A Lonely Hero's Journey Episode 15 Recap
> A Lonely Hero's Journey Recap
Zhou Zhifei visited Kondo Masao, bringing a precious piece of calligraphy, the unique authentic work "Ascending Mount Yangtai" by the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai. He presented it, explaining its historical significance and rarity, noting its high value. He hoped Kondo would accept it, though Kondo appreciated the work but repeatedly insisted Zhou take it back, viewing it as an inappropriate gift. Zhou Zhifei revealed his true purpose: his son was being bullied by Japanese children at school in Japan.
He implored Kondo to intervene by contacting the school supervisor to stop the harassment, stating his wife was distressed by the news. Kondo listened but noted that student fights were normal and his son would get used to it. Kondo then steered the conversation back to official matters, stressing the urgency of solving the Ding Jiansheng case, urging Zhou to cooperate with Gu Yizhong to resolve it quickly as it was causing significant trouble for the military.
Zhou Zhifei, grateful but slightly disappointed, ultimately took back the calligraphy and left. Separately, Xiao Ruotong and her colleague (named Zhou Zhenwu in the plot summary) discussed the identity of Cell 8 based on a note or drawing provided by Lu Zheng. Considering Gu Yizhong, the colleague argued it was unlikely he was Cell 8 because if he intended them harm, he wouldn't have provided information allowing them to bring Ding Jiansheng from Shanghai, nor would he have passed notes.
Xiao Ruotong agreed, stating she had already ruled out Gu Yizhong as a suspect after the Cui Yaomin incident and felt they had wronged him. They narrowed the suspects to Hu Zhiping and Gu Huizhong. Hu Zhiping was dismissed because he was involved in all their activities in Suzhou and knew their liaison point, yet hadn't exposed it and had actively helped them, which seemed illogical if he were Cell 8. This left Gu Huizhong as the primary suspect.
The colleague then revealed that Gu Huizhong was a former classmate of Ji Yuqing, Zhou Zhifei's wife. They considered the possibility that either Gu Huizhong or both she and her husband, Hu Zhiping, might be compromised. To confirm the culprit, the colleague proposed a plan to use Ding Jiansheng as bait to expose Cell 8, which Xiao Ruotong implicitly accepted. Gu Huizhong spoke with her husband, Hu Zhiping, looking anxious and asking if he trusted her.
Despite his reassurance and expression of love, she insisted on confessing to him and the organization. She revealed that before the Yiyuan (Garden of Pleasance) operation at the base, she had disappeared for an afternoon. She explained she had gone to Daimaru Department Store to buy fabric for clothes for their unborn child and unexpectedly met her old classmate, Ji Yuqing, from Leyi Women's Middle School.
Ji Yuqing insisted she come to her home, where she discovered Ji Yuqing's husband was Zhou Zhifei, the Director of No. 90 station. They even took a photo together.
Gu Huizhong explained she hadn't reported the meeting immediately because their liaison point was exposed, forcing a hasty relocation, and later, with the investigation into Cell 8, she feared reporting it would cause an unavoidable misunderstanding, especially given Gu Yizhong's identity as her brother, her connection to Zhou Zhifei's wife, and the timing before the failed operation. Hu Zhiping acknowledged her delay in reporting was an issue but reiterated his absolute trust in her.
Gu Huizhong expressed her anxiety and desire to report it immediately, but Hu Zhiping instructed her not to tell anyone for now, prioritizing the safe escort of Jiangsu Provincial Committee leaders who were passing through Suzhou, for which he was responsible. He promised they would return to the base and report everything truthfully to the organization together after the escort was complete.
Gu Yizhong went to the hospital, bringing urgently needed quinine and observing the difficulties faced by patients suffering from malaria. He spoke with Doctor Wang and then asked Wang Ma about his sister, Gu Huizhong's whereabouts. Wang Ma was initially hesitant to provide information, expressing suspicion about his intentions, but Gu Yizhong explained the urgency and potential danger his sister might be in, also appealing to the legacy of their father.
Wang Ma then revealed that while she didn't take her all the way home, she knew Gu Huizhong lived somewhere in the Jiuru Alley area. According to the plot summary, while at the hospital, Gu Yizhong also accidentally witnessed Hu Zhiping secretly meeting Zhou Zhifei, which raised his suspicion. Hu Zhiping met with Zhou Zhifei again, expressing serious concern because Gu Huizhong had carelessly revealed her visit to their house and was planning to report it to her organization.
He feared this would inevitably lead to suspicion falling on him. Zhou Zhifei immediately asked Hu Zhiping for the location of the underground party's liaison point in Suzhou, offering to deal with Ding Jiansheng in return for his "Haidi" (海底 - possibly code for an escape route or protective measure), stating he wanted to leave his current work. Hu Zhiping refused to provide the liaison point, reminding Zhou of the severe consequences of the previous leak.
He dismissed Zhou's desire to leave, telling him he was trapped from the moment he started working with the secret service and especially after his wife became suspicious. He insisted that Zhou Zhifei's only option was to continue cooperating with him. He reiterated that if Zhou wanted Ding Jiansheng, he had to exchange him for "Haidi," threatening that otherwise, Zhou would get nothing else. Hu Zhiping then revealed that he would bring Ding Jiansheng to their location.
Facing this difficult situation, Zhou Zhifei spoke with Yuan He (also referred to as Spring or Quanshui in the plot summary). Zhou Zhifei felt trapped, stating he would face certain death if he handed Ding Jiansheng over to the Japanese as they demanded, but would likely lose his position as station chief if he didn't. He mused that someone clever, possibly someone knowledgeable from the Communist side, was guiding Gu Yizhong, who seemed inexperienced, to outmaneuver him.
Yuan He offered to handle Ding Jiansheng for him, acknowledging Zhou Zhifei couldn't do it himself under the current scrutiny, and suggested using the power of the Military Bureau (军统) according to the plot summary, though the subtitles show her offering her own people. Zhou Zhifei said he would think about it. Just then, Ji Yuqing arrived home and found them talking in a room Zhou Zhifei considered restricted due to hidden guns.
Suspicious, she pressed Zhou Zhifei about who he was talking to, identifying Yuan He as Mr. Li's mistress (外室) and accusing Zhou Zhifei of having an affair with her.
Zhou Zhifei vehemently denied the accusation, trying to stop her from calling Mr. Li and explaining that Yuan He was from Chongqing, that Mr. Li had arranged for her to stay there, and that her identity as a woman from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (ä¸ç»Ÿ) was highly sensitive and dangerous. He stressed that if Kondo found out about Mr. Li arranging her stay, they would all be in grave danger, facing the risk of being buried alive.
He expressed his frustration at feeling pressured from all sides and being driven to the verge of losing his mind. Ji Yuqing tearfully asked directly if he had slept with the woman.
He denied it again, asking how he would dare touch a woman from CBI or Mr. Li's woman, pleading with her to use her judgment, stop being suspicious, and be supportive, stating his job was already difficult and he had never considered being with another woman since being with her. At the theatre, Mr. Du found Haimo doing chores. He stopped her, insisting she didn't need to work there just because she couldn't perform currently.
He happily informed her that her application for the Guangyu Society had been approved and she could perform again the next day. He expressed surprise, noting the Society usually barred female performers, and speculated that someone influential with a powerful background must have spoken on her behalf for the application to be approved so readily.
He added that Wang Zemin, the Society's backer who was typically unfriendly towards him, had been unusually warm today, further suggesting a powerful benefactor was involved. During her performance, Haimo spotted Gu Yizhong in the audience and met him backstage during a break. Gu Yizhong urgently asked if she could contact Xiao Ruotong, stating he needed to find her quickly. Haimo replied she hadn't seen Xiao Ruotong since their last encounter at the hospital and suggested asking the hospital staff.
She thanked Gu Yizhong for visiting her father's grave daily, acknowledging his significant kindness towards her father. Haimo advised Gu Yizhong to consider returning home soon due to the deteriorating situation in Suzhou and offered to help him look for Xiao Ruotong on the street while she was out during the day, mentioning her own plans to go to Chongqing after the 49th day after her father's passing.
Gu Yizhong declined, stating he would find a way himself, and thanked her. Hu Zhiping met with Zhou Zhifei again, stating he urgently needed baby formula for his son and threatening to stop providing intelligence if he didn't receive two cans. Zhou Zhifei agreed, giving him the formula and extra money, mentioning he understood as he was a father too and correctly guessing the child was a boy. Later, Ding Jiansheng was with Xiao Ruotong and her colleague.
Ding Jiansheng expressed impatience, wanting to leave, but Xiao Ruotong's colleague explained it was too dangerous outside with people from No. 90 searching for him everywhere and that he wouldn't survive without their help. As they spoke, Hu Zhiping arrived and announced he was taking Ding Jiansheng.
