Sword Rose Episode 14 Recap
> Sword Rose Recap
Dingshun Group found itself in severe financial strain due to a large contract involving Lu Sheng, with their company's finances extremely tight and a significant deficit they struggled to fill. A Dingshun employee confirmed that their deputy general manager, Wu Bin, was the one who introduced Lu Sheng to the company for this business deal. When questioned by law enforcement, Wu Bin expressed a desire to cooperate for credit.
He revealed that Dingshun Group had fronted five million RMB for Lu Sheng to purchase dendrobium from Qinmang Country. The shipment was subsequently lost in a sea disaster, and Lu Sheng's company never reimbursed Dingshun. Wu Bin also shared an incident where he accidentally walked into a room at Tianhai Lucky Entertainment Center and saw Lu Sheng with a long-haired woman, seemingly harassing her. He quickly apologized and left, recognizing it as an awkward situation.
During his interrogation, Lu Sheng was questioned about She Qinglin's son's kidnapping. Lu Sheng confessed that he had ordered Skinner (Qingpi) to kidnap She Qinglin's child, Congcong, due to She Qinglin's persistent daily harassment, likening him to a "leech." However, Lu Sheng also claimed his original intention was merely to have Skinner "scare him off" to stop the harassment, not to actually abduct the child.
In a flashback, She Qinglin was seen confronting Lu Sheng, desperately demanding a refund or at least half the payment for the lost goods, as he faced bankruptcy. Lu Sheng vehemently refused, citing force majeure clauses in their contract, and had She Qinglin forcibly removed from his property. She Qinglin, in desperation, warned Lu Sheng that if he went down, Lu Sheng would go with him.
She Qinglin subsequently appeared at Lu Sheng's office, pleading for his child's safety and offering to drop his demand for the money. However, Lu Sheng denied any involvement in the child's abduction and threatened to sue She Qinglin for slander, again ordering his security to remove him. Lu Sheng later stated he was only cooperating to receive credit for his confession.
Meanwhile, Yan Lei and Chang Rui visited Liu Gang, the boss of Tianhai Lucky Entertainment Center, to inquire about Fei Yan, whom they believed had connections to Lu Sheng. Liu Gang confirmed Fei Yan was a regular and a big spender but insisted their relationship was purely professional. Liu Gang showed them surveillance footage, claiming they only kept recordings for a month, and identified Fei Yan in one of the clips as the last time he saw him.
Deng Yan's team suspected Liu Gang was hiding information, noting he seemed to anticipate their questions. Liu Gang later confided in Yang Jiajia, telling her that despite Fei Yan fleeing the country and the police finding nothing, he was still uneasy. He admitted to tampering with the surveillance footage related to Fei Yan and instructed Yang Jiajia to stay away from the entertainment center for a few days, harshly telling her to just manage her yoga studio without questioning him.
Skinner, when questioned about his connection to She Qinglin's child, admitted his involvement. He stated that She Qinglin had offended a "Mr. Li," who instructed Skinner to "teach him a lesson." Skinner further explained that before he could personally act on this, he received a desperate call from Huang Chuan, who needed money to flee Linshan. Huang Chuan revealed that the police had raided his territory, and Madam Hong had absconded with all his money.
Skinner refused to lend Huang Chuan money, stating it would "break the rules," but instead offered him a "job that pays fast," which was to kidnap She Qinglin's child, Congcong. Skinner claimed he didn't know what happened after that. He described Huang Chuan as a man in his fifties, of average height, somewhat balding, with a distinct mole on his face. Based on this description, a sketch artist was called in to create a portrait of Huang Chuan.
Yin Jiansheng confirmed Skinner's testimony, which linked Huang Chuan to She Qinglin's child. However, Yang Jiajia's check of the system showed no missing child report from She Qinglin. Yin Jiansheng suggested issuing a warrant for Huang Chuan, but Deng Yan advised against it, believing Huang Chuan to be too "slippery" and that a warrant might alert him. She sent Yan Lei and Yang Jiajia to speak with She Qinglin first.
Upon their visit, She Qinglin was in the process of selling his company, claiming he wanted to return to farming. He dismissed the police's inquiries about his contract dispute with Lu Sheng and his child, insisting it was all a "misunderstanding" and his child was fine. He tried to quickly send them away, but the officers sensed he was hiding something.
Deng Yan and Chang Rui then brought their team to She Qinglin's home, where they found him still packing for his move. They showed him surveillance footage from his residential area, which clearly depicted Huang Chuan taking his son, Congcong. She Qinglin tried to lie, claiming Huang Chuan was a distant relative and the incident was just a joke, with his son returned quickly.
The police pressed him, revealing that Huang Chuan was a known child trafficker, and his relocation wouldn't protect his son if Huang Chuan wasn't apprehended. Under pressure, She Qinglin's wife tearfully recounted the true events of August 9, 2009. She Qinglin had received a cryptic text at work, rushed home to find Congcong missing, and then received a ransom message demanding 30,000 RMB for his son's return, with a threat against Congcong's life if they called the police.
They paid the ransom, but Congcong was not returned. She Qinglin then received another text, urging him to consider who he might have offended. He realized it was Lu Sheng and went to apologize, pleading with Lu Sheng not to harm his son and offering to forgo the money he was owed. She Qinglin's wife noted that Lu Sheng seemed genuinely unaware of the kidnapping. Eventually, the kidnapper sent another message with an address, and they found Congcong.
Terrified, they never reported the incident to the police or pursued the dendrobium payment from Lu Sheng, fearing further repercussions. This fear was also why they were moving, hoping to escape any further trouble. The police were puzzled why Huang Chuan returned Congcong, especially after collecting the ransom. They considered why he wouldn't demand more money or even sell the child, as he had done in previous cases.
They speculated he might have sensed he was close to being exposed and aborted his plan. Yin Jiansheng recalled an earlier case where Huang Chuan evaded capture by disappearing into remote mountainous forests, not using conventional escape routes. Based on this, he deduced Huang Chuan would likely be hiding in mountainous areas bordering Linshan, specifically Mangma Town at the foot of Shangrui Mountain.
Ai Xin was dispatched to contact the Mangma Town Police Station to issue a public notice and mobilize local residents to aid in the search. Huang Chuan was spotted buying sunglasses and quickly hid when he saw police patrols nearby. He then took a tricycle, making his way towards Pengcang Mountain.
Yin Jiansheng received a tip about Huang Chuan's whereabouts, and Deng Yan along with Chang Rui immediately headed to the location, while Yin Jiansheng coordinated with local police to set up a perimeter. As night fell on Pengcang Mountain, Huang Chuan, posing as a lost hiker, approached forest rangers for shelter, but they refused, citing safety concerns and offering to escort him down the mountain instead, which he declined. The police, guided by the rangers, continued their search.
They soon heard screams and found Huang Chuan caught in a wild boar trap, severely injured. He confessed to hearing a wild boar and trying to hide, only to step into the hunters' snare. Recognizing him as the elusive "Old Yellow Dog," the officers apprehended the injured Huang Chuan, finally bringing him to justice. Separately, Madam Zhang struggled to gather enough money for her rent.
Qian, the property manager, brought a group of men to her restaurant, demanding she move out immediately as he had already signed a new lease with another party. Despite Madam Zhang's pleas for more time, Qian's men began forcibly tearing down posters and moving furniture, disrupting her business.
