Episode 18 recap: There was a dead body hidden inside the Tong family's sculpture.
The case of the Tong family has been solved, and Lin Liangsheng has admitted to establishing the Protecting Family Association. However, Che Su Wei and Gu Yuan feel that there are still suspicious points in this case. Lin Liangsheng did not disclose the members of the association nor provide information about Wang Po's whereabouts. This makes Gu Yuan and the others believe that Lin Liangsheng is hiding something for the Tong family. Therefore, they have to continue investigating.
Che Su Wei visits Li Hua to pay respects and tells her about the Tong family's situation. He wants Li Hua to know that even though the Tong family's case is unclear, he will never give up. Gu Yuan instructs Yan Jun Jie to keep an eye on the Tong family. Soon, there is news from the Tong family because a bounty has been offered on the black market to find Tong Jiu Long.
Tong Jiu Long owes a lot of money, and creditors are everywhere, demanding payment from the Tong family. So, Gu Yuan and Che Su Wei also pay a visit to the Tong family. When Gu Yuan arrives at the Tong family, he asks Ren Meng Yao, who is keeping watch at the door, about the situation. He learns that Tong Jiu Long has already left, but Ren Meng Yao didn't get a clear look at his face, only noting that the figure resembled Tong Jiu Long.
Many tea farmers gather at the entrance of the Tong family, demanding repayment from Tong Jiu Long. Without knowing the situation, Gu Yuan approaches and asks a few questions before going to the Tong residence to inquire about Tong Jiu Long's whereabouts. Gu Yuan first asks Chen, the butler, about Tong Jiu Long and then goes to Tong Jiu Long's room to ask the new maid for information. Their description of Tong Jiu Long's appearance is almost identical.
As Tong Jiu Long fails to arrive, the tea farmers barge into the Tong residence, intending to cause trouble, which leads to a conflict with Feng, the steward. Gu Yuan and Che Su Wei intervene to help resolve the situation, and in the end, Che Su Wei promises to assist them in finding a lawyer to resolve the dispute through legal means.
When Gu Yuan returns to the police station, he changes into a different set of clothes, hoping that Che Su Wei, who is always with him, will notice the difference between the two outfits. However, Che Su Wei does not pay attention to what Gu Yuan was wearing before, and she doesn't immediately notice the change. This further convinces Gu Yuan that the conversations happening within the Tong family were prearranged.
Gu Yuan believes that Tong Jiu Long is likely no longer at the Tong residence. He also suspects that Tong Jiu Long was previously held captive by Chen, the butler. This reinforces his belief that Tong Jiu Long is involved in something suspicious, so he decides to investigate a teahouse that Tong Jiu Long often frequented.
Gu Yuan inquires at the teahouse and learns that Tong Jiu Long was last seen there, studying tea-making techniques, before being taken away by Chen, who seemed to be helping Tong Jiu Long escape from the Tong family. When Tong Jiu Long registered his identity at the teahouse, he did not provide his own identification but used the identity of Mu Xiangbei from Chunmao Tea Garden.
Gu Yuan checks Mu Xiangbei's identity and discovers that this Mu Xiangbei bears a strong resemblance to Tong Jiu Long. Therefore, he suspects that the Tong Jiu Long they encountered is actually Mu Xiangbei disguised as him.
Gu Yuan and the others went to the Tong family and compared the fingerprints of Tong Jiu Long and Mu Xiangbei, confirming that the person they previously saw was not the real Tong Jiu Long, but Mu Xiangbei.
Gu Yuan explained to Chen, the butler, that Tong Jiu Long is actually Mu Xiangbei and demanded that he bring out the real Tong Jiu Long. However, Chen adamantly refused to admit it. Yan Jun Jie managed to get the driver and servants to confess that the person appearing in the house was not Tong Jiu Long, but Chen still denied it. So, he called the tea farmers into the Tong residence to cause trouble and demand repayment of their debts.
The tea farmers became agitated and wanted to smash the sculptures in the courtyard. Chen immediately stepped forward to protect them, claiming that they were custom-made from England and that no one was allowed to touch them. Gu Yuan found Chen's reaction suspicious and insisted on smashing the sculptures. Unexpectedly, a dead body fell out of one of the sculptures. Upon discovering the body, Chen cried and apologized to Tong Jiu Long. It was then that Gu Yuan and the others realized that the body was the real Tong Jiu Long.
After the body was found, Chen confessed to everything. He explained that he had lived in the Tong residence for so many years, but he never expected Tong Jiu Long to be so heartless, wanting to sell both the tea factory and the Tong residence and retire to Yunnan. Chen had tried to persuade Tong Jiu Long not to sell the Tong residence, but Tong Jiu Long refused. The only option left for Chen was to discuss with Lin Liangsheng and resign together with Tong Jiu Long.
Tong Jiu Long was not concerned at all about Chen and the others resigning and let them leave. This frustrated them. However, at that moment, Uncle Feng suddenly appeared and killed Tong Jiu Long. Uncle Feng and Chen didn't want the Tong family to be ruined, so they pretended that Tong Jiu Long had gone on a long journey and took over the management of the Tong family business.
Although Lin Liangsheng was able to handle the Tong family's business, the tea farmers still came looking for Tong Jiu Long. Lin Liangsheng then revealed the incident where Mu Xiangbei pretended to be Tong Jiu Long and brought him in. Once Mu Xiangbei took on the role of Tong Jiu Long, he became deeply engrossed in the act and set his sights on the Tong family's business. This forced Chen and the others to make alternative arrangements.
Chen and the others did many things to conceal the fact that Tong Jiu Long was not present. They even arranged a ghost wedding ceremony in the middle of the night, bringing Li Hua into the Tong residence. They believed that once Tong Jiu Long married Li Hua and fulfilled his wish, he would peacefully leave. In the meantime, they arranged the ghost wedding while Li Hua was not in her right mind and staged a lively wedding for everyone, tricking Li Hua into thinking that the terrifying ghost wedding was just a nightmare.
Upon learning about everything Chen and the others had done, Che Su Wei angrily accused them of harming the unfortunate Li Hua. Meanwhile, Uncle Feng, doused in gasoline, intended to die together with the Tong family at that moment.
Comments(Episode 18)