Sword Rose Episode 4 Recap
> Sword Rose Recap
Deng Yan and Chang Rui began their interrogation of Whiteboard, focusing on his administration of estrogen to Zhou Min. Whiteboard, cunningly, claimed he only wanted his girlfriend to be "more developed" for his pride, accepting responsibility while implying it was a minor transgression. Chang Rui, frustrated by Whiteboard's evasiveness, believed they needed concrete evidence and suggested questioning Zhou Min. Although Deng Yan initially noted Zhou Min's mother's refusal, Zhou Min herself surprisingly arrived, willing to testify.
Zhou Min bravely recounted her ordeal, stating she wanted to prevent Whiteboard from harming others. She described encountering him on her way home from school when he asked for directions. After showing him the way, she blacked out. When she regained consciousness, she was in a small room with a man in a white coat, whom she identified from a photograph. Terrified, remembering stories of organ harvesting, she struggled as he tried to remove her pants.
He then covered her face with a cloth, and she lost consciousness again. Her next awakening found her blindfolded, disoriented by loud club music, and only able to hear voices. She distinguished her abductor talking to another angry man, repeatedly apologizing. During a subsequent interrogation, Deng Yan and Chang Rui confronted Whiteboard with the confessions of Hu Xifan, an unlicensed doctor, and Zhao Liang, both of whom had revealed details of his activities.
The officers exposed that Whiteboard's supposed "dating" of Zhou Min involved taking her to an unlicensed doctor for a "goods inspection" before sending her to a nightclub. Under pressure, Whiteboard conceded he was upset with Zhou Min for being "stubborn" and had impulsively considered selling her, even to Chang Rui. In a slip, he mentioned he "didn't have a handler" before quickly retracting, insisting he acted alone and denying ever mentioning a "boss" when with Zhao Dafeng.
He finally divulged the name of the nightclub: Platinum No. 1. Deng Yan and Chang Rui then led Anti-abduction Office officers to the Platinum No. 1 nightclub. Inside, the loud environment led a colleague to advise Deng Yan to remove her earpiece and relax, as her tense demeanor made their purpose obvious. On the third floor, Zheng Weiwei was observed being forced to drink with a client, Mr. Li, who treated her roughly.
A manager, having booked the entire floor for a week for Mr. Li, received an urgent order from "the boss" to immediately bring out the captured girls, specifically "the girl" the boss had "got his eyes on," a command that frustrated the manager. Deng Yan discreetly ascended to the third floor, noticing two men guarding a door. She then witnessed two individuals forcibly dragging a girl away. She intervened immediately but was swiftly surrounded.
Chang Rui arrived to back her up. Despite their efforts, the girl was still taken. Deng Yan promptly called Yin Jiansheng, instructing him that the suspects were moving downstairs and to "move in now." In the underground parking lot, Yin Jiansheng and his team intercepted the abductors who were dragging two girls. The police secured the area, assuring the rescued girls they were safe.
During interviews, Deng Yan learned that the girls had been lured from Mount Mangqing with false promises of lucrative city jobs, only to be tricked and forced into serving clients. One girl recalled being taken to a "forest-like place" where others were waiting, then to a house, made to change, and put into a car. She mentioned another girl, remarkably brave, who jumped from the moving vehicle and escaped.
The rescued girls were uncertain if the runaway was recaptured, as they never saw her again. They identified a bald man as one of their captors, later confirmed as Bai Wentao, by his code name "Number Four." They also mentioned seeing another girl being dragged away by two men, but couldn't confirm if she was the one who had escaped earlier.
Based on the victims' accounts, the police concluded that Bai Wentao's statements were largely accurate, but his "handler" remained unknown, as both Bai Wentao and Hu Xifan were clearly intimidated and refused to provide information. An officer suggested the escaped girl was a key clue, and Deng Yan agreed, emphasizing that even without knowing her identity, they knew "where she was last seen." Madam Zhang hosted a regular gathering for parents of abducted children, where they shared their painful experiences.
One mother, Meilian, tearfully recounted her child being missing for over eleven years, lamenting that she no longer knew what he looked like. Another parent, Liu, expressed deep self-blame for losing his grandson, Xiaoxiao, after being just ten minutes late for kindergarten pickup. Madam Zhang offered comfort, urging them to believe their children were safe and would eventually return.
During this time, Deng Yan received an update from an officer confirming the identification of the two recently rescued girls and the notification of their families. However, there were no leads on the escaped girl from the nightclub or on Little Spud. The officer advised Deng Yan that anti-trafficking cases demanded patience and were comparable to "looking for a needle in a haystack." Madam Zhang introduced Lin Hao and Cai Xin, Little Spud's parents, as new members of the group.
Cai Xin, visibly distressed, initially declined to share her story. As another speaker passionately discussed the reality of "spiritual connection" and the power of "blood ties" in finding children, Cai Xin erupted in anger. She sharply criticized the group for focusing on "psychic connections" instead of actively searching for their children, some of whom had been missing for years.
Despite attempts by other parents to express understanding, Cai Xin retorted that she didn't comprehend their passive approach, accusing them of "sighing, pretending everything's okay, avoiding reality, and wasting time." She emphatically declared, "The kids won't come back on their own!" and stormed out, leaving Lin Hao to apologize for her outburst.
Later, Deng Yan, Yin Jiansheng, and other officers deliberated on a potential link between the trafficking of girls and children, with Deng Yan suggesting Bai Wentao might be involved in both. She proposed that finding "Luoluo" and the "middleman" who connected her to Bai Wentao could be a breakthrough for child trafficking cases.
Yin Jiansheng, however, maintained that the operations were separate and prioritized finding the escaped girl from the nightclub, especially since Bai Wentao claimed Luoluo was an adopted child. They ultimately decided to focus on locating the escaped girl. Concurrently, at home, Lin Hao's aunt visited his mother, suggesting that Lin Hao and Cai Xin should have another child to provide Cai Xin with "something to hold on to." Cai Xin overheard this conversation and became furious.
She confronted her mother-in-law, accusing her of prompting the aunt's suggestion and angrily declared that Little Spud was her only child, "not some object you can just replace," vowing never to have another. She harshly told her mother-in-law that if she held such a view, she didn't "deserve to be his grandmother." Lin Hao arrived home amidst the escalating argument.
Cai Xin then lashed out, blaming his mother for Little Spud's disappearance, asserting, "If it weren't for her, our son wouldn't have gone missing!" Lin Hao stepped in to defend his mother, stating that his mother did not lose Little Spud on purpose. His mother, in tears, expressed deep regret and self-blame, stating she understood Cai Xin's pain as a mother and would even trade her own life to bring Little Spud back.
Soon after, Lin Hao received a phone call and excitedly informed his mother that there was news about Little Spud. He, Cai Xin, and his mother then met Zhao Zhilong, who introduced himself as a volunteer from a community outreach group. Zhao Zhilong claimed his cousin had seen Little Spud in Lianxiang Town, identifying him by a black mole on his back—a detail confirmed by the parents from a missing child notice they had posted online.
When Lin Hao eagerly suggested they go to Lianxiang Town immediately, Zhao Zhilong advised caution, warning that rushing might "alert the traffickers." He offered to have his cousin, who was familiar with the area, scout a general location first. He then made them promise not to involve the police once Little Spud was found, reasoning that child trafficking was a serious crime and that police involvement might provoke the traffickers to "do something extreme."
Lin Hao's mother voiced her suspicion, stating, "I don't trust that man. Something feels off. I feel like he's connected to the people who took our child." However, Cai Xin, desperate to find her son, dismissed the concern, declaring, "I don't care if he is connected to them or not. What matters is getting my child back. I only care about that!"
Deng Yan and her team continued their search for the escaped girl from Platinum No. 1, but surveillance around the area yielded no useful leads. Suspecting she might have left Linshan City, they decided to extend their search south towards Pengcang Town. Meanwhile, Cai Xin and Lin Hao were packing for their trip to Lianxiang Town. Lin Hao's mother urged them to contact Director Deng, but Cai Xin vehemently refused, reminding her of Zhao Zhilong's warning against police involvement.
She argued that if the police could have found Little Spud, they would have already. Upon arriving in Lianxiang Town with Cai Xin's maternal grandparents, they met Zhao Zhilong's cousin, Wang. Wang confirmed Little Spud was in the town but couldn't pinpoint the exact family who had taken him, suggesting they'd need more people to help inquire. He provided a map with marked locations and proposed they split up.
Lin Hao and Cai Xin began showing Little Spud's photo to locals. At a stall, a woman confirmed seeing a "chubby child who smiles at everyone" recently, indicating he likely lived nearby, which greatly encouraged Lin Hao and Cai Xin. Soon after, Lin Hao received a call confirming Little Spud's location. They rushed to meet Wang again, who showed them a photo of Little Spud taken by his friend. Lin Hao confirmed it was their son.
Wang then revealed that his friend, who was near the buyer's house, was demanding 200,000 yuan, claiming the money was not for him. Lin Hao and Cai Xin were stunned, realizing they didn't possess such a large sum. Following this, Lin Hao led Cai Xin to a small shop run by Madam Liu, known as "Chatterbox," renowned for knowing everything in town. After purchasing some candy, they discreetly asked Madam Liu if she had seen any "young girls from out of town lately." She confirmed she had.
