Recaps

Song Ning confronted Lu Changqing about their delayed engagement and his apparent closeness to Chen Yuting, but Lu insisted he wanted to marry her and had never forgotten his promise to her grandfather. When Song Ning asked about the mysterious Blue Tears, Lu refused to explain, and a man in a hospital gown arrived before he could say more.

• Song Ning visited Lu Changqing in the Military District Hospital and demanded to know how he planned to resolve their engagement.
• Lu Changqing said he had applied to marry Song Ning and get family housing, but Song Ning challenged his lateness and his behavior toward Chen Yuting.
• Lu Changqing denied loving Chen Yuting and promised to make his rejection of her clear.
• Song Ning told Lu Changqing that her grandfather had died three years earlier and asked what he meant by expecting him to die sooner.
• Song Ning repeated her grandfather's message, asking Lu Changqing, "Blue Tears, have you found them?" Lu said he could not explain because of another promise.
• A man in a hospital gown entered with a nurse and called out to Company Commander Lu.

Song Ning left Lu Changqing’s ward unconvinced by his answers about their engagement and the secret agreement with her grandfather. After stopping a runaway cart to protect an elderly person, she pushed it down the stairs when she heard two nurses insult her, and they accused her of causing the wreck.

• Song Ning said goodbye to Lu Changqing after he introduced her as his fiancée to Old Zhang, and promised she would return to hear what he had to say.
• Lu Changqing told Old Zhang that their elders had arranged the marriage and praised Song Ning’s beauty and boldness.
• Song Ning wondered what Lu Changqing’s agreement with her grandfather involved and whether he had been searching for the Blue Tears.
• Song Ning stopped a loaded cart from hitting an elderly person, then heard two nurses insulting her and mentioning Yuting.
• Song Ning pushed the cart forward, sending it tumbling down the stairs and smashing its bottles and medicines.
• The head nurse blamed the two nurses for the damage, but one accused Song Ning of pushing the cart down the stairs.

Song Ning defended two nurses from unfair blame, then learned that Chen Yuting had been suspended and that Company Commander Lu’s case awaited further action. Chief of Staff Xu brought her to treat an elderly senior official suffering from an old shrapnel wound, and she began acupuncture as the chapter ended.

• Song Ning and Professor Yang vouched for the two nurses, and the head nurse punished them for the trolley accident instead of blaming Song Ning.
• Chief of Staff Xu told Song Ning that Chen Yuting had been suspended and that regimental headquarters would decide what action to take against Company Commander Lu after Regimental Commander Gu returned.
• Song Ning agreed to help Chief of Staff Xu treat a patient and followed him and Wang Ze to a guarded hospital ward dated May 12, 1979.
• Song Ning recognized Professor Yang there, and he asked her to ease the severe pain of an elderly man with shrapnel lodged near his spinal nerves.
• Song Ning examined the old wounds, asked about the patient’s health, and began placing silver needles in his back.

Song Ning relieved the elderly man's pain with acupuncture, and he asked her to treat him every afternoon. She requested a consultation fee instead of personal favors, while Gu Zheng arrived at the military district office after rushing back from the 7th Regiment.

• Song Ning's acupuncture eased the old man's pain, and he fell asleep peacefully for six hours.
• Chief of Staff Xu asked Song Ning to provide acupuncture each afternoon and offered to grant her a request in gratitude.
• Song Ning asked to charge a consultation fee, and the elderly couple approved of her straightforward choice.
• Song Ning decided to keep the treatment separate from personal favors while focusing on earning money and waiting to settle matters with Lu Changqing.
• Gu Zheng drove to the military district headquarters, ignoring a young guard's pleas to go to the hospital for a checkup first.

Gu Zheng learned that Song Ning was engaged to Lu Changqing and sent Han Xiao and Chen Liang out after they told him. Song Ning visited Lu Changqing in the hospital, where Old Zhang introduced her as Lu Changqing’s wife, leaving her feeling forced into the role again.

• Gu Zheng dismissed the young guard’s pleas to get examined and asked Han Xiao and Chen Liang for updates on the regiment and Elder Zhou.
• Gu Zheng asked whether Song Ning had arrived, and Han Xiao recounted her treatment of Lu Changqing and Chen Yuting’s scene before Chen Liang revealed Song Ning was Lu Changqing’s fiancée.
• Gu Zheng ordered Han Xiao and Chen Liang out, then shouted at them when they lingered outside his office.
• Song Ning went to the hospital to visit Lu Changqing and found Old Zhang with his wife, Li Huilan.
• Old Zhang introduced Song Ning as Lu Changqing’s wife, while Lu Changqing did not correct the implication, making Song Ning feel pushed into the role again.

Song Ning visited Elder Zhou to give him acupuncture and reviewed his X-rays, realizing the shrapnel near his spine posed a serious surgical risk. The chapter left her weighing whether to tell Professor Yang how severe Elder Zhou’s condition was.

• Song Ning greeted Li Huilan warmly, but insisted Lu Changqing clarify their relationship before others misunderstood it.
• Lu Changqing gave Song Ning a key to his dormitory room and asked her to examine the desk drawer and keep what she found secret.
• Song Ning explored the military hospital before Wang Ze led her to Elder Zhou’s ward for acupuncture.
• Song Ning examined Elder Zhou’s X-rays and told Professor Yang that the shrapnel had to be removed to stop his worsening pain.
• Song Ning hesitated over whether to reveal her full assessment of Elder Zhou’s condition, unsure whether Professor Yang would believe her.

Song Ning warned Professor Yang that Elder Zhou's worsening pain could be caused by changes around the shrapnel and urged him to seek a CT scan. She then accepted a ride to regimental headquarters, where Wang Ze mistakenly assumed she was going to reconcile with Lu Changqing, and Song Ning asked what misunderstanding he meant.

• Song Ning removed Elder Zhou's acupuncture needles, accepted Professor Yang's consultation fee, and warned him that the tissue around the shrapnel might be changing dangerously.
• Song Ning advised Professor Yang to seek a CT scan in Shanghai so doctors could locate the shrapnel before an operation, and he hurried off to make calls.
• Song Ning thought about the surgery she might perform and decided she needed to settle matters with Lu Changqing.
• Wang Ze offered to take Song Ning to regimental headquarters, and she asked to go that day to pick up clothes for Lu Changqing.
• Wang Ze assumed Song Ning wanted to bring Lu Changqing his clothes and reconcile with him, but Song Ning asked what misunderstanding there could be between them.

Wang Ze told Song Ning about Chen Yuting’s past pursuits and explained how Song Ning’s response could affect Lu Changqing’s military discipline and commendation. At regimental headquarters, Gu Zheng urged Chief of Staff Xu to respect Song Ning’s wishes, and Wang Ze announced that she had arrived.

• Wang Ze told Song Ning that Chen Yuting had pursued a civilian boyfriend and later cornered a recruit before turning her attention to Lu Changqing.
• Wang Ze said Chen Yuting would face discipline for her professional error, while Song Ning’s stance could determine whether Lu Changqing faced consequences over their alleged relationship.
• Song Ning wondered whether Lu Changqing had changed his attitude because he wanted to avoid disciplinary action, and she remained focused on learning what had happened between him and Grandpa Song.
• Chief of Staff Xu told Gu Zheng he hoped to preserve Song Ning and Lu Changqing’s engagement, but Gu Zheng insisted they should first ask what Song Ning wanted.
• Wang Ze entered headquarters to report on arrangements for the wounded, then announced that Song Ning had come with him.

Song Ning found letters from her grandfather, Song Huaide, to Lu Changqing and learned that they had worked together on a secret, dangerous mission after the 1975 disaster. The letters confirmed Lu Changqing had been truthful about her grandfather, but left Song Ning uncertain about the mission and what it involved.

• Wang Ze told Gu Zheng and Chief of Staff Xu that Song Ning had come to headquarters to collect clothes for Lu Changqing, prompting Xu to assume their misunderstanding was resolved.
• Gu Zheng told Xu to handle the matter as he saw fit, then left to check on training and returned to remind Wang Ze to have Song Ning eat at the mess hall.
• Song Ning opened Lu Changqing's desk drawer in room 216 and found money, a bankbook, and letters from Song Huaide.
• Song Ning read the letters and learned that Song Huaide had repeatedly asked Lu Changqing about a difficult mission and insisted he keep it secret from her.
• Song Ning connected the mission to the 1975 disaster relief efforts, where Lu Changqing and Song Huaide had met, and concluded that her grandfather had destroyed Lu Changqing's letters to protect the secret.

Gu Zheng struggled with his growing feelings for Song Ning after learning she was Lu Changqing’s fiancée, while Song Ning returned to Rong City and discovered two men following her. The chapter ended with Song Ning knocking the men down in an alley and confronting them.

• Gu Zheng ran laps and replayed his encounters with Song Ning, frustrated that thoughts of her had distracted him during the competition.
• Gu Zheng learned Song Ning was Lu Changqing’s fiancée and felt unsettled, while trying to avoid seeing her at regimental headquarters.
• Song Ning ate with Han Xiao and the others, then returned to Rong City with Wang Ze.
• Song Ning went shopping the next morning and sensed that two men were following her.
• Song Ning lured the two men into an alley, tripped them with a broom, and challenged them about following her.

Song Ning beat two men who admitted that Brother Yang had sent them to scare her, then returned to the hospital and heard Lu Changqing explain how he found her grandfather during the 1975 Henan floods. Lu Changqing began recounting the rescue that connected him to Song Huaide.

• Song Ning beat the two men until they revealed that Brother Yang, Chen Yuting’s boyfriend, had sent them to frighten her.
• Song Ning warned the men to tell Brother Yang to confront Chen Yuting or Lu Changqing instead of targeting her.
• At the hospital, Song Ning heard the nurse urge Lu Changqing to have someone stay by his side, while Lu Changqing maintained that Song Ning was his fiancée.
• After Song Ning closed the ward door, Lu Changqing began explaining his past and described searching for survivors after the 1975 Henan floods.
• Lu Changqing found an unconscious, badly injured man in a cliff crevice and learned that the man was still alive.
• Lu Changqing sought help at an evacuation shelter, where an older comrade called Doctor Song—Song Ning’s grandfather, Song Huaide—agreed to come.

Lu Changqing told Song Ning how a dying man revealed that the recent reservoir breach had been deliberately caused by military personnel, entrusting Lu Changqing and Doctor Song with a secret mission. Song Ning connected the incident near Crouching Tiger Mountain to a nearby top-secret military command hub, while Lu Changqing worried she might not believe him.

• Lu Changqing recounted how he and Doctor Song found an injured man in a crevice and earned his trust by refusing to abandon him.
• The man revealed that the reservoir dam failure had been deliberate and begged Lu Changqing and Doctor Song to complete a secret mission without telling anyone else.
• The man said he had witnessed military personnel cause the breach, killing more than thirty of his colleagues and destroying years of work.
• Song Ning identified the location as Crouching Tiger Mountain and inferred that the mission might concern nearby Xiaolushan Base 06 and its military secrets.
• Lu Changqing asked Song Ning whether she thought he was making up the story.

Lu Changqing told Song Ning that he and Doctor Song had been tasked with secretly investigating enemy agents who had sabotaged disaster relief, but he was interrupted before explaining why Doctor Song died. After leaving the ward with Han Xiao, Song Ning asked what others thought of Lu Changqing and learned that he seemed overly eager to advance and insincere.

• Lu Changqing explained that he and Doctor Song had been left to investigate infiltrators behind a disaster, without knowing which military region the perpetrators came from.
• Song Ning asked why her grandfather had died a year after returning home, but a nurse interrupted them before Lu Changqing could answer.
• Han Xiao arrived at the ward and asked why Zhang Qianjin was absent; Lu Changqing said he had sent him away and urged Song Ning to go with Han Xiao.
• Song Ning asked Han Xiao for his honest opinion of Lu Changqing, and Han Xiao described him as ambitious, overly eager for promotion, and somewhat fake.

Song Ning confronted Han Xiao and Zhang Qianjin about Lu Changqing’s indirect attempts to make her care for him, then went to examine Regimental Commander Gu after learning he had passed out. After reviewing Gu Zheng’s X-ray, she warned him that his condition might be more serious than he thought.

• Song Ning told Han Xiao that her relationship with Lu Changqing would soon be over, then stopped him from berating Zhang Qianjin and told Zhang to keep caring for Lu Changqing without avoiding her.
• Song Ning realized Lu Changqing had likely ordered Zhang Qianjin to hide so she would notice that no one was looking after him.
• Han Xiao told Song Ning that Regimental Commander Gu had passed out and was in the hospital, so she went with him to check on Gu Zheng.
• Song Ning found Gu Zheng trying to remove his IV and leave, then examined the X-ray Chen Liang handed her.
• After seeing no skull fracture on Gu Zheng’s X-ray, Song Ning told him his condition might be more serious than he thought.

Song Ning gave Gu Zheng acupuncture and learned about his difficult military past and Zhou Yunzhi's interest in him. She then took Lu Changqing outside in a wheelchair, where she confronted him about wanting a private conversation.

• Song Ning warned Gu Zheng that his fainting spells could signal serious head injuries, and he agreed to acupuncture after she explained the risks.
• Director Li approved the treatment and observed as Song Ning gave Gu Zheng acupuncture; Zhou Yunzhi arrived during the procedure and thanked Song Ning for treating him.
• Han Xiao told Song Ning that Gu Zheng did not return Zhou Yunzhi's romantic interest and described Gu Zheng's dangerous missions, wartime trauma, and reliance on cigarettes.
• Han Xiao escorted Song Ning back to the Guesthouse, while two figures waiting nearby left without revealing themselves.
• Song Ning borrowed a wheelchair, enlisted Zhang Qianjin's help to get Lu Changqing outside, and stopped in a secluded spot to talk with him.

Song Ning confronted Lu Changqing about manipulating their relationship and his military applications to avoid disciplinary action. After he admitted she was right and begged her to trust him, she insisted he be honest, and he began explaining what happened after the disaster.

• Song Ning questioned Lu Changqing about his conduct toward Chen Yuting and his efforts to make their relationship appear favorable to his superiors.
• Song Ning accused Lu Changqing of submitting marriage and family housing applications to protect his military record and pressure her into caring for him.
• Lu Changqing admitted Song Ning was right and confessed that he feared a disciplinary warning would delay his promotion.
• Song Ning told Lu Changqing to be honest with her instead of trying to manage or manipulate her.
• Lu Changqing asked Song Ning to hear what happened after the disaster, and he began telling her the rest of the story.

Lu Changqing recounted how Doctor Song saved his life during the flood and entrusted him with a secret mission involving the Blue Tears, along with a promise to marry Song Ning when she turned eighteen. After Doctor Song disappeared and Lu Changqing pursued military communications training, he delayed going to Hunan Province to take part in a border communications exercise.

• Lu Changqing and Doctor Song became trapped in a mountain crevice after a landslide, and Doctor Song gave Lu Changqing his food and medicine so one of them might survive.
• Doctor Song asked Lu Changqing to look after his granddaughter, and Lu Changqing promised to marry Song Ning when she turned eighteen.
• Rescuers found them on the sixth day, but Doctor Song had contracted encephalitis and pneumonia and never regained his health.
• Lu Changqing promised Doctor Song he would go to Hunan Province to marry Song Ning, then studied communications and searched for the Blue Tears while serving in the army.
• After Doctor Song stopped writing in 1977, Lu Changqing decided he had died and continued the mission alone.
• Lu Changqing postponed his planned trip to Hunan Province to attend advanced training and secure a place in a border communications exercise.

Lu Changqing explained his wartime promotion and pleaded with Song Ning not to end their engagement, but she refused to let the engagement affect the organization's judgment of his case. After treating Elder Zhou, Song Ning told Chief of Staff Xu to assess the matter fairly, then saw Zhou Yunzhi crying beside Chen Liang.

• Lu Changqing told Song Ning how he earned a second-class merit citation and an early promotion after destroying an Annamese communications station, and said he still needed to advance to learn more about his mission.
• Lu Changqing asked Song Ning not to break off their engagement and to speak favorably for him, but Song Ning said she would end it and trusted the leaders to judge his conduct fairly.
• Gu Zheng spotted Song Ning and Lu Changqing talking, chose not to interrupt, and worried that his worsening chest symptoms might signal a terminal illness.
• Wang Ze took Lu Changqing back while Song Ning went to give Elder Zhou acupuncture, then Song Ning told Chief of Staff Xu that the organization's decision should not be influenced by her engagement.
• Song Ning saw Zhou Yunzhi crying and complaining in the hospital corridor beside the silent Chen Liang.

Song Ning tried to end her engagement to Lu Changqing, but he kept delaying the conversation while she treated patients at the hospital. After leaving the hospital, she encountered Zhou Yunzhi, who wanted news about Gu Zheng and then insisted on accompanying her around town.

• Zhang Qianjin told Song Ning that Lu Changqing had asked him to return to his unit, and Song Ning agreed to visit the hospital the next morning.
• Song Ning brought breakfast to Lu Changqing and told Old Zhang that she and Lu Changqing were calling off their engagement, but Lu Changqing delayed their private conversation by claiming he had reopened his wound.
• Song Ning gave acupuncture to Gu Zheng while he pretended to sleep, and Chen Liang urged him to keep sleeping when Zhou Yunzhi arrived with soup.
• Old Zhang asked Song Ning to examine an old comrade's chronic leg injury, and she agreed to help if she got the chance before leaving Lu Changqing's ward without settling their engagement.
• Zhou Yunzhi stopped Song Ning outside the Guesthouse to ask how Gu Zheng was doing, then followed her and insisted on keeping her company.

Song Ning and Zhou Yunzhi were kidnapped after a thief lured them into an ambush, and Gu Zheng learned that Ge Liang had taken them. After waking in an abandoned warehouse, Song Ning freed herself and prepared to attack a guard while planning their escape.

• A thief stole Zhou Yunzhi's bag and led her and Song Ning into an alley, where Ge Liang's men surrounded them and captured them.
• Han Xiao told Gu Zheng that Ge Liang had kidnapped Zhou Yunzhi and that Song Ning had been taken too, prompting Gu Zheng to order a search and go himself.
• Song Ning woke bound in an abandoned warehouse, freed herself with a piece of sheet metal, and quietly woke Zhou Yunzhi.
• Song Ning instructed Zhou Yunzhi to call for water, then hid behind the door with an iron wrench when a guard left to fetch it.

Song Ning and Zhou Yunzhi escaped their captors and were rescued by Gu Zheng and his soldiers. After returning to the Guesthouse, Song Ning learned the kidnapping investigation was continuing and wondered whether Elder Zhou’s advice to rest was connected to her operation.

• Song Ning knocked out and tied up three men while Zhou Yunzhi cried to draw them into the warehouse, then led her toward the courtyard wall.
• Song Ning climbed a tree and helped Zhou Yunzhi onto the wall as Gu Zheng’s soldiers surrounded the warehouse.
• Gu Zheng called for them to jump and caught Song Ning, while two soldiers caught Zhou Yunzhi; he then ordered the women escorted away and returned to the operation.
• Gu Zheng kept his soldiers at the warehouse to investigate whether Ge Liang had acted alone or had someone behind him.
• Han Xiao visited Song Ning at the Guesthouse, told her to keep the incident quiet, and said Elder Zhou wanted her to rest; Song Ning asked whether it was because of her operation.

Song Ning rejected Lu Changqing’s attempts to keep her engaged and move into the approved family quarters, while he pleaded for more time. She later went to meet Professor Yang and found that Zhou Yuanhang had returned from Shanghai City with an urgent request for her help.

• Zhang Qianjin delivered Lu Changqing’s monthly allowance to Song Ning, saying Lu had sent it because she was new to Rong City.
• Song Ning took the money to Lu Changqing at the hospital, returned it, and refused to use the quarters he had arranged for them.
• Lu Changqing explained that the quarters were approved for visiting family, but Song Ning insisted their engagement would end and she would find her own place.
• Song Ning went to give Gu Zheng acupuncture but learned from a nurse that Regimental Commander Gu had not returned to his ward the night before.
• Wang Ze told Song Ning that Professor Yang wanted to see her, and Professor Yang introduced Zhou Yuanhang, who had returned from Shanghai City to ask for urgent help.

Song Ning learned that Professor Qi needed help negotiating Hua Country’s first CT scanner purchase and agreed to meet him. After recognizing the name Qi Shiyuan as the Old Man Qi she knew from her future, she wondered whether her family also existed in this world.

• Zhou Yuanhang told Song Ning that foreign manufacturers had made importing a CT scanner difficult and asked her to help Professor Qi.
• Song Ning recognized Professor Qi’s name as Qi Shiyuan, a senior expert she knew from her future.
• Song Ning wondered whether Qi Shiyuan, Madam Mei, Old Man Song, and her family existed in this world.
• Song Ning agreed to help with the purchase so she could meet Qi Shiyuan and find out whether he was the man she knew.
• Zhou Yuanhang asked whether they could leave the next day, and Song Ning said she was ready to go.

Song Ning prepared to leave Rong City for Shanghai City to help Elder Zhou’s son, while Gu Zheng struggled with his feelings after realizing that holding Song Ning had changed how he saw women. The chapter ended with Gu Zheng alone at the training ground, reflecting on his past and the moment he held her.

• Song Ning treated Elder Zhou with acupuncture, wrote him a prescription, and told Professor Yang that she would be away in Shanghai City.
• Song Ning told Lu Changqing she wanted to end their engagement when she returned, and he agreed to wait for her.
• Song Ning asked Wang Ze to contact Gu Zheng and arrange a chance to check his pulse before she left.
• Han Xiao and Xiong Gang speculated that Gu Zheng’s recent behavior had something to do with a woman, and Gu Zheng caught them gossiping.
• Wang Ze told Gu Zheng that Song Ning was leaving the next day and wanted to see him, but Gu Zheng only said he understood.
• Gu Zheng jogged alone at the training ground and recalled how holding Song Ning had made him realize he had been wrong about his ability to love a woman.

Gu realized he had fallen for Song Ning, his comrade’s bride-to-be, while Song Ning set off for Shanghai City with Zhou Yuanhang. Their train journey ended in a false accusation against Zhou Yuanhang, and Yang Ye arrived to take them from the police office.

• Gu recognized that his growing worry and longing for Song Ning meant he had fallen in love with her.
• Chen Liang delivered Song Ning the medical fees Gu had sent, and Song Ning traveled to Shanghai City with Zhou Yuanhang.
• On the train, Feng Yan and her mother tried to draw Zhou Yuanhang into conversation, but he showed little interest.
• Near Shanghai City, Feng Yan accused Zhou Yuanhang of embracing her, and her mother backed up the claim; Zhou Yuanhang demanded that the police investigate.
• After Zhou Yuanhang called for help, Yang Ye arrived at the station police office, collected him and Song Ning, and welcomed Song Ning to Shanghai City.