*WARNING*: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. If you DO NOT want to be spoiled, please DO NOT read. You have been warned.
The answer is no, she Zi Yan didn’t catch them. One of the thugs called up a guy named Tom to pick them both up. Although Zi Yan did call Xiao He to track the location, it was all in vain. Tom had arrived in time to aid his conspirators hence causing Zi Yan no choice but to stop. What would the others say now?
Chief Zheng was seen walking with Zi Yan and Chen Jie to the resident of the thugs. It appeared that a team had been called in to work on sweeping the scene to find possible evidence as well as interviewing the landlady and other possible witnesses. A man by the name of Scott Chen had registered at the resident, but no other information was known of their identities. Those thugs were really careful and had already gotten rid of possible evidence. According to Dong Han’s report, those thugs seemed to know what they were doing and could possibly know of the police’s operations. There wasn’t much to go on so the others head back to their secret headquarter.
Back in the control room, Zi Yan showed them how she had managed to retrieve some information while Xiao He was sleeping thus wanting to gamble regarding her previous journey. Zhao Ji Gang was impressed by Zi Yan’s abilities and even praised her before leaving the room. Chen Jie followed by apologizing to her for not believing her previously. However, he reminded her that she shouldn’t run off like that again, referencing regulations and whatnot. She said she understood. By this time, Xiao He seemed to have lost his ground, considering how his talent was scorching on the computers to find the correct solution. His face said it all, he was seriously offended, because both Ah Gang and Chen Jie had taken Zi Yan’s side. Although Zi Yan did apologize earlier (regarding how she’d sneaked onto his computers to check some information), he was still looking quite grim. So after Zi Yan left as well, Chen Jie had to be the one trying to get Xiao He to talk again. Xiao He’s only request at that point was for Chen Jie to tell Zi Yan to never touch his computers without permission again – to which Chen Jie hit his shoulder and left the room with a smile as well. Dong Han was also smiling. It seemed like the team was coming together at last.
Then Zi Yan and Dong Han had a talk in the break room. She thanked him for standing up for her with the guys earlier. However, she stated that she didn’t really care how they viewed her. She also went on to tell him not to do that in the future since she was capable of standing up for herself. He said he wasn’t, he only wanted to remind them and himself of the reason why they were chosen. She turned to him with a sweet smile, stating that regardless of the reason, she still wanted to thank him. After that, she walked out of the room with her cup in hand. He smiled before continuing with his chip munching task. Was this their beginning?
Elsewhere, Miao Miao and Yong Mei were discussing the happenings of these past days and the background of Zhang Guo Tang and Yong Mei’s grandfather’s disputes. Miao Miao finally understood some of the things she encountered previously. Yong Mei also took that time to convince Miao Miao not to investigate into the matter anymore, considering how the police were already on the case. Yong Mei further reasoned that since her family wasn’t allowed to do much for their own safety, Miao Miao would also be in danger if she muddled into the situation. However, Miao Miao wasn’t able to let go. She admitted it was curiosity at first. Yet, later on, she realized that the incident of years ago didn’t seem like an accident at all. She wanted to find out what happened to her friends and if Zhang Guo Tang was really responsible for it or if there were any other parties involved. Unable to persuade her otherwise, Yong Mei made Miao Miao promise to be careful.
Meanwhile, Zi Hong was seen walking out of his house and watching his father as the old man tried to remove some dust from his suit. Flashbacks finally confirmed that Zi Hong was indeed adopted by Shen You Fu and his wife (Huang Zi Yue) after the accident. Zi Hong didn’t care to acknowledge the couple as his new parents nor did he care to take on his new name. Yet Mrs. Shen wasn’t giving up, stating he was a kid after all and that he needed more time to accept them. They still took him to see his mother at the hospital from time to time. Days went by, he indeed was used to being part of their family. Although he wasn’t calling them “Mom” and “Dad” yet. It wasn’t until one rainy day Mrs. Shen slipped and fell that had drastically changed his new life again. He ended up comforting his father after Mrs. Shen passed away, even finally calling him “Daddy”. That indeed awakened the old man from his trance. That had given the old man some hope to go on. And they’d been father and son since then.
One of the men whom the others were talking about, an important figure, supposedly Zhang Guo Tang’s target finally appeared. Yes, he was Yong Mei’s maternal grandfather, Jiang Jian Ming (Yang Lie). He appeared to honor an employee, which was Zi Hong. Zi Hong sure made his father proud. Apparently, Shen You Fu was Jiang Jian Ming’s special assistant. Chairman Jiang only had praises for his assistant. Miao Miao was also seen at that event, taking pictures. She finally realized that Zi Hong was Mr. Shen’s son and he seemed to be hiding something. Considering how the interview halted abruptly the other night.
The next day at work, the others congratulated Zi Hong on his award. Jia Yuan even voiced out that Zi Hong should treat them all to a meal. After all the excitement subsided though, Zi Hong and Jia Yuan finally had a serious talk again. Jia Yuan confronted Zi Hong about beating that one guy up previously, stating that dude had a lot of friends so Zi Hong shouldn’t mess with them. Then she moved on to talked about her father’s situation and the debts he had incurred. She said that what she was doing, it was her own choice–and that no one was forcing her. She also disclosed that her only wish now was for her little brother to enter college. He, of course, didn’t look down on her. He stated that she was an awesome sister.
Zi Hong had no idea another confrontation was waiting for him around the corner. He only wanted to have lunch in peace. Yet Miao Miao wanted to uncover the truth. She stated how his father had lie about knowing Zhang Guo Tang. Zi Hong warned Miao Miao not to incriminate his father. She said she wouldn’t–unless the other party was really guilty. She continued on with how she’d lost three best friends and how their families had been torn apart by that so-called accident. She would get to the bottom of the situation regardless.
Back at the special headquarter, the team was discussing the latest developments and the information they were able to retrieve so far. Their meeting was interrupted by Xiao He rushing in to inform them that he’d found the vehicle that the thugs had used to escape. (It was the same vehicle that Zi Yan had called in previously, telling Xiao He to help her with identifying the car.) However, the bad news was the signal was already lost. They must have destroyed the car’s GPS already. All wasn’t lost since Dong Han had launched into an analysis that got everyone’s attention. He had revealed more information regarding one of the thugs he ran into that one time when he rescued Yong Mei. He said that guy had uttered a few words in Cantonese. Still, Zhang Guo Tang’s henchmen were still an unknown number. It was something they had to work at in deciphering and take caution.
That night at the Shen resident, Zi Hong told his father what Miao Miao had told him. Mr. Shen said he just didn’t want to talk about that incident anymore hence lying about not knowing Zhang Guo Tang. Mr. Shen then asked why Zi Hong didn’t tell Miao Miao that he was Qing Ting (蜻蜓 – dragonfly)? Zi Hong said that was ages ago, but Mr. Shen reminded Zi Hong how close Zi Hong was to the others. Mr. Shen went further by saying that Zi Hong still couldn’t let go of the incident that happened years ago, still trying to find the Zhang Guo Tang and the others to take revenge. He told Zi Hong to let all the hatred go or it would consume his life.
The next day, Miao Miao was tossed into a major obstacle when she spotted Zi Hong waiting for her in front of the newspaper place. Before this encounter, she had begged Yong Mei to talk to Chairman Jiang hence realizing that she’d gone in the wrong direction. Chairman Jiang had vouched for Mr. Shen and reassured Miao Miao and Yong Mei that there wasn’t anything wrong with Mr. Shen. So Miao Miao was dreading the minute that she had to apologize for being so fierce with Zi Hong during the previous confrontation. When she saw him at her workplace, she was more than reluctant to talk to him. Trying to turn on her charming smile to disarm his hostility, she didn’t care if it would work or not. She edged her way out of the situation. Actually, Zi Hong didn’t want to pick on her either. Their conversation soon steered toward seriousness after the initial awkwardness. She shared with him over tea of her childhood and her close friends. He listened intently and realized how much she’d enjoyed staying at his place when she was little, treating his mother like hers, considering how she didn’t have a mother and her father often worked late at that time. Her story spanned further into the future–after she left the old town and many years onward. He jumped in to say that he’d seen her collage and her articles about past memories. He soon asked her if the artistic/creative position was still available. He wanted to introduce someone to her for that position. He took her to a classroom where some kids were getting ready to sing. Miao Miao soon discovered that one of the kids looked exactly like Qing Ting, but it was impossible. Considering how Qing Ting would already be grown up by now. Soon, Miao Miao learned that the Qing Ting lookalike was Jia Yuan’s little brother, Li Xuan Fan, nicknamed Xuan Xuan. Zi Hong disclosed Jia Yuan’s goal of wanting to support her brother and hoping to earn enough to put away for his college education. Miao Miao didn’t know where that was leading but she listened on. It wasn’t long before Zi Hong asked her a favor, wanting her to give Jia Yuan a chance. Miao Miao said she had already agreed to help. Zi Hong soon clarified that she wasn’t helping since Jia Yuan didn’t want pity, but a chance to prove her capabilities. It seemed like Miao Miao was seeing Zi Hong in a different light, even if she jokingly taunted him while getting out of the car later on.
So while the other two were talking, Jia Yuan finally convinced her brother to head home after some side teasing. Jia Yuan checked the mail before heading upstairs to their resident. She found a strange envelope among the mails. Her brother asked her if it was from the same person. She studied the envelope and mumbled something about it was the same each month, only giving money yet didn’t leave any names or addresses. Her brother wondered if it was from their father. Yet Jia Yuan disagreed. She said it must be from Santa Claus, lol. That had sparked some laughter from the kid. And so they headed upstairs. That wasn’t the only mystery, because Miao Miao was seen pulling an all-nighter of her own, trying to figure out the connection between Qing Ting and Xuan Xuan–and why they looked alike.
The next day arrived with a mixture of good and bad news. The good news was that Chairman Jiang gained another powerful title. The bad news was, someone was out to get him. Fortunately for him, he survived. His assistant was the one who was shot. The result? Jiang Ming Yue (Mrs. Luo) launched into a scolding marathon, yelling at the entire special team for their incompetent. She stressed that she rather hire some outside bodyguards than seek their help any longer. Well, she was indeed her father’s daughter after all since after she was done (sort of), Chairman Jiang spoke up to remind Chief Zheng of his duties, which was to seek out Zhang Guo Tang’s whereabouts. Chief Zheng understood. He said that their other responsibility was to protect the Jiang/Luo families. Yet Mrs. Luo jumped in again, yelling out that she didn’t need them. However, her father soon interfered, telling her not to joke about it. Chief Zheng promised to be on high alert from now on and protect them all. The head commissioner spoke up at last, stating that they should trust Chief Zheng and his special team, not making it difficult for them. He then stepped toward Chief Zheng and said that their safety were in the team’s hands. Chairman Jiang told them that they shouldn’t act scared and should operate normally, not letting Zhang Guo Tang get the satisfaction of affecting their livelihood. (He was mostly advising his family at this point, not necessarily giving orders to the special team.) He soon left after that. Chief Zheng then reported to Mrs. Luo that from now on, Dong Han and Zi Yan were in charge of protecting Yong Mei. Mrs. Luo ignored him and left with her daughter. The head commissioner turned to Chief Zheng and apologized on his wife’s behalf, saying that his wife was just worried. Chief Zheng understood too well.
So after the head commissioner left as well, Chief Zheng told the others it was a major embarrassment to them regarding the latest incident. That meant they shouldn’t make that same mistake ever again. And while they were getting scolded, Xiao He and Ah Gang were outside at the parking lot, installing some gadgets into Chairman Jiang’s car. After they left, Mr. Shen called Zi Hong up, wanting to reassure Zi Hong that everything was fine. Yet Zi Hong was confused, considering how he was stuck in the factory the whole time, not even having a clue regarding the incident that just occurred. Yet what caught his attention was the news regarding Zhang Guo Tang. Zhang Guo Tang was indeed back. The day Zi Hong was waiting had finally arrived. What would his next move be? He called Miao Miao and requested a meeting that night. He would be bringing Jia Yuan over to meet her. He said that he would be busy the upcoming days so it was the only time. Miao Miao jokingly teased him yet agreed in the end. She was looking forward to it. Yet Zi Hong’s expression showed definite intensity, because of the situation he was now in.
*All images were captured by DTLCT