Sword Rose Episode 27 Recap
> Sword Rose Recap
Yang Caiyun discovered a deaf and mute young woman, who was locked in a house and cried constantly, had been bought by the Tu family. She quietly approached the Tu family's home from the back and found the girl, who silently pleaded for help. Yang Caiyun immediately reported the situation to the Anti-abduction Office. With the assistance of local police, the office rescued the girl, confirming her identity as Zhang Xiaochu, Wen Xu's newlywed wife.
Zhang Xiaochu was severely beaten by the Tu family men and left traumatized. Although Ai Xin from the Anti-abduction Office wanted to contact Wen Xu, Zhang Xiaochu refused, expressing her reluctance to let him see her in such a state. She explained that some things change irrevocably, and she simply wished for Wen Xu to remember their happiest times and her at her best.
Ai Xin respected her decision but suggested she visit Tuanyuan Restaurant, as Wen Xu might have left some photos there. Later, Zhang Xiaochu arrived at Tuanyuan Restaurant and began to take down her own missing person notice. Ruan Meiyu recognized her and exclaimed her name, causing Zhang Xiaochu to flee in fear. Ruan Meiyu quickly called Wen Xu to inform him of Zhang Xiaochu's presence. Wen Xu, without hesitation, rushed to Linshan City.
He finally reunited with Zhang Xiaochu, who was deeply moved to see him looking haggard from his search, a testament to his tireless search efforts mentioned earlier by Ai Xin. Both were too overwhelmed to speak. Meanwhile, Wu Bin arrived with gifts, including a toy for Qian and candied chestnuts from a specific South Street shop, which Ms. Fang (Fang Zilin) was delighted by, remarking that even Ye Xiuming didn't know her preference for that particular shop.
Qian, upon seeing Wu Bin, immediately called him "Daddy," surprising Ms. Fang. Despite Ms. Fang's attempts to correct her, explaining Wu Bin was her "uncle," Qian continued to call him "Daddy." Wu Bin, charmed by the child's affection, playfully suggested becoming Qian's godfather, to which Qian readily agreed, accepting a doll and immediately calling him "Goddad."
Ms. Fang jokingly accused Wu Bin of taking advantage, but Wu Bin dismissed it, stating he already had a goddaughter and didn't need a girlfriend. A distressing incident occurred at Tuanyuan Restaurant when a child fell ill with severe vomiting and diarrhea after eating rice noodles. His father came to the restaurant, demanding an explanation and three thousand yuan for medical and lost wages, accusing them of food poisoning.
Ruan Meiyu tried to explain their long-standing reputation, but Madam Zhang confessed that she had made the noodles and mistakenly added cleaning powder, which she had used for cleaning the kitchen and forgotten to put away, instead of sugar. Madam Zhang blamed herself for the error, and Ruan Meiyu also took responsibility for not tasting the ingredients. Madam Zhang insisted that Xiaoxing immediately find the affected family to apologize.
Industrial and Commercial Bureau officials subsequently arrived and, noting Madam Zhang's condition as a non-fully capable person, deemed her unfit to run the establishment. They ordered the restaurant to be temporarily closed for rectification. Madam Zhang became increasingly convinced she was suffering from Alzheimer's. She recalled the doctor asking many strange questions when Xiaoxing took her to the hospital, and she was often confused lately.
Xiaoxing and Ruan Meiyu tried to reassure her, attributing her forgetfulness to exhaustion, explaining that even young people sometimes forget things. However, Madam Zhang remained unconvinced, clearly remembering the doctor speaking at length with Xiaoxing after her check-up. She expressed that her true fear was not of being sick, but of eventually not recognizing her daughter, Lin Ran. Tong Xiaoling's parents reported their daughter missing to the Anti-abduction Office.
They explained that a month prior, Tong Xiaoling, then 19, told them she was going overseas to earn a large sum of money after working as a waitress in Linshan City, but she had since lost all contact. Days before, her mother received a distressing text message from an unknown number simply stating, "Mom, help me." Deng Yan's investigation revealed that Tong Xiaoling had been sent to Qinmang for work through the Mixin International Labor Company.
Nine other girls went with her in the same group, and all of them were also unreachable. This led Deng Yan to suspect a cross-border scam operation. Xiao Wenjin reported the situation to the department, highlighting the widespread nature of such overseas labor scams. The department decided to establish a task force, appointing Xiao Wenjin as the team leader and Han Liang as the deputy.
Xiao Wenjin emphasized the need for the Anti-abduction Office to fully cooperate and noted the challenges of an overseas investigation. He revealed that the Ministry of Public Security's liaison officer in Qinmang, Zou Yuhuai, would assist in their efforts. Xiao Wenjin also stressed the urgency of finding more victims quickly, as the single report in Linshan likely represented a larger issue. Simultaneously, Zhen Ni, the owner of Mixin International Labor Company, was in contact with Liu Gang.
She was scolded by Liu Gang for her greed regarding agency fees, as he controlled the main profits. Liu Gang urged her to quickly recruit another batch of girls for Qinmang, praising the previous ten for their quality, and promised her a significant sum in an offshore account, and to take her abroad once enough money was made.
Yan Lei and Feng Junjie arranged for Tong Xiaoling's parents to stay at the police guesthouse, assuring them it was a standard procedure and free of charge, and that finding their daughter was their duty. They promised to keep them updated before returning to their investigation. Meanwhile, Madam Zhang remained at the closed Tuanyuan Restaurant, refusing to eat all day, insisting on waiting for Lin Ran.
Ruan Meiyu tried to persuade her to go home, explaining that Madam Zhang's condition was worsening, sometimes even leading to her not recognizing Ruan Meiyu or Xiaoxing. Ruan Meiyu confided in Deng Yan that her own pet shop had closed, she was in debt, and with the restaurant shut, she had no income. She had secured a job interview for the next day but promised to return to care for Madam Zhang whenever she had time.
Deng Yan arrived and gently coaxed Madam Zhang, who was clearly fond of her, into eating a bowl of noodles prepared by Ruan Meiyu. Ruan Meiyu went to Mixin International Labor Company for her interview. Zhen Ni suggested she work at the Pangka Hotel, a luxurious five-star establishment in Qinmang, which urgently needed Chinese-speaking staff due to increasing Chinese tourists. The original agency fee was 100,000 yuan.
Seeing Ruan Meiyu's surprise, Zhen Ni offered a 90% discount, bringing the fee down to 10,000 yuan, which could be deducted from Ruan Meiyu's first three months' salary. Ruan Meiyu, satisfied with the terms, accepted. Concurrently, Xiao Wenjin received an update from Zou Yuhuai. Zou Yuhuai had discovered that Tong Xiaoling and the other nine girls were never taken to the Pameng Hotel as promised.
He learned that the hotel's website had been hacked to post fake job advertisements, and the hotel itself had ties to organized crime and a domestic prostitution ring. Zou Yuhuai confirmed that Tong Xiaoling had likely used a client's phone to send the rescue message while forced into prostitution. He noted that the prostitution ring's hideouts were constantly moving, and Xiao Wenjin requested him to continue tracking their locations.
Deng Yan reported to Chief Xiao Wenjin that their investigation into Mixin International Labor Company showed all paperwork was in order, with no apparent irregularities. However, Chief Xiao stressed that the company's head, Zhen Ni, was likely the key to solving the case and urged continued investigation. Yang Jiajia then reported a new job listing from Mixin International Labor Company for ten female servers at the Pangka Hotel in Qinmang.
Deng Yan immediately had a strong premonition, connecting this new recruitment to Ruan Meiyu's recent interview. It was quickly confirmed that ten girls for this new listing had already left the country three days prior. Later, Yan Lei and Ai Xin visited Mixin International Labor Company to question Zhen Ni about Tong Xiaoling.
Zhen Ni acknowledged that Tong Xiaoling had gone through her company to Qinmang for work at a large hotel, claiming she had even waived half of the agency fee due to Tong Xiaoling's family's financial struggles. She stated all ten girls had obtained visas through her company and departed via Bailianquan Port, but she professed ignorance regarding what happened after their arrival.
Ai Xin, during the conversation, noticed a jade bracelet on Zhen Ni's wrist, recalling that a "woman dressed as a man," the trafficker who had abducted Tang Zhikui (referred to as Kui), also wore a similar bracelet. Though many women wear bracelets, Ai Xin felt Zhen Ni was now the primary suspect. Deng Yan ordered surveillance on Zhen Ni. The team also discussed a photo recovered from Zhou Hongcai, which, after restoration, suggested Cripple was his killer.
This led to Ye Xiuming being identified as a potential suspect due to his presence in the photo and his past involvement in the Tang Zhikui case, despite his public charity work. Ai Xin, feeling uneasy about her personal connection to Ye Xiuming, requested to recuse herself from this part of the investigation. Feeling the pressure, Zhen Ni called Liu Gang late that night, informing him of the police visit.
Liu Gang angrily chastised her for her greed and recklessness, warning her of the severe consequences if they were caught. He instructed her to quickly "get rid of the goods" she currently had on hand and await his further instructions, emphasizing no more trouble should be stirred up. Meanwhile, Madam Zhang, increasingly worried about her deteriorating memory, diligently recorded every detail she could recall in a notebook, including the day Lin Ran went missing and Lin Ran's favorite things.
She showed Deng Yan some of Lin Ran's childhood mementos, including a handmade detail on a dress for a talent show. Madam Zhang confessed to Deng Yan that she knew she was ill and expressed her wish to move into a nursing home to receive proper care and treatment, hoping to slow down her memory loss so she would still be lucid when Lin Ran returned. Despite Deng Yan's heartfelt assurances that she was not a burden and that she enjoyed visiting, Madam Zhang remained resolute in her desire to find a nursing home.
