The Flaming Heart Episode 3 Recap
> The Flaming Heart Recap
The Fire and Medical Joint Training project officially commenced, with Yan Lan arriving at Dongshan Station as a lead researcher to set up the laboratory. Chief Chen had informed Huo Yan that he would be temporarily in charge of the project due to Luo Jie's unexpected absence. Huo Yan confirmed he had received the project files and was reviewing them.
When Yan Lan arrived, Huo Yan felt awkward meeting her directly, due to their previous encounters, including the recent dinner where the truth about the walkie-talkie conversation came out. He delegated Li Yanliang to greet her, instructing him to accommodate her requests as much as possible. Li Yanliang led Yan Lan to a storage room designated to become her laboratory, reassuring her that it would be tidied up soon per Chief Huo's instructions.
Yan Lan asked what else Huo Yan had said. While Li Yanliang was showing Yan Lan the storage room, he was called away to the gate. A woman named Guan, whom Li Yanliang had rescued from a fire, arrived with cakes to thank him. Guan also added Li Yanliang on WeChat, offering discounts for the fire station. Left alone, Yan Lan accidentally dropped her phone. As she reached through a metal grating to retrieve it, her head became stuck.
Unable to free herself, she called 119 for help. To the firefighters' bewilderment, the alarm blared for an emergency within their own station's storage room. Huo Yan rushed to the scene and found Yan Lan with her head stuck in the grating. He initially laughed at her predicament but then professionally freed her. As she stumbled backward, Huo Yan quickly caught her, bringing them close in an intimate moment.
He teased her about her poor balance and suggested she join their physical training. Yan Lan politely declined. Huo Yan then offered to help clean up the room later to prevent her from getting stuck again and "wasting emergency resources." Yan Lan retorted that she would rather die than call him for help again. Huo Yan then instructed his team members to organize dummies for the afternoon training.
Wang Dayin observed Jiang Tong and other university student firefighters practicing with a drone. To assert his authority as squad leader, Wang Dayin gathered the student firefighters and reprimanded them for focusing on "high-tech toys" instead of traditional training. He dismissed their drone as a "small invention" of little practical use compared to a firefighter's ability to enter a burning building.
Jiang Tong, unfazed, corrected his mispronunciation of a word he used to describe their "pampered" attitude and challenged his prejudice against new technologies. Feeling his authority questioned, Wang Dayin proposed a competition to see whose method was more effective: his practical training (climbing) or her "toy" (drone technology). They agreed that the loser would accept a punishment decided by the winner. In the ensuing "firefighting match," Jiang Tong's drone proved faster and won.
After losing, Wang Dayin refused to accept the punishment, accusing Jiang Tong of cheating by switching to a larger drone. Jiang Tong called him a coward and challenged him to another contest in the smokehouse. Huo Yan, who was giving Yan Lan a tour, heard about their escalating dispute and rushed to intervene.
He tried to mediate, but their argument quickly resumed, with Jiang Tong accusing Wang Dayin of prejudice against university-trained firefighters and Wang Dayin reiterating his belief in traditional methods. As their bickering intensified, Huo Yan received a mission call requiring him to take Yan Lan to an emergency. Frustrated by their inability to stop arguing, he left them to their quarrel.
Luo Jie called Yan Lan to check on her, offering to intervene if anyone at the station made her unhappy. Yan Lan brushed it off, assuring him she was fine. Meanwhile, Wang Dayin continued to antagonize Jiang Tong, leading to another argument. He tried to make her do push-ups, but instead, Jiang Tong challenged him to a "Nanjing gyroscope" test, which required 20 rotations in two minutes.
She declared that if she completed it, he would have to retract his "fooling around" comment and overcome his prejudice against high-tech firefighting. Despite Wang Dayin's warnings about the danger, Jiang Tong persisted. With another student's help, she began spinning but passed out before finishing. Genuinely alarmed, Wang Dayin quickly carried her to the infirmary, scolding the other students for their recklessness. Later, both Yan Lan and Luo Jie's families gathered for a dinner.
Their mothers, pleased with their childhood sweetheart connection, had already verbally arranged their marriage. Luo's mother expressed her wish for Luo Jie to leave his firefighting career and take over the family business. Luo Jie refused, suggesting his younger sister, Luo Xiao Yan, was better suited for the role, though she would need more training. Yan Lan defended the firefighting profession as heroic, but the mothers emphasized the need for one partner to manage the home after marriage.
Luo Jie tried to deflect by saying Yan Lan wasn't ready to date, but the mothers playfully declared that Yan Lan was their chosen daughter-in-law. Yan Lan maintained that she and Luo Jie were just very close friends. Yan Lan was having dinner with her friends when she encountered Huo Yan's mother in the washroom. Huo Yan's mother, still somewhat affected by her husband's passing and wearing youthful attire, was immediately taken with Yan Lan.
Praising her looks, she misunderstood Yan Lan's reaction, thinking she was admiring a doll charm on her bag, and proudly mentioned her son had given it to her. Feeling uncomfortable, Yan Lan excused herself. Back at her table, she was accosted by her ex-boyfriend, who announced his upcoming marriage and mocked her single status, hinting she could have been his bride if not for Luo Jie. As the situation grew awkward, Huo Yan, dining nearby with his mother, stepped in.
He told the ex-boyfriend that a "qualified ex should act like a dead man" and falsely introduced himself as Yan Lan's boyfriend, accepting the wedding invitation on their behalf. He then returned to his mother, who excitedly described the "cute girl" she had seen, unaware it was Yan Lan. Luo's father, chairman of a pharmaceutical company, met with Mr. Han of Han's Pharmaceuticals, who had previously pressured Director Li for a drug test report.
Mr. Han boasted about the demand for his new PD-1 monoclonal antibody, a "new type of biological gene-based medicine." He flattered Luo's father, proposing a "strong-strong alliance" where Luo's company's production experience would complement his firm's R&D strengths, leading to "win-win cooperation." Impressed, and after Mr. Han assured him that procuring certain lead compounds would be easy, Luo's father agreed to the collaboration. The joint field training between Dongshan Station and Southeast Hospital began.
Huo Yan and Luo Jie were appointed as team leaders, with Yan Lan assigned to Huo Yan's team. During the briefing, Huo Yan emphasized checking equipment and caring for the medical team. Luo Jie, leading the red team, sent "Car King" Wu to lead the way. Luo Jie approached Yan Lan to offer help with her bag, but she declined. Huo Yan intervened, telling Luo Jie his team didn't need interference.
Luo Jie retorted that Huo Yan shouldn't get "too complacent" and warned him against losing. Huo Yan confidently handed Yan Lan a walkie-talkie with GPS, telling her to contact him if needed. When choosing routes, Luo Jie’s team opted for the shorter path but soon found the valley it crossed was too wide for their ropes.
Following a suggestion, they used a drone to find a better crossing point, only to discover Huo Yan’s team had already found and crossed it. Huo Yan's teammate then playfully gloated over the radio as their team moved on, leaving Luo Jie frustrated. As the training progressed, Jiang Tong and Wang Dayin tumbled down a hill together, resulting in Jiang Tong spraining her ankle and Wang Dayin scraping his back.
Li Yanliang relayed to Chief Chen that their injuries were minor. Later, Yan Lan noticed a colleague, Ye, coughing frequently and suspected he had lung heat. She recalled seeing beekeepers and wild rock honey nearby, noting its healing properties.
