Episode Summary
Cui Wei investigates his brother Cui Ye’s descent into crime, uncovering clues involving a hidden safe, coded messages, and a train money drop plan. As tensions rise between Cui Ye and his criminal partners Yi Zhi Er and Uncle Yi, the police close in, discovering a murder, a kidnapping, and the real identity of the man pulling the strings.
Spoiler Alert
Episode 20 of Playing Go kicks off at dawn, with Cui Wei returning to the station to debrief the team. He lays out the full chain of events involving his brother Cui Ye, explaining how it all went wrong. The others, like Xiao Ding, are baffled—why would Cui Ye go to such lengths? Cui Wei reveals that it all started with a hostage situation at a credit union. But the real turning point came when Cui Ye’s child fell ill, pushing him down a darker path.
Cui Wei makes it clear: the key to cracking this case lies in tracking down Jin Xiasheng and Xia Yu. They’re not just footnotes—they’re central players.
The team heads to Cui Ye’s home to investigate. There, they uncover a contract for a safe deposit box and a stash of hidden cash. Cui Wei plays a message left on the landline by his brother, then digs through an old box of trophies and flips through a book of Go records. On page 38, he spots the term “ko fight”—a strategic Go term—but still can’t fully decipher his brother’s cryptic message.
Meanwhile, Cui Ye is on the move. He’s scoping out the train station, staring at the schedule like he’s solving a puzzle. Then he climbs to the top of a tunnel where trains pass below, tossing down rocks and recalibrating his plan. His new scheme: have Uncle Yi’s men throw the money off a slow-moving train—passenger cars up front, coal cars in the rear. Cui Ye would simply pick it up at the platform.
He’s also done the math. Between IOUs and account books, they can squeeze five million yuan out of Uncle Yi. Yi Zhi Er, the one-eared henchman with trust issues, is impressed by Cui Ye’s precision. But he doesn’t let his guard down. He reminds Cui Ye that if not for the kidnapping of Gao Shuhua and Yanyan, this whole operation wouldn’t exist. Yi Zhi Er demands Cui Ye keep his phone on speaker during tomorrow’s negotiation—no funny business.
Back at Uncle Yi’s, things are tense. The man is furious—someone stole the ledger. He doesn’t care about the IOUs, but the ledger? That’s his safety net. Right then, Cui Ye shows up alone. Liu Qinglong recognizes him instantly and lunges, choking Cui Ye until Uncle Yi orders him to stop. Cui Ye cuts to the chase and calls Yi Zhi Er, letting him listen in on every word of the negotiation.
Meanwhile, the police are combing the mountains and finally find the burial site of Jin Xiasheng. Forensics confirms the cause of death. On Jin’s wrist, Cui Wei notices a carved message—another clue. He deduces that someone new joined Cui Ye’s crew but later turned on them. That person killed Jin and kidnapped Gao Shuhua and Yanyan. Cui Ye, oddly enough, led Cui Wei right to the body.
The case grows more tangled. Xiao Ding traces a receipt from the safe deposit box company and connects the dots to Liu Qinglong and Uncle Yi. They also discover Cui Ye had rented a place right across from Uncle Yi’s home—and inside, they find Xia Yu, alive but shaken.
Elsewhere, Cui Ye and Yi Zhi Er are grabbing a bite at a street stall. Cui Ye is visibly weighed down by thoughts of his wife and child. He even tells Yi Zhi Er he’s "sick." But instead of getting angry, Yi Zhi Er opens up. Turns out, he is sick—traumatized from a brutal childhood. Sold by his aunt, mutilated by traffickers, and forced to beg on the streets, he learned early that emotions don’t matter—money does. Only money gives him control. Listening to this, Cui Ye is left with a storm of emotions.
Later, Xia Yu wakes up and learns that Jin Xiasheng is dead. Devastated, she tells the police everything. They finally identify Yi Zhi Er’s real name: Geng Xingui. He used to work as a driver for an emergency center and had a stint at a transport depot. He quit two days before the credit union heist—now he’s the prime suspect behind Cui Ye’s coercion and the kidnappings.
Cui Wei knows his brother well. He believes Cui Ye deliberately left vague clues in his calls—not to mislead, but to buy time and secure the ransom. He only dropped hints about Gao Shuhua and Yanyan, knowing that once the hostages are rescued, Yi Zhi Er loses all leverage. Cui Ye still plans to walk away with the money.
To stay ahead, Cui Wei instructs Xiao Ding and the team to keep tight surveillance on the perimeter of the building where Cui Ye’s operating. For now, the police will play along—working with Cui Ye just enough to rescue the hostages.
Things are heating up fast. With loyalties shifting, secrets unraveling, and the lines between right and wrong blurring, Episode 20 sets up a high-stakes confrontation. Stay tuned.
