Episode Summary
Flashbacks reveal Qin Taoyi's sacrifice in 2001. In the present, corrupt cop Peng Hanzhang sabotages an interrogation, causing a suspect to silence himself. Hong Mushou orders a hit on Zhang Xin during her escape, but Qin Feng and Mai Hongchao stage a fake death to save her and get information. The team tracks the missing assistant, Meng Yu, to a hospital where Wen Jiangyan makes contact undercover.
Spoiler Alert
A Blast from the Past
We start in 2001. It’s a simpler time. Qin Feng gets his paycheck and immediately blows it on gifts. He buys new clothes for his brother, Liu Tianye, and a camera for his sister, Wen Jiangyan. Liu Tianye isn't impressed. He scolds Qin Feng for burning through cash. He wants him to save money.
But the mood shifts fast. Qin Taoyi, the chairman of Tianyun, makes a heavy decision. He tells Liu Tianfei he is turning himself in. He wants to trade his freedom for everyone else's safety. He visits his sister-in-law’s convenience store one last time. He sees the mother and son living peacefully. That’s enough for him. The police take him away.
The Secret Notebook
Back in the present, the team is scrambling. Liu Tianye pulls a secret notebook from his jacket. He got it from Ma Jin. It’s connected to Zhang Xin. Qin Feng, Ye Tianyou, and Mai Hongchao huddle up to decode it. They hit a wall. They also can’t find Zhang Xin’s assistant, Meng Yu. She has vanished into thin air. Her background is clean, which makes tracking her harder.
Interrogation Room Sabotage
Zhong Yanning finally gets a win. He identifies "Guazi Lao" as Xiong Chao. This is the guy who killed Xu Li years ago. Zhang Xin helped cover it up. They have a dirty history.
Peng Hanzhang panics when he hears this. He knows his cover is about to blow. He crashes the interrogation. Zhong Yanning is doing good work. He uses Zhang Xin as leverage against Xiong Chao. He hints that Xiong’s parents are in danger. Xiong Chao starts to crack.
Then Peng steps in. He plays the "good cop" but sends a coded message. He tells Xiong he "picked up his parents." Xiong understands the threat immediately. He bites his tongue to stop himself from talking. It’s a brutal scene.
Peng later pulls rank on Zhong. He demands hard evidence and tells him to stop being reckless. He shuts down the investigation. Then he calls his boss, Hong Mushou.
The Boat Ride to Nowhere
Hong Mushou is cleaning house. He orders Zhang Xin to leave town. He also plans to kill Xiong Chao. Zhang Xin is furious. She spent years procuring girls for Hong in Hanzhou. She feels she deserves better than exile with nothing to show for it. Hong doesn't care. He tells her she’s lucky to be leaving alive.
Zhang Xin gets on a boat that night. She feels bad and gives money to her assistant. She tells him to live a good life. She has no idea the assistant is actually He Kang, Hong’s nephew. He has a killer waiting on board.
Meanwhile, Liu Tianye takes a direct approach. He tortures President Song. Song holds out for a bit but breaks when he sees Liu Tianye isn't bluffing. The codes in the notebook are for Hong Mushou’s overseas accounts. Zhang Xin used to manage them. Now a guy named Old Kang handles the money.
The Double Cross
Here is the twist. Zhang Xin isn't dead. She is sitting in Mai Hongchao’s repair shop.
Qin Feng and Mai Hongchao were steps ahead. They suspected the driver, He Kang. They snuck onto the boat before it left. They took out the hitman and staged a fake murder. He Kang watched from a distance and bought the act.
Mai Hongchao tries to get through to Zhang Xin. He brings up the girls she hurt. He asks how a mother could do that. He wants to know where Meng Yu is. Zhang Xin claims ignorance. She points them toward Old Kang instead.
The Hospital Stakeout
The team gets a lead. Qin Feng takes a photo of Meng Yu to the hospital. A doctor recognizes her as a patient named "Li Mengyu."
Wen Jiangyan goes undercover. She dresses as a doctor and enters the room. She whispers her real identity to Meng Yu. Meng Yu recognizes her. She keeps her cool and doesn't alert her guards. The rescue mission is officially on.
