Love in Flames of War Episode 4 Recap
> Love in Flames of War Recap
Xiao Shuyi confided in her friends about her future marriage to the second child of the Ke family, a prodigy currently pursuing his doctorate abroad. Though they had only met once, their families had already arranged the union, and she expected it to be finalized upon his return. Her friends expressed their envy.
Meanwhile, Mr. Chi, who was unable to use his two tickets for the Peking opera performance of "Drunken Concubine," offered them to Lin Hangjing, knowing her interest in literature. Lin Hangjing initially demurred, finding the tickets too precious, but accepted after Mr. Chi insisted they would otherwise go to waste. As she was new to Beixin City and had few friends, she invited Mr. Chi to accompany her to discuss their views on Peking opera.
Xiao Shuyi, observing their interaction, became visibly upset. Boss Jiu was set to perform, and his troupe leader remarked that Boss Jiu's portrayal of the concubine had transformed from melancholic to deeply emotional. " The sounds heard come from within," the leader mused, "the heart is often inspired by the surroundings." After the performance, Boss Jiu instructed his troupe leader to donate all the ticket revenue to Pioneer News for the purpose of building an orphanage.
Lin Hangjing, who had attended the performance with Mr. Chi, found Boss Jiu's performance profound, stating he sang as if telling his own melancholic story. She also found his eyes remarkably familiar but couldn't place where she had seen him before. The troupe leader then approached Lin Hangjing, surprising her by saying Boss Jiu, who rarely gave gifts, wished to present her with one. Mr. Chi encouraged her to go, suggesting Boss Jiu recognized her knowledge of opera.
As Lin Hangjing went backstage, Mr. Chi was accosted by a group of thugs who accused him of flirting with his female student and warned him to stay away from Lin Hangjing. Upon emerging with her gift, Lin Hangjing saw Mr. Chi being harassed. She intervened, realizing they knew her identity and concluding they were Xiao Beichen's men. The thugs denied it, claiming they were only talking to Mr. Chi, before reiterating their warning and departing.
It was soon revealed that Boss Jiu was indeed Xiao Beichen. His friends, Xu Zijun and Mo Weiyi, teased him about his newfound penchant for frequent stage performances, attributing it to him being "love-struck" and neglecting them for his "newfound love." Lin Hangjing confronted Xiao Beichen, demanding to know why he had sent men to attack her teacher. Xiao Beichen, feigning indifference, stated he disliked her and anyone who befriended her. Lin Hangjing condemned his "lawless" behavior, calling him "despicable."
Soon, posters accusing Lin Hangjing of seducing Mr. Chi appeared across the school, leading to Mr. Chi's resignation, which the principal confirmed was voluntary. Lin Hangjing, distraught, was then subjected to public humiliation by her classmates. Xiao Shuyi led the charge, demanding Lin Hangjing leave school and even insulting her mother, calling her a "concubine's child" and a "born seducer." Lin Hangjing retaliated, asking Xiao Shuyi if she wasn't disgusted with herself.
In the ensuing struggle, Lin Hangjing was pushed to the ground. Xiao Beichen dramatically arrived, admonished Xiao Shuyi and the other girls for tarnishing Lin Hangjing's reputation, and warned his sister of consequences if she continued her misbehavior. He then scooped up the limping Lin Hangjing in a princess carry. Lin Hangjing, however, resisted, accusing him of feigning kindness after orchestrating Mr. Chi's beating and her public humiliation, claiming he had planned everything to see her suffer.
Xiao Beichen asked if she truly saw him as such a villain, to which she retorted that he had admitted to sending men after Mr. Chi. She then told him to stop following her. That evening, Lin Hangjing skipped dinner. Madam Qi noted Xiao Beichen had also barely eaten and gone to his room, wondering if Lin Hangjing had made him angry. The next day, Xiao Beichen defiantly rode his horse into the Shengyi Girls School.
Amidst the chaos, he scooped up a protesting Lin Hangjing onto his horse. She struggled, biting his hand, but he warned her he would bite back if she continued, forcing her to comply. He took her to Luminous Jade, where he declared their previous wager pointless. He then handed over the deed to Luminous Jade to Xu Zijun and Mo Weiyi, stating he was a man of his word.
He proposed that Lin Hangjing become his sworn sister, promising that no one in Beixin City would dare to harm her again if she accepted. His friends attempted to convince Lin Hangjing that Xiao Beichen was innocent of the school rumors and offered to become her "sidekicks" if she would reconcile with him. Lin Hangjing, however, stated that even if she believed him about the rumors, she was only a temporary resident in Beixin City and would soon leave.
More importantly, she declared, they "are from different worlds" and "will never become friends." She simply asked him to show mercy so she could live peacefully in Beixin. She then turned and walked away. Meanwhile, Kang Jingxiong, still seeking revenge against Xiao Haishan for his son's death, decided to target Xiao Beichen.
His subordinate noted that Xiao Haishan was difficult to approach due to his hand-picked bodyguards, but Xiao Beichen, a "famous troublemaker" who recently humiliated the subordinate's nephew, was a viable target, especially since Xiao Haishan's twin sons were too young to matter. Kang Jingxiong agreed, stating it was time for Xiao Haishan to experience "insufferable pain."
He recalled that Xiao Haishan had once executed a group of rebels and their families, and "a few got away," which could be "of great use." The subordinate was immediately dispatched to make the necessary arrangements. After school, Lin Hangjing hailed a pulled rickshaw. Xiao Shuyi, noticing the rickshaw taking a detour from the Xiao Residence, instructed her own driver to follow.
Lin Hangjing was ambushed and kidnapped, but it was a staged event orchestrated by Xu Zijun and Mo Weiyi, hoping to create a dramatic "hero-rescue" scenario for Xiao Beichen that would make Lin Hangjing devoted to him. Mo Weiyi left to inform Xiao Beichen, while Xu Zijun, feigning a sudden stomachache, also disappeared. Xiao Shuyi, who had been following, discovered the kidnapped Lin Hangjing alone.
Remembering Xiao Beichen's earlier defense of Lin Hangjing, jealousy surged within her, and she decided it was "time for you to suffer." Xiao Shuyi contacted Liang Sixiu, a man she claimed had quit his heavy smoking habit, and arranged for Lin Hangjing to be sold to a "courtesan house" as a laundress, believing it would simply be hard labor. When Xiao Beichen and his friends learned of the "courtesan house," they immediately realized the danger and rushed off.
At the establishment, Lin Hangjing was presented to a client who admired her beauty. She quickly revealed her identity as a young lady from the Xiao Residence and warned him of severe consequences if he did not release her.
To further prove her cultivated background, she pointed to a painting on the wall, identifying it as Zhou Fang's "Ladies Wearing Flowers in Their Hair" from the Tang Dynasty and demonstrating extensive knowledge of Tang fashion and literary allusions, before concluding the painting was merely a "fake." The client initially hesitated, but then scoffed at her claim, reasoning that "Xiao Beichen, the bully of Beixin City," would never allow a family member to be in such a place unsupervised.
He then lunged at her. Suddenly, Xiao Beichen burst in, firing his gun. His friends tried to stop him from killing the client. After dealing with the men downstairs, Xiao Beichen stormed into the room, pulling the client off Lin Hangjing, whose outer clothing was torn. He draped his own coat over her, but Lin Hangjing, shaking with rage, slapped him across the face, seemingly holding him responsible for the entire ordeal.
Back at the Xiao Residence, Xiao Haishan furiously beat Xiao Beichen in the study, calling him a "scoundrel." Madam Qi and Xiao Shuyi's pleas for mercy were ignored. It was only when Lin Hangjing arrived that Xiao Haishan paused. Lin Hangjing bravely stepped forward, taking the blame for the family's unrest and stating she "should never have come here." She announced that the agreed three-month stay had concluded and she wished to return home.
Xiao Beichen tried to interject but was silenced by his father. Xiao Haishan, aiming to protect Lin Hangjing, initially stated her father was merely "caught up in some work" and would collect her later. However, Lin Hangjing sensed his evasion, explaining that her father would have contacted her if that were the case, and pressed him for the truth. Xiao Haishan eventually revealed that Warlord Cheng, needing military provisions, had printed a large amount of illicit currency, causing rampant inflation.
Lin Hangjing's father, prioritizing the welfare of the local populace, had bravely destroyed the printing plates and all related documents. This act, which undermined the interests of many, led Warlord Cheng to imprison him. Lin Hangjing was devastated, realizing her father was already in jail when he sent her to the Xiao family. She insisted on returning to him.
Xiao Haishan then presented her with a letter from her father, which urged her to remain in the Xiao household for her safety, stating that her return would not help him and would only cause him more worry. The letter also reassured her that his life was not in danger thanks to Commander Xiao's help.
Despite this, Lin Hangjing worried about her father's frail health, his chronic cough, and leg issues, questioning how he would survive five years in jail without his regular medication and care. Xiao Haishan reassured her that his imprisonment was a form of "safety" given the many powerful figures her father had angered. He vowed to make "arrangements" to ensure her father's well-being, emphasizing that Lin Hangjing was her father's "greatest concern," and her safety was paramount.
Madam Qi reinforced this, urging Lin Hangjing to see the Xiao family as her home and to stop thinking about leaving. Xiao Haishan then sternly warned Xiao Beichen to ignore Lin Hangjing from now on, threatening to send her far away if he caused any more trouble. Exasperated by Xiao Beichen's persistent misbehavior, Xiao Haishan reiterated his resolve to send him to military school, specifically an army school, as infantry was their main force, to "temper" his unruly nature.
He also discussed the current political instability and the rising tensions between the Premier and the President, further compounded by Sir Xun "wreaking havoc in the capital." He instructed his subordinate to strengthen household security as he would be busy with military duties. Meanwhile, Kang Jingxiong's subordinate assembled the "got away" rebels whose families were executed by Xiao Haishan. Showing them pictures of Xiao Beichen, he urged them to "sacrifice for the greater good" by targeting Xiao Beichen, promising "full support from my master" in their quest for revenge.
