Episode Summary
In this episode, Liu Yan wins a brutal underground boxing match against a formidable opponent with some indirect help from Lu Tianchi. She is briefly and painfully reunited with her mother, Jiang Fang, who abandons her once again after winning a bet on the fight. Both Liu Yan and her mother profited from betting on the match's outcome.
Spoiler Alert
Tang Shuangshuang arrives at a grand party with her new foreign boyfriend, only to be intercepted by a worried Lu Tianchi. He urgently tells her to leave, revealing that the "party" is actually a front for a violent underground boxing match, a bloody spectacle he feels is no place for her.
Before she can react, the fight begins. A massive fighter, aptly nicknamed "The Beast" (Meng Shou), enters the ring, his presence alone seeming to shake the ground. He is followed by the surprisingly nimble and fearless Liu Yan. The sight of Liu Yan as a fighter stuns Tang Shuangshuang, who frantically checks her invitation, finally realizing the true nature of the event. Also in the crowd is He Sheng, the young master of the Gaodi Group. He watches in confusion, wondering why the woman who once dug up his mother's grave is now fighting in such a dangerous and shady venue; he surmises she must be in serious trouble.
The bell rings, and Liu Yan is immediately dwarfed by The Beast's towering frame. Her flurry of punches and kicks seems to have no effect on him as he easily evades her attacks. When Liu Yan is knocked to the ground, Tang Shuangshuang cries out in horror. Lu Tianchi, red-faced with rage, leaps from his seat to rush the stage but is quickly restrained by security. He can only watch helplessly as The Beast taunts the crowd, holding the unconscious Liu Yan.
However, Liu Yan was not completely knocked out. Seizing a moment of carelessness from her opponent, she launches a counter-attack. She changes her strategy, slipping behind The Beast. Though he quickly catches her and slams her to the mat again, her spirit isn't broken. With sheer determination, she rises once more. Spotting another opening, she latches onto The Beast in a chokehold, clinging with the same tenacity she once used while training with a winter melon, holding on until he passes out. Liu Yan is declared the winner, and in the audience, even He Sheng can't hide a smile of relief and joy.
Later, Liu Yan lies unconscious in a hospital bed, deathly pale. A weary Lu Tianchi, dozing at her side, is startled awake by the presence of another woman in the room: Jiang Fang, Liu Yan's mother. Though Jiang Fang initially tries to flee, Lu Tianchi's pleading eyes convince her to stay and watch over the daughter she hasn't seen in over a decade. Overcome with guilt, she tearfully watches her sleeping daughter.
When Lu Tianchi returns to the room, Jiang Fang is gone. He chases after her, demanding to know why she would leave again. He reminds her that Liu Yan has paid off her debts and traveled across the world just to find her. Jiang Fang simply produces a handful of betting slips, revealing she won a large sum of money by betting on Liu Yan to win. She coldly states that she wants to continue pursuing her own life and refuses to change for her daughter.
When Liu Yan finally wakes up, Lu Tianchi is there to care for her. She is surprisingly cheerful, happy to have only suffered a few broken ribs. She reveals that she also bet on herself and is now rich, eagerly demanding to be discharged. On the way out, Liu Yan discovers some props in the back of the car. Lu Tianchi confesses that he gave The Beast his special homemade ice cream before the match, which caused an upset stomach and impaired his performance, indirectly helping her secure the win.
Following Liu Yan's enthusiastic instructions, Lu Tianchi makes her a steamed egg custard, and is amazed at how delicious it is. Meanwhile, Li Zan, who had been sent away, hears about Liu Yan's injury and rushes back to Gaya. Not daring to face her, he only watches her from a distance before leaving again, vowing to study hard so she will no longer have to worry about him.
