Episode 18 recap: Brainwashed women.
It turned out that the principal went to Li Qiumei's room and raped her once again, and Sun Min happened to witness it. Li Qiumei hid in the bathroom, and Sun Min came to find her. Li Qiumei initially thought Sun Min had come to comfort her, so she hugged Sun Min and cried. However, Sun Min ended up killing Li Qiumei. Sun Min believed that Li Qiumei had seduced the principal, but Liang Dongni argued that Sun Min was mistaken and that it was the principal who had raped Li Qiumei.
However, Sun Min didn't believe it. She thought that someone as beautiful as Li Qiumei must be a seductress and a fox spirit. Xiao Yi already suspected that the principal had also raped Sun Min. Sun Min believed that the principal was a good person and had saved her. She thought that if she had learned these things earlier, she wouldn't have ended up with a broken leg because of a man. Xiao Yi told Sun Min that the principal's actions were wrong, and she couldn't accept that her savior was actually a bad person.
Xiao Yi asked Sun Min to let the person go and not make any more mistakes, but unexpectedly, Sun Min suddenly ran into a wall and died. Now the leads have been lost again, but bloodstains were found in a dormitory in the backyard. Since the location where Li Qiumei died has been found, it is highly likely related to Wei Lan. After Xiao Yi returned, he and Dou Zi Lin simulated Wei Lan's death, but something felt off. Moreover, the strange mark of a neutral pen stabbing on Wei Lan's foot was also peculiar. Adults shouldn't be stabbed in the foot, as it's not a normal way to exert force.
Zhou Yan woke up, and Liang Dongni and the others went to the hospital to question her. Zhou Yan said that Wang Lan and Teacher Sun Min had a conflict, and Sun Min smashed Wang Lan with a trophy. Liang Dongni also felt sorry for Zhou Yan. It was unfortunate that she witnessed a murder at such a young age. Wei Lan brought glasses that could record videos, and now the footage has been recovered. Wei Lan initially came to the school to clean and took some videos of their classes.
When someone was hitting Zhou Yan, Wei Lan stepped in to stop it and urged Zhou Yan to escape with her. However, Sun Min arrived and warned Zhou Yan that no one would like her if she didn't obey, telling her not to disappoint the principal. Zhou Yan used a neutral pen to stab Wei Lan's foot, causing Wei Lan, who was originally about to jump out of the window to escape, to fall.
Sun Min smashed Wei Lan's head with a trophy, killing her. Liang Dongni was surprised that Zhou Yan was also involved in this murder and didn't know how to face Zhou Yan in the future. Dou Zi Lin and the others were also furious, as they couldn't believe that even a child wasn't spared in this school. Now that the truth has come to light, Zhou Yan has been sent to a welfare institution, and a psychologist has been consulted in the hopes that she can grow up in a healthy manner.
Ma Xingbang met with Yuan Sheng. Previously, Yuan Sheng had invested money in Ma Xingbang's project in the Science and Technology City. Now Ma Xingbang wanted to repay the money and discontinue the project. Yuan Sheng believed that the Ma family had been targeted as they had encountered consecutive incidents. Yuan Sheng asked Ma Xingbang how their family had gotten into trouble, and Ma Xingbang believed that Boss Yang had wanted to harm them, which is why they reported him.
Yuan Sheng argued that Boss Yang wanted to make money with them, so why would he report them? Yuan Sheng told Ma Xingbang to go back and think it over before making a decision. When Ma Xingbang returned, he inspected his office and discovered numerous surveillance devices hidden in the ceiling, confirming that someone was indeed working against him. His subordinates suggested that they should give up, but Ma Xingbang realized that personal connections were a double-edged sword. While they could bring power, they could also bring danger. At this stage, it was impossible for him to give up.
The case of undercover journalist Blue Sky at the women's virtue school, where they mentally bind their feet, is truly suffocating and nauseating. The educators at the school, who are victims of unhappy marriages, end up victimizing an even more vulnerable group—the women who seek help.
The principal, Zhang Huaishi, whose wife cheated on him, establishes an adult women's school to educate women about obedience and virtues, using exams to continuously violate women's rights.
Sun Min, driven by jealousy, kills Li Qiumei. The most pitiful character is the child Zhou Yan, who is abused daily and brainwashed into becoming an accomplice in Blue Sky's murder. Haoying mistreats Zhou Yan, making him work non-stop and even bang his head against the wall.
It's infuriating and heartbreaking to witness. The storyline is just too distressing to watch.
I feel the most heartache for Qu Yuan Yuan. She has a slim figure, tall and beautiful, and a boyfriend who loves and cares for her. However, her parents do not support her.
After she was violated, it was Qian Feng who stayed with her, took care of her, and helped her gradually emerge from the darkness. But fate is merciless. Just when they were about to embark on happiness together, Yuan Yuan discovered she was pregnant, plunging her into the abyss once again.
She chose to commit suicide. Being in darkness is not the scariest part. Just when she finally managed to step into the light, she falls back into darkness. It's like the final straw that breaks the camel's back.
Being a woman is really not easy. Wearing beautiful clothes might invite gossip and criticism, and even attract the attention of villains. But it's not our fault.
The fault lies in the backward thinking of some people and the lack of conscience in those who commit wrongdoing. What clothes we wear is our freedom and should not be a reason for others to slander and harm us.
When we suffer any form of harm, we must not remain silent. Doing so will only embolden the criminals. We must bravely step forward, seek legal protection, and use the law to protect ourselves.