THE REBEL Episode 32 Recap
> THE REBEL Recap
Zhu Yizhen met with her comrades in Hong Kong and reported to Ji Zhongyuan on the situation. During their conversation, Ji Zhongyuan informed her that Lin Nansheng was also in Hong Kong and was recovering well, bringing her a sense of relief. Zhu Yizhen conveyed her concern for her father, Zhu Xiaoxian, who had consistently rejected overtures from the Japanese puppet government and was now under house arrest.
Ji Zhongyuan assured her that their party would not abandon patriots like Zhu Xiaoxian and others who had contributed to the resistance. Meng Annan then led Zhu Yizhen to Zhu Xiaoxian's residence, detailing the Japanese surveillance: three guards at the gate and three Special Higher Police agents in a car nearby. Meng Annan, disguised as a doctor from Kadoorie Hospital, gained entry to the house.
When Zhu Xiaoxian questioned his identity, Meng Annan relayed a childhood memory from Zhu Yizhen about their trip to the Great World and their home phone number, 2039, to prove his connection. Meng Annan then instructed Zhu Xiaoxian to call the hospital to cancel the doctor's visit and inform the Japanese guards that a nurse would deliver his medication. This allowed Zhu Yizhen to enter the house, disguised as a nurse, and reunite with her father.
Their reunion was brief and emotional, with Zhu Xiaoxian noting her calloused hands and Zhu Yizhen expressing concern for his health. Inside, Zhu Yizhen proposed a plan to her father, who was refusing to be a traitor by taking up the post of President of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce and Trade.
She suggested he pretend to accept the Japanese demand to become the president, and even convince other businessmen like Uncle Qian and Uncle Xu to become vice presidents, to lower the Japanese guard. She planned to use the chaos of the signing ceremony as an opportunity for his escape. However, the plan was complicated when Meng Annan informed Zhu Yizhen via phone that the Japanese had moved the signing date forward to the next day.
The guards remained in place, and Zhu Xiaoxian could not leave. Zhu Yizhen conveyed her deep worry for her father to Ji Zhongyuan, emphasizing how Zhu Xiaoxian had always supported her ambitions despite his concern for her safety. Meng Annan also requested to join the evacuation and go to the mainland base to participate in the war of resistance, stating his superiors had agreed.
Ji Zhongyuan approved, noting that Meng Annan's assistance would be valuable for their journey beyond Guangzhou, where the East River Column comrades could only escort them. Ji Zhongyuan then tasked Lin Nansheng with an urgent mission. Using a phone, Ji Zhongyuan asked Lin Nansheng to create fifteen Japanese home return permits for the evacuees by 10 AM the next morning at Wan Chai Pier 3, as their previous source through the East River Column was no longer viable.
Lin Nansheng diligently recorded the names and details provided, such as Lin Dai Shui, a 52-year-old male from Shanghai County, Jiangsu; Lin Shu Yi, a 27-year-old female from Shanghai County, Jiangsu; and Jiang Zhi Chao, a male from Lian County, Guangdong. Meng Annan, with Zhu Yizhen's consent, visited a news agency and placed an advertisement, signed "Chen An Nan," informing Chen Moqun of his departure to the mainland.
Meanwhile, Lin Nansheng received a deciphered telegram revealing that Gu Shenyan had been brought back to Chongqing for investigation on corruption allegations. Concerned, Lin Nansheng approached his station chief and requested to be transferred back to Chongqing. He used his incomplete recovery from injuries as a pretext, explaining that he was discharged early from the hospital and had been working continuously, fearing his identity might be exposed if he collapsed.
He also boldly invoked Commissioner Dai, reminding the chief of his heroics in assassinating Uemura Netto. The station chief, frustrated, agreed to report his request to higher authority but forbade Lin Nansheng from returning to the office until a reply was received. The next day, Zhu Xiaoxian, adhering to the plan, attended the signing ceremony.
After receiving the letter of appointment from Mr. Morikawa and delivering a speech where he feigned cooperation with the Japanese economic strategy, Zhu Xiaoxian began to cough incessantly, feigning illness. He announced he needed to go to the hospital immediately but would grant an interview to one newspaper reporter on the way. He pointedly chose Meng Annan, who was disguised as a reporter. As they left, a Japanese officer was assigned by Morikawa to escort Zhu Xiaoxian.
Meng Annan quickly eliminated the Japanese agent discreetly and drove Zhu Xiaoxian to the pier to rendezvous with the others. Lin Nansheng arrived at the pier with the permits, carefully hiding them in the crevice of a rickshaw to pass a Japanese inspection, before retrieving them and delivering them to Ji Zhongyuan. He also handed over five blank permits.
Ji Zhongyuan instructed Lin Nansheng to go to the middle of the second floor of the dock two minutes before the ship sailed. Zhu Yizhen distributed the permits to everyone, including her father and Meng Annan, instructing them to board the ship separately. As the ship was about to depart, Zhu Yizhen heard Lin Nansheng's voice from the pier.
She pinned the butterfly brooch Lin Nansheng had given her onto her clothes, found a pretext to go to the deck, and scanned the crowd, finally spotting him. They exchanged a silent, tearful gaze across the water, content to know each other was safe. After the ship departed, Lin Nansheng received his own transfer order from Chongqing via radio, instructing him to report back immediately via Route A.
He met with Ji Zhongyuan at their usual spot by the wutong riverbank to bid farewell. Lin Nansheng expressed his desire to follow Zuo Qiuming's path and work for the Communist Party, admitting he needed more time to fully commit due to his past with the Secret Service, Military Intelligence Bureau. Ji Zhongyuan, understanding the internal conflict, told him to go to Chongqing first.
When he was ready to make the decision, he should publish a poem titled "Guandukou" under the name Huang Yunsheng in the Central Daily News, and someone would contact him. Ji Zhongyuan then recited parts of the poem, emphasizing its significance as a signal to the party. He looked forward to the day they could call each other comrades. Lin Nansheng then went to Zuo Qiuming's grave.
He ate a piece of cake, a sweet treat he previously disliked, as a silent promise to his fallen comrade, vowing to continue their shared path and reunite someday. Soon after, Lin Nansheng reported to the personnel department in Chongqing, where he was assigned as a technical instructor for the operation squad at the Preparatory Office of the Sino-American Cooperative Organization in Yangjiashan. He learned that his file had been converted from a non-disclosure to an open personnel unit.
Upon reporting, he was to meet Director Bai Xian Ming, the former dean of a special training class in Nanjing. Lin Nansheng also inquired about the detention center for reprimanded internal personnel, and was told it was usually Wanglongmen Detention Center, indicating his continued concern for Gu Shenyan.
