Being a Hero Episode 25 Recap
> Being a Hero Recap
When Chen Yu returned, Yang Ling informed him that her father, Yang Xingquan, was waiting upstairs and seemed upset. Yang Ling expressed her concern to her father about his recent emotional state, to which Yang Xingquan apologized, promising not to involve her in his work again. Chen Yu then directly confronted Yang Xingquan, who already knew Chen Yu was investigating his accounts, especially those related to the tea factory and Wan Heda.
Yang Xingquan casually dismissed Chen Yu’s suspicion, stating that if Chen Yu wanted to investigate him, he should just ask Lin Dezan, as their relationship was so close, it was "just a word away." Chen Yu, asserting that he wouldn't suspect anyone without evidence, instead expressed curiosity about how Yang Xingquan became Lin Dezan's informant years ago. Yang Xingquan recounted meeting Lin Dezan twenty years prior when he was a waiter at a tea house.
He knew Lin Dezan enjoyed Pu'er tea and would often engage him in conversations about tea. One day, Yang Xingquan gave Lin Dezan a tip about drug dealing happening in the karaoke bar next door. Lin Dezan immediately led a raid, successfully apprehending drug dealers in the act. Yang Xingquan continued to provide accurate intelligence, leading to further successful busts at places like the bus station and Wuyi Plaza.
Yang Xingquan noted that these consistent and accurate tips earned Lin Dezan merits and awards. However, Yang Xingquan also pointed out a strange trend: later on, his direct tips became less frequent, yet the volume of drugs seized increased significantly. Yang Xingquan claimed that this valuable intelligence was given out of friendship and a strong aversion to drug-related harm.
He then stated that he was retaliated against by drug dealers, forcing him to abandon his daughter, Yang Ling, and flee abroad. Yang Xingquan described his life overseas as a laborer at a "tea factory," a vast tea mountain where he meticulously cared for "tea trees," detailing the harvesting and processing of "tea leaves" into cakes. He admitted that while the work was hard, he found fulfillment in it, and the "tea garden" business grew.
Chen Yu listened quietly, implicitly understanding that the "tea factory" was in fact an opium base, and the "tea" being processed was refined into drugs. Yang Xingquan then recounted meeting a woman named Qiong Jie, the daughter of the "boss," whom Chen Yu recognized as Li Yiqiong, a core member of Mengka.
Yang Xingquan described a time when Qiong Jie fell gravely ill, and he risked his life to find medicine for her, enduring a beating from her father at some point. After her recovery, Qiong Jie taught him many tea-making skills and involved him in the "tea business." When local armed forces attacked them, Yang Xingquan again risked his life to save Qiong Jie, and they both narrowly escaped.
In gratitude, Qiong Jie used her father's inheritance to help him start over, establishing a new "tea garden" with new workers and partners. Yang Xingquan then claimed that he eventually missed Yang Ling and returned the "tea garden" to Qiong Jie, coming back to Yunhe alone. He credited Qiong Jie with giving him "a new life."
Lin Dezan later explained to Chen Liwen that Yang Xingquan had contacted him ten years ago, wanting to return and engage in the tea business. Feeling deeply indebted to Yang Xingquan for his past cooperation, Lin Dezan had personally reunited Yang Xingquan with a seven-year-old Yang Ling at the social welfare institution. Lin Dezan, in a separate conversation with Chen Liwen, expressed his deep-seated anger at realizing he had been deceived by Yang Xingquan for twenty years.
He explained that Yang Xingquan had exploited his guilt, using his "informant" activities to eliminate competitors in Yunhe and clear obstacles for his own drug trafficking. Lin Dezan vowed zero tolerance for drug involvement and, despite being transferred out of Yunhe, declared his intention to thoroughly clear the city of drugs before his departure, acknowledging that his past mistakes could not be atoned for and his ambitions remained unfulfilled.
Meanwhile, Yang Xingquan questioned Chen Yu about his relationship with Wu Zhenfeng, speculating if Wu Zhenfeng was Chen Yu's informant. Chen Yu denied gaining anything from Wu Zhenfeng, claiming only deception and exploitation. However, Chen Yu admitted to feeling sympathy for Wu Zhenfeng, wondering if he himself might have followed a similar path if subjected to the same experiences.
He contrasted Yang Xingquan's fortunate encounters with good people, which led to a good outcome, with Wu Zhenfeng's unfortunate encounters with drug dealers, which led to a dire one. Following his decision, Lin Dezan orchestrated extensive anti-drug operations throughout Yunhe, launching large-scale investigations and search-and-seizure actions at suspected drug dealing and hiding locations.
He personally left behind all his accumulated honors, stating they could not compensate for the mistakes he had made in his life, and admitted to Yang Ling that his "unfulfilled ambitions" were why he had stayed in Yunhe for so many years. Separately, Yang Ling had filled the refrigerator with Chen Yu's favorite foods. She expressed a need for some space and quiet time, suggesting Chen Yu find another place to stay.
Yang Ling confided that she had been reflecting on Wu Zhenfeng's words about her father's good fortune in returning alive and having someone to prove his innocence, contrasting it with Wu Zhenfeng's desire not to be burdened by the identity of a drug dealer's son. While she trusted Chen Yu's judgment and believed he wouldn't suspect anyone without reason, she also acknowledged the undeniable fact of Yang Xingquan being her father.
She pressed Chen Yu for a definitive answer about the validity of his suspicions. Chen Yu, though empathetic, affirmed that he would not lie to her and that his sole commitment was to pursue the truth and find evidence, a path he believed she truly desired as well. Meanwhile, Lao Zhuo relentlessly pressured Hao Dong for the "Dahuang" capsules, demanding either the drugs or compensation for his losses resulting from Hao Dong's ongoing conflict with Mengka.
Hao Dong insisted that the current situation was not conducive to business and expressed his intention to quit. However, Qiong Jie sharply rebuked him, asserting that once involved in this line of work, there was no escaping it, much like an addiction. She warned that his associates and buyers would not allow him to quit and questioned whether he could truly guarantee he wouldn't return to it even if he stopped today.
She then pushed him to discuss their next drug transport. Hao Dong, firm on his terms, stated he would only return to Yunhe and discuss business if he could meet "Mr. Yu." Later that night, Hao Dong and Wan Heda followed a vehicle to the Chinese border, where they were met by handlers who escorted them to "Mr. Yu." To Hao Dong's shock, "Mr. Yu" revealed himself to be Yang Xingquan.
Yang Xingquan thanked Hao Dong for burning a previous location and confirmed that with Lin Dezan about to leave, Liu Kaihua gone, and Wan Mengmeng still unconscious and unable to speak, it was the safest and most opportune moment for a drug shipment. Hao Dong, wanting to wash his hands of the business, expressed his distrust of the police's success in dealing with Old Wan (Wanlutong) and demanded full control over this shipment and a 20% increase in his profit.
He offered Yang Xingquan all of his M-Gu and newly developed "Dahuang" capsules as part of his exit. Yang Xingquan agreed to the terms, promising Hao Dong his help if he ever needed it in the future. Hao Dong then found Jiang Lei, who had been hiding. Hao Dong affectionately urged Jiang Lei to leave Yunhe and reunite with his mother, explaining that their illicit profession had no end and he didn't want Jiang Lei to suffer the same fate.
Hao Dong declared his intention to undertake one final massive deal involving 200 kilograms of product and then quit the business permanently, emphasizing the critical importance of faultless raw materials. Police intelligence, overseen by Chen Liwen, confirmed that Hao Dong and Wan Heda had entered the wood carving factory and Wanlutong Transport Company the previous night.
Lin Dezan reported to Chen Liwen that Hao Dong had disappeared for three hours in an unsupervised area after entering the country before returning to the wood carving factory. Jiang Lei was also confirmed to have picked up Hao Dong at the border and remained with him until they entered the factory. The police believed their "pacification" efforts had worked, but the exact purpose of the trio's gathering (manufacturing or trafficking) remained unclear.
Chen Liwen inquired about Wu Zhenfeng, but no news had been received since Chen Yu's last contact with him. With the situation uncertain, Chen Liwen ordered close and discreet surveillance to avoid detection by the drug traffickers. The scene concluded with police moving to intercept, with one officer shouting, "Stop him!" and an unidentified voice warning someone cornered, "Since you're standing here, you must have thought it through. Either you can't get out, or you're threatening me."
