Be Reborn Episode 21 Recap
> Be Reborn Recap
Luo Jian found the soaked paper note and brought it to Madam, Fang Haizhong's wife, asking her to confirm if it was the one. She confirmed it was, asking him where he had found it. Madam then told Luo Jian that so many years had passed and he needed to let some things go, asking him if he could.
She invited him and Su Ying to visit her often and urged him to be safe, giving him an apple and requesting that he tell her the final investigation result once he found it. Meanwhile, Zhuang Wenjie safely returned to his residence from Qingtan Hotel. Xu Zhengqing followed, having gone through great lengths to shake off pursuit, with his clothes sleeve slashed by a blade as a warning.
Xu Zhengqing suspected they had alerted the auction organizers, but then speculated it might be a warning from a "colleague" with a double-edged blade, not Monsieur, as Monsieur would have been more aggressive. Zhuang Wenjie, however, wondered if it was Monsieur. Luo Jian then suspected the paper note was torn from a restaurant menu or a flyer. He took the note to Old Ma and Ye Jia.
Old Ma recognized it as a menu from a restaurant called "Great Taste of Golden Valley." Luo Jian, unsure if the restaurant still existed after at least twelve years, instructed Ye Jia to investigate immediately. Old Ma questioned the difficulty of tracing it, given how many restaurants in Qingcheng might have changed names or closed.
Luo Jian firmly instructed them to find out everything about the restaurant—its original owner, current name, or new address—as long as it led them to the truth. Ye Jia later confirmed to Luo Jian over the phone that the restaurant, formerly known as "Great Taste of Golden Valley," was now called "Old Taste of Golden Valley." Its registered address, product logo, information, and menu style were consistent with Luo Jian's clues.
Luo Jian visited "Old Taste of Golden Valley" and showed the owner a blurry picture of the paper note. The owner confirmed it was their old menu from over a decade ago. Luo Jian then showed him a photo of Fang Haizhong, and the owner remembered a police officer investigating an incident 12 years ago, specifically on June 12, 2007. He recounted that three men had a dispute, with one splashing water on another's face.
The owner recalled that the splashed man frequented the restaurant. During Fang Haizhong's visit, the owner pointed out a man across the street who resembled the splashed individual, prompting Fang Haizhong to immediately pursue him. Before leaving, Fang Haizhong instructed the owner to make a copy of the surveillance footage of the incident, intending to retrieve it later. The owner did burn a disc, but Fang Haizhong never came back for it, so the owner put it away.
While searching the messy storeroom, Luo Jian helped the owner find the disc case but couldn't locate the specific disc. He instructed the owner to seal the area for further investigation. Just as Luo Jian was leaving, a restaurant worker rode in on a motorbike with a disc covering his license plate. Luo Jian stopped him, and the owner confirmed it was indeed the missing surveillance disc that the worker had "grabbed from the warehouse as he passed by."
At the restaurant, Luo Jian noticed many students passing by and learned from the owner that Renmin Road Elementary School was nearby. He immediately called Jiang Hao, who confirmed that Zhuang Wenjie had attended that very school. Back at the station, Ye Jia played the surveillance disc, explaining that despite her best efforts, severe scratches meant she could only retrieve a few seconds of blurry footage.
Luo Jian, however, recognized Zhuang Yaobai and Ding Shenghuo in the recovered frames, identifying another person from their back. Guided by Fang Haizhong's old investigation notes, Luo Jian traced the pursuit route to the rooftop, where he mentally reconstructed Fang Haizhong's fatal fall while chasing a suspect. The painful memory of Fang Haizhong's last, unanswered phone call and his subsequent death resurfaced, deeply distressing Luo Jian.
Xu Zhengqing received a call from Dai Mengde, so he and Zhuang Wenjie hurried to meet him. Dai Mengde arranged for Xu Zhengqing to participate in the auction on behalf of his friend and re-uploaded the participant list to Undercurrent. Dai Mengde had also found a map of the Qingtan Hotel. Xu Zhengqing inferred that the masquerade ball, held on the top floor and exhibition hall of the hotel, was likely where the auction would take place.
Dai Mengde explained that Undercurrent's auctions are "non-physical," meaning items are not displayed at the venue, and bidders are blindfolded before being taken to a separate collection point. Winning a bid is the only way to get to the collection point. Xu Zhengqing devised a plan with Zhuang Wenjie: they would pose as customers to enter the hotel and bid competitively on the first two items, specifically the "Golden Qilin" which corresponded to the "Luoshen" painting.
This would allow the organizers to lead Zhuang Wenjie to the "Luoshen" while Xu Zhengqing would find an excuse to stay at the hotel to remotely locate Zhuang Wenjie and determine the "Luoshen"'s storage location, then find an opportunity to steal it. Dai Mengde provided a ceramic tracker, Undercurrent-registered mobile phones, and mini-intercoms for this purpose. When Zhuang Wenjie expressed concern about escaping under surveillance, Dai Mengde assured them that with the map, escaping wouldn't be an issue.
Dai Mengde shared his past experience with the place where the items are stored, describing it as a villa with high security measures, including infrared scanners around it and 24-hour security with four shifts. He revealed that each auction item was stored in an individual electronic safe with a combination of fingerprint and mechanical locks.
Xu Zhengqing proposed that he and Zhuang Wenjie would have to work together: they would cut off the power supply to deactivate the electronic lock, leaving only the mechanical unlocking function as an emergency contingency. Dai Mengde concluded that their success would ultimately be up to fate. Luo Jian brought Ding Shenghuo in for questioning, presenting him with new clues.
Luo Jian accused Ding Shenghuo of being involved in a larger scheme, linking him to Liao Detong, Li Shuting, "Tears of Moon Goddess," and Li Anfu. Ding Shenghuo denied knowing Li Shuting or Li Anfu, and claimed he was merely a middleman for the "Tears of Moon Goddess" case.
When questioned about "Luoshen," Ding Shenghuo maintained that the real painting was lost in the river with Zhuang Yaobai, and that any current appearance must be a fake, as he claimed to have seen news about it in prison. Luo Jian pressed him, asking why Monsieur would be so keen on acquiring a fake. Ding Shenghuo feigned ignorance about Monsieur.
Luo Jian then asked about the "Great Taste Restaurant" and the identity of the third person present with him and Zhuang Yaobai 12 years ago. Ding Shenghuo continued to pretend he didn't understand, even after Luo Jian showed him the blurry video footage of the third person's back. Seeing Ding Shenghuo's reaction, Luo Jian declared that he had his answer, implying he believed the third person was Monsieur.
Xu Zhengqing offered Dai Mengde a bank card as thanks, but Dai Mengde refused to accept it, recalling how Xu Zhengqing had saved his life 12 years prior by lending him two million yuan when he was in trouble for selling fake cultural relics. Dai Mengde insisted he still owed Xu Zhengqing a life debt. Xu Zhengqing brushed off the past, but Dai Mengde adamantly refused the money, prompting Xu Zhengqing to throw the bank card to him and leave.
Observing this exchange, Zhuang Wenjie realized that Xu Zhengqing had used the two million yuan from Ding Shenghuo to save Dai Mengde's life. He later asked Xu Zhengqing about it, questioning if he regretted it. Xu Zhengqing confessed he was still unsure if his actions were right or wrong, lamenting that he saved one friend but lost another. He affirmed that he owed Zhuang Yaobai a life and would repay it even if it cost him his own.
Zhuang Wenjie, however, told him not to, stating that Monsieur should be the one to pay. Luo Jian suspected that the third person with Ding Shenghuo at the restaurant was Monsieur, but lacked definitive proof. He told Su Ying that he believed the anonymous online tip-off about Qingtan Hotel was a deliberate hint for the police to pay attention.
Su Ying, however, was skeptical, pointing out that "Luoshen" was believed to be destroyed 12 years ago and the anonymous tip might be a distraction, questioning the reliability of information sent from a network spoofing base station.
Despite her doubts and the upcoming commendation conference, which Director Zhao insisted everyone attend due to the detachment winning a collective third-class merit for a smuggling case, Luo Jian insisted on going to Qingtan Hotel, reiterating his teacher's advice not to overlook any clue, no matter how small. Meanwhile, Xu Zhengqing received the auction notification from Dai Mengde and immediately called Zhuang Wenjie, who then changed into a suit in preparation.
