Never Say Goodbye Episode 31 Recap
> Never Say Goodbye Recap
The police investigation revealed that Zhu Xiaoyue, Congtou's lover, was a missing person reported three years ago by her family. Frontline detectives recently discovered her whereabouts, living with Congtou. However, before the police could act, Glasses's men had already abducted her. Police arrived at Congtou's villa late, only to find it deserted with no lights on, leading them to suspect the group was tipped off.
Officer Zheng Ke was present at the police briefing; his daughter, Zheng Yixiao, had found a kidney donor and was awaiting surgery. Though her current health still posed significant risks, his colleagues reassured him to ask for help if he needed anything. That night, Congtou secretly returned home. He was startled to find Glasses already there.
Glasses stated he had evidence of Congtou's recent installment remittances to associates like Liu Guodong in the US, Song Caiying in Hong Kong, and Wang Wei in Malta, totaling nearly 20 million yuan. Congtou accused Glasses of investigating him, but Glasses countered, urging him to take "the main road" and not shortcuts, implying his suspicious activities. Congtou retorted, reminding Glasses that he also held incriminating evidence against him. Angrily, Congtou demanded to know where Zhu Xiaoyue was.
Glasses revealed that Mr. Ou had ordered Zhu Xiaoyue's abduction, stating that no one could leave Yungang until the mole was found. Glasses then threatened Congtou, warning that if he dared to disclose anything about a past incident from three years ago, Zhu Xiaoyue and their unborn child would not survive. Congtou, left with no choice, reluctantly accepted Glasses's terms, though he questioned whether "us" (the group) or "just you" (Glasses) would be disappointed by his potential failure.
Mr. Ou gathered Congtou, Glasses, and Li Ruosheng, stating that after the recent mishaps involving Dakun, Xiaofoye, and Tieguanyin, they were the remaining backbone of the group. He emphasized the group was facing a life-or-death situation and intended to reallocate responsibilities to quickly resume operations, starting with Tieguanyin's factory. Glasses nominated Congtou, citing his experience in raw material transport and production, while noting Mu Qing and Li Ruosheng were busy with Dakun's former business.
However, Congtou, under duress, strongly recommended Glasses instead, claiming he was better suited due to his constant presence in Yungang, which would allow direct communication with Mr. Ou about factory issues. Glasses feigned ignorance, claiming he only understood internal management, but Congtou insisted Glasses was the most knowledgeable. Following the meeting, Li Ruosheng noticed Congtou seemed preoccupied and offered his help if anything was troubling him, reminding him of their good relationship and past favors.
Congtou simply patted his shoulder and left, seemingly comforted. Later, Li Ruosheng discussed the meeting with Mu Qing, noting that Congtou and Glasses had put on a "two-man show" for Mr. Ou regarding the factory assignment. Li Ruosheng confessed he couldn't understand what was going on between them. Mu Qing explained that Congtou's willingness to give up such a lucrative opportunity to Glasses indicated that Glasses must have something on him, giving Glasses the upper hand.
Mu Qing speculated that Glasses might have uncovered something significant and warned Li Ruosheng that as long as there was profit, Glasses and Congtou would be allies. He believed a tough battle was ahead and that Glasses, having manipulated Congtou, would likely target him and Li Ruosheng next. Mu Qing suggested they wait, like Jiang Ziya, to see if Congtou would take their bait. Mu Qing met Ou Kexin for dinner, subtly asking for information.
Ou Kexin revealed that her father, Mr. Ou, instructed Glasses to transfer foreign currency to Spectre through an underground bank, intending to lure Spectre to Yungang. Ou Kexin described Spectre as mysterious, admitting she had limited information. Mu Qing identified investigating Glasses's underground remittance route as a potential breakthrough. Meanwhile, in a separate conversation, Mr. Ou expressed frustration with Glasses for trying to push the factory responsibility back onto him.
He criticized Glasses and Congtou for being "old foxes" with too many tricks, urging them to learn from the younger generation (presumably Mu Qing and Li Ruosheng) who were performing well. He then relieved Glasses of the factory duty, redirecting him to prioritize finding the mole before Spectre's arrival, fearing a disaster if they delayed. Glasses thanked Mr. Ou for the change in orders. Driven by his longing for Zhu Xiaoyue, Congtou confronted Glasses, demanding to see her.
Glasses assured him that Xiaoyue was being well-cared for and even offered Congtou 30% of the company shares under Xiaoyue's name. Congtou, however, saw this as a thinly veiled threat, arguing that if their business failed, he might never see his family again. He desperately insisted he couldn't function or work without confirming Xiaoyue's safety. Under pressure, Glasses reluctantly agreed to arrange a meeting for them in three days, warning Congtou not to "try anything funny."
Afterward, as predicted by Mu Qing, Congtou reached out to Li Ruosheng and Mu Qing, who were together. Congtou pleaded with them to rescue Zhu Xiaoyue, offering all his existing channels as compensation. He revealed that Glasses had kidnapped his pregnant wife and described Glasses as a ruthless, money-driven individual who would betray anyone for profit.
Congtou expressed his fear, seeing the fates of Dakun, Xiaofoye, and Tieguanyin, and his desire to leave the criminal life to raise his family peacefully. He warned that if he handed his channels to Glasses, it would violate industry rules and put him and them in danger, implying Glasses would dispose of him once he was no longer useful. He emphasized that helping him was helping themselves.
When asked how they could help, Congtou said he would arrange for a ship to depart in three days. Glasses drove Congtou to Baitutang Cafe and Bistro, with Mu Qing and Li Ruosheng following discreetly. Inside, Congtou was infuriated to discover that Glasses had no intention of a face-to-face meeting with Zhu Xiaoyue, only a video call. Congtou, enraged by Glasses's deceit, threatened him, but Glasses calmly warned that if he were harmed, Congtou would never see Xiaoyue again.
Forced to comply, Congtou reluctantly agreed to the video call, but only after ensuring Xiaoyue was safe, before discussing any partnership. As Congtou began his emotional video call with Zhu Xiaoyue, checking on her well-being and giving her detailed health advice for their baby, Mu Qing called Rong Yao from outside the cafe. He requested Rong Yao's help to trace the IP address of the video's receiving end, intentionally calling him "old man" to avoid raising Li Ruosheng's suspicions.
Rong Yao quickly involved Zheng Ke, who explained the process of locating the device connected to the cafe's router to trace the IP. Initially, the IP address led to Australia, indicating multiple layers of VPNs were being used. Rong Yao pressed for a faster trace, setting a 20-minute deadline, and Zheng Ke called upon other team members to help find the true source IP.
During the extended video call, Congtou continued showering Zhu Xiaoyue with affection and advice, while Zheng Ke's team struggled with the encrypted network. They made progress, but just as they were about to pinpoint the exact location, Glasses abruptly cut the video call, declaring it was "time to talk business." This caused the IP address tracing to fail. Rong Yao messaged Mu Qing that more time was needed.
Realizing this, Mu Qing immediately called Congtou, pretending to discuss business, and advised him to "tire out the big fish." Understanding the hidden message, Congtou ignored Glasses's attempts to talk business and vehemently insisted on resuming the video call with Xiaoyue, which Glasses reluctantly allowed. Zheng Ke's team quickly reconnected and, after continued effort, successfully narrowed down Zhu Xiaoyue's location to a specific street in Yungang City, though further refinement was still in progress.
