Episode Summary
Ke Xin’s abusive husband dies in an accident as suspicions about Tai Shu’s murder unravel. Liao Siyuan uncovers Nawa’s plan to destroy evidence and protect Ke Xin, leading to a tragic confrontation where Nawa and Ke Xin choose death together. Flashbacks reveal Supa accidentally killed Tai Shu years earlier, with Bai Han manipulating Nawa to bury the truth.
Spoiler Alert
Since marrying into Yong’an Village, Ke Xin has suffered under her husband’s cruelty. Fueled by village gossip, he regularly insults, abuses, and publicly shames her for supposedly violating traditional "wifely virtues." Their toxic dynamic takes a dark turn when he dies in a construction accident, falling from scaffolding. Meanwhile, Liao Siyuan obsesses over recreating Nawa’s crime scene photos at night but senses inconsistencies. Though Liao Zhibai insists Nawa’s guilt is airtight, Siyuan doubts the meticulous murder setup aligns with Nawa’s impulsive nature.
As the murder case closes, Shu He bids farewell to Siyuan, hinting he’s leaving Yong’an Village for good. Elsewhere, Qi Xia studies autopsy photos and questions whether Tai Shu was killed with a crossbow bolt. A seemingly minor moment—Nick picking corn Poppy for his wife—triggers Qi Xia’s memory: Liao Zhibai once promised to plant a garden of corn poppies along Buhe River for her. When she visits the mountains to collect flowers, a gardener gifts her a bouquet, but the idyllic scene is shattered as Shu He entrusts her with evidence implicating Ke Xin.
Back at the station, Qi Xia confirms Tai Shu’s fatal wound wasn’t from a crossbow. She urgently calls Nick, unaware that Nawa—overhearing the conversation—ambushes Nick mid-drive, strangling him with handcuffs before fleeing. At the hospital, Siyuan connects Supa’s crossbow-related injury to Jie’en’s death, realizing Nawa never intended to kill Supa. Racing back to Yong’an after learning of Nawa’s escape, Siyuan deduces the fugitive is returning to tie up loose ends.
At Nawa’s home, Siyuan and Qi Xia find Granny Yun clearing vandalized rooms. While comforting her, Qi Xia notices untouched food in the kitchen. Siyuan discovers a hidden floor compartment, piecing together Nawa’s plan to destroy evidence and die by suicide to protect Ke Xin. The truth explodes in a flashback: Five years earlier, Tai Shu attempted to assault Ke Xin, but Supa fatally stabbed him with a hairpin in self-defense. Panicked, Ke Xin disposed of the body, claiming “the River God took Tai Shu”—a lie Supa believed until now.
Nawa, who’d rushed to help Ke Xin that night, was caught disposing of the body by Bai Han. The latter blackmailed Nawa into silence, vowing to erase the crime if Nawa stayed away from Ke Xin forever. Now cornered, Nawa douses his home in gasoline. Siyuan pleads through locked doors, revealing he knows Nawa’s sacrifice is for Ke Xin. Just as Nawa ignites a lighter, Ke Xin appears, clutching the hairpin he once gifted her. Declaring her love, she chooses to die with him in the flames. Their tragic end leaves Siyuan with Nawa’s final warning: “Stop digging into Bai Han.”
The episode’s closing montage teases Bai Han’s shadowy role in multiple cover-ups, while Qi Xia’s lingering guilt over Zhibai’s broken promise hints at future confrontations.
