Chapter Summaries

Song Ning dealt with the hospital incident involving Song Wang and questioned Wu Tao Ying about Lin Xiaoming. She began connecting Lin Xiaoming to several past incidents, leaving her to wonder whether his repeated appearances were more than coincidence.

• Song Ning refused Chen Yuting’s offer to drop the matter and insisted that everyone follow the rules; Chen Yuting asked whether she knew where Yu Zhengyang was.
• Song Ning confronted Kong Jianming, told him to apologize to Chen Yuting, and asked him to help Song Wang end his relationship with Wu Tao Ying in exchange for settling his debt.
• Kong Jianming agreed and told Song Ning that Wu Tao Ying had claimed Lin Xiaoming might refuse to help Chen Yuting because he had helped her before.
• Song Ning asked Wu Tao Ying about Lin Xiaoming, and Wu Tao Ying recalled meeting him at a joint performance at the Red Star Auditorium.
• Song Ning realized the performance had been the day Zhou Yunzhi was nearly strangled and connected Lin Xiaoming to several other past incidents, questioning whether his presence at Fuwai Hospital was truly coincidental.

Song Ning urged Chen Yuting to decide whether she truly wanted to pursue Yu Zhengyang and warned Song Wang to learn from his mistakes. She then returned to Tang Wei’s bedside and investigated why Lin Xiaoming had delivered Chen Yuting’s internship report, asking Tan Min whether he had volunteered.

• Kong Jianming told Song Ning that Chen Yuting had forgiven him and that Song Wang would soon be released.
• Song Ning questioned Chen Yuting about Lin Xiaoming delivering her internship report, then gave her an address where she could find Yu Zhengyang.
• Song Ning warned Song Wang to reconsider his assumptions about Wu Tao Ying and left him to make his own decision.
• Han Xiao told Song Ning that Tang Wei was improving and that Gu Zheng had tracked the target to Tangshan with reinforcements.
• Song Ning asked Tan Min, who handled General Surgery internship reports, whether Lin Xiaoming had volunteered to deliver Chen Yuting’s report.

Song Ning considered her suspicions about Lin Xiaoming while learning that Zhou Yunzhi and Lu Changqing remained unconscious. At the hospital, Kong Jianming revealed his supposed relationship with Wu Tao Ying to Song Wang, and Song Ning was urgently summoned when someone was near death.

• Song Ning deflected Han Xiao's questions about Lin Xiaoming and asked about Zhou Yunzhi and Lu Changqing, learning that neither had recovered and the poison remained unidentified.
• Song Ning went to rest after telling the nurse to alert her if anything changed.
• Kong Jianming told Song Wang he was Wu Tao Ying's lover, and Song Wang punched him for slandering Tao Ying.
• Song Wang insisted he trusted Wu Tao Ying and returned to the ward, while Kong Jianming vowed to expose her.
• Han Xiao woke Song Ning and urgently told her someone had barely a breath left.

Song Ning visited a dying researcher rescued from the Jin City Base, who thanked her and urged her to “keep going” before passing away, leaving his identity and message unexplained. After Lei Ming updated her on the Jin City cleanup and told her to rest, Kong Jianming asked Tao Ying to step outside for an important conversation.

• Song Ning went to the hospital ward and heard the dying elderly man thank her and tell her to keep going before he died.
• Lei Ming explained that the man had been among the hostages Yi Gang took from the Jin City Base, but the researchers did not know his identity or why he had singled out Song Ning.
• Lei Ming reported that rescued research materials had reached Jin City researchers and that Tang Wu was overseeing the careful removal of dangerous supplies.
• Lei Ming urged Song Ning to rest, contact him if she needed help, and not worry about Gu Zheng.
• Kong Jianming entered Wu Tao Ying's ward while Song Wang was away and asked her to come outside so he could tell her something important.

Kong Jianming staged a confession to expose Wu Tao Ying’s feelings to Song Wang, but their confrontation ended in a fight. Song Ning then discovered that the masked doctor involved in the scuffle had been carrying poisoned medicine, and Lei Ming detained them as they investigated the upper floors.

• Wu Tao Ying decided she would leave Song Wang if Kong Jianming confessed his love, and Kong Jianming drew her into the corridor while watching for Song Wang.
• Kong Jianming prompted Wu Tao Ying to declare that she loved him and that Song Wang meant nothing to her, then Song Wang saw her kiss him.
• Song Wang punched Kong Jianming, and Wu Tao Ying helped Kong Jianming as the two men fought until Kong Jianming fell into the stairwell.
• Song Ning entered the stairwell and found Wu Tao Ying clinging to a masked doctor beside scattered medicine and a tray.
• Song Ning smelled something unusual in the spilled medicine and warned Lei Ming that it was poisoned, so Lei Ming seized the doctor.
• Lei Ming asked which room the captive had visited after Song Ning said they had come down from upstairs.

Song Ning discovered that Dr. Zhang had been poisoning Lu Changqing to keep him comatose, then asked Lei Ming to discreetly investigate Lin Xiaoming. As they returned to the Observation Room, they learned Tang Wei had awakened and was out of danger.

• Song Ning identified Lu Changqing as one of Dr. Zhang's patients and concluded that the poison was meant to keep him in a deep coma rather than kill him.
• Lei Ming ordered Dr. Zhang questioned, the medications analyzed, and the poison from the stairwell collected to help find an antidote for Lu Changqing.
• Song Ning asked Lei Ming to investigate Lin Xiaoming discreetly, and he agreed to look into him.
• A nurse told Song Ning that Tang Wei had awakened, and Song Ning checked his responses and medical readings.
• Tang Wei asked Song Ning not to slap him the next time they met, and Song Ning announced that his life was no longer in danger before leaving the Observation Room.

After Tang Wei recovered from surgery, Song Ning returned to Qingbei and learned that the murders and kidnappings had been organized by Yi Gang to disrupt factory production. She reunited with Mike and asked whether Carl had caught another killer, leaving Cheng Hui’s case unresolved.

• Song Ning confirmed that Tang Wei was out of danger, handed over his care, and prepared to return to the Qingbei research project.
• Song Ning and Jiang Chengshi saw Chen Liang speaking with Tan Min, then Chen Liang drove Song Ning to Qingbei and briefed her on the investigation.
• Chen Liang reported that Yi Gang had organized the murders and kidnappings targeting factory chief engineers, while the identity and role of the suspected 'Buddha Lord' remained uncertain.
• Song Ning concluded that 'Buddha Lord' might lead 'K' or that 'K' had always belonged to 'Ghost'.
• At Qingbei, Song Ning greeted Mike and asked whether Carl had caught another killer in Cheng Hui's case.

Mike told Song Ning that Cheng Hui had been framed by a Ghost operative who died after confessing that “Voss chose her,” while the organization remained beyond the police’s reach. Song Ning accelerated the research schedule, then arranged to review Elder Zhou’s CT scans at Xiehe Hospital before returning home, where she found an unexpected visitor at the courtyard entrance.

• Mike told Song Ning that Kurt had survived another assassination attempt and police had caught a disguised attacker trying to kill him in the hospital.
• Mike said the attacker confessed to framing Cheng Hui and shooting Kurt, then died by poison after saying, “Voss chose her! So she had to die!”
• Song Ning and Mike reviewed the research progress, and Song Ning moved the schedule forward while Mike urged her to rest after her accident and surgery.
• Song Ning arranged with Zhou Yuanhang to examine Elder Zhou’s CT scans at Xiehe Hospital at four that afternoon.
• Chen Liang offered to arrange transportation for Song Ning’s hospital visit, and she agreed to be cautious.
• Song Ning arrived at the Siheyuan Courtyard and saw an unexpected visitor about to knock at the entrance.

Song Ning confronted Song Wang over neglecting his distillery work after Wu Tao Ying hurt him, then learned Song Lan was being questioned over an incident at Fuwai Hospital. Zhou Yuanhang arrived early to take Song Ning to Xiehe Hospital, and an unexplained sense of unease followed her as they walked through a quiet alley.

• Zheng Chunzhi told Song Ning that Song Wang had missed two days of work while the distillery's second batch was brewing, and Song Ning found him devastated over Wu Tao Ying.
• Song Ning urged Song Wang to value himself, take responsibility for his job, and return to the factory; he left with Zheng Chunzhi.
• Song Mei worried that Song Lan had not returned, and Song Ning explained that staff at Fuwai Hospital were being questioned about an incident there.
• Zhou Yuanhang told Song Ning that Xiehe Hospital wanted her to interpret CT scans, so she went with him before her planned meeting with Chen Liang.
• As Song Ning and Zhou Yuanhang walked through a quiet alley toward the bus stop, Song Ning felt a powerful sense of unease.

Song Ning and Zhou Yuanhang were kidnapped and questioned by men seeking something connected to the Zhou Family. Song Ning remained trapped in a sack as the men resumed beating Zhou Yuanhang.

• Several men ambushed Song Ning and Zhou Yuanhang in an alley, knocked them unconscious, and took them away in sacks.
• Song Ning woke in a locked room and recognized Zhou Yuanhang's voice as the men next door beat and questioned him about something they wanted.
• Song Ning suspected the kidnappers were searching for the same item connected to Zhou Xiaotang's earlier kidnapping and Zhou Weide's classified documents.
• The kidnappers entered Song Ning's room and demanded that she hand over something belonging to the Zhou Family, threatening Zhou Yuanhang and a Zhou in the hospital.
• Song Ning denied knowing anything and offered to help them search, but the men left and went back to beating Zhou Yuanhang.

Song Ning and Zhou Yuanhang were kidnapped by people seeking something left behind by Zhou Yuanhang’s paternal cousin. The kidnappers released Song Ning with three days to find it, and she reached the police station, where Chen Liang, Han Xiao, Lei Ming, and Dong Yuan arrived.

• Zhou Yuanhang told Song Ning that his captors wanted something his paternal cousin had left behind and offered to claim she could retrieve it so they would let her go.
• Zhou Yuanhang passed out, and the kidnappers dragged him away to have someone check his injuries.
• The kidnappers left Song Ning by the roadside and gave her three days to find the item, threatening to kill Zhou Yuanhang if she failed.
• Song Ning escaped the sack, realized she had been left near her Siheyuan Courtyard, and went to the Xiangyang Police Station instead of going home.
• Chen Liang, Han Xiao, Lei Ming, and Dong Yuan arrived, and Song Ning told them she thought someone wanted to use her to find something.

After Song Ning returned from being abducted with Zhou Yuanhang, she explained why she believed their kidnappers thought she could help them find something connected to Chief Engineer Zhou. The search for Zhou Yuanhang continued as Lei Ming ordered protection for Zhou Xiaotang and her mother, then examined the painting Song Ning had received, but the group found nothing unusual.

• Song Ning described where she had been abducted and returned, prompting Lei Ming to order a neighborhood search and narrow the hunt for the kidnappers' hideout.
• Song Ning reasoned that the kidnappers had deliberately taken her because they believed she was connected to the thing they sought through her earlier visit to Zhou Xiaotang.
• Song Ning recalled that Zhou Xiaotang had given her an oil painting, and Lei Ming ordered Dong Yuan to send people to protect Zhou Xiaotang and her mother in their hometown.
• Lei Ming, Chen Liang, and Han Xiao accompanied Song Ning to inspect the painting, but none of them found anything unusual.

Song Ning told Lei Ming she suspected the people who kidnapped her were using her to find something, though she wondered whether Zhou Yuanhang was involved. Lei Ming reassured her that Zhou Yuanhang had no reason to betray his family, and Song Ning ended the night still pondering the mysteries surrounding the dying elderly comrade.

• Song Ning asked Lei Ming whether Zhou Yuanhang could be involved because he knew about her visit to the Zhou family, but Lei Ming said the Zhou family were sworn enemies of Ghost.
• Song Ning explained that her kidnapping seemed staged and that the organization might know her abilities and want her help finding something hidden.
• Lei Ming told Song Ning that Lin Xiaoming's military records and family background showed nothing suspicious.
• Lei Ming praised Song Ning, and she tearfully recalled that he had once put a bow on the stick he used to punish her.
• Song Wang, Song Lan, and Song Mei entered after hearing Song Ning cry, and Lei Ming left after they assured themselves she was all right.
• Song Ning stayed awake wondering why the elderly comrade had insisted on seeing her and whether his final word had been “sweet” or “field.”

Song Ning reassured her family and arranged for Song Lan and Song Mei to make medicinal pills from her formulas. Jiang Chengshi then took her to the Military Hospital, where specialists were waiting to discuss Elder Zhou’s CT scans, and Song Ning realized their main concern might be something other than how to read them.

• Song Ning found Song Wang, Song Lan, and Song Mei waiting at home because they were worried about her, then reassured them and asked about their work.
• Song Lan told Song Ning that Fuwai Hospital might remain closed after an investigation, and Song Mei offered to help her find work at the herbal medicine shop.
• Song Ning gave Song Lan and Song Mei two formulas and money, asking them to prepare the pills carefully in exchange for a chance at better jobs.
• Jiang Chengshi arrived and took Song Ning to the Military Hospital, where specialists were waiting after learning she had performed Tang Wei’s difficult operation and could read CT scans.
• Jiang Chengshi explained that President Peng and specialists from several hospitals wanted Song Ning to examine Elder Zhou’s scans, and Song Ning questioned whether reading them was really the main issue.

Song Ning attended a Military Hospital consultation about Elder Zhou’s worsening condition and learned that surgery to remove the shrapnel in his back was unavoidable. After the specialists praised her skills and urged her to perform the operation, she realized someone had arranged the meeting to leave her little choice but to accept.

• Jiang Chengshi warned Song Ning to be cautious before they entered the Military Hospital’s consultation.
• President Peng introduced Song Ning and praised her achievements, but Song Ning interrupted his speech and asked the specialists to examine Elder Zhou’s scans.
• Song Ning explained the CT scans, which showed that the shrapnel and surrounding lesions threatened Elder Zhou’s spinal nerves and required surgery.
• The specialists discussed the operation’s severe risks, including paralysis, hemorrhage, infection, and failure to heal, and concluded that it had to be done.
• Several specialists recommended that Song Ning perform the operation, and Song Ning realized someone had deliberately engineered the situation.

Song Ning considered the pressure surrounding Elder Zhou’s dangerous surgery and remained confident she could perform it, though she wanted to consult Lao Qi before committing. After the meeting ended, President Peng called her over to discuss a matter concerning her.

• President Peng argued that the doctors should wait to examine Elder Zhou and consult his family before choosing a lead surgeon, and the meeting ended with plans for another consultation.
• Tan Min told Song Ning she had publicized her achievements for President Peng, and Song Ning and Jiang Chengshi wondered whether Tan Min had meant to cause trouble.
• Song Ning told Jiang Chengshi she was confident about Elder Zhou’s surgery but needed to discuss it with Lao Qi and would not agree too quickly.
• President Peng beckoned Song Ning over, saying he needed to discuss something concerning her in person.

Song Ning arranged to take a strict physician-qualification theory exam and reviewed for it while investigators searched for the mysterious item connected to Zhou Yuanhang. The chapter ended with Han Xiao reporting that Zhou Xiaotang and her mother had gone missing.

• Principal Li scheduled Song Ning's theory exam for the morning after tomorrow, with strict standards and Military District leaders supervising.
• Song Ning returned to the Siheyuan Courtyard to study and waited for news about Zhou Yuanhang while investigators searched for the mysterious item.
• Han Xiao told Song Ning that he and Chen Liang had searched the Zhou family home and the Guo'an Machinery Factory but found nothing.
• Han Xiao reported that Zhou Xiaotang and her mother had gone missing, and Song Ning asked whether they had been abducted.

Song Ning and Han Xiao discussed the missing Zhou family members before Song Lan and Song Mei returned home with herbs. Chen Liang then took Song Ning and Han Xiao to examine the awakened Lu Changqing, who became unresponsive after speaking briefly with Military District personnel.

• Song Ning reasoned that Zhou Yuanhang's mother and sister had fled because they knew something that could implicate them, while Han Xiao agreed to take turns guarding her with Chen Liang.
• Han Xiao questioned why Song Ning had reported Zhou Yuanhang's kidnapping immediately, and she said the K organization was beyond what she could handle alone and was unlikely to harm him before finding what it wanted.
• Song Lan and Song Mei returned to the courtyard with herbs, mistook Han Xiao's sudden appearance for a threat, and Song Ning reassured them that he was there to protect them.
• Chen Liang told Song Ning and Han Xiao that Lu Changqing had awakened, and Song Ning agreed to examine him at the Military District General Hospital.
• At the hospital, Song Ning found Lu Changqing's test results normal and learned he had become unresponsive after speaking briefly with Military District personnel; she checked his pulse and called to him.

Song Ning confirmed that Lu Changqing’s poisoning had been cleared but suspected he was choosing not to wake until Gu Zheng returned. After leaving the hospital, she spotted Lin Xiaoming hurrying inside and went back to find out what remained unresolved.

• Song Ning told Han Xiao and the doctors that Lu Changqing’s pulse and test results were normal, but advised them to continue monitoring him and the detoxification regimen.
• Song Ning refused to use acupuncture on Lu Changqing because she suspected he might be waiting to see Gu Zheng before waking.
• Song Ning paid Kong Jianming 120 yuan for completing his assignment and warned him he would have to handle Wu Tao Ying if she pursued Song Wang again.
• Wu Tao Ying asked Song Ning to tell Song Wang that she had sincerely wanted to be with him, and Song Ning calmly agreed.
• Song Ning spotted Lin Xiaoming entering the hospital and left Han Xiao’s car to follow him.

Song Ning and Han Xiao followed Lin Xiaoming to Zhou Yunzhi's ward, where they found him comforting her mother, Tian Juying. After learning that Zhou Yunzhi remained unconscious and the attack investigation had yielded no leads, they encountered Wu Tao Ying, who recognized Lin Xiaoming from the Red Star Auditorium.

• Song Ning saw Lin Xiaoming's elevator reach the seventh floor, and Han Xiao joined her in going to Zhou Yunzhi's ward.
• Lin Xiaoming explained that he had come to visit Zhou Yunzhi, and Song Ning checked her pulse before confirming that her condition had not improved.
• Han Xiao asked Lin Xiaoming about the investigation into Zhou Yunzhi's attack, and Lin Xiaoming said the troupe, Public Security, and the Military District had found no useful leads.
• Song Ning, Han Xiao, and Lin Xiaoming left the ward together, and the elevator stopped at the fifth floor to pick up Wu Tao Ying.
• Wu Tao Ying recognized Lin Xiaoming as the man who had helped her at the Red Star Auditorium, and Lin Xiaoming joked that they must be meant to meet.