Episode Summary
Chu Shaohua is accused of a murder from eight years ago, forcing her brother to falsely confess to protect her. To save him, Chu Shaohua must return to her hometown to uncover the truth, which culminates in her own dramatic confession in court.
Spoiler Alert
The Courtroom Drama Begins
Zhou Yan's Big Accusation
Zhou Yan is still scheming to get Chu Shaohua's money. Her latest brilliant idea is to have her son, Xiaobao, start calling Chu Shaohua "mom." She thinks this will give her a legal claim to the family fortune. Chu Shaohua sees right through this nonsense and tells her no.
So, Zhou Yan decides to burn it all down. She goes to Tian Tongdao's pharmacy and accuses Chu Shaohua of murdering Chen Ershun eight years ago. She claims she pieced it together from things Chu Shaohua's brother, Chu Shaozhong, has said over the years. Tian Tongdao doesn't hesitate. He immediately calls the police, and Chu Shaohua gets arrested.
The case goes to court fast. In the courtroom, Zhou Yan points the finger directly at Chu Shaohua. She even outs Kang Erniu for trying to bribe her into silence. Kang Erniu gets furious and tries to rush Zhou Yan, but the bailiffs drag her away.
A Brother's False Confession
The judge calls Chu Shaozhong to the stand. He denies ever telling Zhou Yan that his sister was a murderer. But the police have another card to play. They found out Wen Zhiqiu gave Chu Shaozhong a large sum of money. They accuse him of taking a bribe to lie for his sister.
Backed into a corner, Chu Shaozhong does something drastic. He confesses. He tells the court that he killed Chen Ershun, Mrs. Chen, and even little Xuanxuan. He claims he was angry because Chu Shaohua never gave him his share of the business. He says he was about to kill Chu Shaohua too, but bandits showed up and kidnapped her.
His story is convincing enough. The judge releases Chu Shaohua and has Chu Shaozhong arrested. Later, Chu Shaohua visits her brother in jail. He admits he lied to protect her. He feels he owes her after all the years she has helped him.
Unraveling the Past
The Real Story
Chu Shaohua finally tells her lawyer, Lin, what actually happened eight years ago. She remembers locking the main gate that night before putting Xuanxuan to bed. She drank some tea that, she now realizes, was drugged.
She woke up to Chen Ershun trying to assault her. She fought back. Her daughter, Xuanxuan, woke up and screamed for help. To silence her, Chen Ershun smothered the little girl. In a fit of rage and grief, Chu Shaohua killed him. Just after, Mrs. Chen arrived, but then bandits stormed the pharmacy. They killed Mrs. Chen and took Chu Shaohua with them.
The Trip to Qizhou
Lawyer Lin looks over the old case files and finds something odd about Song Ping's testimony. He suspects she was hiding something. This pushes Chu Shaohua to return to her old hometown, Qizhou, to look for answers.
Back in Qizhou, she tracks down an old employee named Shuangxi. She learns that on the night of the murders, another man, Song Dawei, lied to send Shuangxi home early. Song Dawei then took over his shift at the pharmacy. Chu Shaohua immediately suspects he left the gate open on purpose for Chen Ershun.
She can't find Song Dawei, so she looks for his sister, Song Ping. She finds her living a very difficult life, shunned by everyone after the Chen family was wiped out. Chu Shaohua takes her out to eat and asks about that night. She specifically asks if there was something wrong with the chicken soup Mrs. Chen had brought her. Song Ping is too scared to talk.
Later, Chu Shaohua visits Xuanxuan's grave, and Song Ping secretly follows her. At the grave, Chu Shaohua talks to her daughter, revealing that Chen Ershun was the one who killed her. This is the first Song Ping has heard of it, and she breaks down.
The Truth Comes Out
A Last-Minute Arrival
Chu Shaohua doesn't give up on Song Ping. She arranges a new job for her and even prepays a month's rent. When Song Ping goes to pay her landlord, she finds out Chu Shaohua had already been paying her rent for a while.
This act of kindness is the final push Song Ping needs. She races to find Chu Shaohua, who is about to head back to Shanghai. They rush to the courthouse together, arriving just as the judge is about to sentence Chu Shaozhong.
The Confession
Lawyer Lin asks the court to wait. Chu Shaohua and Song Ping enter at the last possible second.
Chu Shaohua stands before the court and says her brother is innocent. Then she confesses. She tells everyone that she is the one who killed Chen Ershun. The courtroom erupts. She then recounts the entire horrible story of the drugging, the assault, and her daughter's murder. Hearing this, Zhou Yan panics. She worries the police will figure out she was the one who drugged the tea, so she quietly slips out of the courtroom.
Song Ping then takes the stand. She confirms everything, finally telling the truth and clearing Chu Shaozhong's name.
Later, Wen Zhiqiu hosts a dinner to celebrate Chu Shaozhong's freedom and to thank Song Ping. Chu Shaohua finally feels the weight of the last eight years lift. While she's having a quiet moment, thinking of Xuanxuan, Kang Erniu comes over and starts trying to set her up with Wen Zhiqiu.
