Episode 23 recap: Gu Yuan sacrificed himself to save the entire population of Shanghai.
He Qiming took Gu Yuan to the Jinze Reservoir and revealed his plot to him. He planned to poison the reservoir and contaminate the water source of Shanghai, causing the death of everyone in the city. When Gu Yuan arrived at the reservoir, he informed He Qiming that he had already figured out his conspiracy and knew that he was He Qiming's fifth target. However, he couldn't afford not to come here.
Gu Yuan confessed everything to He Qiming and questioned him about the extent of his grievances, demanding that the people of Shanghai be buried with him. He Qiming explained that Gu Yuan had killed his brother, A Jie, and then revealed past events to Gu Yuan. He Qiming and his gang attempted to rob the bank vault and stole all the gold inside. However, before they could leave, the police arrived.
The police sealed off the bank and conducted inspections on everyone. Meanwhile, Gu Yuan studied the bank's architectural plans to find possible escape routes for the culprit and discovered their hiding place. Gu Yuan found the hiding place of the culprit and realized that they had recently left. He then investigated all the sewer exits and found that He Qiming's brother, A Jie, had suffocated there while trying to escape with the gold through the sewer.
Witnessing A Jie's tragic death, He Qiming harbored deep resentment towards Gu Yuan and made a mental note of this grudge. He Qiming mentioned A Jie's death and talked about an incident from ten years ago. He used to be a returnee who studied architecture, and his family was well-off. However, his father was killed by Cheng Wu, burned to death in the factory. After his father's death, He Qiming continued to work as a humble purchaser, but someone tried to bribe him into using substandard wood, which he refused, leading to retaliation.
He Qiming's mother was killed in a manner resembling a home accident, which greatly devastated He Qiming. He then focused on his business and earned some money, eventually building a happy family. When He Qiming made some profits, the stock market in Shanghai boomed. He thought he had found an opportunity to make more money and started trading stocks using his financial knowledge. However, he fell victim to the dark side of the stock market in Shanghai and lost all his investments.
Zhao Lingling, due to He Qiming's obsession with stock trading, began to argue with him, but He Qiming refused to listen. She tried to persuade him to stop using their unborn child, but He Qiming remained stubborn and continued his stock trading.
Zhao Lingling tried to persuade He Qiming, but he wouldn't listen. Disappointed, she had no choice but to leave, which started to twist He Qiming's heart. He Qiming executed Cheng Wu, the person who burned his father, using the same method of death by fire. He also killed Mo Xiaohei, who caused his mother's death, in the same way, and buried Deng Zi Qiao alive.
Gu Yuan revealed all of He Qiming's experiences and his methods of revenge, which shocked He Qiming. He Qiming admired Gu Yuan's abilities, but he wouldn't fulfill Gu Yuan's wishes and end everything in Gu Yuan's way. He Qiming forced Gu Yuan to enter the reservoir first, using a barrel of poison. He intended to drown Gu Yuan in the reservoir.
As Gu Yuan descended into the water, he reminded He Qiming that he hoped his death would exchange the lives of all the people in Shanghai. He then discarded the stones tied to his body and jumped into the reservoir. After Gu Yuan jumped into the reservoir, He Qiming admitted that everything Gu Yuan had guessed was correct. However, he didn't intend to keep his promise and wanted to die along with all the people in Shanghai, carrying the barrel of poison.
Che Su Wei wanted to save Gu Yuan and could only try to persuade Zhao Lingling to see if she had any way to make He Qiming change his mind. Zhao Lingling gave birth to He Qiming's child but lied to him, claiming that the child belonged to her sister to protect the child from any harm. He Qiming didn't believe her words until Che Su Wei presented the birth certificate as proof. Only then did He Qiming believe what Zhao Lingling had said.
He Qiming inquired about the child's condition and learned that the child's name was Jing Hao, confirming that he was indeed his own child. He willingly let go of everything and went back with the police. He Qiming turned himself in, but Gu Yuan couldn't be saved. He sacrificed himself for the sake of all the people in Shanghai. Che Su Wei and everyone at the police station paid their respects at Gu Yuan's grave and then got into Gu Yuan's car and left.
(End of the season)
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