Love in Flames of War Episode 20 Recap
> Love in Flames of War Recap
Commander Xiao Haishan, surrounded by enemy forces at Eagle Beak Hill, fought valiantly when Xiao Beichen's troops arrived just in time to reinforce the line and launch a counterattack. Seeing his father wounded by a gunshot, Xiao Beichen quickly instructed Mo Weiyi to take Commander Xiao back to Suiling, while he and Xu Zijun continued the offensive. Xiao Haishan urged his son to be careful.
However, on the return journey, the vehicle Xiao Beichen was meant to be in was ambushed and exploded. Xu Zijun, distraught, tried to rush towards the burning wreckage, repeatedly calling out for Xiao Beichen, but his soldiers held him back, recognizing the danger. That night, Lin Hangjing awoke from a terrifying nightmare, drenched in sweat. Jin Xiang brought her water to calm her.
Moments later, Xiao Rong burst into the room, crying hysterically, to deliver the devastating news: Xiao Beichen’s car had been ambushed and exploded, and his fate was uncertain. Overwhelmed with shock and grief, Lin Hangjing collapsed to the floor, weeping uncontrollably. Upon hearing the news of Xiao Beichen's potential death, Kang Jingxiong was surprised that Xiao Beichen had been on the battlefield and wondered if Mo Xibai had been exposed.
Despite the promising report, Kang Jingxiong cautioned his subordinate, Bozi, not to relax vigilance until official confirmation was received, and to remain prepared. He cynically remarked that the son had died before the father, and Xiao Haishan’s sorrow was now repaid in full. At the Xiao residence, the family was plunged into mourning. Yet, Lin Hangjing refused to believe the worst, resolutely stating she would wait for Xiao Beichen to return.
As she walked through the courtyard, memories of Xiao Beichen’s kindness flooded her mind, and she realized, in that painful moment, that she had truly fallen in love with him. Meanwhile, Commander Xiao Haishan, still recovering from his gunshot wound, was overcome with despair at the loss of his son. Suddenly, Mo Xibai and Mr. Zheng, accompanied by their soldiers, entered Xiao Haishan’s tent. Mo Weiyi looked on in confusion at his father’s actions.
Xiao Haishan, maintaining a calm demeanor, confronted Mo Xibai, expressing his disbelief that after three decades of fighting side-by-side, his own brothers had betrayed him. Mo Xibai retorted, questioning if Xiao Haishan had ever considered him or Mr. Zheng as brothers, citing Xiao Haishan's reversal on Zheng Fengqi's marriage to Xiao Beichen.
He accused Xiao Haishan of being self-serving, overcautious, and neglecting the future of his comrades, while Kang Jingxiong relentlessly pursued the Xiao family's power and the North and South were embroiled in chaos. Mo Xibai asserted that Xiao Haishan’s claims of seeking peace by not competing for power were merely a façade for his inaction.
Mo Xibai vehemently stated he wouldn't allow his son, Mo Weiyi, to spend his life as a subordinate to the Xiao family, as he himself had. He proclaimed Mo Weiyi a talented officer who deserved more than to live in Xiao Beichen’s shadow. Mo Weiyi, however, struggled to accept his father's betrayal, asking if his father had ever considered his true desires and stating he didn't want such a life.
Ignoring his son’s pleas, Mo Xibai ordered his men to take Mo Weiyi away. He then attempted to coerce Xiao Haishan into signing a document that would transfer command, promising the safety of his family in exchange for declaring him dead in battle and granting him an honorable funeral. Xiao Haishan defiantly refused, stating he would never surrender his troops to Mo Xibai, even if it meant fighting to the death.
Just as Mo Xibai threatened to resort to violence, Xiao Beichen, very much alive, made a dramatic entrance. Xiao Haishan breathed a visible sigh of relief. Xiao Beichen revealed he had long suspected Mo Xibai’s treachery and had staged his death to draw him out, noting how Mo Xibai had finally lost patience after so many years of hiding his true intentions.
Mo Xibai, still confident in his advantage with his men surrounding the tent, urged Xiao Beichen to sign the document. However, Mr. Zheng intervened, disclosing that Xiao Beichen had known about their conspiracy before they had even begun their operation. He explained that a subordinate had uncovered Mo Xibai as the informant, who, along with Mr. Zheng, was mobilizing the East Camp’s forces to launch a surprise attack against Xiao Haishan.
Xiao Beichen confirmed that he had already intercepted and contained the East Camp troops before they could leave their barracks, knowing that Mo Xibai and Mr. Zheng intended to ensure Xiao Haishan's permanent demise. Seeing the entire scheme unravel, Mr. Zheng chose to cooperate with Xiao Beichen. He stated his decision was made to protect his daughter, his ten thousand soldiers, and to honor his three decades of brotherhood with Xiao Haishan, offering his apologies to a stunned Mo Xibai.
Later that night, Mo Weiyi secretly released his father, Mo Xibai, but refused to join him in escape. He demanded to know his father's true motivations. Mo Xibai explained that he had spent his entire life as a servant to the Xiao family and saw this as his only chance to pave the way for his son to become a powerful figure, expressing no regret for his actions.
Mo Weiyi, however, reaffirmed his lifelong loyalty to Xiao Beichen, whom he had recognized as his elder brother since childhood, and declared that from that moment on, Mo Xibai was no longer his father. As Mo Xibai fled, he was intercepted and killed by Kang Jingxiong’s men, who had been dispatched to eliminate him due to his knowledge of Kang Jingxiong’s secrets.
Mo Weiyi, consumed by guilt, tearfully confessed to Xiao Beichen that he had allowed a traitor to escape and offered his gun, requesting immediate execution for his transgression. Xiao Beichen fired a shot, hitting Mo Weiyi’s military cap but deliberately missing him. He stated that the shot was for Mo Weiyi the soldier, who had violated military law, but as brothers, nothing would change between them, affirming that he would always be Mo Weiyi’s Third Brother.
Weiyi, still sobbing, pleaded with Xiao Beichen to spare his father’s life. When Mo Xibai’s body was found in a town in Suiling, Mo Weiyi, mistakenly believing Xiao Beichen had broken his promise to spare his father, confronted him emotionally. Xu Zijun tried to reason with Mo Weiyi, suggesting that if Xiao Beichen had intended to kill his father, he would have done so directly rather than secretly. However, Mo Weiyi, overwhelmed by grief, was unconvinced.
Xiao Beichen simply stated, "I didn't kill your father," leaving Mo Weiyi to decide whether to believe him. Xiao Haishan and Xiao Beichen safely returned to the Xiao residence in Beixin. Overjoyed by their return, Lin Hangjing rushed out to meet them. Xiao Beichen embraced her warmly, spinning her around in his arms, a sight that filled Zheng Fengqi’s eyes with jealousy.
Lin Hangjing, having learned about Mo Xibai’s fate, comforted Xiao Beichen, assuring him that he had done nothing wrong and had no reason to blame himself. Xiao Beichen, holding her hand, expressed how long he had waited to hear her true feelings. Lin Hangjing confessed that during his absence, every moment was filled with worry and longing, to the point where she couldn't sleep or eat.
The news of his disappearance had made her realize the depth of her feelings for him. She recalled his unwavering support, from saving her in prison and court to enduring punishment for her father, and his tender care when she was injured or sick. She proclaimed that he was always there when she needed him and now, she wished to stay by his side forever, never to leave.
Deeply moved, Xiao Beichen then presented her with a pair of earrings he had already purchased, symbolizing their union as husband and wife, bound together through life and death. Meanwhile, Zheng Fengqi’s father urged his daughter to abandon her pursuit of Xiao Beichen, admitting that he himself had narrowly escaped Mo Xibai’s fate and was now powerless to help her.
However, Zheng Fengqi remained steadfast in her determination to marry Xiao Beichen, even proposing to use her father's ten thousand troops as her dowry. Mo Weiyi approached Xiao Beichen, announcing his decision to leave the Ying Army. He admitted he couldn't reconcile his suspicion that Xiao Beichen was responsible for his father's death, believing that departure was the only way to escape the ongoing bloodshed and deceit. Xiao Beichen asked if they could still remain brothers.
Mo Weiyi's somber reply was that in the military, perhaps there should never have been such deep bonds of brotherhood to begin with. Xu Zijun tried to persuade him to stay, reminding him of their childhood oath at Guandi Temple to be "three men, one life," and never to separate. But Mo Weiyi firmly declared that they could no longer be brothers, expressing his desperate desire to leave a place filled with treachery and fratricide.
