Chapter Summaries

Song Ning visited the injured Zhou Yuanhang, then tried to identify the elusive Night Owl among prisoners arrested at sea. Unable to recognize him by his hands, she compared the Arts and Culture Troupe’s tour schedule with Night Owl’s appearances in Tangshan, prompting Lei Ming to ask whether she suspected Lin Xiaoming.

• Song Ning visited Zhou Yuanhang, who said his kidnappers were likely seeking something he supposedly possessed and asked her to treat his hospitalized father.
• Song Ning checked Zhou Yuanhang’s medical records and learned that his captors had beaten him while deliberately avoiding vital areas.
• Song Ning asked Han Xiao to arrange a meeting with Lei Ming, then went to the military district to inspect the people arrested at sea for Night Owl.
• Song Ning examined the hands of the twenty-eight detainees but could not identify Night Owl.
• Song Ning compared the Arts and Culture Troupe’s itinerary with the dates and places of Night Owl’s appearances in Tangshan, and Lei Ming asked whether she suspected Lin Xiaoming.

Song Ning ruled out Lin Xiaoming as the Night Owl because he had a documented performance alibi, but remained convinced the man she saw leaving the Fuwai base was still hidden among them. After confiding in Lei Ming about missing her family and avoiding Gu Zheng, she returned to the hospital and found Tan Qingru and a crying Tan Min in his ward.

• Song Ning examined Lei Ming’s photographs and realized Lin Xiaoming could not have been in Datong and at the Tangshan coast on November 18.
• Lei Ming described the ongoing arrests of K organization informants and agreed to keep Lin Xiaoming under open surveillance.
• Song Ning became tearful as she told Lei Ming she missed her grandmother and mother, and he tried awkwardly to comfort her.
• Lei Ming warned Song Ning not to think about Gu Zheng romantically, so she left before his lecture could continue.
• Song Ning returned to the hospital, saw Tan Qingru and a crying Tan Min in Gu Zheng’s ward, and turned toward the doctors’ office.

Song Ning left the hospital after confirming Gu Zheng was out of danger, then returned to the Siheyuan Courtyard and confronted Song Wang for letting Wu Tao Ying's family move in. Just as she sat down to eat, Jiang Chengshi arrived with news of a serious incident.

• Song Ning told Director Liu to continue Gu Zheng's medication and monitoring while she returned to handle her responsibilities at school, the laboratory, and the courtyard.
• Han Xiao drove Song Ning from the hospital and explained that Tan Min treated the Guard Company as family; Song Ning asked whether Chen Liang liked her and learned he treated her differently from other women.
• Song Ning returned to the Siheyuan Courtyard, where Song Lan and Song Mei reported that Song Wang had let Wu Tao Ying's family enter, and Song Ning scolded him for failing to refuse them.
• Song Ning told Song Wang to become more independent and thanked Song Lan and Song Mei for protecting the courtyard.
• Jiang Chengshi rushed into the courtyard as Song Ning was about to eat and told her that something terrible had happened.

Song Ning learned that Fuwai Hospital might be permanently closed or repurposed after the school refused to take it back. With an administrative meeting scheduled for the next afternoon, she hurried to contact Secretary Wu in Shen City and ask about the rent on land she had rented there.

• Jiang Chengshi told Song Ning that Fuwai Hospital’s leadership faced major criminal cases and that its administrative affiliation would be decided at a meeting the next afternoon.
• Jiang Chengshi explained that Military Medical University had refused to take the hospital back, leaving the land at risk of being reclaimed for another use.
• Song Ning finished her noodles, packed a bag, and told Song Mei, Song Lan, and Song Wang that she would try to secure jobs for them.
• Song Ning took Jiang Chengshi to the police station and asked Zheng Yang to find Fucheng Commune’s telephone number in Shen City.
• Song Ning reached Secretary Wu and asked how much the rent had risen on the land she had rented before.

Song Ning told Jiang Chengshi that the land she leased in Shen City had risen sharply in value, giving her funds to pursue her plans. After securing confirmation that she would receive her physician's certificate early, she asked Principal Li to support her bid to take over Fuwai Hospital under contract.

• Secretary Wu told Song Ning that her 860 mu of grade A land in Shen City had risen to nearly ten times its former value.
• Song Ning explained to Jiang Chengshi that the land could now be worth more than six million yuan and said she had invested with future development in mind.
• Zheng Yang drove Song Ning and Jiang Chengshi to Principal Li's home, where they visited late in the evening.
• Song Ning asked Principal Li when she would receive her physician's certificate, and he confirmed the university would issue it early because of her excellent exam results and surgical performance.
• Song Ning cited national policies on hospital economic management and asked Principal Li to support her plan to take over Fuwai Hospital under contract.

Song Ning explained her plan to take over Fuwai Hospital under contract so she could set its policies and fund medical research, and Principal Li outlined the obstacles and the hospital’s pending ownership decision. She resolved to visit the West City District Health Bureau the next morning, then agreed to visit the hospitalized Regimental Commander Gu again that night.

• Song Ning told Principal Li and Jiang Chengshi she wanted to take over Fuwai Hospital and presented a detailed notebook of her plans and management ideas.
• Song Ning explained that her hereditary disease made urgent medical progress essential, and assured Principal Li she had enough funding.
• Principal Li described the possible ownership outcomes and the approvals, qualifications, and restrictions that could affect Song Ning’s bid.
• Song Ning asked about the odds at the next day’s meeting, and Principal Li said the university supported returning the hospital to West City District administration and promised to raise her proposal if possible.
• Song Ning said she would visit the West City District Health Bureau to urge officials to study different options before deciding the hospital’s future.
• Principal Li asked whether Song Ning had visited Regimental Commander Gu in the hospital, and she agreed to go see him again that night.

Song Ning visited Gu Zheng in the hospital and confronted him about Tan Min’s repeated visits and emotional behavior. After agreeing to set boundaries so he could rest, Song Ning told Gu Zheng she was certain Tan Min had romantic feelings for him.

• Song Ning went to the hospital and found Tan Min crying outside Gu Zheng’s ward before entering to see him.
• Gu Zheng complained that Song Ning had not returned earlier, and she explained that Tan Min’s behavior was making her uncomfortable and disrupting his rest.
• Gu Zheng agreed to limit Tan Min’s visits and promised to follow Song Ning’s medical advice while recovering.
• Gu Zheng explained that Tan Min had been left without family after her brother died and might be frightened by his injury.
• Song Ning told Gu Zheng she was certain Tan Min had romantic feelings for him, though she could not judge whether Tan Min had an ulterior motive.

Song Ning warned Gu Zheng that Tan Min’s behavior seemed possessive, and he agreed to limit visitors while recovering. Song Ning then learned that plans for Fuwai Hospital had been put on hold, but after missing Principal Li, she ended the day uneasy about what might happen next.

• Song Ning told Gu Zheng that Tan Min’s attachment to him appeared to go beyond family concern, and Gu Zheng promised to keep his distance and restrict visitors.
• Song Ning left the hospital, and Gu Zheng learned from Chen Liang that she and Jiang Chengshi had visited Principal Li to discuss taking over Fuwai Hospital.
• Song Ning waited for Director Yang at the West City District Health Bureau and learned that decisions about Fuwai Hospital had been put on hold.
• Song Ning went to the Military Medical University hoping to join Principal Li at an afternoon meeting, but learned he had gone directly to the West City District Government.
• Song Ning had lunch with Jiang Chengshi, who told her he had a bad feeling.

Song Ning returned to the Qingbei laboratory and proposed fixing the CT scanner’s detectors around the ring while rotating only the X-ray tube, giving the project a promising new direction. After leaving her colleagues to celebrate, she was approached by a middle-aged man who asked if she was Comrade Song Ning.

• Song Ning returned to the Qingbei laboratory, apologized for her absence, and heard Professor Qi explain that Mike had kept the De team’s complaints under control.
• Song Ning presented a stationary-rotate CT design with fixed detector units arranged around a 360-degree ring and a rotating X-ray tube, and the engineers enthusiastically embraced the idea.
• Song Ning outlined the remaining design challenges, including detector size, weight, and cost, as the Chinese and De engineers discussed the plan for more than four hours.
• When Mike invited everyone to celebrate, Song Ning declined because she was still concerned about Principal Li’s meeting and watched her colleagues leave for dinner.
• A middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit approached Song Ning by the road and respectfully asked whether she was Comrade Song Ning.

Song Ning met Gu Mingzhao from the Ministry of Commerce, who wanted to hear her proposal to take over Fuwai Hospital under a private contract. Impressed by her detailed plans for hospital management and patient care, he asked her to write a report for further discussion.

• Li Yan brought Song Ning to a noodle shop to meet his superior, Gu Mingzhao.
• Gu Mingzhao explained that Fuwai Hospital's operating rights had been transferred to the West City District Government and that Principal Li had raised Song Ning's idea of privately contracting its operation.
• Song Ning explained why private healthcare could supplement public services and outlined how she would manage the hospital.
• Song Ning proposed merit-based hiring, regular assessments, improved procedures, patient complaint channels, and guidance services to raise care quality.
• After talking for two hours, Gu Mingzhao asked Song Ning to prepare a written report, and she promised to deliver it the next day.
• Gu Mingzhao told Song Ning that he had already seen what she was capable of in Rong City.

Song Ning met Gu Mingzhao, learned he was Gu Zheng’s father, and visited the injured Gu Zheng, where the couple shared their worries about the future. Their moment together was interrupted when Han Xiao rushed in with news of an emergency.

• Gu Mingzhao offered Song Ning a ride to the hospital, and she recognized him as the official who had supported the Rong City expo.
• Song Ning realized Gu Mingzhao was Gu Zheng’s father, and he promised to visit Gu Zheng the next day.
• Tan Min asked Song Ning to let her visit Gu Zheng, but Song Ning refused and went into his room.
• Song Ning checked Gu Zheng’s pulse and told him she had met his father and worried about what their future meant for their families.
• Gu Zheng reassured Song Ning that being with her made him happy, but Han Xiao burst in before they could kiss and announced that something had happened.

After Tan Min reported being molested in the hospital stairwell, Song Ning and Chen Liang investigated the accusation against Arts and Culture Troupe officer Li Wenshan. With no witnesses or concrete evidence, the Security Department followed regulations, and Song Ning questioned Li Wenshan herself.

• Han Xiao told Song Ning and Gu Zheng that Tan Min had been grabbed in the stairwell and that the guards had detained the suspect.
• Song Ning and Han Xiao went to the Security Department, where Chen Liang explained that Tan Min had been sent back to her dorm and the suspect denied touching her.
• A comrade confirmed that the suspect was Li Wenshan, an officer from the Arts and Culture Troupe visiting Zhou Yunzhi, and Chen Liang insisted the case be handled by the rules.
• Song Ning met Li Wenshan alone and asked him about the incident; he maintained that he had been falsely accused.
• Song Ning asked Li Wenshan why Tan Min would have screamed if he had not touched her, then began questioning him further.

Song Ning questioned Li Wenshan about the hospital incident and found that Lin Xiaoming might be connected to it, while she remained convinced Tan Min had a reason for lying. The next morning, Song Ning went to check on Zhou Yunzhi.

• Song Ning questioned Li Wenshan about his visit to the hospital, the twenty-eight-yuan bonus, and who knew he was coming; Li Wenshan named Lin Xiaoming as especially close to Zhou Yunzhi.
• Song Ning told Li Wenshan to cooperate with the Security Department and promised to help uncover the truth, then left with Han Xiao and Chen Liang.
• Song Ning challenged Han Xiao over his reluctance to consider that Tan Min might be lying, and Han Xiao worried that Song Ning suspected Tan Min.
• Song Ning reasoned that Tan Min had no clear motive to stage the incident but believed it must be connected to Lin Xiaoming.
• The next morning, Song Ning went to the seventh floor of the Inpatient Department to check on Zhou Yunzhi.

Song Ning investigated Zhou Yunzhi’s restricted hospital room and discovered that her pulse now resembled mild poisoning, despite the medical records showing little change. She then reunited with Elder Zhou and Professor Yang, learned more of the Zhou family’s troubles, and saw Zhou Yuanhang arrive.

• Song Ning visited Zhou Yunzhi and learned from the night nurse that no one had entered her room overnight.
• Song Ning checked Zhou Yunzhi’s pulse and found irregular, rapid fluctuations that resembled mild poisoning.
• Song Ning left to speak with Zhou Yunzhi’s attending physician but met Professor Yang in the corridor.
• Professor Yang brought Song Ning to see Elder Zhou, whose health had improved enough for surgery.
• Professor Yang told Song Ning that Yuanhang and Yunzhi were hospitalized, their paternal cousin was dead, and two relatives remained missing.
• Zhou Yuanhang entered Elder Zhou’s room.

Song Ning attended the consultation on Elder Zhou’s condition, agreed to perform the dangerous surgery, and was pulled into preparations at the hospital. Still troubled by suspicions about Zhou Yuanhang and the wider case, she tried to organize the scattered clues but had not yet found the opening that would connect them.

• Song Ning saw Zhou Yuanhang visit Elder Zhou and wondered whether he had also gone upstairs the previous night.
• President Peng and visiting specialists arrived, preventing Song Ning from leaving for the Military District, and the doctors held a three-hour consultation about Elder Zhou’s condition.
• The specialists estimated the surgery’s success rate at no more than thirty percent, while Song Ning gave it a sixty-percent chance.
• Professor Yang agreed to the operation, and the family entrusted Elder Zhou’s surgery to Song Ning, with Qi Shiyuan as her first assistant and the operation set for five days later.
• President Peng arranged an office for Song Ning and scheduled an internal coordination meeting, while Song Ning began writing down her thoughts about the unresolved case.

Song Ning organized her urgent work, then tried to tell Lao Lei her suspicions but learned he was away. On the drive home, she explained to Han Xiao that sharing unproven suspicions could damage the bonds she valued, while he urged her to trust their relationship and asked why she looked troubled.

• Song Ning listed her report, Elder Zhou’s surgery, Gu Zheng’s arm operation, the Shen City hospital contract, and her Qingbei research breakthrough, then decided to discuss her suspicions with Lao Lei.
• Han Xiao drove Song Ning to the Military District and told her that Elder Zhou’s operation would take place in five days with Lao Qi assisting.
• Song Ning recognized Lin Xiaojun, and Han Xiao explained that he was Lin Xiaoming’s cousin and had helped arrange Lin Xiaoming’s transfer.
• Song Ning learned Lao Lei was away, asked Han Xiao to pass along that she had come, and then asked him to drive her to the Siheyuan Courtyard instead of the hospital.
• Han Xiao asked whether Song Ning still trusted them, and she said that voicing suspicions without evidence could hurt their bonds.
• At the courtyard, Han Xiao reassured Song Ning that their bond would endure and asked why she looked unwell.

Song Ning told Han Xiao why she suspected Lin Xiaoming was Night Owl, and learned that Lin Xiaoming’s family was under investigation. After writing a proposal for a privately contracted hospital, she was interrupted at dinner by Jiang Chengshi, who said someone from her hometown had come to the school looking for her.

• Song Ning explained to Han Xiao how Lin Xiaojun could have helped Lin Xiaoming use his performances as an alibi, and Han Xiao promised to report her suspicions.
• Han Xiao told Song Ning that the boss had begun investigating Lin Xiaoming and his family, including his naval-officer uncle.
• Song Ning wondered where Chen Yuting had gone, then returned to the courtyard and learned that the Meilan Sisters had been preparing medicine as instructed.
• Song Ning slept, ate, and wrote a twenty-page proposal for a privately contracted hospital before joining Song Wang and the Meilan Sisters for dinner.
• Jiang Chengshi arrived with Han Xiao and told Song Ning that someone from her hometown had gone to the school looking for her.

Song Ning reunited with Zheng Chang'an, who had traveled to join her and become her apprentice, and took him and the others out for dinner. After dinner, she encountered Kong Jianming, who had been looking for her, and asked whether he had gotten answers from Wu Tao Ying.

• Jiang Chengshi told Song Ning that someone claiming to be her younger brother had come looking for her, and she hurried to the faculty dormitory with him and Han Xiao.
• Song Ning discovered Zheng Chang'an waiting for her; he tearfully complained that she had forgotten their six-month agreement, then explained that he had quit his job and left home to join her.
• Song Ning introduced Zheng Chang'an to Jiang Chengshi and Han Xiao, offered to host him at the Siheyuan Courtyard, and took everyone to Quanjude for dinner.
• Zheng Chang'an declared that he wanted to become Song Ning's apprentice and offered to pay for the meal, but Song Ning paid instead.
• Outside Quanjude, Song Ning spotted Kong Jianming, who said he had been searching for her, and asked whether he had gotten answers from Wu Tao Ying.

Song Ning learned that Wu Tao Ying had witnessed someone strangling Zhou Yunzhi and suspected Lin Xiaoming was involved in both the attack and the later fire at Wu Tao Ying’s home. Han Xiao agreed to investigate, then returned the next morning with news about where the Wu Family was living.

• Kong Jianming told Song Ning that Wu Tao Ying had seen a woman being strangled, and Song Ning paid him to keep questioning her about whether she saw the attacker’s face.
• Song Ning learned that a Military Comrade surnamed Lin had helped Wu Tao Ying get a job at Quanjude and suspected he was Lin Xiaoming.
• Song Ning told Han Xiao her suspicions about Lin Xiaoming, and Han Xiao agreed to report them and investigate the Wu Family’s recent activities.
• Han Xiao bumped into Song Lan, who was carrying pastries Zheng Chang'an had brought, and reluctantly ate some before leaving.
• Han Xiao returned the next morning and told Song Ning that the Wu Family lived in Songnian Alley, formerly called Song Girl Alley.

Song Ning pursued the Song Girl Alley lead while arranging help for her urgent work at Qingbei Laboratory. She left Han Xiao to deliver important documents to Gu Zheng’s father and entered the lab to help Lao Qi.

• Song Ning realized the dying man’s reference to “Song Girl” might mean Song Girl Alley, and Han Xiao said they were monitoring Lin Xiaoming and Wu Tao Ying while secretly checking the alley’s residents.
• Han Xiao joined Song Ning’s household as her driver, and Song Ning asked Zheng Chang'an to study her notebook before trying to become her apprentice.
• Song Ning and Han Xiao passed Xingfu Road Winery, where Zheng Chunzhi and Song Wang were taking inventory, but Song Ning chose not to go inside.
• Song Ning asked Han Xiao to deliver documents to Gu Mingzhao and then went into Qingbei Laboratory to help Lao Qi organize the work.
• Gu Zheng told Han Xiao to take the documents to the Municipal Commerce Bureau and hand them to his father in person.