Episode 9 recap: Chen Ke Hai faces a test in Suzhou.
Chen Ke Hai reminisces about the moment of his first mission. At this time, Fang Li assigns Chen Ke Hai to carry out a task. On the train, his wallet is stolen by a pickpocket. Coincidentally, Li Tang catches the thief and indirectly apprehends another person, finding quinine medicine in his suitcase. Li Shi Qun advises Fang Li to stop dealing with Western medicine and suggests exploring other avenues for wealth.
Fang Li meets with the owner of Da Shi Jie in a secret room to discuss the Western medicine business. Chen Ke Hai pretends to look for the restroom and stands outside the room, coincidentally bumping into Fang Li as he exits. Tian Liu arrives at Da Shi Jie, and Chen Ke Hai, mistaking her for Shen Qiu Ping, is surprised to see her. Tian Liu greets Fang Li and Chen Ke Hai, inviting Chen Ke Hai to dance with her. Considering his injury, Chen Ke Hai gives the opportunity to dance to Fang Li while he plays the piano. Chen Ke Hai watches from a distance as Tian Liu and Fang Li dance intimately. Despite knowing that she is not Shen Qiu Ping, he still feels a hint of sorrow, making him miss Shen Qiu Ping even more.
Fang Li suggests that they can mold Tian Liu into Shen Qiu Ping, with the condition that Chen Ke Hai agrees to it. Fang Li's biggest concern now is the rescued Communist Party members. Although Qiao San Min and Xing Han Zhu are not to be feared, caution is still necessary. Chen Jia Geng requests that the National Government inspect Yan'an. In the café, Chen Ke Hai realizes he is being followed. He asks Lao Duan in the restroom whether Chen Jia Geng had previously donated a batch of medicine. This time, their involvement is also because of Lao Zhao. Now, Number 76 has obtained intelligence, and he decides to actively apply for this mission, with full cooperation from Lao Duan.
Chen Ke Hai deliberately plays the emotional card in front of Fang Li, expressing his nostalgia for the first mission in Suzhou. Fang Li gives him this opportunity and allows Li Tang to accompany him. Tian Liu repeatedly invites Chen Ke Hai but is rejected because he can see that her intentions are not solely about the wine. Chen Ke Hai arrives at the train station, and Li Tang remembers their first mission, particularly Chen Ke Hai's grudge against the Japanese. Li Tang speaks openly without resorting to backstabbing like Chen Bin.
Chen Ke Hai understood Li Tang's character and shared a profound philosophy with him: "Those who have foresight have the advantage." He praised Li Tang for being exceptionally clever. Just as Chen Ke Hai came out of the restroom, his wallet was stolen by a thief, but Li Tang caught him red-handed. They found quinine medicine on the thief's person. Li Tang ordered that nobody should leave the train at the next stop to conduct a search. Fang Li came to see Boss Xie to discuss business, and it was essential to have the three samples in place immediately. Boss Xie expressed difficulties, as Xing Han Zhu had already discovered their business dealings. However, Fang Li intentionally claimed that Xing Han Zhu was deliberately deceiving him. Boss Xie suggested focusing on tobacco production and temporarily postponing the sale of Western medicine due to the tight market conditions. Fang Li rejected the suggestion.
On the train, a person carrying a large quantity of quinine was apprehended by Li Tang. They took this man hostage and brought him to Suzhou. To avoid arousing suspicion in crowded areas, they untied the man behind a teahouse. Chen Ke Hai personally accompanied him, deliberately creating opportunities for him to escape along the way, but the man remained indifferent. Li Tang arrived at a hotel and specifically requested three rooms. Inside the hotel, Chen Ke Hai recognized a person he had encountered on the train. Their reunion in the hotel was not a coincidence.
Li Tang interrogated the man with the medicine, asking him who he really was. In order to control his temper, Li Tang left Chen Ke Hai to question the man alone. However, Chen Ke Hai did not continue the interrogation and instead drank water and read a newspaper by himself. He realized that the man was neither a drug dealer nor a Communist Party member; it was evident that he had intentionally allowed himself to be caught. Their conversation was being monitored by someone else. Chen Ke Hai continued to speak, mentioning that he had several opportunities to escape on the way but deliberately stayed to gather information at that location. At that moment, Li Tang entered the room, and the man voluntarily admitted that he was a member of the Communist guerrilla team who came to sell medicine.
Chen Ke Hai knew that he was a fake Communist Party member and left directly. Li Tang's colleagues behind him acted convincingly, mistakenly believing that Chen Ke Hai had been convinced. Chen Ke Hai noticed that someone was still following him behind the teahouse, but Lao Duan discovered the surveillance and did not show up to make contact. Chen Ke Hai returned to the hotel and pretended to sleep, while Li Tang quietly reported to Fang Li that he hadn't found anything suspicious about Chen Ke Hai's situation. After Li Tang left, Lao Duan went to a telephone booth and made two consecutive phone calls without saying anything before hanging up.
Through the two phone calls, Chen Ke Hai realized that he was being tested by Fang Li. He deliberately revealed his annoyance and impatience during the calls. He then began to interrogate the fake Communist Party member, who truthfully disclosed all their plans for the next day. Chen Ke Hai deduced their underlying scheme, which was to eliminate them. After the fake Communist Party member confessed everything, Chen Ke Hai did not let him go. The man berated Chen Ke Hai as despicable. In order to dispel suspicion, Chen Ke Hai shot and injured the fake Communist Party member. The intelligence officer hurriedly ran over and took him to the hospital.
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