Sword Rose Episode 28 Recap
> Sword Rose Recap
Madam Zhang confided in Deng Yan, explaining her wish to move into a nursing home. She expressed a desire to remain clear-headed for when Ranran, her daughter, returns. Despite Deng Yan's earnest efforts to persuade her otherwise, Madam Zhang insisted it was for her own good, emphasizing her fear of becoming a burden. Meanwhile, Yan Lei reported to Deng Yan that Tong Xiaoling's parents had left the guesthouse early that morning. Deng Yan immediately instructed him to find them.
Yan Lei and Feng Junjie diligently searched, eventually locating Mr. Tong and Ms. Shao seeking shelter under a bridge as night fell. The couple explained they did not wish to trouble the government and believed they could earn their own living. Seeing their dire situation, Yan Lei proposed arranging for them to stay at Tuanyuan Restaurant, where they could have food and lodging in exchange for helping to care for Madam Zhang.
Deng Yan readily approved this plan, and Yan Lei escorted the grateful couple to the restaurant. In a separate investigation, Yang Jiajia and Ai Xin were closely monitoring Zhen Ni. They discovered she was a 32-year-old who operated a yoga studio and served as the legal representative and general manager for Mixin International Labor Company. Zhen Ni enjoyed a significant income, owned a fully paid apartment in Tianhai Haoting, and habitually used luxury brands.
However, their investigation revealed Zhen Ni's identity was fake; the real Zhen Ni had emigrated overseas with her family in 1995. Chang Rui, noting Zhen Ni's strong resemblance to the household registry photo, speculated she might have undergone plastic surgery to intentionally assume the identity and start a new life. Han Liang agreed with this theory and instructed the task force to investigate major cosmetic surgery clinics for any records.
Yang Jiajia also reported that Tianhai Lucky, owned by Liu Gang, was linked to several recent cases, and Liu Gang's presence in a group photo that Zhou Hongcai had swallowed suggested his involvement in the trafficking network. Deng Yan recommended putting Liu Gang under surveillance, a task Han Liang assigned to the Anti-abduction Office. Shortly after, Yang Jiajia discovered Zhen Ni's pre-surgery photos from 1996 bore a striking resemblance to a photo of Wan Guizhi, who was abducted in 1995.
Ai Xin recalled that Deputy Director Yin had specifically flagged Wan Guizhi's case, and that Wan Guizhi's mother had recently insisted she saw her daughter near Yimei Shopping Mall. Ai Xin hypothesized that Zhen Ni could indeed be Wan Guizhi, transformed from a victim into a criminal suspect. To confirm this, Feng Junjie volunteered to obtain a DNA sample from Zhen Ni, later discreetly retrieving a used milk tea cup from a trash bin outside her office.
Simultaneously, crucial progress was made in the cross-border trafficking case. Zou Yu Huai, with crucial assistance from Ruan Meiyu, successfully rescued twenty abducted women in Qinmang with the help of local police. An informant provided a photo of the trafficking ring's leader, Tai, whom Yang Jiajia identified as Fei Yan, a fugitive who had fled to Qinmang.
Xiao Wenjin and Han Liang recognized that Cripple had altered his trafficking methods, now using Zhen Ni to recruit girls legally in China, then smuggling them to Fei Yan abroad for forced prostitution. Anticipating Zhen Ni's attempt to flee upon news of the Qinmang rescue, Xiao Wenjin ordered her immediate apprehension. Zhen Ni was caught by Ai Xin and Yan Lei while frantically packing her belongings.
Tong Xiaoling and Ruan Meiyu, successfully rescued, were brought to Tuanyuan Restaurant by Yan Lei and Feng Junjie. Tong Xiaoling's parents were overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing their daughter safe, expressing profound gratitude to the police. Madam Zhang was equally delighted to see Ruan Meiyu. Meanwhile, Liu Gang received an urgent call from Cripple, who, aware of the Qinmang incident, berated Liu Gang for his past mistakes and ordered him to flee before the police apprehended him.
Liu Gang expressed concern about accessing his savings, which Cripple held, but Cripple dismissed his pleas, promising only to arrange an escort at the border and telling him to find his own way out of the country. At the police station, forensic results confirmed Zhen Ni was Wan Guizhi.
During interrogation, Ai Xin and Chang Rui pressed Wan Guizhi, who admitted to her involvement in cases, including the abduction of Tang Zhikui and the hiring of Zhou Hongcai for the girl with a heart condition, but she adamantly denied knowing Cripple or any connection to Liu Gang.
Deng Yan and Chang Rui found her denial perplexing, suspecting Liu Gang had psychologically manipulated her over the fourteen years since her abduction, leading her to believe her parents had abandoned her and making her dependent on him. They realized the key was to expose Liu Gang's lies. Later, Wu Bin, revealed to be the true mastermind Cripple, was seen visiting Qian Qian, bringing her toys.
Fang Zilin, Qian Qian's mother, affectionately chided him for spoiling the child and playfully urged him to consider settling down. Qian Qian innocently called Wu Bin "Daddy," a moment observed by Ye Xiuming, adding another layer to Wu Bin's hidden identity. Back in interrogation, Ai Xin and Chang Rui showed Wan Guizhi a video of her parents, revealing their poverty and her bedridden father's enduring concern for her.
This starkly contrasted with Liu Gang's narrative that her parents had sold her. Realizing Liu Gang's deceit, Wan Guizhi's emotional defenses shattered. Prompted by Chang Rui, she broke down and confessed that the "Cripple" who had abducted her was indeed Liu Gang. Unable to reach Zhen Ni, Liu Gang concluded she had been apprehended. He contacted his subordinates to arrange his escape to the border, meticulously destroying all his documents beforehand.
Based on Wan Guizhi's confession that Fei Yan would be their contact, Deng Yan deduced Liu Gang was heading to the border. Han Liang immediately deployed police to secure four possible border exits leading to Qinmang. To buy time for the police, Ai Xin instructed Wan Guizhi to call Liu Gang, using a pre-arranged signal to indicate she was safe and then to try and prolong the conversation, allowing their technical team to pinpoint his exact location. When Wan Guizhi made the call, Liu Gang was furious she was still in Linshan and demanded to know her location.
