Be Reborn Episode 15 Recap
> Be Reborn Recap
Luo Jian, waiting by the elevator, was surprised to see Su Ying, the head of the Provincial Public Security Department's Criminal Investigation Headquarters, step out. He remembered her from the police academy, where he was her senior, though now they held the same rank. Su Ying informed him that the individuals were suspects they had been monitoring for a long time and warned him not to arrest Li Anfu now, as it would alert them.
Luo Jian disagreed, emphasizing that Li Anfu was involved in a murder case, which he considered a serious matter that his team should handle. Su Ying countered that the cases involving Li Anfu's associates were even more significant. As they debated, Chief Zhao called Luo Jian, instructing him to comply with Su Ying's orders and withdraw his team. Reluctantly, Luo Jian conceded and left, ordering Jiang Hao to drive directly to Qingcheng University.
Enraged by the forced withdrawal, Luo Jian confronted Zhuang Wenjie at Qingcheng University, berating him for acting independently and not trusting the police in Wang Xue's case. Realizing his outburst was uncalled for, Luo Jian quickly apologized and asked what Zhuang Wenjie had called him about. Still hurt by Luo Jian's words, Zhuang Wenjie, sulking, ignored him.
Luo Jian then returned to the police station with Liao Shuang, Pang Dazhi, and Jiang Hao, where they were immediately called into a meeting with Chief Zhao, chaired by Su Ying. Su Ying reiterated that the Provincial Public Security Department had been investigating several cultural relic and art theft cases over the past year, all linked to a transnational artifact smuggling ring.
Two months prior, burial goods from the tomb of the queen consort of King Yufu of the ancient Shu at Mawangpo surfaced in Yujiang City. A group of tomb raiders, hired by the smuggling ring, had stolen the coffin and other artifacts. She identified three members of the smuggling ring—Ma Youfang (Lanky), Zhang Meng (Cook), and Yu Tian (Candy)—who were commanded by a person known as Ms. Hong, whose true identity remained unknown.
These three had recently arrived in Qingcheng from Yujiang and were staying at the Jiali Hotel, where they met Li Anfu. Su Ying suspected Li Anfu would be involved in their next plan to sell the valuable artifacts, which they had yet to locate.
Luo Jian expressed concern about the Wang Xue case, which involved a death, and the need to provide an explanation to the victim's family, but Chief Zhao instructed him to fully cooperate with Su Ying and not to alert Li Anfu, assuring him that Li Anfu was under surveillance. Su Ying also revealed connections to cases Luo Jian's team had previously handled.
Li Shuting, a suspect in the Moon Goddess case, had met with the three smugglers in Yujiang City, leading Su Ying to believe Li Shuting was either working for or cooperating with the ring. Additionally, an art forger nicknamed Fly, who had been arrested the previous week, confessed to making a palm print model and a cut bionic iris for Ding Shenghuo.
These items were reportedly left in locker number 9527 in the men's locker room of Zhulang Swimming Pool in Qingcheng City. Liao Shuang then confirmed that Li Shuting's motorbike was seen by a camera on Huayuan Road, near Zhulang Swimming Pool, the night before the Moon Goddess case.
Su Ying concluded that the palm print and iris were likely intended for Li Shuting, possibly as tools to open the password box for the "Tears of Moon Goddess," which was opened by a palm print. However, Luo Jian raised two doubts: if Li Shuting had the palm print, why didn't she act earlier during transport, and why was an iris needed when the case files had no mention of it?
Su Ying then requested to interrogate Ding Shenghuo immediately to clarify these points, and Luo Jian agreed to cooperate, though he cautioned her about Ding Shenghuo's difficult nature from their previous interrogations. Su Ying also asked to meet Zhuang Wenjie, acknowledging his significant role in the Water Lily and Moon Goddess cases. Luo Jian reluctantly agreed. Meanwhile, Zhuang Wenjie visited his old home, recalling the painful memory of being taken away by the orphanage.
He wandered to Xu Zhengqing's clock repair shop, where he saw Xu Zhengqing fixing a customer's watch. Zhuang Wenjie then received a phone call and stepped outside to answer it. Luo Jian went to the men's locker room at Zhulang Swimming Pool and found fragments of a broken phone screen on the floor.
Remembering Zhuang Wenjie's unusually high heart rate and blood pressure while in the hospital, and a message from Ding Shenghuo about retrieving an item from locker 9527 at 12 AM on the 1st (which was past), Luo Jian deduced that Zhuang Wenjie had gone to the swimming pool and taken the palm print and iris. Luo Jian waited outside Zhuang Wenjie's residence.
When Zhuang Wenjie returned late, Luo Jian confronted him, asking which side he was on and why he was helping Ding Shenghuo. Zhuang Wenjie, still upset by Luo Jian's earlier accusations and feeling he didn't trust the police, retorted that his future was none of Luo Jian's concern. He vehemently denied taking any palm print or iris and challenged Luo Jian's logic, stating the broken glass fragments weren't necessarily his.
Luo Jian warned Zhuang Wenjie that he would keep a close eye on him, stating that if Zhuang Wenjie chose the path of darkness, he would not spare him, but if he chose the light, Luo Jian would support him. Zhuang Wenjie insisted he was an adult and could handle his own affairs.
Separately, Lin Zhiyue lost her wallet and phone on a bus and immediately informed Zhuang Wenjie and Sun Zhijian to be wary of any fraudulent requests for money. Zhuang Wenjie suggested contacting the bus company for surveillance footage, while Sun Zhijian offered to try and locate her phone if it was turned on, using his computer.
Sun Zhijian also confided in them about a girl he met at a digital mall a few days prior, for whom he had developed feelings. He sought their advice on dating for an upcoming "very important date" where he was helping her find a graphics card. Su Ying's team continued to monitor Ms. Hong's associates. They observed that the team was helping Li Anfu pursue Liang Luohuan, whose father was a renowned antique collector.
Ma Youfang forged a new, "rich person's" identity for Li Anfu. Ms. Hong's people, including Yu Tian (Candy), strategically befriended Liang Luohuan's friends, praising Li Anfu and creating a flawless image for him. Liang Luohuan and Li Anfu quickly fell in love. Li Anfu then began to manipulate Liang Luohuan's emotions by using intimate photos of her and her ex-boyfriend to create conflicts, employing tactics like threats of breaking up, cold violence, and belittling her.
This manipulation led Liang Luohuan to threaten suicide, begging for reconciliation, eventually putting her under Li Anfu's complete mental control. Su Ying's team suspected Ms. Hong intended to use Liang Luohuan's father to sell the stolen antiques. During a meeting, Pang Dazhi and Jiang Hao questioned the relevance of Su Ying's findings to their fraud case, pointing out that Li Anfu was also involved in "naked loans" with other girls.
Su Ying then brought up Zhuang Wenjie, revealing that Yu Tian had recently contacted Sun Zhijian, and Zhang Meng had followed Lin Zhiyue onto a bus, leading to her phone and wallet being stolen. Su Ying asserted that Ms. Hong's group was targeting Zhuang Wenjie and his friends, suspecting they wanted something from him, especially since he was fully involved in Ding Shenghuo's case.
Luo Jian defended Zhuang Wenjie, highlighting that Ding Shenghuo had tried to kill him, making it unlikely they were working together. Su Ying, however, suggested it might be a tactic by Ding Shenghuo's group to gain the police's trust in Zhuang Wenjie by appearing to be at odds.
Reflecting on Wang Xue's death and the strange incidents involving Lin Zhiyue and Sun Zhijian, Zhuang Wenjie felt responsible and concluded that he was endangering his friends by keeping the palm print and iris. After careful consideration, he decided to turn them over. He sent an email to the address Li Anfu used, proposing a location and time for the exchange: Qingcheng City Pier, Zone A, in three days.
