Episode Summary
Xian Biyun is forced to publicly collaborate with the Japanese, destroying her reputation to protect her mission and her troupe. To ensure Ding Yi's escape, Gu Yangshan confesses that he manipulated him with lies about his mother, but Ding Yi returns to save him anyway. Biyun then cements her new role as a "traitor" by coldly dismissing her troupe, leaving Long Er determined to uncover the truth on his own.
Spoiler Alert
Episode 10 Recap: A Terrible Choice
This episode was a gut punch. We saw characters forced into corners, making choices that will probably wreck them down the line.
Xian Biyun's Public Humiliation
You knew this was coming. Biyun has been walking a tightrope, and in this episode, the rope snapped.
The Ambassador of Nothing
The show opens at a party. Sasaki gets up on stage and makes a grand announcement. He names Xian Biyun the new "Sino-Japanese Goodwill Ambassador." He also says she'll star in their next movie.
Biyun has no choice. She has to stand there and smile. You can see her thinking about Hong Yu. She remembers her promise to fight for their cause. She knew it might cost her everything, including her reputation. This is that moment.
Ye Yin watches this whole thing happen. She runs to Takeda and begs him to move her husband back to Shanghai. He flat-out refuses.
A Dark Suggestion
Later, Sasaki pulls Biyun aside. He wants to know how the code was leaked. Biyun stays cool. She redirects his suspicion toward Takeda. She tells him to start his investigation there.
After she gets away, Biyun finds Ye Yin and confronts her. She's furious. Ye Yin just cries. She says she has no choice but to rely on the Japanese now. She explains that Takeda had promised to transfer her husband, Lao Liang, back to Shanghai. But then he took it back. He claimed there were no open positions.
Biyun listens. Then she gives Ye Yin a truly chilling piece of advice. She points out that if a current employee were to suddenly disappear, a job vacancy would open up. Lao Liang could then take that spot.
The Escape Goes Sideways
The situation with Ding Yi and Gu Yangshan finally boiled over. It was messy.
A Desperate Confession
Ding Yi wakes up in a panic. He hears Gu Yangshan talking and immediately assumes the worst. He thinks he's being taken back to Station Chief Cao to be blinded. Gu Yangshan grabs the bottle of blinding medicine and destroys it. He tells Ding Yi they're at the docks. The plan is to get him on a boat and out of Shanghai.
Ding Yi refuses to go. He wants revenge. He says Xian Biyun and the troupe are in danger and he needs to kill the Japanese. Just then, the police show up.
Gu Yangshan has to protect Ding Yi, who has no weapon and can't fight. They run for a boat headed to Hong Kong. Ding Yi still won't leave. He tells Gu Yangshan that Hong Yu died just so he could escape. He says if one of them goes, they both go.
Gu Yangshan realizes what he has to do. He shoves Ding Yi onto a small boat and kicks it out into the water. To make sure Ding Yi doesn't come back, he yells out a confession. He admits he lied about everything. He faked the newspaper articles about Ding Yi's mother. He faked the radio broadcasts. His mother was never in danger at Baima Lake. He screams that he's a complete bastard.
The Rescue
Ding Yi floats away, looking absolutely destroyed. The police grab Gu Yangshan and start beating him. They're about to shoot him.
Suddenly, Ding Yi is there. He swam back from the boat. He chooses to return and save Gu Yangshan.
Playing the Traitor
Biyun's plan to save her troupe required her to destroy her own name.
The Troupe Is Freed
The acting troupe is finally released from custody. As they're leaving, they hear people saying Xian Biyun is a traitor. Long Er gets furious and starts a fight with the police.
Biyun hears that her people are free and feels a wave of relief. She arranges for Captain Kobayashi to give her a ride.
Long Er and a few others refuse to believe the rumors. They write up a public statement to defend her honor.
A Calculated Betrayal
Biyun finds them before they can release the statement. She takes the paper and rips it to pieces. She tells them, with a completely straight face, that she chose to side with the Japanese.
She warns them to be smart. She says they would all be dead if it wasn't for her. The British are gone. The Japanese are in charge now. They need to start sucking up to the new power.
Some of the troupe members believe her. They call her a traitor and leave. The group is broken.
Long Er stays. He doesn't buy it for a second. He pulls her aside and asks her directly. Are you and Hong Yu communists? He says he's not afraid to die, just like Hong Yu. He just wants the truth.
Biyun can't risk pulling anyone else into this. She denies everything and tells him to leave. Defeated, Long Er goes outside her door. He kneels and kowtows three times, repaying the debt for her saving his life. He says he'll find the answer on his own.
