Never Say Goodbye Episode 41 Recap
> Never Say Goodbye Recap
Rong Yao and his team apprehended Zhou Changhao at his hotel room. Immediately after, Yan Jing questioned Mr. Ou, expressing his suspicion about Ou Kexin and Mu Qing's involvement in the deal. Mr. Ou dismissed his concerns, attributing it to their abilities, and Yan Jing left dejectedly. Despite Zhou Changhao's efforts to be cautious, he could not evade arrest.
Rong Yao instructed his colleague, Mr. Bao, to send samples of the new drug and its ingredient ratios to Beijing for testing. Recognizing Zhou Changhao’s importance to Spectre, Rong Yao realized they needed more time for interrogation, especially since Zhou Changhao remained uncooperative and his flight was scheduled to depart in an hour. He dispatched Mr. Zhao to contact Director Liu to arrange a delay with air traffic control, but Director Liu could only secure an additional hour.
Meanwhile, Li Yimeng identified Zhou Changhao’s sister, Zhou Mei, as a crucial vulnerability. She confronted Zhou Changhao, detailing his past struggles supporting his sister, his imprisonment for illegal human experimentation while working at Feiteng Pharmaceutical, and his subsequent decision to work for Spectre to secure a green card for Zhou Mei in Australia. Despite Zhou Changhao’s initial defiance and refusal to speak without his lawyer, Li Yimeng leveraged this information.
She threatened to inform Australian authorities that the funds used for Zhou Mei's green card were drug money, which would jeopardize his sister's future. Faced with this threat, Zhou Changhao conceded and agreed to cooperate with the police. Under police guidance, Zhou Changhao calmly took a call from Spectre. He reported that his flight was delayed and that he had successfully finalized a deal with Group K, securing a 30% share with a 15% upfront payment.
He also emphasized that Ou Kexin, Mr. Ou’s daughter, seemed to understand Spectre's requirements better than Mr. Ou. Spectre acknowledged the successful negotiation but stated he would come to Yungang later, not immediately. He revealed his practice of "double insurance," having contacted another company simultaneously and refused to disclose the other party's identity to Zhou Changhao. Rong Yao quickly relayed this information to Mu Qing and Ou Kexin, stressing the urgency of identifying Spectre's other collaborator.
He explained that without this information, all their previous efforts within Group K would be futile, and locating Spectre would become nearly impossible. Rong Yao suggested that since Spectre had already made direct contact with Mr. Ou and preferred to see buyers compete, he might have revealed the identity of the other buyer to Mr. Ou. He urged Mu Qing and Ou Kexin to use their connection with Mr. Ou to uncover this mysterious buyer.
Following this, Ou Kexin approached Mr. Ou, expressing concern about Spectre’s delay in contacting them, interpreting it as a tactic to drive up the price. She urged Mr. Ou to contact Spectre immediately to finalize the deal, emphasizing the need for prompt action to avoid further complications. After consideration, Mr. Ou agreed, recognizing that she had secured the business, and promised to contact Spectre that night to settle the matter.
Unexpectedly, Yan Jing invited Mu Qing and Li Ruosheng to dinner. Earlier that day, Mr. Ou had informed Ou Kexin of Yan Jing's intention to move out and suggested that Ou Kexin relocate to his residence for security, deeming her current living situation with Mu Qing unsafe and lacking confidentiality. At the dinner, Yan Jing apologized for his past suspicions and harsh treatment of Mu Qing, acknowledging his wrongdoing.
He then presented Mu Qing with a briefcase containing all his accumulated data, financial records, extensive network of contacts, and their information. Yan Jing announced his intention to retire from the group, move out, and enjoy a peaceful life, stating that his traditional business methods were outdated. He entrusted Mu Qing and Li Ruosheng with the responsibility of leading the group.
Both Mu Qing and Li Ruosheng were surprised by this sudden move but assured Yan Jing they would responsibly manage the group's affairs. Li Ruosheng later expressed his bewilderment to Mu Qing about Yan Jing’s sudden departure after their long-standing rivalry. Mu Qing, however, remained skeptical.
Upon examining Yan Jing's meticulously detailed accounts and extensive network, Mu Qing suspected that Yan Jing was feigning retirement as a strategic retreat, believing Mr. Ou would never willingly part with such a capable individual. Mu Qing concluded that this was likely a trap set by Yan Jing, though the specific bait remained unknown. He advised Li Ruosheng to personally monitor Yan Jing, as Yan Jing had easily recognized the subordinates Li Ruosheng had previously sent.
Li Ruosheng immediately left to carry out this task, while Ou Kexin returned to Mr. Ou’s residence to gather more information. Shao Nan questioned Yan Jing's decision to hand over all their resources, fearing they had lost their leverage. Yan Jing, however, had a secret weapon. He revealed a forensic report from the Yungang Biotech Research Institute, which he had secretly obtained, on the shell casing from the gun Mu Qing used to kill the police officer.
The report showed a high concentration of anesthetic compounds. This revelation made Yan Jing realize that Ou Kexin must have assisted Mu Qing. He recalled Ou Kexin deliberately delaying him at the hospital, which enabled Congtou's girlfriend, Xiaoyue, to be rescued.
Yan Jing now suspected that since Ou Kexin's return and her association with Mu Qing, the subsequent downfall of key group members like Dakun, Tieguanyin, and Congtou, along with other incidents, were all connected to Ou Kexin and Mu Qing. Despite Shao Nan reminding him that Ou Kexin was Mr. Ou's daughter, Yan Jing doubted her true identity.
He instructed Shao Nan to locate Bao Ma, Ou Kexin’s former babysitter, who had cared for Ou Kexin and her mother for years and was dismissed after Ou Kexin’s disfigurement by Bunichi Matsumoto three years prior. Yan Jing considered Bao Ma and the anesthetic bullet report his true hidden cards. After Mr. Ou contacted Spectre, he discovered that Spectre's other potential buyer was Bunichi Matsumoto.
Mr. Ou was enraged, reminding Spectre of their personal feud: three years prior, Matsumoto had kidnapped and disfigured Ou Kexin, despite Mr. Ou conceding to his demands to withdraw from Southeast Asia. Mr. Ou declared that if Spectre insisted on collaborating with Matsumoto, it would be a blatant violation of his boundaries. Ou Kexin, overhearing the conversation, confirmed it was indeed Matsumoto. Mu Qing immediately informed Director Liu that Bunichi Matsumoto was Spectre's new buyer.
Director Liu confirmed that Matsumoto was one of Asia's three most powerful and dangerous drug lords. Leveraging this timely intelligence, Director Liu proposed a plan: to find a plausible reason for Mu Qing and Ou Kexin to travel to Japan.
Their objective would be to preemptively stop the meeting between Spectre and Matsumoto if it hadn't occurred, or to gather evidence of Matsumoto's drug involvement if the meeting had taken place, then cooperate with Japanese police to arrest both Spectre and Matsumoto. Director Liu agreed to the plan but needed time to coordinate with other leaders and Japanese authorities, instructing Mu Qing to be ready.
When presented with the plan, Mr. Ou was reluctant to let Ou Kexin go to Japan due to her traumatic past with Matsumoto. Ou Kexin insisted on going to avenge herself, but Mu Qing intervened, promising to seek revenge on her behalf and urging her to stay with Mr. Ou. Mr. Ou then advised Mu Qing to be extremely cautious in Japan.
While initially avoiding direct confrontation with Matsumoto, if circumstances demanded it, Mu Qing could feign allegiance to Matsumoto to gain his trust, capitalizing on his formidable reputation. Mr. Ou stressed the importance of adaptability and vigilance. Later, Li Ruosheng encountered Yan Jing at the beach. Yan Jing shared his new, peaceful routine, enjoying simple pleasures and reflecting on his desire for a normal life, a stark contrast to his past.
Li Ruosheng expressed his discomfort with Yan Jing giving away all his hard-earned assets. He acknowledged Yan Jing’s significant contributions to the group, expressing respect for him, and admitted that he and Mu Qing had once sought to undermine him. Yan Jing explained his actions were meant to put their minds at ease, but Li Ruosheng admitted he felt more uneasy now.
