Episode Summary
Qi Xia relives her 2008 beachside romance with Liao Zhibai, whose apparent death in a family fire haunted her for years. After Zhibai’s body is found in a subway homicide, she conducts a tearful autopsy while Liao Siyuan investigates his brother’s suspicious demise. Surveillance reveals Detective Nick—blackmailed by shadowy figure Na Wei—helped stage Zhibai’s death. As Nick confesses to past crimes, Siyuan and Qi Xia uncover a locked safe in Zhibai’s old home, hinting at deeper secrets tied to the Liao family’s tragic history.
Spoiler Alert
Qi Xia flashes back to 2008, when Liao Zhibai nervously planned to confess his feelings to her on a beach with his friends. Liao froze mid-speech, prompting Qi Xia to impulsively kiss him first—launching their romance. Their relationship ended abruptly after the Liao family fire, which left everyone believing Liao Zhibai had died.
At the hospital, an unconscious Liao Siyuan draws visits from Li Zhi and Ma Luo, while Detective Nick waits to take his statement. When Siyuan awakens, Nick conducts a formal interview but stonewalls questions about Gade’s status. Li Zhi tries calling Qi Xia repeatedly with no answer. News breaks of a deadly subway incident, and Siyuan learns the shocking truth: Liao Zhibai is the victim.
One hour post-mortem, Qi Xia conducts Zhibai’s autopsy despite visible emotional distress. Her assistant urges her to step aside, but she persists, removing bullets from his body. After completing the report, she finally collapses at his side, clutching his hand through tears. She questions why he chose this path and vows to “take him home.” Later, Siyuan grants Qi Xia family privileges to sign the death certificate—a bittersweet fulfillment of her lifelong wish to share paperwork with Zhibai. Both privately suspect foul play, refusing to accept his death as random.
Through Shu He, Siyuan learns Zhibai had surrendered himself with incriminating evidence before dying. The autopsy reveals water-related injuries, contradicting the subway death scene. Suspicious, Siyuan demands prison surveillance footage. Shu He identifies a familiar figure in the tapes—someone Siyuan immediately recognizes as Nick. The detective’s alibi crumbles when Siyuan recalls Nick claiming to be “at the hospital” during the exact timeframe of Zhibai’s transfer.
A confrontation unfolds: Cornered by Shu He, Nick confesses he was coerced by shadowy figure Na Wei (who threatened his family) to extract Zhibai from custody. Shockingly, Zhibai went willingly. Nick handed him off to an associate named Tie Xin before rushing back to the hospital—even stealing a student’s takeout to maintain his cover for Ma Luo. He admits involvement in multiple crimes, including the Liao family fire and bar surveillance tampering, pleading poverty as motivation. Shu He pushes him to become a whistleblower, but Nick warns Na Wei’s reach is too powerful.
As rain pelts the city, Siyuan takes Qi Xia to Zhibai’s abandoned home, finding a locked safe stripped clean by Bai Han’s crew. Meanwhile, Qi Meihua tracks Nick’s movements, tightening the noose. The episode closes with unanswered questions: What evidence did Zhibai possess? Why did he surrender? And who truly pulled the strings behind his staged death?
