Episode Summary
Li Xiaolian finally reunites with her long-lost brother Li Xiaojun in 1998 Licheng, but chaos ensues as they miss their train home. Fo Ye manipulates her into staying to treat Xiaojun, forging a shady partnership. Meanwhile, cops Guo Pengfei and Li Tang clash with thief gangs over stolen goods, while Xiaolian rigs hospital card games to boost her brother’s morale. A restaurant heist and infighting within Fo Ye’s crew escalate tensions, ending with Fo Ye invading Xiaolian’s home.
Spoiler Alert
Reunions should be heartwarming, right? Tell that to Li Xiaolian, who finally tracked down her long-lost brother Li Xiaojun after a decade of searching—only to have 1998 Licheng Railway Station serve her a giant plate of chaos. After buying tickets to return to Pengchuan, Xiaolian raced through the station with Xiaojun in a wheelchair… and missed the train anyway. Cue the dramatic flailing as she begged the rail officer (with a little cash persuasion) to sneak them through the green channel. But plot twist: The officer ghosted them mid-sprint, leaving Xiaolian to scream-cry as the train rolled away. Classic Licheng hospitality!
Enter Fo Ye, the shady fixer who’s totally not suspicious, offering to cover Xiaojun’s medical bills if Xiaolian stays in Licheng. Desperate times call for desperate alliances, and thus begins their partnership. (Spoiler: This won’t end well for anyone’s moral compass.)
Meanwhile, on Licheng’s Wild West subway, petty thief Dachun tried swiping Xiaolian’s wallet—until golden-boy cop Guo Pengfei swooped in like a discount superhero. Xiaolian, unfazed, headed straight to the hospital to visit Xiaojun, with Pengfei and his hotheaded partner Li Tang playing bodyguards. But let’s be real: These two cops have bigger fish to fry.
Speaking of fishy business: A stolen cornea, missing cash, and smuggled antiques have the police scrambling. Li Tang, playing Sherlock, dragged Pengfei to confront local thief kingpin Uncle Guang. Chaos ensued when Guang’s lackey Que Zai started hurling insults, leading to a near-brawl that Pengfei had to defuse. (Note to Li Tang: Maybe lay off the espresso?)
Back at the hospital, Xiaolian’s playing 4D chess with her brother’s sanity—literally. She bribes a patient to lose card games to Xiaojun, because nothing says “healthy sibling bonding” like rigged gambling. Meanwhile, Dachun’s out here gifting stolen phones to factory worker Ma Mingzhu, who’s definitely not filing a restraining order anytime soon.
The episode’s pièce de résistance? A restaurant heist where pickpocket He Xiaozhu crashes a debt-collection showdown, letting Dachun swipe wallets mid-chaos. Pengfei and Li Tang investigate, only to realize Licheng’s got multiple thief gangs stirring the pot. (Shocker.)
And just when you thought Fo Ye’s crew might lay low? Nope. After a heated spat between Xiaolian and hotheaded thief Cai Shen over their botched cornea surgery job (awkward!), Fo Ye slinks into Xiaolian’s apartment uninvited. Because boundaries? Never heard of ’em.
TL;DR: Trains depart, tempers flare, wallets vanish, and Xiaolian’s life remains a dumpster fire lit by Fo Ye’s sketchy mentorship. Stay tuned for nextepisode: "Who Needs Therapy When You Have Crime?" .
