Recaps

Dong Xuebin was formally dismissed from his post after the fight with Dafeng County officials, but he rejected the punishment and refused to apologize. As Li Feng prepared to escalate the matter, Xiang Daofa’s secretary received a sudden phone call.

• News spread through Yantai County that Dong Xuebin had been dismissed, while he calmly listened to music in his office.
• Luo Haiting, Guo Panwei, and Lin Pingping worried about the dismissal, but Dong told them not to worry.
• Cao Xupeng’s secretary summoned Dong to the County People’s Hospital, where Xiang Daofa, Li Feng, Pan Zhou, and other county leaders were gathered.
• Xiang Daofa formally notified Dong of his dismissal and ordered him to apologize to Li Feng and Pan Zhou.
• Dong refused to apologize, disputed the dismissal, and challenged the leaders to investigate whether anyone had seen him hit the two men.
• Li Feng prepared to call the higher-ups, but Zhou Jun’s phone rang suddenly.

A video of Pan Zhou’s staged dive spread online, revealing that Dong Xuebin had never touched him and setting off outrage in Yantai County. Li Feng and other officials realized Pan Zhou had fabricated the accusation, leaving Pan Zhou exposed and Dong’s dismissal in doubt.

• Zhou Jun told Xiang Daofa that a video of the Investment Bureau incident had been posted online, and Xiang ordered officials to watch it.
• Hu Silian, Zhao Xinglong, and Lin Pingping hurried to view the footage as it spread across websites under the title “World-Class Dive.”
• Viewers saw Pan Zhou launch himself backward and strike his own face to fake a nosebleed, while Dong Xuebin stood away from him without making contact.
• Luo Haiting and Guo Panwei realized Pan Zhou had staged the incident, and Zhao Xinglong confronted Xie Huilan about Dong’s wrongful removal from office.
• At the hospital, Cao Xupeng, Xiang Daofa, and Duan Zheng'an saw the footage, while Li Feng angrily ordered Pan Zhou to shut up and recognized that the video left him no credible defense.

A video exposed Pan Zhou’s staged fall, leading Yantai County to revoke Dong Xuebin’s punishment and leaving Pan suspended pending investigation. Dong suspected the conflict with Dafeng County was far from over, while Pan’s friend Tang Xiaojun concluded that Dong was a walking disaster.

• Li Feng called the staged-fall incident a misunderstanding, but Xiang Daofa and Duan Zheng'an condemned Pan Zhou and said he would face an investigation.
• Duan Zheng'an told Dong Xuebin that his punishment had been revoked and he could return to his original post without a record in his personnel file.
• Dong Xuebin had a follow-up examination, then saw Li Feng leave the hospital with Peng Kenong for Dafeng County.
• Pan Zhou accused Dong of altering the video, but Dong rebuked him for repeatedly scheming against him.
• Pan Zhou received a call suspending him pending investigation and left the hospital as Tang Xiaojun later told him the original video had passed examination.

After his dismissal was revoked, Dong Xuebin apologized to Xie Huilan and hosted his trusted colleagues and friends for a celebratory dinner. News of his reinstatement spread through Yantai County, leaving his opponents frustrated and many others wary of provoking him.

• Dong Xuebin called Xie Huilan, admitted he had beaten Pan Zhou, and learned she was heading to the city to demand an explanation from Dafeng County’s leaders.
• Dong Xuebin invited Luo Haiting, Guo Panwei, Lin Pingping, Liu Dahai, Chen Fa, Feng, and Hu Silian to his home for dinner and drinks.
• The guests criticized Dafeng County over the incident, while Guo Panwei described Dong Xuebin’s past brushes with dismissal in the Capital City.
• Hu Silian recognized that Dong Xuebin’s repeated survival of political trouble reflected his ability as well as his reputation for causing trouble.
• Word spread that Dong Xuebin’s dismissal had been revoked, frustrating his adversaries and making county officials even more reluctant to provoke him.

After the dinner party, Dong Xuebin learned that Peng Kenong held a stake in a Huamei District tea house and decided to have it inspected for health and fire-safety violations. He intended to punish Peng for backing out of his investment deal and humiliating Yantai County, while presenting the inspections as protection of the public interest.

• After the guests left, Luo Haiting, Lin Pingping, and Guo Panwei cleaned Dong Xuebin’s home, and he gave each of them three cartons of cigarettes.
• As the group chatted, Luo Haiting secretly slipped her stocking-clad foot against Dong Xuebin’s leg beneath the table.
• The group discussed Peng Kenong’s canceled project and learned that he had shares in the Strong Tea tea house in Huamei District.
• Dong Xuebin said the county should not deliberately target Peng’s business, then proposed that the Health Bureau and Fire Brigade inspect it before May Day.
• Dong Xuebin decided to settle scores with Peng Kenong for insulting Yantai County and undermining its investment-promotion work.

Dong Xuebin watched Yantai County departments seal Peng Kenong’s teahouse after Peng backed out of an investment deal, while Peng tried to enlist Li Feng’s help. Li Feng heard that Peng might steer investors toward Dafeng County’s upcoming conference.

• Dong Xuebin met with Investment Bureau staff, then learned from Qin Yong that county departments planned to inspect Peng Kenong’s teahouse.
• Dong Xuebin, Luo Haiting, and Guo Panwei watched as Fire Brigade, Health Bureau, and Industry and Commerce Bureau staff fined the teahouse and sealed its doors.
• The teahouse’s co-owner called Peng Kenong to complain that the closure and fines had cost him his business.
• Peng Kenong called Li Feng to protest the shutdown and threatened to send investors to Dafeng County’s Investment Conference.
• Li Feng listened as Peng Kenong raised the possibility of redirecting investors, and his eyes flickered at the prospect.

Dong Xuebin learned that the city favored Dafeng County despite its taking Yantai County’s investor, while provincial pressure forced Yantai County to reopen the investor’s unsafe teahouse. The city refused to challenge Dafeng County, leaving Dong furious and ready to retaliate.

• Dong Xuebin and Jiang Hailiang read a front-page article promoting Dafeng County’s Investment Conference and compared its investment record with Yantai County’s.
• Dong Xuebin saw Health Bureau staff remove the seals from Peng Kenong’s teahouse and stopped their vehicle to demand an explanation.
• Dong Xuebin called Health Bureau Director Xu Xu and learned the county had ordered the seals removed after Peng paid a fine.
• Hu Silian told Dong Xuebin that a provincial leader’s secretary had criticized Yantai County after Peng complained, and that the intervention was linked to Li Feng.
• Hu Silian told Dong Xuebin that the city had ignored Yantai County’s complaint and valued Dafeng County’s upcoming investment conference more.
• Dong Xuebin blamed Li Feng and the city for forcing his hand.

After Dafeng County refused to apologize for its actions against Yantai County, Dong Xuebin took responsibility and drove to Dafeng County as its Investment Conference was about to open. Xie Huilan realized he intended to poach Dafeng County’s investors, leaving Yantai’s leaders stunned by his plan.

• Hu Silian told Dong Xuebin that Dafeng County had dismissed Pan Zhou but refused to apologize, prompting Dong to vow to handle the matter.
• Dong summoned the Investment Bureau leaders, assigned Sun Shuli to oversee the bureau, and announced that he was going to Dafeng County’s Investment Conference.
• Dong refused to let Guo Panwei accompany him, then drove toward Dafeng County with his phone switched off.
• Hu Silian told Xie Huilan that Dong had gone to handle the dispute, and Xie called Zhao Xinglong to find him.
• After learning Dong had gone to Dafeng County, Xie Huilan concluded that he meant to poach its investors, alarming Cao Xupeng, Zhao Xinglong, and Hu Silian.

Dong Xuebin went to Dafeng County to challenge its effort to take Yantai County’s investment project and watched the investors arriving at Ruihe Hotel. The chapter ended with him confronting County Chief Li’s secretary Wang Bo, who demanded that he leave the hotel.

• Dong Xuebin learned that investors for Dafeng County’s Investment Conference were staying at Ruihe Hotel and booked a room there.
• Dong Xuebin saw Wang Bo escort Korean martial arts grandmaster Park Yong-hee into the hotel and wondered whether the Koreans were there to invest.
• County Chief Li Feng arrived and noticed Dong Xuebin in the lobby, then spoke to Wang Bo.
• Wang Bo confronted Dong Xuebin about Yantai County’s Investment Bureau and ordered him to leave.
• Dong Xuebin argued that he was on vacation and accused Dafeng County of discrimination for letting foreign visitors stay while trying to exclude him.

Dong Xuebin confronted Dafeng County officials over their treatment of Yantai County and openly tried to lure investors away from Dafeng County’s conference. After Dafeng County complained to the city, Xie Huilan angrily challenged the deputy mayor’s criticism of Yantai County.

• Dong Xuebin argued with Wang Bo, demanding an explanation for Dafeng County’s false accusation against him and questioning whether the county had barred Yantai County residents from its hotel.
• Li Feng ordered Wang Bo to keep Dong Xuebin from causing trouble, while Dong began chatting with an investor and inviting him to consider projects in Yantai County.
• Luo Haiting and Lin Pingping heard about Dong Xuebin’s clash and worried that the dispute would be difficult to resolve.
• Dafeng County complained to the city after Dong Xuebin approached its investors, and city officials criticized Yantai County again.
• Xie Huilan challenged Deputy Mayor Zheng Shizhang, arguing that Yantai County should have the same right to approach Dafeng County’s investors as Dafeng County had to approach theirs.

Xie Huilan confronted Vice Mayor Zheng Shizhang over the city’s treatment of Yantai County, then ordered Strong Tea teahouse shut down and enlisted her aunt’s help to pressure Zheng. The city’s criticism abruptly stopped, leaving the county uncertain what had changed while Dong Xuebin’s dispute with Dafeng County remained unresolved.

• Xie Huilan argued with Zheng Shizhang over Dafeng County’s repeated provocations and ended their call by questioning his political awareness.
• Xie Huilan ordered Hu Silian to have the Health Bureau and Fire Brigade close Strong Tea teahouse over safety and sanitation violations.
• Xie Huilan asked her aunt Xie Guoyue to look into Zheng Shizhang’s son and later spoke with Xiang Daofa.
• Health Bureau and Fire Brigade personnel resealed Strong Tea teahouse and ordered its fire escape widened, despite Peng Kenong’s confidence that the provincial secretary’s intervention had protected it.
• Zheng Shizhang fell silent, and the city stopped commenting on Director Dong’s attendance at Dafeng County’s Investment Conference.
• Huang Li connected Xie Huilan’s backing of Dong Xuebin with Dong’s confrontation with Dafeng County and worried about the trouble ahead.

Dong Xuebin learned that Hui Lan had confronted Zheng Shizhang and helped shield him from repercussions, so he continued his actions in Dafeng County. After Li Feng ordered the Public Security Bureau to monitor him, Dong caught two officers following him and warned Deputy Director Sun Pengpeng not to do it again.

• Luo Haiting told Dong Xuebin that Hui Lan had challenged Zheng Shizhang and had Peng Kenong's teahouse sealed, while Yantai County issued no order for Dong to return.
• Dong decided to stay in Dafeng County for the week and make the county pay for what it had done.
• Li Feng ordered Wang Bo to have Sun Pengpeng's officers monitor Dong around the clock.
• Dong spotted a Beijing Hyundai trailing him and stopped the car, confronting the two officers inside.
• Sun Pengpeng arrived and denied that his officers had followed Dong, who warned him against trying it again.

Dong Xuebin met with Xu Yan in Dafeng County after she took office as director of the Municipal State Security Bureau, and told her how Dafeng County had mistreated him and monitored him. Xu Yan drove around with him to look for the people following him, leaving Dong Xuebin realizing she had come to support him.

• Dong Xuebin waited at a roadside teahouse in Dafeng County and received a call from Xu Yan, who had officially taken office the day before.
• Xu Yan joined Dong Xuebin at the teahouse and explained that she was inspecting Dafeng County’s Investment Conference and had come to see him.
• Dong Xuebin recounted Dafeng County’s attempt to take his county’s project and said Li Feng and Bie Pengpeng had people follow him; Xu Yan agreed their conduct was overbearing but warned him not to offend the city.
• Xu Yan sent her driver away and asked Dong Xuebin to drive her around the county seat so they could talk privately.
• Xu Yan searched the roads for anyone following Dong Xuebin, and he realized she had come to stand up for him.

Dong Xuebin accompanied Xu Yan to a swimming pool, where she planned to exercise and use the visit to watch for anyone from Dafeng County tailing them. They swam together until Wang Bo arrived with Korean investor Park Yong-hee, apparently to inspect the facility, leaving Dong wondering whether their meeting was connected to a sports-center investment.

• Dong Xuebin and Xu Yan circled the county town and found no one following them, then thanked each other for their help.
• Xu Yan brought Dong Xuebin to a swimming pool near their hotel and arranged for her people to watch for suspicious followers.
• Dong Xuebin and Xu Yan bought swimsuits, entered the pool, raced, and Xu Yan corrected his swimming form.
• Wang Bo arrived with Park Yong-hee and other Korean investors to inspect the swimming facility, and Dong suspected they were considering a sports-center project.

At a swimming pool, Korean visitor Li Xiaoan photographed swimmers without permission and assaulted a man who confronted him, while Wang Bo and the county officials tried to get the visitors to leave. Dong Xuebin became furious as the injured man’s family and other swimmers demanded action, and he prepared to intervene.

• Xu Yan swam in the cold-water lane while Dong Xuebin stayed in the warm-water area and watched the Korean visitors inspect the pool.
• Li Xiaoan photographed swimmers despite their objections, including a woman whose swimsuit had slipped, and Xu Yan’s picture was also taken.
• Wang Bo and the Investment Bureau staff defended the visitors and proposed leaving, prompting swimmers to protest and demand that Li Xiaoan delete the photos.
• After swimmers mentioned the humiliation of Seoul Martial Hall, Li Xiaoan struck the quiet man and kicked him down when he reached for the camera.
• The quiet man’s wife and daughter rushed to him as the crowd condemned Li Xiaoan, but Wang Bo still tried to take the Koreans away, angering Dong Xuebin.

Dong Xuebin stepped in after Korean investor Li Xiaoan beat a local man and county officials shielded him from angry bystanders. He challenged Taekwondo champion Park Yong-hee, who was protecting Li, to a match.

• Li Xiaoan beat a mild-mannered local man, and Wang Bo and other Dafeng County officials tried to protect the Koreans as a crowd demanded justice.
• Park Yong-hee blocked attacks from several bystanders and injured some of them, leaving the crowd afraid to confront him again.
• Xu Yan urged Dong Xuebin to teach the Koreans a lesson, and Dong pushed through the crowd to confront them.
• Dong condemned Wang Bo and Dafeng County's officials for neglecting the people and declared that he would handle the matter himself.
• Dong ordered Park Yong-hee to move aside, then challenged him to a match when Park refused.

Dong Xuebin stepped in after Wen Jing was assaulted and fought Park Yong-hee to a draw, surprising the crowd with his skill. Park recognized him as the young man who had defeated Seoul’s martial halls, and Dong confirmed it.

• Dong Xuebin confronted Wang Bo and the Korean businessmen over their treatment of Wen Jing, then challenged Park Yong-hee despite the crowd’s doubts.
• Dong and Park exchanged blows, and Park realized Dong was a skilled fighter before they began a serious match.
• Dong used BACK to evade Park’s powerful kicks and strike his numb spots, while Park blocked his attacks, leaving them evenly matched.
• Park Yong-hee stopped the fight and identified Dong as the fighter who had defeated Seoul’s martial halls and more than a dozen black-belt instructors.
• Dong admitted he had challenged the martial halls after their people beat international students and the police failed to provide an explanation, stunning the crowd.

Dong Xuebin confronted Li Xiaoan and Park Yong-hee at the swimming pool after Li Xiaoan assaulted Wen Jing's husband. After beating Li Xiaoan and destroying the camera, Dong Xuebin won the crowd's applause, while Wang Bo reported the incident to Li Feng.

• Park Yong-hee refused to fight Dong Xuebin under unfair conditions but said he had come to settle the old Seoul Martial Hall score and protect Li Xiaoan.
• Dong Xuebin used Time Stop to evade Park Yong-hee, slap Li Xiaoan, and kick him in the stomach.
• Dong Xuebin took Li Xiaoan's camera and smashed it, destroying the photos, then stopped fighting as the crowd cheered.
• Park Yong-hee checked Li Xiaoan and chose not to attack Dong Xuebin, while Wang Bo called for help and reported the incident to Li Feng.
• Dong Xuebin comforted Wen Jing's husband and his family, then told the crowd that the Party and government belonged to the common people.
• Xu Yan led the crowd in applauding Dong Xuebin, while Wang Bo and the Investment Bureau officials looked on unhappily.

Dong Xuebin agreed to return to Yantai County the next morning when Xie Huilan told him to leave Dafeng County, but he still intended to bring back an investor. At the hotel, he settled the dispute over Li Xiaoan’s camera and injuries by writing a 100,000-yuan check, while the police and onlookers watched in surprise.

• After Xu Yan left the swimming pool, Dong Xuebin went to dinner and received a call from Xie Huilan, who ordered him to return the next morning after he beat Li Xiaoan.
• Dong Xuebin agreed to Xie Huilan’s instructions but privately decided to find an investor to take back to Yantai County before he left.
• At the Ruihe Hotel, Dong Xuebin saw police officers speaking with Li Xiaoan, an interpreter, and Wang Bo about the swimming-pool incident.
• The older officer offered Dong Xuebin a private settlement of 100,000 yuan or a trip to the Police Station, after explaining that Park Yong-hee had compensated the young man he hit.
• Dong Xuebin pulled out a checkbook and handed the officer a cash check for 100,000 yuan, astonishing Wang Bo and the investors in the lobby.

After settling the police matter, Dong Xuebin worried about returning to Dafeng County without an investor, but Park Yong-hee offered to invest in a large gymnasium project if Dong agreed to a friendly match. Dong accepted, and they arranged to compete the next morning.

• Dong Xuebin showed the police a check to settle the matter, then returned to his room at the Ruihe Hotel.
• Dong Xuebin considered how to bring an investor back to Dafeng County before morning.
• Park Yong-hee called Dong Xuebin and asked him to compete in a friendly match, but Dong initially refused.
• Park Yong-hee offered to invest around sixty to one hundred million yuan in a Large Comprehensive Gymnasium project if Dong defeated him.
• Dong Xuebin accepted the challenge, and he and Park Yong-hee agreed to meet the next morning.

Dong Xuebin defeated Park Yong-hee in their private martial arts match and secured Park’s promise to invest in Yantai County’s sports center. He let Park Yong-hee call the bout a draw to preserve his dignity, and they left to discuss the project.

• Dong Xuebin met Park Yong-hee at a martial arts hall in Dafeng County for their wagered match.
• Dong Xuebin stopped his punch just before it hit Park Yong-hee, while Park’s punch failed to reach him, and Park conceded defeat.
• Park Yong-hee promised to invest in Yantai County’s sports center after Dong Xuebin argued for the county’s prospects near Beijing.
• Dong Xuebin told the waiting group the match was a draw and rode back with Park Yong-hee to discuss the project.

Dong Xuebin persuaded Park Yong-hee to leave Dafeng County and inspect an investment site in Yantai County, after they bonded over martial arts. He returned to a jubilant welcome from Yantai County’s leaders, while Dafeng County was furious at losing the nearly hundred-million project.

• Dong Xuebin and Park Yong-hee discussed martial arts, and Park agreed to travel with him to inspect the project in Yantai County.
• Park Yong-hee told Wang Bo that he was leaving Dafeng County, and officials there learned Dong Xuebin had taken him away.
• Dong Xuebin drove Park Yong-hee back toward Yantai County and told Xie Huilan he was nearly certain to secure the investment.
• Xiang Daofa, Xie Huilan, and other Yantai County officials warmly welcomed Park Yong-hee and praised Dong Xuebin.
• Yantai County officials recognized the scale of Dong Xuebin’s achievement, while Dafeng County officials seethed over losing the investor.

Dong Xuebin took leave after being told to lie low following the trouble he caused in Dafeng County, then went to Beijing to visit Qu Yunxuan. The chapter ended with him carrying her to the bedroom despite her protests, as she told him to buy lubricant first.

• Zhao Xinglong told Dong Xuebin to look after Park Yong-hee and said County Chief Hui Lan had approved two days of leave for him.
• Dong Xuebin briefed Sun Shuli, Luo Haiting, and the others about the Investment Bureau’s affairs before driving to Beijing.
• Dong Xuebin called Qu Yunxuan and arranged to visit her and their unborn child.
• Dong Xuebin arrived at Qu Yunxuan’s apartment, greeted her and the baby, and joined her for dinner.
• Qu Yunxuan refused intercourse during her pregnancy, but Dong Xuebin carried her toward the bedroom and she told him to buy lubricant.

After Qu Yunxuan and Dong Xuebin watched the Double Color Ball draw, Dong Xuebin decided to use his remaining time to travel back and buy tickets with the winning numbers. The chapter ended with him arriving in Beijing five minutes before ticket sales closed and receiving Qu Yunxuan’s call.

• Qu Yunxuan and Dong Xuebin watched the Double Color Ball draw and found they had won only a few small prizes.
• Dong Xuebin memorized the winning numbers and realized he could use his remaining time to go back before ticket sales closed.
• Dong Xuebin used Back 97 minutes and returned to 7:55 p.m., while driving into Beijing from Yantai County.
• Qu Yunxuan called Dong Xuebin to ask why he had not come over for dinner.

Dong Xuebin rushed to buy Double Color Ball tickets before sales closed, betting one hundred times on the numbers he knew would win. After the draw matched his ticket exactly, Qu Yunxuan realized they had won one hundred First Prizes.

• Dong Xuebin hurried to a lottery shop and bought one hundred bets on several number combinations before sales closed.
• Dong Xuebin returned home with the tickets, and Qu Yunxuan teased him as they waited for the draw.
• Qu Yunxuan watched the draw with Dong Xuebin and saw the winning numbers match his ticket.
• Qu Yunxuan checked Dong Xuebin's ticket and realized he had won one hundred First Prize bets.