Chapter Summaries

Song Ning helped Zheng Chunzhi break free from her relatives’ demands and threats, and Zheng Chunzhi declared she would never return to the Zheng Family home. On the way to lunch, Song Ning learned that Tian Mingfeng had visited the West City Branch, while Song Wang stared distractedly at the bureau entrance.

• Zheng Chunzhi’s grandmother and relatives demanded a large bride price and appliances, but Song Ning said her family would provide them directly to Chunzhi.
• Zheng Chunzhi reminded her relatives that they had forced her and her father out of their home, then said she was severing ties with them.
• Han Xiao and Chen Liang warned the Zheng Family not to interfere with Chunzhi’s marriage or private life and threatened to investigate their past treatment of her and her father.
• Outside the courtyard, Zheng Chunzhi told Song Wang she would never return to the Zheng Family home and wanted them to build a good life together at the Distillery.
• Han Xiao and Chen Liang greeted Tian Mingfeng near the Capital City Public Security Bureau West City Branch, and Han Xiao explained her connection to the Tian Family and the recovered wooden box.
• Song Wang remained outside staring at the bureau entrance until Song Ning called him to the car.

Song Ning began organizing documents and recruits for her research center, explaining that she wanted to develop treatments and prevent a future poisoning that left her grandfather and his colleagues suspected of murder. She revealed that the poisoning had happened on the eve of Hua Country’s first intercontinental missile launch, and that the scientists had gone ahead with the project despite the crisis.

• Song Ning returned to the courtyard with her companions and found Tang Wei and Jiang Chengshi cooking noodles inside.
• After lunch, Song Ning gave Jiang Chengshi equipment documents to translate and asked him to review a list of candidates for her research center.
• Song Ning told Jiang Chengshi that the center would help her develop medicines to save her grandmother, her uncle, and other patients.
• Song Ning explained that her grandfather had been implicated in the unsolved poisoning death of a colleague, alongside five other scientists.
• Song Ning revealed that the victim had been poisoned the night before the missile launch, but her grandfather and the others had persevered and completed Hua Country’s first breakthrough in the field.

Song Ning confided to Jiang Chengshi that she feared she might not live long enough to prevent a future murder connected to the missile project, then worked to secure staff and support for her hospital and Research Center. After an awkward encounter with Zhou Yuanhang, she visited Military Medical University and learned Li Yanzhou's Sealed Project was nearing completion.

• Song Ning told Jiang Chengshi about the future murder and her fear that she might not remain in this world until the missile launch, and she resolved to warn Gu Zheng sooner.
• Song Ning delivered equipment documents to Qingbei University and arranged for free translation help and a team to collaborate on drug development.
• Zhou Yuanhang offered to help Song Ning, then asked if they could still be friends; Song Ning kept her distance and later considered whether he had been testing her suspicions.
• Song Ning asked Han Xiao and Chen Liang to analyze Zhou Yuanhang's motives, and Chen Liang suggested he might still have feelings for her.
• Song Ning visited Military Medical University, where Principal Li promised top staff for her Research Center and said Li Yanzhou's Sealed Project should finish soon.

Song Ning visited President Peng to arrange medical exchanges, then assessed Zhou Yunzhi’s condition and advised caution about discharging her. Zhou Yunzhi showed little recognition when Song Ning asked about people from her past.

• Song Ning met President Peng, who promised full cooperation with her hospital’s medical exchange program.
• Song Ning learned Director Liu was examining Zhou Yunzhi and went to her room.
• Director Liu and the nurse described Zhou Yunzhi’s physical weakness and severe cognitive decline, while Tian Juying explained she wanted to take her home.
• Song Ning warned Tian Juying that Zhou Yunzhi needed careful nursing and would be safer staying until she was stronger and the weather warmed.
• Song Ning asked Zhou Yunzhi whether she remembered Gu Zheng, Lin Xiaoming, and Zhou Yuanhang, but Zhou Yunzhi showed no clear recognition and said she was sleepy.

Song Ning discussed Zhou Yunzhi’s discharge and worked late on her hospital’s construction project. Song Mei then revealed that Chunlan’s lover had betrayed them by selling them to human traffickers, leaving Song Ning with the truth behind their escape from the Stockade.

• Tian Juying decided to take Zhou Yunzhi home after her treatment ended, and Song Ning learned that the Zhou Family had hired a private nurse to help with her recovery.
• Song Ning discussed the doctor exchange program with Director Liu and learned that he and President Peng supported it.
• Song Ning returned to the Siheyuan Courtyard and worked late with Yu Zhengyang and A Zhong on construction drawings and materials.
• Song Mei told Song Ning that Han Xiao had asked Song Lan to take a walk, and she worried that their relationship might not go smoothly.
• Song Mei recounted how Chunlan contacted the man she loved after escaping the Stockade, only to overhear him negotiating to sell her and Song Mei to human traffickers.

Song Ning learned why Song Lan had rejected Han Xiao and encouraged him to be patient, then visited Zhou Yunzhi at the hospital. Zhou Yunzhi showed little recognition before suddenly becoming agitated and screaming.

• Song Mei told Song Ning that Song Lan had been deceived and nearly sold, leaving her fearful of men.
• Song Lan and Han Xiao returned, and Song Lan’s reaction showed that she had rejected him.
• Song Wang postponed a conversation with Song Ning until the next day, and Song Ning left for the hospital with Han Xiao and Chen Liang.
• Song Ning explained Song Lan’s past to Han Xiao, who felt relieved and vowed to keep pursuing her patiently.
• Song Ning found Zhou Yunzhi folding paper with a nurse, and Zhou Yunzhi barely reacted when Song Ning spoke to her.
• Zhou Yunzhi suddenly crumpled her paper, thrashed, and screamed.

Song Ning and her team found a possible clue linking Zhou Yunzhi to Chen Yuting’s paper boat, then decided to let Zhou Yunzhi leave the hospital under surveillance. Back at home, Song Wang revealed that he recognized a woman who had recently spoken with Han Xiao and Chen Liang as the girl he had once seen with an arrested criminal.

• Zhou Yunzhi threw Song Ning a crumpled paper ball during a frenzy, and Song Ning refolded it into a little paper boat.
• Song Ning, Han Xiao, and Chen Liang reported the clue to the intelligence department and agreed to let Zhou Yunzhi be discharged while keeping her under watch.
• Song Ning returned to the courtyard, where Zheng Chunzhi helped Song Wang clean for the New Year.
• Song Wang told Song Ning that he had seen the girl who once sat with an arrested man again near Chunzhi's grandmother's house.
• Song Ning asked Song Wang to confirm that the woman who had spoken to Han Xiao and Chen Liang was the same girl.

Song Ning arranged New Year’s leave and full-month wages for the hospital staff while security personnel continued protecting her. She asked Chen Xiaoyu to examine photographs of Lu Changqing, and Chen Xiaoyu said he looked familiar.

• Song Wang told Chen Liang that he could identify Tian Mingfeng by her cold gaze and the strong impression she left on him.
• Han Xiao and Chen Liang dropped Song Ning at the hospital, where Zhang Ming and another comrade took over her security escort.
• Song Ning told Zheng Chang'an to begin the New Year holiday and learned he had used her reputation to reassure his mother about his work.
• Song Ning instructed Chen Xiaoyu and Yang Jie to finish the accounts and pay everyone a full month’s wages, including Yu Zhengyang’s construction crew.
• Song Ning showed Chen Xiaoyu photographs of Lu Changqing, and Chen Xiaoyu said he looked familiar.

Song Ning learned from Chen Xiaoyu that Lu Changqing had met Zhou Xiaotang at Guo'an Machinery Factory on the day Chief Engineer Zhou died, contradicting his account. After hearing Lu Changqing was dying, Song Ning left for Rong City by military plane to see if she could save him.

• Chen Xiaoyu recognized Lu Changqing in the photographs and recalled seeing him privately talking with Zhou Xiaotang at the factory on the day Chief Engineer Zhou died.
• Song Ning called Chen Liang and warned him that Lu Changqing had lied, but Chen Liang told her something had happened to Lu Changqing and that Han Xiao was coming to take her away.
• Song Ning arranged for Zheng Chang'an to manage the hospital while she was gone and approved Yu Zhengyang's trip home for the New Year.
• Han Xiao told Song Ning that Lu Changqing was dying and that Boss wanted her to see if she could save him.
• Song Ning met Chen Liang and Xiong Gang at a military airport, then boarded a transport plane bound for Rong City.

Song Ning treated Lu Changqing after he collapsed into a life-threatening coma, suspecting that poison had caused a relapse. She and Gu Zheng considered how the K organization might have targeted him and focused on finding an antidote and waking him.

• Song Ning arrived at the Southwest Military Region Hospital and found Lu Changqing unconscious with his bodily functions failing despite emergency treatment.
• Song Ning used Silver Needles to sustain Lu Changqing and suspected poisoning after common causes of coma were ruled out.
• Song Ning warned Gu Zheng that Lu Changqing could die at any moment and said the hospital lacked the equipment needed to identify the toxin.
• Gu Zheng ordered Han Xiao to have the Research Laboratory continue developing an antidote from its toxin sample.
• Song Ning and Gu Zheng discussed whether the K organization had targeted Lu Changqing after he supplied useful codes and whether he had sought Unit 331 for protection.

Song Ning believed Lu Changqing’s synthetic neurotoxin could only be countered with its specific antidote, but his condition became critical before one was ready. She decided to try using her unusual blood, but Gu Zheng gave his blood instead, and Song Ning ordered it fed directly to Lu Changqing.

• Han Xiao reported that the lab was developing an antidote while investigators searched seized documents and questioned captured experts.
• Song Ning told Gu Zheng that Lu Changqing might know about the black jadeite and had to be saved, then hurried to the resuscitation room when Lu Changqing’s heart stopped.
• Song Ning revived Lu Changqing with the medical team and asked the head nurse to draw 200 milliliters of her blood, hoping it would help him.
• Gu Zheng stopped Song Ning from giving her blood and offered his own, saying it was the same as hers.
• Song Ning approved collecting 200 milliliters from Gu Zheng and instructed the head nurse to feed it directly to Lu Changqing through his mouth or a nasogastric tube.

Song Ning and Gu Zheng used blood from their bodies to briefly revive the poisoned Lu Changqing, but he soon died before he could explain the black jadeite clue. Song Ning and Gu Zheng ended the night at the Military District Guesthouse, hoping Lu Changqing’s belongings would reveal the truth as they looked toward the end of their struggle.

• Song Ning gave Lu Changqing 200 milliliters of blood, and after half an hour his condition improved enough for him to regain consciousness.
• Song Ning asked Lu Changqing about the black jadeite sample, but his condition deteriorated before he could answer; he traced a circle and a downward stroke on her palm.
• Lu Changqing’s heart stopped, and the medical team could not revive him; Gu Zheng and the other comrades bid farewell as his body was taken away.
• Gu Zheng brought Song Ning to the Military District Guesthouse, where she regretted that she could not save Lu Changqing and asked for her grandfather’s letters to be returned after the investigation.
• Gu Zheng comforted Song Ning and promised they were close to seeing dawn as they embraced.

Song Ning tried to decipher Lu Changqing’s final clue and considered whether it pointed to Gu, Harbor City, or the fountain pen connected to her grandfather. After visiting the market with Lin Huiping, she spotted Tian Yong outside the Military District Hospital and greeted him.

• Song Ning wrote down possible meanings for Lu Changqing’s unspoken initial, including Gu, Harbor City, and the fountain pen she had once exchanged with him.
• Lin Huiping found Song Ning at the Guesthouse and invited her home for lunch, so Song Ning left before calling Gu Zheng.
• Lin Huiping admitted that she and Commander Jiang had once hoped Song Ning would marry Jiang Chengshi, and Song Ning reassured her about his life and future.
• Song Ning and Lin Huiping shopped for groceries before a driver sent by Commander Jiang picked them up.
• Song Ning recognized Tian Yong outside the Military District Hospital, stopped the car, and greeted him.

Song Ning questioned Tian Yong about the 1975 flood and learned that tomb robbers had tunneled near Xiaolu Mountain Reservoir shortly before National Day. She connected their digging to Chief Engineer Zhou’s murder and the search for black jadeite, leaving her to wonder whether someone had tried to enter the destroyed research base and steal samples.

• Tian Yong visited the hospital to see Lu Changqing and thanked Song Ning for treating his leg.
• Song Ning asked Tian Yong about the 1975 Henan flood and his mission to demolish the Xiaolu Mountain Reservoir embankment.
• Tian Yong recalled that leaders had been replaced after the flood relief work but said he knew few details.
• Tian Yong told Song Ning that a former army buddy had mentioned tomb robbers digging near Xiaolu Mountain Reservoir before National Day.
• Song Ning connected the reported digging to Chief Engineer Zhou’s murder and the search for black jadeite, and wondered whether the robbers had sought samples at the destroyed base.

Song Ning and Gu Zheng investigated whether Xiaolu Mountain was connected to Lu Changqing and the black jadeite, while the autopsy confirmed Lu Changqing had died of poisoning. The chapter ended with Song Ning and Gu Zheng visiting Commander Jiang’s home, where talk of the Zhou Family stirred Song Ning’s conflicted feelings.

• Song Ning told Yang Qi that Tian Yong had heard of an illegal excavation at Xiaolu Mountain before the military patrol reported a collapse there, and Yang Qi agreed the timing was suspicious.
• Gu Zheng ordered Yang Qi to investigate the report’s source and send someone to inspect Xiaolu Mountain after Song Ning connected the site to the destroyed base and Lu Changqing.
• Gu Zheng learned from the forensic pathologist that Lu Changqing had died of poisoning, and he arranged to have Song Ning’s old fountain pen examined for clues.
• Song Ning and Gu Zheng ate at Commander Jiang’s home, where Lin Huiping and Commander Jiang mourned Zhou Qihang’s family and Song Ning’s conflicted feelings deepened.

Song Ning and Gu Zheng reviewed the unanswered questions in the case, focusing on the possible involvement of Tian Mingfeng and the clues left by Chen Yuting. They began examining when Lu Changqing started lying, leaving that question unresolved.

• Song Ning and Gu Zheng considered whether the elderly man's warning about “Tian” referred to Tian Mingfeng and discussed her possible ties to Yi Gang's men and the “K” organization.
• Gu Zheng revealed that the elderly man was Blue Shield comrade “072,” who had been tortured and held alive for his research before he died.
• Song Ning and Gu Zheng reviewed Chen Yuting's traced shape and searched for the “brother” she had seen, but could not identify him; they thought the shape was more likely a sail.
• Gu Zheng said Song Caijuan remained under supervision in Flower City as an important witness, while South China Military District comrades continued investigating in Harbor City.
• Song Ning wrote down the third question: whether Lu Changqing began lying after handing over the two strings of code or when he accepted the Xiaolu Mountain Base assignment.

Gu Zheng, Song Ning, and Chen Liang reviewed Lu Changqing’s records and concluded that he had been credible before arriving in Capital City, where K likely recruited him by force or inducement. They linked Tian Mingfeng to K’s organization and were left wondering whether Lu Changqing had failed to reach an agreement with them about the black jadeite.

• Chen Liang brought Lu Changqing’s records and Grandpa Song’s letters to Gu Zheng and Song Ning, then reported that Lu had acted selfishly but had not clearly violated military rules before Capital City.
• Song Ning and Gu Zheng pieced together how Lu met Tian Mingfeng, disappeared after fleeing the blind date, and later appeared at the factory, suggesting K had turned him into an accomplice.
• Gu Zheng received confirmation that Song Wang identified Tian Mingfeng, while examination showed Grandpa Song’s fountain pen was ordinary.
• Gu Zheng ordered Chen Liang to adjust surveillance and focus on Tian Mingfeng as well as the Zhou Family’s people.
• Song Ning wondered whether Lu Changqing had failed to agree on terms with K, explaining why he had not revealed the black jadeite’s location.

Gu Zheng and Song Ning discussed Lu Changqing’s possible knowledge of the black jadeite before sharing a passionate farewell in Gu Zheng’s office. Gu Zheng left to lead a secret mission escorting experts to a new research laboratory, leaving Song Ning to return to the capital and open her hospital.

• Gu Zheng and Song Ning reasoned that Lu Changqing might know where the black jadeite was without realizing its identity or value.
• Gu Zheng received calls confirming that he had to leave, then embraced and kissed Song Ning in his office.
• Gu Zheng explained that experts from different bases would gather at a dedicated laboratory to research the carbon-quartz composite sample, and that he would lead their security escort.
• Gu Zheng arranged for Song Ning to fly back to the capital and told her Han Xiao and Chen Liang would assist her with opening the hospital.
• Gu Zheng departed for the mission, and Song Ning realized how much she already missed him.

Song Ning shared her medical expertise with doctors at the Southwest Military District Hospital before meeting Regiment Commander Chen, who thanked her for bringing back Chen Yuting. She comforted him by saying Chen Yuting had lived freely and been deeply loved, though her life was short.

• Han Xiao told Song Ning that the Boss had left on his mission, and she agreed to discuss case matters with him later.
• Song Ning went to the Southwest Military District Hospital and answered the doctors’ professional questions until Han Xiao interrupted the session so they could catch their flight.
• Song Ning told the doctors she had taken over a hospital in Capital City and welcomed them to visit for professional exchanges.
• Han Xiao introduced Song Ning to Regiment Commander Chen, Chen Yuting’s father, who thanked her for bringing his daughter back from Harbor City.
• Song Ning reassured Regiment Commander Chen that Chen Yuting had lived happily, pursued the man she loved, and returned his deep affection.

Song Ning comforted Regiment Commander Chen by recalling Chen Yuting’s devotion to Yu Zhengyang, then returned to Capital City for New Year celebrations. As Song Wang and Zheng Chunzhi prepared to marry, Song Ning brought them an envelope and said she needed to discuss the bride price.

• Song Ning told Regiment Commander Chen that Chen Yuting’s life had meaning and urged him to accept Yu Zhengyang, who then wheeled him back to the Inpatient Department.
• Regiment Commander Chen told Song Ning that Chen Yuting had drawn a boat, and Song Ning promised to remember it.
• Song Ning, Han Xiao, and Chen Liang returned to Capital City on Lunar New Year’s Eve, where Song Ning reunited with her family and welcomed Xiang Ping from the neighboring courtyard.
• Yu Zhengyang returned on the third day of the Lunar New Year, and construction resumed the next day as Song Wang and Zheng Chunzhi prepared for their wedding.
• Song Ning placed an envelope before Song Wang and Zheng Chunzhi and said she needed to talk about the bride price before their marriage registration.