Episode Summary
Zhao Wan'er confronts her illness, while Chen Xiaoxing overcomes his fear of swimming. Illegal logging threatens an endangered bird species, and Zheng Hao admits his feelings for Liang Jinqiu. Xiong Yi discovers a major invoice fraud scheme, leading to a potential investigation.
Spoiler Alert
This episode of "The Source of River" is packed with emotional breakthroughs, shady dealings, and bureaucratic intrigue.
We open with Zhao Wan'er realizing the severity of her illness. Seeing the grave expressions of her parents and the terror on Chen Xiaoxing's face, she knows something is seriously wrong. Instead of confronting her parents, she seeks answers from Xiaoxing. Unable to hide the truth any longer, Xiaoxing breaks down. In a touching moment, Wan'er comforts Xiaoxing, promising to return for swimming and games once she recovers. Xiaoxing, cheered by Wan'er's resilience, manages a tearful smile.
After a heartfelt goodbye with Xiaoxing, Wan'er departs with her parents. Meanwhile, Liang Jinqiu, wanting to distract Xiaoxing, takes him out. Xiaoxing even calls Zheng Hao to ask for time off, with Jinqiu's encouragement. Jinqiu treats Xiaoxing and Gao Shubo to ice cream. Shubo, noticing Xiaoxing's drawings, praises his artistic talent. He then shares a story about being bitten by a dog as a child to encourage Xiaoxing to overcome his fears. Inspired, Xiaoxing decides to try swimming again, with Jinqiu and Shubo's support.
At the pool, Xiaoxing hesitates, but with Shubo's encouragement, he bravely jumps in. Shubo catches him, and Xiaoxing finally conquers his fear, celebrating his newfound ability to swim.
The scene shifts to a darker tone in the forest. Xiao Si and Zhan Yi arrive at a logging camp, where they haggle with the foreman, Lao Dong. Zhan Yi offers Dong money to "take care" of the outside workers, implying some illicit activity. When Dong resists, Zhan Yi threatens his wife and children, forcing him to comply.
Lao Dong has a guard dog, which Xiao Si drugs into silence. The loggers head out to work, with Zhan Yi and Xiao Si observing. Zheng Hao, meanwhile, is piecing together clues, suspecting that the center of the illegal invoice operation is in Linzhou, possibly involving Limin Furniture. However, his jurisdiction is limited, and he can only watch and wait.
A young boy enters the forest and climbs an ancient tree, home to a nest of endangered mountain partridges. Zhan Yi arrives with the loggers and orders the ancient tree to be cut down, despite the boy's protests. Zhan Yi tries to bribe the boy, but he refuses. The loggers, promised a bonus of 1,000 yuan each, proceed to fell the tree. The partridge nest crashes to the ground, leaving the boy heartbroken. Someone secretly films the scene on their phone.
Back at home, Zheng Tianchou tries to set Zheng Hao up on a date, but Zheng Hao is uninterested. Zheng Tianchou presses him, and Zheng Hao finally admits he can't forget Liang Jinqiu. He acknowledges that she has someone who loves her and wishes her happiness. Jinqiu, delivering Xiaoxing home, overhears this confession and leaves, deeply affected.
Feng Dakai, witnessing Zhan Yi's ruthless behavior, is furious. He calls Lu Wangshui and demands Zhan Yi return to Xindong. Xiao Si, worried for Zhan Yi's safety, accompanies him.
At the tax office, two elderly women struggle to collect invoices at an ATM. Xiong Yi helps them but notices one of them accidentally drops a man's ID card. He discovers that the women have been using different IDs to collect invoices for over 30 companies within a month. Xiong Yi reports this to Director Yan, who identifies the companies as shell corporations.
The tax bureau leadership takes Yan's report seriously and hands the case over to the inspection bureau. Director Yan brings Xiong Yi to report. Xiao Yilin immediately decides to investigate the companies. Xiong Yi suggests a "long-line fishing" approach (waiting to catch bigger players), but Yilin is concerned about losing control. Xiong Yi publicly challenges this, and Yilin agrees to consider his suggestion.
Director Yan scolds Xiong Yi for his impulsiveness, but Xiong Yi is unconcerned. Li Xinxin and Gao Peng see Xiong Yi and invite him to lunch at the bureau's cafeteria. Shi Haifeng also arrives and, learning that Xiong Yi won first place in a business competition, humbly asks for his advice. Xiong Yi casually mentions he's involved in a case with the second inspection team.
