Episode Summary
Episode 39 deals with the immediate fallout of Li Daoqi's suicide. The police investigate his friends to rule out foul play, while Fu Yudong and Zhang Ran struggle with immense guilt and grief. Flashbacks reveal Li Daoqi's calm demeanor on his final night. Cheng Man visits the rooftop where he died and discovers that he legally separated his debts before his death to protect her and their child from financial ruin.
Spoiler Alert
The Aftermath of a Tragedy
We open with a heavy scene. Li Daoqi is alone on a soccer field. He runs until he can’t run anymore. He collapses from pure exhaustion. It sets a dark tone immediately.
Then we shift to Zhang Ran. She quit the program and planned to go home. A phone call from the police changes everything. She rushes to the station. Li Daoqi is gone. The police are interviewing everyone close to him. They need to rule out foul play. They want to know the real reason he left. Zhang Ran is devastated.
Fu Yudong is there too. He is a wreck. He blames himself entirely. He thinks he should have stopped Li Daoqi before he fell into the abyss. The police grill him about Li Daoqi’s past. Fu Yudong talks about their school days. He insists Li Daoqi was a good person. He says Li Daoqi was too soft to even hurt a lab rat. Fu Yudong suspects there is more to this death than suicide.
Shared Grief on the Steps
Fu Yudong leaves the interrogation room. He sits on the steps outside the station. He looks hollow. Zhang Ran finds him there. Then Cheng Man walks out with the police.
This moment is brutal. Zhang Ran sees Cheng Man and breaks down. She hugs her tight. They share the pain without saying much. Cheng Man leaves. Zhang Ran goes back to Fu Yudong. She knows he was Li Daoqi’s best friend. She knows words won’t help. She just sits next to him in silence.
The Last Night
The show flashes back to the 11th. This was the night the news broke about Sister Wanwan’s arrest. It was also Li Daoqi’s final night alive.
The setting is tragic. They are in a room decorated for a celebration that never happened. Fu Yudong sits there, depressed and angry. Li Daoqi is surprisingly calm. He actually comforts Fu Yudong. He suggests they pop the balloons. He says it will sound like firecrackers. They destroy the party decorations together. It is a strange, sad way to vent frustration.
Memories and Goodbyes
Back in the present, the grief manifests in different ways. Fu Yudong goes to the amusement park. He rides the rollercoaster they used to ride together. He does it over and over again. He sobs through every ride.
Cheng Man talks to the police about her history with Li Daoqi. She remembers their first meeting in Hong Kong. She was standing by the sea. He thought she was going to jump. He called her to comfort her. She can’t understand it. He was always the positive one. He brought joy to everyone else. She doesn't get why he chose to leave.
We also learn about Li Daoqi’s final phone call. He called his mother before he died. He sounded happy. He told her to rest well. He hid his pain completely. He said his goodbyes to everyone without them realizing it. Then he made his choice.
The Final Message
Cheng Man goes to the rooftop. This is where Li Daoqi spent his last moments. She finds a message he left behind. It confirms that this was his decision. No one forced him.
But there is a twist. Li Daoqi planned this carefully. Before he died, he separated his business debts from his family assets. The massive debt he racked up will not fall on Cheng Man or their daughter. He failed in business. But he protected his family from the fallout. He loved them more than anything.
