Episode Summary
Peggy (formerly Xu Man) is abducted by Xun Ge’s gang, forced to reveal Bai Han’s identity. Liao Siyuan uncovers ties between Bai Han, a decade-old fire case, and his own dissociative alter ego, Liao Sibai. As Siyuan and Qi Xia investigate Yong’an Village, Bai Han lurks, orchestrating a revenge plot rooted in their traumatic past.
Spoiler Alert
Xu Man, now living as Peggy after gender confirmation surgery, sacrifices her freedom to protect Lan Xiaotang by confessing to past crimes. However, Xun Ge’s men—posing as cops—abduct her under the guise of a medical release program, demanding intel on the "mystery man" who aided her. Peggy resists but cracks when Xun Ge injects her with drugs and threatens Lan Xiaotang. Forced to describe the man, Xun Ge identifies him as Bai Han, a ghost from the past.
Liao Siyuan obsesses over the mystery man, convinced he holds answers to both recent murders and a decade-old drug-and-arson case. His brother, Liao Sibai (later revealed as his dissociative alter ego), urges him to abandon the investigation, fearing retaliation. Undeterred, Siyuan teams with Nick to secure traffic footage, theorizing the man’s route traces to an abandoned building. Sibai skeptically suggests reviewing surveillance of Peggy’s abduction instead.
Meanwhile, detective Shu He connects the resurgent AH7 drug to the cold case, suspecting Siyuan’s uncanny investigative instincts hint at a shadowy mentor. Qi Xia drops a bombshell: Siyuan’s dissociative identity disorder, stemming from childhood trauma, manifests as "Sibai"—a protective persona who emerges during crises. Shu He reels, while Qi Xia vows to prevent Siyuan’s psychological unraveling.
Siyuan’s footage hunt pays off when he spots a silhouette matching Sibai’s, leading him to an art studio. Sibai warns against rash moves, but Siyuan confronts the mystery man—Bai Han—only to face a gunpoint standoff.Shu He intervenes, sparking a shootout. Bai Han escapes, but Siyuan snatches a photo linking victims to Yong’an Village.
Revelations erupt: Bai Han, Sibai’s former classmate, allegedly framed him for drug crimes years ago. Now orchestrating revenge, Bai Han manipulated Laila and Peggy (both Yong’an natives). Siyuan and Qi Xia head to the village to track down Tai Shu, a photo-linked figure, lying to their mother Qi Meihua about a "school trip." Unbeknownst to them, Bai Han watches, his game far from over.
The episode ends with Bai Han surveilling Siyuan’s departure, confirming his role as the season’s puppet master—and hinting at explosive Yong’an Village secrets tied to the brothers’ fractured past.
