Episode Summary
Cai Xiaoqian tricks Gu Zhengwen and escapes custody. Gu follows a new lead to Wang Changcheng and identifies his mother-in-law, Zhu Feng, as a key spy. While Zhu Feng is trapped by a storm in Zhoushan, Gu figures out her location. On New Year's Eve, Wang pressures his wife into revealing Zhu Feng's contact on the island, while a disastrous dinner party exposes Nie Xi's secrets to his wife.
Spoiler Alert
The Great Escape Artist
A Failed Interrogation
Gu Zhengwen finally gets his man. He captures the top spy, Cai Xiaoqian. Gu thinks he's playing 4D chess here. He doesn't torture Cai. Instead, he gives him the luxury treatment. Good food, a comfortable room, whatever he wants. The idea is to make Cai comfortable enough to give up his entire network. Cai seems to go along with it. He agrees to expose his contacts.
A Window of Opportunity
Cai tells Gu he will lead him to a courier. He takes Gu and his men to the main telecommunications building. It's packed with people. Cai uses the chaos perfectly. He makes a run for it and dives out a window. Just like that, he vanishes into the crowd. Gu is left standing there with nothing. It's a total embarrassment.
The Walls Close In
A New Lead
Gu isn't totally out of luck, though. He goes through Cai's old ledger and finds a phone number. The number leads him straight to an official named Wang Changcheng. Gu pays Wang a visit at home. He immediately gets suspicious of Wang's mother-in-law, Zhu Feng. He believes she is the courier from Hong Kong that everyone is looking for.
A Terrified Official
There's just one problem. Zhu Feng has already left. Gu doesn't care. He puts the screws to Wang. He makes it very clear what will happen if Wang doesn't cooperate. He reminds him of the fate of his predecessor. Wang is absolutely terrified. He promises to do whatever Gu wants.
Wang goes home a complete wreck. His wife, A-Ju, refuses to believe her mother is a communist. But Wang is convinced. He knows they are all in serious trouble.
The Hunt for Zhu Feng
A Dead End and a Secret Message
Gu heads to the docks, but he figures Zhu Feng probably used a fake name. His next move is to check for special travel passes. He takes Li Qing with him to the Social Affairs Section. Who works there now? None other than Nie Xi.
Li Qing and Nie Xi have to pretend they're just casual acquaintances. Gu watches them closely but doesn't seem to suspect a thing. They check the records for any recently issued passes for women. They find nothing. As Gu and Li Qing are leaving, she secretly passes a note to Nie Xi. The note tells him that Cai Xiaoqian has escaped. This is huge news.
Stuck in Zhoushan
We learn that Zhu Feng isn't far away. She's stuck on the island of Zhoushan. A huge storm has been raging for days. No fishing boats are willing to risk going out to sea. She's completely stranded.
Back in Taiwan, Gu gets a critical piece of information from his boss, Mao Renfeng. Two military planes recently flew to Zhoushan. That's all Gu needs to hear. He is now certain Zhu Feng is on that island. He requests his own military plane to go and arrest her.
New Year's Eve Drama
A Wife's Terrible Choice
It's New Year's Eve, but nobody is celebrating. Gu sends Wang Changcheng a "gift" of a fish. It's really a threat. He wants Wang to get information from his wife, A-Ju, about her mother's contacts.
Wang goes home and confronts A-Ju. He uses their own son against her, saying their whole family will be destroyed. A-Ju is trapped. She remembers how kind and loving her mother has always been. She can't believe her mother is a spy. But after a horribly tense dinner, she finally breaks. She tells Wang that her mother has a relative in Zhoushan. Wang doesn't even wait. He runs out immediately to report the information to Gu.
A Dinner Party Implosion
At the same time, Nie Xi is having New Year's Eve dinner at Wu Shi's house. His wife, Gao Xiumei, is there. She is still furious that Nie Xi refused to get her a travel pass to see their daughter in Fuzhou.
During dinner, someone casually mentions Nie Xi's new job at the Social Affairs Section. Gao Xiumei freezes. She realizes he's the one who issues the passes. He could have helped her all along. She completely loses it. She screams at him for lying about his job and for leaving their daughter behind years ago. The dinner is ruined.
Wu Shi has to step in to save Nie Xi. He quickly invents a story. He says an officer in that very section was just executed for illegally giving a pass to a family member. Gao Xiumei is stunned into silence. The lie works, but the damage is done.
