Forward Forever Episode 36 Recap, Plot

> Forward Forever
> Forward Forever Recap

Inspector Huang escorted Xie Daren to the Night Rose nightclub, a popular British-owned establishment, and arranged for a dancer named Huan Er to keep him company. Xie Daren was delighted, finding Huan Er's Chinese name particularly pleasing. Huang promised to send more wine and ensure their enjoyment, then left them to revel. Meanwhile, Chong Liming met with Mr. Jin, who expressed deep gratitude to Chong Liming for previously saving Hua Jiuqing.

Mr. Jin praised Chong Liming's heroic actions in Shanghai, acknowledging his impact on the Chinese people. Chong Liming modestly dismissed the praise, stating he simply disliked foreign bullying and would give his all in the upcoming competition. Mr. Jin promised to attend and cheer for every one of Chong Liming's matches. The conversation then turned to Chong Liming's current mission: protecting the Qing government's peace talk representatives.

Mr. Jin noted the tense North-South peace negotiations and the Southern government's surprise at negotiator Mr. Tang's openness to a republic. Chong Liming deflected questions about Yuan Daren's true intentions back to Mr. Jin, who had historical ties to Yuan Daren. Mr. Jin detailed the complex political landscape, highlighting the widespread autonomy movements in the south, which he believed Yuan Daren could not suppress. He concluded they should set aside politics for the evening and simply enjoy their drinks.

Si San and Wagner, assigned to protect Xie Daren, waited outside his room. Si San lamented their current mundane task compared to past luxuries, reflecting that Chong Liming's participation in the boxing competition offered a chance for them to do "something serious." Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by Huan Er's horrified scream from inside the room. Rushing in, they found Xie Daren lifeless.

Inspector Huang quickly arrived, ordered his concession police to cordon off the Night Rose, and forcibly removed Si San and Wagner, stating they had no jurisdiction. Suspecting foul play and Huang's involvement, they were frustrated but forced to leave, returning to report the suspicious death to Chong Liming. Later, Hua Jiuqing informed Chong Liming that official reports declared Xie Daren's death a natural one, occurring in a prostitute's room.

Chong Liming, however, remained unconvinced, citing Huang's swift removal of his men from the scene, and initially asked Hua Jiuqing to help investigate. Yu Chu suggested publicizing the incident to pressure the concession authorities. Si San worried about Deqi's reaction and the embarrassment of a high-ranking official dying in a brothel. Chong Liming insisted that something was amiss, pointing out the patrol room's peculiar involvement.

Yu Chu then questioned Wagner, who vividly recalled Xie Daren's pale face, chapped lips, cold, damp skin, constricted pupils, and bruised temples, all suggesting a cause of death other than natural causes, possibly poisoning. Convinced it was a conspiracy, Chong Liming reviewed the entire case and dispatched Si San and Wagner to re-examine the crime scene. There, they discovered a drug packet under the bed.

Simultaneously, Wen Gou and Ke Yan Xin traced dancer Huan Er to her residence, but she had already fled, prompting them to search her apartment. He then planned to further leverage Hua Jiuqing's youth gang connections based on these new findings. Inspector Huang presented Deqi with the official autopsy report, citing sudden heart failure from overexcitement as the cause of death. Deqi vehemently rejected this, insisting Xie Daren had no known heart condition, and demanded his own investigation.

Huang refused, emphasizing that as a concession, they had no jurisdiction and warning of potential international complications. Deqi was infuriated by the lack of respect and the implication of political compromise. An imperial edict soon arrived from the Empress Dowager, ordering a thorough investigation into Xie Daren's death while simultaneously commanding strict secrecy to avoid international disputes.

Deqi interpreted this as a conflicting directive, prioritizing the suppression of public opinion due to the ongoing peace talks and Yuan Daren's delicate negotiations with foreign powers. Yu Chu, accompanied by Wagner, confronted Inspector Huang, demanding to re-examine Xie Daren's body, citing the Empress Dowager's decree for its return to Beijing for burial. Huang initially refused, but Yu Chu's veiled threats about his own culpability forced his cooperation.

At the morgue, Wagner discovered ruptured capillaries and damaged mucous membranes in Xie Daren's nasal cavity, indicating prior use of a substance like snuff. Huang dismissed these findings as post-mortem changes, adhering to the "natural death" conclusion. Yu Chu sharply criticized his dismissive attitude, warning him to be truthful, and instructed Wagner to take Xie Daren's body. Separately, representatives from the Far East Company discussed plans to establish a gambling enterprise around the boxing competition.

They intended to exploit Chinese patriotism by setting high odds against Chong Liming winning the championship, thus attracting more bets while ensuring he never wins the final. They agreed on a profit split where the company would take 70%. They also discussed working with the youth gang to streamline operations in the concession and expand gambling points in Chinese areas, targeting ordinary citizens whose collective small bets would generate significant revenue. At the patrol room, Yu Chu unexpectedly encountered Mary.

Mary questioned Yu Chu's presence and remarked on the scandalous nature of Xie Daren's death in a brothel. She also revealed she had advised Chong Liming against participating in the "International Competition," suggesting Yu Chu do the same, as it brought no benefit to him or the Qing court. Yu Chu, however, declared her unwavering support for Chong Liming's choice, no matter the difficulty, and intended to cheer him on.

Mary later confronted Inspector Huang, blaming him for Xie Daren's death at the Night Rose, which was under the Far East Company's purview. Huang admitted that Xie Daren died after consuming "Fulong San," a stimulant commonly used by the nightclub's girls to enhance patrons' experience. He confirmed Huan Er had been released, a decision Mary criticized, warning him to handle the matter discreetly and leave no incriminating evidence.

Chong Liming met with Hua Jiuqing to share a crucial piece of evidence: the drug packet his men found at the crime scene. Hua Jiuqing immediately recognized it as "Fulong San," a potent aphrodisiac that had recently appeared in Shanghai and was already impacting the youth gang's opium business. They decided to combine forces: Chong Liming asked Hua Jiuqing to find Huan Er, and Hua Jiuqing promised to investigate the source of Fulong San.

While with Chong Liming, Hua Jiuqing also playfully teased him about diamond rings, hinting at impending nuptials. As Inspector Huang's men attempted to secretly transfer and dispose of Huan Er, Hua Jiuqing and her enforcer, Big Cat, intervened just in time, rescuing her. Under Hua Jiuqing's questioning, after Hua Jiuqing explained the seriousness of her situation, Huan Er confessed to giving Xie Daren Fulong San to increase her earnings, inadvertently leading to his death.

She divulged her method of acquiring the drug: marking a specific stone pier near Waibaidu Bridge, after which a young man named Ah Gui would meet her the following afternoon for a transaction. She also recalled seeing Ah Gui making a phone call in a cafe. Hua Jiuqing dispatched Big Cat to track Ah Gui. Despite Ah Gui's attempt to flee, Big Cat successfully apprehended him in an alley. Meanwhile, Yu Chu tirelessly supervised Chong Liming's rigorous training.

She had meticulously researched all seven international competitors, detailing their formidable backgrounds and dangerous fighting styles, such as British boxer Da Qiao, a three-time European heavyweight champion, and Russian fighter Ivan, who had killed five opponents. Despite her own apprehension, Yu Chu pushed Chong Liming to excel, reminding him of his goal to restore Chinese honor in the ring. Chong Liming, full of confidence, promised he would not disappoint her.

During training, Chong Liming received a phone call from Hua Jiuqing, informing him that she had captured Ah Gui. He immediately went to her. Under severe interrogation, Ah Gui finally revealed the Fulong San manufacturing den was located in Taiping Lane, shikumen. Hua Jiuqing and Chong Liming took Ah Gui to the illicit factory.

There, workers identified a mysterious individual known as Third brother as the supplier of the raw materials, and revealed that all communications and arrangements for their weekly transactions took place via phone calls to Ah Gui at the Catherine Cafe around 11 AM every Thursday morning.

Back at their base, Si San, Wagner, Ke Yan Xin, and Wen Gou were caught gossiping about Chong Liming and Hua Jiuqing's suspected romantic involvement when Yu Chu suddenly walked in, silencing their chatter with a questioning look.

Episode 35 Recap

Episode 37 Recap