Episode Summary
Sheng Xuezhu's attempt to report the corrupt Xiao Shude backfires, leading to her being framed and arrested for bribery. Her friend, Yu Leshan, engineers a brilliant and risky plan to expose the corruption to a higher official, which results in Xiao Shude's arrest and Sheng Xuezhu's release. However, a misunderstanding leads Sheng Xuezhu to believe Qiao Zhengjun was her savior, creating a painful love triangle with her best friend, Qu Fangfei.
Spoiler Alert
We open with the trainees doing hard labor. They're moving bags of cement. One of the girls, Xiao Juan, just collapses from exhaustion. Sheng Xuezhu immediately runs over to help. She manages to get her to wake up. Qiao Zhengjun then shows up and carries Xiao Juan off to the infirmary.
Later, Sheng Xuezhu tries to formally report the corrupt camp leader, Xiao Shude. She goes straight to Qiao Zhengjun. He notices her hand is scraped up from the cement work. He gently bandages it for her. It's a small, quiet moment. But of course, someone was watching. A guy named Officer Cao sees the whole thing and runs right back to tell Xiao Shude. This is not going to be good.
A Corrupt System
The Failed Report
Sheng Xuezhu decides to take matters into her own hands. She writes a detailed letter exposing Xiao Shude's corruption. She asks the other female trainees to sign it with her. Nobody will. They are all terrified of what Xiao Shude will do to them. You can't really blame them.
So, Sheng Xuezhu signs it herself. She uses her real name and everything. It's a bold move. The problem is where the letter ends up. It goes to the head of the office, Director Jia Jizhong. And guess what. Jia Jizhong is Xiao Shude's brother-in-law. The system is completely rigged. Jia immediately shows the letter to Xiao Shude. They think Qiao Zhengjun is helping Sheng Xuezhu. They decide they need to get revenge on her.
The Frame-Up
Xiao Shude's plan is nasty. He calls a big meeting with all the trainees. He publicly accuses Sheng Xuezhu of trying to bribe him. He claims her friend, Yu Leshan, brought him money and grain coupons on her behalf.
Sheng Xuezhu is completely stunned. She had no idea about any of this. But it doesn't matter. Xiao Shude has already called the police. They show up and arrest her for bribery right in front of everyone. It’s a total setup. Yu Leshan is there, just yelling and panicking. He knows he's been used to trap his friend.
The Unlikely Hero
Yu Leshan's Crazy Plan
While everyone else is losing their minds, Yu Leshan actually comes up with a plan. It's a wild one. He loads up his three-wheeled cart with a bunch of paper boxes. He waits on a road for a specific government jeep to pass. Then he intentionally crashes his cart right into it.
The jeep belongs to a high-ranking official, Director Liu Dasheng. Yu Leshan starts yelling for compensation. But this is all just an act. He uses the "accident" to get Director Liu's attention. He then tells him everything. He exposes Xiao Shude's entire operation. He talks about the forced labor making paper boxes. He mentions the bribery and all the resources Xiao Shude steals. It's a huge risk. But it works. Director Liu realizes this kid isn't crazy. He's a whistleblower.
Justice, Finally
Director Liu orders an immediate investigation into Xiao Shude. His people quickly confirm that everything Yu Leshan said is true. The very next morning, they come and arrest Xiao Shude. His powerful brother-in-law just watches, totally shocked.
With Xiao Shude gone, the whole camp is re-evaluated. Most of the trainees were wrongly punished. Sheng Xuezhu is released from jail. Qiao Zhengjun comes to pick her up. She is so grateful to him. She is absolutely convinced that he was the one who exposed Xiao Shude and saved her. She has no idea it was all Yu Leshan's doing.
A Messy Love Quadrangle
This is where things get really complicated. Sheng Xuezhu now has a massive crush on Qiao Zhengjun. She's sure he's her knight in shining armor. She goes back and tells her best friend, Qu Fangfei, all about her feelings.
This is a huge problem. We learn that Qu Fangfei is also secretly in love with Qiao Zhengjun. You can just see her heart break as she listens to her friend.
And it gets worse. Another guy, Wang Xiao, was just about to write a letter confessing his own feelings for Sheng Xuezhu. He overhears her talking to Qu Fangfei about being in love with Qiao Zhengjun. He's crushed. He just gives up.
So now we have a complete mess. Wang Xiao likes Sheng Xuezhu. Sheng Xuezhu likes Qiao Zhengjun. And her best friend, Qu Fangfei, also likes Qiao Zhengjun. This is a recipe for disaster.
A Bittersweet Ending
Sheng Xuezhu gets some incredible news. She's been selected to attend a university. It's a huge opportunity for her. She's overjoyed. But her happiness just makes the situation with her friends more painful.
She decides she has to tell Qiao Zhengjun how she feels before she leaves for school. She even calls him to set up a meeting. Qu Fangfei has to sit there and pretend to be happy for her. She wishes her luck, but you can tell she's dying inside. The episode ends with Qu Fangfei lying awake in bed, completely miserable.
