Episode Summary
In this episode, child trafficker Hong Jinfeng confesses to her crimes, leading the police to a child's grave. Sun Wenhan is devastated, believing it to be his long-lost son, Xiaoguang. However, forensic analysis reveals the victim is another missing child, renewing Sun Wenhan's hope. Deng Yan shares the personal story of her friend's abduction that motivated her to join the police force. A new lead emerges when a man comes forward with a boy he found abandoned years ago in the exact location where Xiaoguang was reportedly left.
Spoiler Alert
A breakthrough in one case brings a glimmer of hope to another as the Anti-trafficking Office closes in on a notorious child trafficker. While Pingjiao cares for her mother, who suffers from memory loss, a small victory occurs. Ai Xin and Yan Lei bring old clothes for identification, which Pingjiao's father, Bai Shengquan, immediately recognizes. When her mother remembers sewing a small cat onto one of the garments, it marks a significant improvement in her condition, moving Pingjiao to tears of joy.
Meanwhile, the pressure mounts on the main suspect, Hong Jinfeng (also known as Auntie Hong). Sun Wenhan anxiously awaits news about his missing son, Xiaoguang, after hearing that children's clothing was recovered from Hong's old home. During interrogation with Deng Yan and Chang Rui, Hong initially denies everything, claiming the clothes were bought or found. However, when confronted with gold and silver jewelry found among her possessions, she panics. Threatened with confiscation of what she calls her "life savings," Hong finally breaks down and confesses to her crimes.
Her confession includes a devastating claim: she abandoned Xiaoguang because he cried too much. The police locate a grave based on her information, and Sun Wenhan is crushed by the news of his son's death after more than a decade of searching. Heartbroken, he gives up hope and hands over files related to another missing person, Luo Xiaoyu, to his sister, Luo Xiaoxing.
In a private moment, Deng Yan reveals the personal trauma that drives her.She tells Chang Rui that she became a police officer to find her childhood friend, Lin Ranran. On Deng Yan's birthday years ago, Lin Ranran went home to get money to buy her a gift but was abducted by a man with a limp. Deng Yan has carried the guilt of that day ever since.
However, a crucial twist emerges when a forensic report confirms the remains in the grave are not Xiaoguang's but belong to the son of another woman, Qiao Suhan. After the initial despair, Sun Wenhan's hope to find his son is reignited.
The case takes another turn when the Anti-trafficking Office's public appeal reaches Qi Defu, a scrap collector from Qingluo Town. Over a decade ago, he found an abandoned baby boy in a trash heap and raised him as his own, naming him A'Yuan. The location where he found the baby matches the spot where Hong Jinfeng claimed to have left the child she thought was Xiaoguang. The police bring A'Yuan in for a DNA test. At home, Qi Defu struggles with the thought of losing the boy he raised, but he knows finding A'Yuan's biological family will give the bright, studious child a better future.
