City of Streamer Episode 33 Recap
> City of Streamer Recap
Rong Jiashang confronted Rong Dingkun, accusing him of murdering Bai, his first wife. Rong Dingkun grew enraged, assuming Zhao Hua'an had divulged the information, but Rong Jiashang only stressed the severity of the situation, urging his father to abandon his delusions. Rong Dingkun demanded opium, promising to reveal the truth about Bai in return. After Rong Jiashang provided the opium, Rong Dingkun smoked several puffs to steady himself.
He initially claimed that after marrying Bai, he went to Shanghai for business and was rarely home. Bai, feeling neglected, had an affair and bore a son and a daughter with another man. When he refused to acknowledge them, she tried to elope with her lover. On their way, they were either attacked by bandits or the man changed his mind, resulting in the deaths of Bai and both children. Rong Jiashang was skeptical.
As Rong Dingkun became drowsy from the opium, Rong Jiashang pressed him for more details. Rong Dingkun then confessed that Bai had an affair with his own brother, and he killed his brother in a fit of rage. When asked about his brother's current whereabouts, Rong Dingkun, barely conscious, muttered, "Vanished. I did it myself. . . You'll never find him again." He kept repeating the name "Ah He" and accused "Ah He" of driving him to his actions.
Rong Jiashang tried to get more information, but Rong Dingkun was too far gone to respond. Meanwhile, Meng Xu'an summoned Yang Xiucheng to meet with Feng Shizhen, who had returned to Shanghai and was staying at Meng Xu'an's residence. Yang Xiucheng apologized for his past actions in Wenchunli, admitting his guilt and offering to help Meng Xu'an topple the Rong family.
Feng Shizhen accepted his assistance, stating that helping Meng Xu'an was sufficient atonement for his past wrongdoings against her family. Yang Xiucheng then revealed a crucial piece of information: Rong Dingkun's real surname was Qin, not Rong. This was overheard from one of Zhao Hua'an’s trusted followers, who reported that Zhao Hua'an, while drunk at his daughter’s wedding, blurted out that Rong Dingkun’s real name was Qin Shuigen.
Yang Xiucheng also recounted how the true Rong family, including parents, grandparents, and siblings, supposedly died of a plague. However, local elders claimed the Rong family was safe in their secluded home until Rong Dingkun arrived with the infected bodies of his deceased wife and children, bringing the plague to the family. This suggested that Qin Shuigen orchestrated their deaths to assume the real Rong Dingkun’s identity.
Feng Shizhen found this theory plausible, especially considering Rong Dingkun's avoidance of the remaining Rong family relatives. Feng Shizhen recalled that Rong Dingkun, when delirious, had once mistaken her for "Ah He" and begged "Ah He" not to seek revenge. Yang Xiucheng then presented Rong Dingkun's medical report, which showed no past leg fractures, thus confirming that the current Rong Dingkun was indeed an impostor, as the original Rong Dingkun was known to have a leg injury.
The impostor’s suspicious, polygamous, and criminal nature, involved in arms and opium trafficking, starkly contrasted with Feng Shizhen's memories of her kind and righteous father, further solidifying the conclusion that they were two entirely different men. Feng Shizhen realized that Qin Shuigen had likely killed her true father, "Ah He," and assumed his identity. Distraught, she wanted to confront Qin Shuigen immediately to discover where her father’s body was hidden and clear his name.
However, Meng Xu'an advised caution, insisting they must first locate the body before confronting the still dangerous Qin Shuigen. Feng Shizhen also mentioned to Yang Xiucheng that her relationship with Rong Jiashang was over, as he seemed to believe they were siblings, a misconception she encouraged as they had no future together regardless of the truth.
Meanwhile, a violent thunderstorm brought Rong Dingkun a horrifying vision of someone coming to claim his life, causing him to scream for help until his housekeeper rushed to calm him. Later, Rong Dingkun summoned Zhao Hua'an and gave him a ledger detailing the weaknesses of various Rong Company managers. He instructed Zhao Hua'an to use this information to quickly reclaim control of the Rong Company's main authority.
Zhao Hua'an expressed concern about Rong Jiashang, but Rong Dingkun dismissed his son as an "ungrateful wolf" and reiterated that the Rong family's empire was built by him and Zhao Hua'an, not by Rong Jiashang. Zhao Hua'an, stating he regarded Rong Dingkun as his elder brother, assured him of his unwavering loyalty.
After Rong Jiashang's visit to Wenchunli with a Miss Li, where he briefly glimpsed Feng Shizhen's retreating figure, he received a call from the Peking Hotel inquiring about undelivered crabs for Feng Shizhen. He called Feng Shizhen’s previous residence in Peking, only to learn she had departed two days prior.
Suspecting she had returned to Shanghai, he immediately ordered his secretary Chen to search all of Shanghai for her, specifically instructing him to keep a close watch on Meng Xu'an's residence. Upon learning Feng Shizhen was indeed at Meng Xu'an's house, Rong Jiashang stormed over. Meng Xu'an intercepted him, blocking his path to Feng Shizhen.
Meng Xu'an informed a furious Rong Jiashang that Feng Shizhen had already seen the incriminating photos and knew the truth, making it clear Rong Jiashang had no right to see her. Rong Jiashang, consumed by anger, was ultimately dismissed by Meng Xu'an. Later, Feng Shizhen and Yang Xiucheng continued their investigation into her father’s remains. Feng Shizhen pondered that Qin Shuigen, being paranoid, wouldn't have carelessly disposed of such a critical piece of evidence.
Instead, he would have buried it somewhere he could easily monitor and control. She recalled her aunt mentioning that her father earned his fortune by winning a lottery, and Yang Xiucheng had previously uncovered that Qin Shuigen bought his first properties—two warehouses—near the water-gate in Zhabei after arriving in Shanghai.
Feng Shizhen connected this to her father’s past as a dock worker, suggesting he would have lived near a dock, specifically recalling the small dock behind Wenchunli, where she used to see cargo ships unload. She hypothesized that if her father’s friend who borrowed money was Qin Shuigen, they would have lived together near that dock. Yang Xiucheng added that the Rong family already owned property in Wenchunli before the fire.
Feng Shizhen reasoned that Qin Shuigen had deliberately set fire to Wenchunli to erase evidence, but he intentionally spared one particular old, two-story house with an arched iron gate and iron fences, which he had bought and resided in before he gained wealth. This house, he claimed, held sentimental value, leading him to forbid anyone from entering, only allowing the exterior to be repainted and a new iron gate installed. Feng Shizhen concluded with certainty that her father's body was buried within that specific old house in Wenchunli.
