base to accept his job offer. Worried, Lu Tianchi asks Mr. Luo's assistant to look out for Liu Yan. When he learns that the underground fights at the "Da Huang Lou(Big Yellow Building)" are a matter of life and death, he turns pale. The assistant, sensing Lu Tianchi's feelings for Liu Yan, warns him not to get entangled with a woman again. It's revealed that four years ago, Lu Tianchi lost his law license and was even sentenced after being caught fabricating evidence while trying to overturn a case for a woman named Tang Shuangshuang, who has remained by his side ever since.
A drunk Lu Tianchi finds Liu Yan and desperately tries to convince her to back out of the fight, even presenting her with a contract he drafted. But Liu Yan, focused on the much-needed money, refuses. The next day at the Da Huang Lou, the director arranges a "test." The lights suddenly go out, and Liu Yan is beaten by an unseen attacker. She fails the test but begs the director for another chance, promising she will win.
Battered and bruised, Liu Yan goes to Lu Tianchi's home, afraid to let Li Zan see her injuries. Starving, she quietly starts cooking in the landlord's kitchen. Lu Tianchi finds her and gently tends to her wounds with a first-aid kit.
The situation escalates when Liu Yan returns home to find Li Zan tied up by Mr. Luo's men, who are there to collect a debt. In tears, Liu Yan confronts them, declaring she is Jiang Fang's daughter and that they should come to her for the money. She then locks Li Zan inside for his safety and leaves with a dagger, determined to resolve the issue. She lies in wait for Mr. Luo at his usual breakfast spot. Just as she's about to act, she receives a call from Mr. Luo offering her an audition. She quickly hides the dagger and rushes to the film set. There, she makes a bold and desperate promise to Mr. Luo: she will fight "The Beast," and he can bet on her to either win or die, but either way, he'll make a fortune.
