Fall in Love Episode 15 Recap
> Fall in Love Recap
Following the previous episode's revelations about Min Dacheng's involvement, Tan Xuanlin's investigation continued. His adjutant, Tan Si, confirmed with the owner of Zuixian Restaurant that their delivery man had been knocked unconscious while delivering food to Min Dacheng. Tan Xuanlin noted Min Dacheng's unusual insistence on ordering outside food and deduced it was his sole means of external communication.
He instructed Tan Si to continue ordering from the restaurant but to carefully inspect the food boxes rather than letting Min Dacheng eat the contents, hoping to catch a "bigger fish." Tan Xuanlin also inquired about Min Dacheng's family, learning he was unmarried and childless. This led him to question the presence of a talisman for an unborn child found in Min Dacheng's Buddha niche, a mystery that perplexed his subordinates and further intrigued Tan Xuanlin.
Tan Xuanlin later found Mu Wanqing, reminding her that the time had come to settle accounts with Cui Lianfeng. Mu Wanqing returned home and informed her family that the culprit in the kidnapping case had been identified as Min Dacheng, the owner of Baoli Pawnshop. She asserted that he had no connection to their family and had merely pretended to be soldiers from Tan Xuanlin's militia to frame them.
Cui Lianfeng appeared visibly uneasy upon hearing Min Dacheng's name and quickly lowered her head to drink porridge, avoiding everyone's gaze. Cui Lianfeng suggested Min Dacheng's motive was simply extortion, but Mu Wanqing insisted that Min Dacheng had genuinely intended to kill her at the wharf, making mere extortion an unlikely motive. Mu Wanting visited Xu Guangyao at the hospital, expressing excessive solicitude for him. She suggested Mu Wanqing return home to rest, offering to take over his care.
However, Xu Guangyao politely declined, stating that Mu Wanqing was his personal secretary and indispensable for his official duties even while hospitalized, implying he had no need for outsiders. Mu Wanting, feeling slighted, turned her anger on Mu Wanqing. She alluded to Mu Wanqing's relationship with Tan Xuanlin, warning her to be careful and hinting that Xu Guangyao was aware of it. Mu Wanqing responded with a cold smile and walked away.
Xu Guangyao, concerned, advised Mu Wanqing not to take Mu Wanting's words to heart, but Tan Xuanlin, who was present, remarked that Mu Wanqing was hardly one to be bullied. He then approached Mu Wanqing and asked if Mu Wanting had troubled her, but Mu Wanqing dismissed it.
Tan Xuanlin then dispatched a letter to Xu Bojun, providing a compelling reason that the Tan Army was still under suspicion and could not close the kidnapping case independently, thus requiring the Military Governor's Office to personally conclude it for legitimacy. Xu Bojun conceded that the request was reasonable, which his adjutant agreed was politically necessary.
Back at the Mu Mansion, Mu Zhiyuan announced that Xu Bojun would personally preside over the trial the following day at the command headquarters, and Tan Xuanlin had invited the entire Mu family to observe. Cui Lianfeng, upon hearing the news, was so scared she almost collapsed, but quickly composed herself, agreeing to attend. Unbeknownst to her, Tan Xuanlin had already deliberately leaked this information to her.
Upon his arrival in Shanghai, Xu Bojun asserted his authority, demanding to interrogate Min Dacheng alone and instructing Tan Xuanlin to leave the room. Min Dacheng appeared flustered when he faced Xu Bojun. Xu Bojun threw a stack of documents at him, revealing that Min Dacheng's incompetent subordinates had already confessed everything.
Min Dacheng admitted that Tan Xuanlin had hinted that he would not accept the subordinates' testimonies, implying a deal: if Min Dacheng cleared the Tan Army's name, Tan Xuanlin would cease the investigation at Min Dacheng. Xu Bojun became enraged, realizing this would eliminate any pretext for him to prevent the establishment of Tan Xuanlin's militia, effectively giving Tan Xuanlin a firm foothold in Shanghai.
Min Dacheng knelt, confessing his mistakes and pleading for his child's future, reminding Xu Bojun that he had dedicated his life to him years ago. Xu Bojun, in turn, promised to ensure his child's prosperity if Min Dacheng protected the Military Governor's Office's reputation. During the public trial, Min Dacheng confessed to kidnapping Mu Wanqing, explaining that he had framed Tan Xuanlin's militia because their proposed protection of merchants threatened his own income from "protection money."
Cui Lianfeng, growing increasingly anxious during Min Dacheng's testimony, feigned a stomachache and attempted to leave. However, Tan Xuanlin stopped her, calmly asking if her discomfort was due to the herbal tea from Chen's Herbal Tea Shop, just like Mu Wanting on the day of the kidnapping. He recalled that Mu Wanting's stomachache on that specific morning (the 28th) had caused Mu Zhiyuan to remain with her, leaving Mu Wanqing to get into the car alone.
A maid confirmed Mu Wanting had noted a strange taste in the tea that day. The herbal tea shop owner confirmed Cui Lianfeng had purchased tea on the 28th, and a doctor testified that Cui Lianfeng had bought senna leaves, a laxative, known to cause colic if misused. Tan Xuanlin then explicitly accused Cui Lianfeng of using Mu Wanting's stomachache to detain Mu Zhiyuan, thereby intentionally isolating Mu Wanqing. Cui Lianfeng vehemently denied the accusation.
Tan Xuanlin then produced a handkerchief, asking Cui Lianfeng about its pattern. Without seeing it clearly, she confidently described a "soaring phoenixes" design. Tan Xuanlin then revealed the handkerchief actually depicted "twin lotus flowers on one stalk," but then produced a second handkerchief, which did indeed have the "soaring phoenixes" pattern, stating it was found in the food box delivered to Min Dacheng from Zuixian Restaurant.
Tan Xuanlin then presented documents proving that Cui Lianfeng and Min Dacheng hailed from the same small village in Ningbo, implying a pre-existing connection. Cui Lianfeng conceded they were from the same village but claimed they were merely acquaintances.
She tried to explain that she had seen her nephew, Cui Jie, acting suspiciously while working for Min Dacheng and had attempted to stall Mu Zhiyuan out of concern for his safety, not knowing Mu Wanqing would get in the car alone. Tan Xuanlin then revealed that Min Dacheng had murdered Cui Jie, shocking Cui Lianfeng, who hysterically denied any complicity.
Faced with overwhelming evidence and Xu Bojun's silent pressure, Min Dacheng, recalling Xu Bojun's promise to his child, finally pointed at Cui Lianfeng, confessing that she had orchestrated the entire kidnapping and instructed him to kill Mu Wanqing. Cui Lianfeng screamed her innocence. After the dramatic trial, Mu Zhiyuan expressed his shame for his wife's actions and pleaded with Xu Bojun to allow him to handle Cui Lianfeng's punishment privately to preserve the Mu family's reputation.
Xu Bojun, considering the Mu family's crucial financial support for his military, agreed, stating it was a family matter he did not wish to publicize. Tan Xuanlin also consented, but took Min Dacheng into custody for further interrogation. Min Dacheng was later sent to the hospital after a failed attempt on his life by Xu Bojun's adjutant, who was then ordered to ensure his death.
Back at the Mu Mansion, a distraught Cui Lianfeng continued to deny Min Dacheng's accusations, insisting she was a weak woman incapable of controlling gangsters and had only made an innocent mistake. Mu Wanqing, however, produced a talisman found in Min Dacheng's Buddha niche, revealing it was from Fayuan Temple for the soul of an unborn child, dated ten years prior. Mu Wanqing connected this to Cui Lianfeng's miscarriage ten years ago, around the same time her brother was killed.
She exposed that her mother only learned of Cui Lianfeng's relationship with Mu Zhiyuan after Cui Lianfeng's miscarriage, leading to Mu Wanting being fostered away and Mu Wanqing and her mother moving to Japan, after which Cui Lianfeng was formally recognized. Mu Wanqing then directly asked Cui Lianfeng if the child was Min Dacheng's. Cui Lianfeng vehemently denied it, claiming the child was Mu Zhiyuan's and conceived during their time in Guangzhou.
She stated she never had affairs and was always faithful. Mu Wanqing pressed her, noting that she had returned to her hometown before going to Guangzhou, suggesting a different origin for the child. Cornered, Cui Lianfeng finally broke down and confessed that she had been raped by Min Dacheng.
