Episode Summary
Feng Dakai's fraudulent activities with Qike Company are exposed, forcing Zhao Mingda to cooperate due to his daughter's medical expenses. Zhao Mingda attempts to leave but is trapped by Feng Dakai. Manager Zhao decides to collaborate with Zhao Mingda. Zheng Hao and Li Dongjie investigate Qike for export tax evasion, discovering numerous suspicious details. Liang Zhongwei collapses, leading to family tensions.
Spoiler Alert
In Episode 31 of "The Source of River," the stakes get higher as Feng Dakai's shady dealings come to light. Feng Dakai has rebranded the acquired Kebao Company as Qike, a mobile phone company, and placed Zhao Mingda in charge. However, Zhao Mingda soon discovers that Feng Dakai's intentions are far from honest. Feng Dakai plans to use Qike for export tax fraud, specifically to claim fraudulent tax rebates. Zhao Mingda is reluctant to get involved, but Feng Dakai uses Zhao Wan'er's (Zhao Mingda's daughter) exorbitant medical bills as leverage, forcing Zhao Mingda to comply. He ends up making over 30 million yuan in the illicit scheme.
Desperate to escape Feng Dakai's control, Zhao Mingda demands his 14 million yuan share of the profits. Feng Dakai stalls, promising to fund an educational institution for Zhao Mingda and offering an initial 3 million yuan. This amount is insufficient for Zhao Wan'er's treatment, and Zhao Mingda realizes Feng Dakai is trying to trap him. Feng Dakai claims the company's funds are overseas and require time-consuming transfers through underground banks. Zhao Mingda, seeing through the deception, storms off.
Zhan Si overhears the conversation between Zhao Mingda and Feng Dakai and expresses her disgust. Feng Dakai callously admits that he and Zhao Mingda are merely using each other, leading Zhan Si to feel a sense of shared misery with Zhao Wan'er. Meanwhile, Manager Zhao, Feng Dakai's assistant, whose husband was brutally attacked in Hong Kong, is approached by Zhao Mingda. He urges her to leave Feng Dakai, and after careful consideration, she agrees to cooperate with him.
On another front, Chen Xiaoxing faces a crucial placement exam, while Zheng Tianchou prepares a hearty breakfast. Zheng Hao receives a call from Xiong Yi, who reveals that the now-defunct Mingge Alloy Company had issued invoices almost exclusively to Qike, raising suspicions. Xiong Yi also notes Qike's significantly increased export volume after a change in legal representation, further fueling Zheng Hao's suspicions.
Lu Wangshui, who recommended Zhou Ming as the legal representative for Mingge Alloy, faces repercussions. Zhou Ming's unauthorized invoicing to other companies led to scrutiny from the Tax Bureau, forcing Feng Dakai to shut down Mingge Alloy. Lu Wangshui, humiliated, violently confronts Zhou Ming.
Liang Jinqiu, working to restore the credit of delinquent companies, submits the necessary documentation to the Tax Bureau, including payment of overdue taxes and penalties. The officials promise to expedite the process. Zheng Hao reports his suspicions about Qike's export tax evasion to Xiao Yilin. Song Minghong assigns Zheng Hao and Li Dongjie to jointly handle the case.
Li Dongjie, eager to discuss the case, has to postpone due to a prior commitment with his wife and daughter, who are contemplating divorce. He manages to convince them to stay for dinner and even takes a family photo, but his wife insists on a separation.
Meanwhile, Sun is grateful to Liang Jinqiu for successfully getting the application for credit restoration approved. Zhao Mingda and his team arrive at Qike to investigate. Manager Zhao, now cooperating with Zhao Mingda, provides them with the financial documents. Xiong Yi and Li Xinxin gather information from the kitchen staff, learning about planned overtime work. Shi Haifeng questions sales personnel about overseas clients, but the staff claims all communication is done via email, which is routinely emptied.
Li Dongjie and Gao Peng inspect the warehouse and learn from Manager Jiang that goods are shipped to Southeast Asia via Rongzhou. Li Dongjie questions the unusual route, given the lower shipping costs from Shenzhen, but Manager Jiang insists Rongzhou is more cost-effective. Zheng Hao and Li Dongjie find numerous red flags and decide to gather more evidence separately.
In a separate storyline, Liang Zhongwei's planned golf outing with Zheng Tianchou is interrupted when he suffers a sudden spike in blood pressure and collapses. His wife, Ren Sumin, blames Zheng Tianchou for Liang Zhongwei's past imprisonment. Liang Jinqiu defends Zheng Tianchou and Zheng Hao, urging Ren Sumin to let go of her resentment. Ren Sumin simply wishes for Liang Zhongwei's well-being. Zheng Hao and Zhao Mingda return to Qike, where Manager Zhao has prepared all the financial documents for their review.
