Episode Summary
In this episode, Li Heng solidifies his cover within the enemy agency through a clever double-cross. He discovers he's being monitored, reconnects with his fierce adoptive sister, and has a tense run-in with a woman from his past. The episode ends with his failed attempt to rescue a dying comrade, which puts his own boss on the hunt for an internal traitor.
Spoiler Alert
The Set-Up
Li Heng's New Job
Shen Yihe wastes no time. He calls a meeting first thing in the morning. He officially announces Li Heng's transfer to the Sichuan Investigation Office. Li Heng is now the head of the Operations Section. Shen Yihe also introduces him to the other key players, like Section Chief Yang Deng and An Mi. It all seems very official.
The Double-Cross Interrogation
Li Heng gets to interrogate the captured agent, Zhou Sihai, himself. The catch is that his new boss, Shen Yihe, is listening to the entire conversation. But Li Heng and Zhou Sihai are way ahead of him. They have a plan. They secretly communicate using Morse code right under everyone's noses.
Shen Yihe gets impatient with Li Heng's slow progress. He thinks he's being too soft. So he pulls Li Heng out and puts the ruthless Jia Yunwu in charge. Jia Yunwu immediately starts using electrocution to get a confession. This is exactly what Li Heng and Zhou Sihai wanted.
Zhou Sihai pretends to break under the torture. He puts on a big show. He "confesses" that Li Heng is his secret contact. This brilliant, painful performance completely fools Shen Yihe. It clears Li Heng of any suspicion. It also creates the perfect distraction for Li Heng to retrieve a crucial key hidden at the Wangjianglou teahouse.
The Spy Game Heats Up
A Bug in the Office
Later that night, Li Heng goes back to his office. He's incredibly observant. He notices that a pencil in his pen holder has been moved just slightly. That's all he needs to know someone has been in his room. He searches the office. He quickly finds a listening device hidden under his desk.
An Mi's Secret Report
Someone is definitely watching Li Heng. We see An Mi secretly meeting with an unidentified man. She gives him a full report on her surveillance of Li Heng. She's spying on him for someone else.
A Trip to the Gambling Den
The House Always Wins... Until Now
The show then takes us to the Deqing gambling den. It's a rowdy place. The boss's daughter, Lu Shufen, catches a man cheating. She's tough. She threatens him with a knife to make a point. She doesn't actually hurt him. Instead, she sends him to the docks to work off his debt as a laborer.
Just then, Li Heng walks in. He sits down at the tables and starts winning. He wins again and again. Soon, he has a mountain of chips and a crowd of onlookers.
An Old Friend
Lu Shufen thinks he's a professional trying to clean them out. She decides to take him on herself. They play a game, and Li Heng's skill is undeniable. He wins easily.
After the game, he takes off his hat. Lu Shufen recognizes him immediately. She is shocked and overjoyed. We learn that Li Heng is her father's adopted son. They grew up together like brother and sister. She takes him to the back and introduces him to a beggar named Qingtian that she has taken in. Li Heng has to cut the reunion short. He tells her he can't visit his adoptive father just yet because he's on an important mission.
The Party and The Past
A Tense Reunion
Jia Yunwu, who planted the bug, is listening in on Li Heng's office. Li Heng knows this. He makes a phone call to An Mi and deliberately flirts with her. An Mi warns him to be careful of Jia Yunwu. This makes Jia Yunwu, who is listening to the whole thing, furious. Li Heng is intentionally creating conflict within the agency.
Later, Li Heng goes with Lu Shufen to a massive birthday banquet at the Jia family home. The host is Jia Zhong, a respected former army commander. During the party, Li Heng spots a government official named Guo Shaoru. Lu Shufen mentions that Guo is famous for criticizing the government in the newspapers.
Then, Jia Yunying arrives with her fiancé, Wu Shiren. Lu Shufen brings Li Heng over to greet them. The moment Li Heng and Jia Yunying lock eyes, the air gets thick. You can tell they have a serious history. The memories seem to hit them both hard. Not long after, Li Heng slips away from the party.
The Botched Rescue
A Desperate Mission
Li Heng didn't just leave the party for air. He uses someone as a distraction to break into the Sichuan Investigation Office. He's there to rescue Zhou Sihai.
He gets to the cell, but it's too late. Zhou Sihai is critically injured from Jia Yunwu's torture. He's barely hanging on. He uses his last bit of strength to tell Li Heng that he must complete their "peace mission."
Jia Yunwu gets word of the break-in and rushes back. He's enraged to find the power was cut and someone got inside. He knows there's a mole in his unit. He confronts the silent, wounded Zhou Sihai and vows to hunt down the traitor. When Jia Yunwu gets back to the party, he can't find Li Heng. He ends up helping a worried Lu Shufen look for him, not knowing Li Heng is the very mole he's hunting.
