The Trick of Life and Love Episode 31 Recap
> The Trick of Life and Love Recap
As Li Jingfan, Gu Lan, and Li Chen discussed retirement and the potential of handing over the company to Li Qian, Li Jun rushed in to inform them that Li Qian had been taken. Li Jingfan, disbelieving, insisted that Li Qian was with Ning Chengming, only for Li Jun to clarify that Ning Chengming was the one who reported it to the police. Convinced that Ning Chengming was behind the kidnapping, Li Jingfan instructed Li Jun to confront him.
When Li Jun found Ning Chengming and accused him, demanding Li Qian's release, Ning Chengming received an urgent call from Lu Fanyi, his subordinate. Lu Fanyi reported that a tracker had been lost after Li Qian's captors passed Chongshan Road, indicating a change in the situation, prompting Ning Chengming to leave immediately. Meanwhile, the kidnappers, having taken Li Qian, first removed her earrings, scoffing when they discovered they were fake. They drove Li Qian to a secluded factory.
While eating their takeaway, Li Qian, blindfolded, identified the smell of Yunnan rice noodles. She cleverly expressed a desire to eat, leading the kidnappers to remove her blindfold and feed her. Recognizing their relaxed guard, Li Qian tried to win them over, suggesting they were kidnapping her for her live-streaming artist. She offered to manage them and ensure they would receive generous tips if they started live-streaming.
During Gu Zhe's live stream, he received a surprising 50,000 yuan tip from Li Qian's account. Yu Qingqing immediately recognized this as a signal from Li Qian and urged Gu Zhe to go to the police. Back with the kidnappers, Li Qian's phone rang with a call from a contact named "White Bone Demon." When questioned, Li Qian claimed it was an annoying insurance salesperson.
Skeptical, the kidnappers bound her mouth and destroyed her phone, fearing their location might be compromised by its GPS. Li Chen, while at the police station, received a call from Yu Qingqing about Li Qian's recent account activity, which the police confirmed was a vital clue, and they coordinated with Lu Fanyi. The kidnappers, worried about exposure, contacted Bro Dama.
Bro Dama, furious at their blunder, called his contact, Mr. Ma, who in turn chastised Bro Dama and then called Ma Hao. Ma Hao reported the situation to Cao Mei, who instructed him to arrange for Li Qian's transfer to the dock, emphasizing that Ma Hao must accompany them to prevent any further mistakes. As the search for Li Qian intensified, Lu Fanyi informed Ning Chengming that Li Qian's account login indicated she was in the New Area.
Still concerned about Cao Mei's potential involvement, Ning Chengming asked Lu Fanyi to check nearby surveillance. Police arrived at the Tianchen factory in the New Area but found that Li Qian had already been moved. However, Li Qian, in a display of cleverness, had etched "2011" on the ground, signaling they were headed into the city (011 being the city's area code). Police realized the kidnappers would use Nanhuan Road, but surveillance there was down due to electrical work.
Ning Chengming then used his private connections to provide surveillance footage from Nanhuan Road's east side, near the Tianchen Group building, which was passed to law enforcement through Lu Fanyi. The two kidnappers delivered Li Qian to Ma Hao. Ma Hao, uneasy about receiving Li Qian directly instead of Bro Dama, called Cao Mei for guidance. Cao Mei instructed Ma Hao to keep Li Qian until dawn before making the transfer and to ensure no more errors occurred.
Meanwhile, Li Chen and Li Jun returned home to update Gu Lan, Yu Qingqing, and Gu Zhe that Li Qian had been moved but was now believed to be in the city, based on her message. Li Jingfan, heartbroken by Li Qian's kidnapping, locked himself in his study.
He spoke to a picture of his late wife, Ren Yue, tearfully apologizing for failing to protect their daughter and promising that if Li Qian returned safely, he would ensure she broke all ties with Ning Chengming. Li Qian, now with Ma Hao, attempted to persuade him to abandon his course of action.
She highlighted that he hadn't committed a grave crime yet and could still turn his life around with a good lawyer, rather than suffering for someone else's misdeeds. Ma Hao, however, deflected, questioning Li Qian's affection for Ning Chengming, whom he described as boring and quiet. At this point, the two kidnappers approached Ma Hao, demanding their full payment. They claimed they were promised 2,000 yuan but only received 1,000.
Ma Hao, enraged, revealed he had paid Bro Dama 100,000 yuan for the job. This revelation sparked an argument among the kidnappers themselves, as one admitted to only receiving 10,000 from Bro Dama and had only passed on 1,000 to his partner. Li Qian, overhearing their internal conflict, realized this disunity could present an opportunity for escape if she could be alone with them.
As one of the kidnappers drove Li Qian and his partner to the rendezvous point, Li Qian, observing Ma Hao was not in their car, requested to listen to music. Claiming the provided phone was unfamiliar and complicated to connect to the car's Bluetooth speaker, she convinced them to untie her hands so she could do it herself. Seizing the moment, Li Qian secretly called Ning Chengming.
While pretending to struggle with the phone, she described their route, mentioning landmarks like Songsong Restaurant, Xiashi Botanical Garden, and the Twenty-four Hours Bookstore. She added that they were turning from Chong'an West Road onto Pinghe East Road, indicating their clear trajectory towards the dock. Ning Chengming, hearing these details, immediately relayed the information to the police. Based on this, the police quickly identified a suspicious black hatchback car heading to the dock.
At the dock, Ma Hao ensured Li Qian's arrival before departing. Soon after, Cao Mei appeared, dismissed the kidnappers, and confronted Li Qian. Li Qian questioned Cao Mei's motives for her elaborate abduction. Cao Mei coldly stated her purpose was simply her own unhappiness and her desire that Li Qian and Ning Chengming not be happy either.
She then revealed a startling secret about Ning Chengming, claiming he developed a "cognitive impairment" at age five and, from that point, learned to "perform" various emotions, including what Li Qian perceived as his love for her. Cao Mei dramatically declared that both she and Li Qian were victims in this situation, challenging Li Qian to "wait and see" how Ning Chengming would truly treat her.
During their intense confrontation, Cao Mei initiated a video call to Ning Chengming, deliberately showing him Li Qian before turning and striking Li Qian multiple times across the face. However, Li Qian, having previously buttered up the kidnappers, had had her ropes subtly loosened, allowing her to quickly break free. She retaliated, grabbing Cao Mei's hand and revealing her own past as a "school bully" who "no one dared to cross" in junior high.
Li Qian then forcefully restrained Cao Mei, pinning her to a chair. She asserted that even if Ning Chengming didn't truly love her, she would live a wonderful and beautiful life and would never be defeated by a "defeated dog" like Cao Mei, who merely hid in dark corners to bark and bite. Li Qian then told Cao Mei to spend the rest of her life reflecting in prison.
As Li Qian turned to walk away, Cao Mei seized an iron bar from the ground and struck Li Qian from behind, knocking her unconscious. Just then, the police and Ning Chengming arrived. They apprehended Cao Mei, and Ning Chengming rushed to embrace the fallen Li Qian.
