Episode 23 recap: Conflicts and Contradictions.
Qin Shi Quan went to accompany Qi Huo to wash the car, explaining that he thought Lou Ming Ye's competitive mechanism was an opportunity for all of them and they were not targeting Qi Huo specifically. Qin Shi Quan stated that he chose to become a firefighter because of Lin Lu Xiao, but he also wanted to join the combat team and become the team leader. He had aspirations to compete for the position of station chief in the future.
After listening to Qin Shi Quan, Qi Huo felt a renewed fighting spirit. He believed that his achievements were solely based on his own abilities and had nothing to do with Meng Guo Hong. He emphasized that he became a firefighter because he genuinely loved the profession. Lei Da Gang tried to comfort Captain Fang, thinking that he was being too impulsive and advised him not to overthink things, but rather focus on doing his job well.
While Lei Da Gang was comforting Captain Fang, he asked Lei Da Gang for a loan, but Lei Da Gang couldn't lend him any money. Instead, Lei Da Gang encouraged him to talk about his problems. Captain Fang finally revealed that there was a kitchen leak at his home, causing damage to the newly renovated apartment downstairs, and he needed to pay for the repairs.
Understanding Captain Fang's predicament, Lei Da Gang agreed to discuss the matter with his wife and try to lend some money to Captain Fang. Lou Ming Ye, due to Qi Huo's identity, specifically went to confront Meng Guo Hong and demanded that Qi Huo be replaced. Meng Guo Hong, in order to avoid suspicion and negative impact, requested Lou Ming Ye to remove Qi Huo from the team.
Qi Huo coincidentally overheard Meng Guo Hong's conversation and became furious. He confronted Meng Guo Hong, accusing him of abusing his authority and interfering with his work. He believed that his hard work and effort were being sacrificed by Meng Guo Hong.
Angry at Meng Guo Hong's actions, Qi Huo reluctantly approached Lou Ming Ye, fearing gossip, and requested to be removed from the number one vehicle. Lou Ming Ye questioned Qi Huo, asking whether he lacked confidence in his own abilities or if he was only reacting to other people's opinions, and urged him to seize the opportunity to fight for himself.
Lou Ming Ye himself had been subject to criticism and gossip but remained determined to be true to himself, seizing every opportunity. He advised Qi Huo not to live under the scrutiny of others and to focus on being true to himself. Jiang Wen De used his connections to obtain the business card of Deng Yi, the director of the Beixun Grand Theater, in a hurry to give it to Jiang Ge so that Jiang Ge could contact Nan Chu's Dream Dance Society.
Excited about the good news, Jiang Ge immediately contacted Nan Chu, urging them to reach out to Deng Yi.
Nan Chu is currently contacting Lin Lu Xiao and has learned some good news about the promotion of the Dream Dance Society. They immediately inform Lin Lu Xiao and plan to share the good news with him when he returns.
Lou Ming Ye explains the new technology of drone rescue to everyone and mentions that there will be assessments. Those who fail to meet the standards will be reassigned from frontline duties. Liu Ru Yi, however, remains unconvinced and holds onto her past attitude, refusing to embrace the new technology, believing that everything still depends on people.
Qin Shi Quan takes the new technology seriously and not only pays attention in class but also privately learns from Lou Ming Ye. He even requests Lou Ming Ye to be his mentor, aiming to acquire more firefighting knowledge. Worried about being reassigned, Shao Yi Jiu seeks advice from Liu Ru Yi, who assures him that ultimately, saving lives still relies on people. She doesn't believe that Lou Ming Ye can reassign all of them from frontline duties.
While talking with Liu Ru Yi, Shao Yi Jiu realizes that Qin Shi Quan is absent. He searches for Qin Shi Quan and coincidentally overhears a conversation between Qin Shi Quan and Lou Ming Ye, which causes him to develop grievances against Qin Shi Quan as well.
During the drone training, Liu Ru Yi and others don't perform well. Lou Ming Ye doesn't single out anyone but delivers some harsh words, reminding everyone to adapt to the current competitive mechanism. Otherwise, they will be reassigned from frontline duties. Lei Da Gang finds it challenging to learn the new technology and feels that Lou Ming Ye's words are specifically targeted at him. He becomes particularly anxious and fears being reassigned from the frontline at any time.
After learning from Lou Ming Ye, Qin Shi Quan's progress improves significantly. Shao Yi Jiu feels betrayed by Qin Shi Quan and starts to ignore him. Lei Da Gang is worried about losing his job and the financial support for his family. He is afraid of being reassigned from the frontline and losing any opportunity for career advancement. Consequently, he seeks help from Yu Qi Lei.
Lei Da Gang hopes that Yu Qi Lei can speak to Lou Ming Ye on his behalf, but unexpectedly, due to some false information spread by other firefighters, they misunderstand Lei Da Gang and nearly get into a fight, thinking that he has been gossiping behind their backs. In the nationwide Firefighter Skills Selection Competition, Lou Ming Ye leads the entire team for assessment. However, Lei Da Gang's team frequently makes mistakes, and the situation is particularly bad.
Lin Lu Xiao accompanies Yang Zhen Gang to observe the assessment and they both frown upon witnessing the team's continuous errors.
When I saw the sacrifice of Lao Yu in Episode 23, the barrage of comments was all saying, "Mi Lan must be regretting it now, right? Mi Lan should be regretting it, right?" I just want to ask why Mi Lan should feel regret. In such a situation, she would definitely feel sad and heartbroken, but I don't think she would regret it because Mi Lan didn't do anything wrong.
When they separated, they made it clear that she understood Lao Yu's decision not to save Miao Miao first was based on his professional duty, but as a mother, she couldn't get past that. And with the accumulated pressures of their lives over the years, they ended things peacefully and respectfully, with mutual understanding.
Mi Lan will continue to take good care of Miao Miao. She won't speak ill of Lao Yu. She will still bring Miao Miao to see him because he is still the child's father, a hero. So in this matter, Mi Lan didn't do anything wrong, and when you haven't done anything wrong, there's no need to feel regret.
Just like how Lao Yu, while saving others, chose to sacrifice himself in such a tragic way to save the one who caused the disaster. Was it worth it? It was his profession, and his character led him to make that choice. Did he consider the immense harm it would bring to Miao Miao?
He did, but he would still do it. Does he need to feel regret for this?