Recaps

Li Jun evaded the police’s questions, while his two young underlings received fines and warnings after turning themselves in. At the provincial hospital, Monkey learned Xiaoya did not have lymphoma but had suffered serious damage from unnecessary cancer treatment and deliberate drugging.

• Li Jun denied responsibility to Captain Li, who warned him to stay in the city and remain available for further questioning.
• Li Jun resumed his meal with Lawyer Zhou and Monkey while Monkey anxiously awaited Xiaoya’s examination results.
• The two underlings turned themselves in at Changyang Police Station and received verbal reprimands, education, and fines before their guardians took them home.
• Professor Liu Mingyuan told Hou Jun and his parents that Xiaoya did not have lymphoma but had sustained severe treatment-related damage at Ankang Hospital.
• Professor Liu revealed that high levels of anesthetic had been used to create the appearance of Xiaoya’s coma and critical condition.
• Monkey collapsed in anguish and sobbed as relief over Xiaoya’s diagnosis mixed with anger at Ankang Hospital.

After learning that Xiaoya had never had lymphoma and had been harmed by unnecessary chemotherapy and suspected deliberate anesthesia, Monkey's family turned to the police. The investigation began at Ankang Hospital, where missing records and damaged surveillance obstructed the officers, though they took Doctor Qin and two staff members in for questioning.

• Lawyer Zhou told Monkey and his parents that Xiaoya had never had lymphoma and that her unnecessary treatments had seriously damaged her health; the report also suggested deliberate anesthesia.
• Monkey's mother fainted from shock, and Monkey's father called 110 to report Ankang Hospital for harming Xiaoya.
• Changyang Police Station dispatched Captain Li's team to investigate the suspected medical malpractice and intentional injury at Ankang Hospital.
• The hospital's deputy director claimed Xiaoya's medical records were lost and ICU surveillance footage was unrecoverable, then disputed that the provincial hospital's report proved negligence.
• Captain Li opened an investigation and took Doctor Qin and two medical staff members to the station for questioning.

Captain Li questioned Qin Ming about Hou Xiaoya’s diagnosis, treatment, and attempted transfer, but Qin Ming admitted only to a possible misdiagnosis and denied deliberate wrongdoing. As Director Wang faced pressure from officials to treat the case as a medical dispute, he bought time for the investigation and resolved to keep pursuing the truth.

• Captain Li questioned Qin Ming about diagnosing Hou Xiaoya with lymphoma, administering chemotherapy and anesthetics, and obstructing her transfer, while Qin Ming defended his actions as medical judgment and standard procedure.
• Qin Ming maintained a consistent denial of deliberate harm, unlawful detention, and fraud, leaving Captain Li frustrated by the lack of evidence for more serious charges.
• Director Wang received repeated calls from officials urging caution and suggesting the case be referred to medical assessment or administrative mediation.
• Director Wang answered another call with careful assurances, avoiding a promise to scale back the investigation while buying time for his team.
• Director Wang reflected that the struggle around Ankang Hospital was only beginning and resolved to keep the truth from being buried.

Captain Li reported that Qin Ming denied criminal wrongdoing, while Director Wang revealed pressure from above but vowed to protect the investigation. He gave Li Weiguo twenty-four hours and the bureau’s full support to find conclusive evidence against Qin Ming.

• Captain Li told Director Wang that Qin Ming had admitted only to a misdiagnosis and that the existing evidence was insufficient to break through his denials.
• Director Wang said officials were pressuring the police to follow the law and hand the case to the health department, but he had rejected interference.
• Director Wang promised to shoulder the pressure and gave Li Weiguo twenty-four hours and access to every bureau resource to find evidence.
• Li Weiguo saluted and accepted the mission.
• Captain Li ordered officers to investigate Qin Ming’s connections, finances, communications, and assets, demanding results within twenty-four hours.

Captain Li uncovered Qin Ming’s dismissal from the Provincial First Hospital for professional ethics violations and used it to provoke him during questioning. Qin Ming attacked Captain Li, allowing the officers to restrain and handcuff him for assaulting a police officer.

• Captain Li found Qin Ming’s old personnel record showing that the Provincial First Hospital had dismissed him for violating medical protocols and professional ethics.
• Captain Li moved Qin Ming to interview room two and questioned him about leaving the Provincial First Hospital for Ankang Hospital.
• Captain Li accused Qin Ming of treating healthy people for cancer and harming a twelve-year-old child with chemotherapy drugs and anesthetics.
• Qin Ming lost his temper and punched Captain Li in the temple.
• Two officers restrained Qin Ming as Captain Li ordered the assault to be recorded and announced that criminal compulsory measures would be taken.

At Ankang Hospital, Mr. Wei learned Qin Ming had been detained for assaulting a police officer and ordered Deputy Director Qian to keep him from talking. He rejected compensating Hou Xiaoya's family, insisting the hospital would pay nothing unless compelled by a medical assessment or court ruling.

• Deputy Director Qian informed Mr. Wei that Qin Ming had been formally detained after striking a police officer.
• Mr. Wei called Qin Ming a fool and warned that his impulsive act could endanger the hospital and its associates.
• Deputy Director Qian assured Mr. Wei that Qin Ming could be controlled because the hospital had evidence of his misconduct.
• Deputy Director Qian suggested paying Hou Xiaoya's family to quiet their complaints, but Mr. Wei rejected the idea.
• Mr. Wei ordered Deputy Director Qian to deny compensation and instructed him to keep both Qin Ming and himself in line.

Zhang Hongyuan visited Xiaoya’s family on behalf of Ankang Hospital, denied responsibility for her treatment and threatened to delay their advance-payment refund if they pursued legal action. Monkey’s parents were left furious and despairing as Xiaoya continued recovering in the hospital.

• Zhang Hongyuan arrived at Xiaoya’s ward with a fruit basket and said he represented Ankang Hospital.
• Monkey’s parents accused the hospital of harming Xiaoya, but Zhang blamed possible differences in tests, equipment, and medical judgment.
• Zhang defended the sedatives and ICU transfer as responsible medical decisions and refused to discuss compensation before responsibility was established.
• Zhang threatened that legal action could delay the refund of Hou Jun’s advance payment for years.
• Zhang left the ward, while Monkey’s parents wept beside the recovering Xiaoya.

After Zhang Hongyuan threatened Monkey’s family over their legal claim, Monkey learned from Captain Li that building a case against Ankang Hospital would be difficult and slow. Feeling abandoned by the legal process, Monkey decided to expose the hospital publicly and began recording an accusation on Quick Sound.

• Zhang Hongyuan threatened Monkey’s parents with a prolonged legal fight and demanded repayment of the advance payment.
• Monkey heard what had happened, grew furious, and went to the city police bureau to ask Captain Li about the case.
• Captain Li recorded Zhang Hongyuan’s conduct but warned Monkey that Ankang Hospital’s defenses and legal team could make a conviction difficult and slow.
• Monkey left the bureau feeling helpless and resolved to expose Ankang Hospital through Quick Sound.
• Monkey began recording an accusation against the hospital on his phone.

Monkey’s video accusing Ankang Hospital of misdiagnosing and mistreating Xiaoya spread rapidly, triggering widespread public outrage. Other patients and families shared similar allegations, drawing media and authorities into the growing scandal as Ankang Hospital faced a mounting public backlash.

• Monkey’s video went viral on Quick Sound, and users condemned Ankang Hospital over its alleged treatment of Xiaoya and threats against her family.
• Independent media accounts edited the video into sensational posts, pushing accusations against Ankang Hospital onto trending searches nationwide.
• Former patients and relatives posted accounts alleging mid-operation price hikes, unexplained deaths, excessive charges, and other misconduct at Ankang Hospital.
• The growing number of similar accusations led users to suspect wrongdoing was systemic rather than limited to one doctor or department.
• Major media outlets followed the story, while complaint platforms and Ankang Hospital’s online accounts were flooded with reports and angry comments.

As public outrage over Ankang Hospital intensified, Mr. Wei devised a strategy to discredit Hou Jun and contain the scandal. He also ordered Deputy Director Qian to warn Qin Ming to keep quiet and prepare for an unspecified sacrifice.

• Deputy Director Qian told Mr. Wei that Hou Jun’s video had gone viral, former patients were speaking out, and authorities had made inquiries.
• Mr. Wei dismissed the public backlash and said the hospital’s records and procedures would withstand an investigation.
• Mr. Wei ordered Deputy Director Qian to hire an online water army to spread conspiracy theories and smear Hou Jun.
• Mr. Wei told Deputy Director Qian to send Qin Ming a warning to watch his mouth and be prepared.
• Deputy Director Qian left to carry out the orders as Qin Ming’s fate appeared to be sealed.

Deputy Director Wang and Captain Li struggled to build a case against Qin Ming and Ankang Hospital until Captain Li proposed investigating Qin Ming’s personal finances. Wang arranged for a provincial interrogation expert to arrive the next morning as the police prepared to pursue financial evidence and psychological pressure.

• Deputy Director Wang and Captain Li discussed how Qin Ming had used medical explanations and procedural loopholes to resist the investigation.
• Captain Li proposed checking Qin Ming’s assets and those of his immediate family for wealth beyond his legitimate income.
• Deputy Director Wang ordered Captain Li to coordinate with economic crimes investigators and examine Qin Ming’s finances.
• Deputy Director Wang called an old classmate at the provincial department, who agreed to send an interrogation expert the next morning.
• Captain Li began arranging the financial investigation while Wang prepared to pursue the case on two fronts.

Mr. Wei’s paid online astroturfers spread rumors and conspiracy theories to smear Hou Jun and muddy the controversy around Ankang Hospital. Public opinion fractured into a stalemate as people waited for the official investigation report, while Mr. Wei knew his reprieve depended on whether the police found decisive evidence.

• Mr. Wei’s astroturfing company seeded apparently neutral comments to cast doubt on Hou Jun and cool public anger.
• The accounts spread fabricated claims that Hou Jun had gambling debts, sought to extort the hospital, and was backed by a medical-dispute troublemaking team.
• Astroturfers attacked Hou Jun’s character and questioned his sister’s condition and the hospital director’s conduct.
• Netizens grew confused and hesitant, and calls to wait for the official investigation began to dominate the discussion.
• Mr. Wei watched the controversy become muddled, knowing the outcome depended on whether the police found irrefutable evidence.

Monkey was cornered by thugs outside the hospital, but Li Jun and his men intervened and dragged them into an alley. After Monkey left, Li Jun sent men to find out who had hired the thugs and teach them a lesson.

• Seven or eight thugs surrounded Monkey outside the hospital and blocked his way, provoking him while he considered calling the police.
• Li Jun arrived with more than a dozen men and ordered his subordinates to drag the thugs into an alley and beat them.
• Li Jun told Monkey that Brother Feng had ordered them to watch over him and his family, and Monkey left feeling safer.
• Li Jun sent a subordinate and two men to question the thugs about who had sent them and give them a memorable lesson.

A detailed online analysis linked Ankang Hospital’s equipment purchases, medication use, ICU transfers, and internal communications to suspected profiteering and kickbacks. The deductions ignited public outrage, overwhelmed the hospital’s accounts, and sparked a second backlash against Qiandu for promoting the hospital.

• An anonymous source circulated documents alleging that Ankang Hospital inflated equipment costs and accelerated depreciation to transfer funds.
• The analysis said Dr. Qin Ming’s department used certain drugs and medical consumables at unusually high rates, suggesting unnecessary treatment and kickbacks.
• The documents connected high ICU transfer rates and rising patient costs to suspected targeted overtreatment, and cited reconstructed internal-chat keyword patterns.
• Doctors, accountants, and data analysts publicly vouched for the deductions, fueling a surge of anger against Ankang Hospital.
• Netizens flooded Ankang Hospital’s website and Weibo account, forcing the platform to disable comments.
• Netizens found Ankang Hospital ads marked as verified in Qiandu search results and turned Qiandu’s accounts and app reviews into a second battleground.

Captain Li’s team uncovered a suspected money-laundering channel through Zhao Cheng, Qin Ming’s brother-in-law, whose account received more than 2.3 million yuan in unexplained transfers. Zhao Cheng admitted that he had provided his account and withdrawn cash for others, giving the investigators a lead to pursue toward Qin Ming and Ankang Hospital.

• Captain Li expanded the investigation into Qin Ming’s social connections after finding no suspicious assets among his immediate family.
• An officer found that Zhao Cheng had received regular transfers from shell companies and personal accounts that coincided with high-spending patients’ admissions or surgeries at Ankang Hospital.
• Captain Li ordered officers to locate Zhao Cheng, and they took him from his car to the bureau for questioning.
• Zhao Cheng claimed the money came from small-goods wholesaling but could not provide records to support his story.
• Under questioning, Zhao Cheng admitted that someone had paid him to provide an account, hold the money, and occasionally withdraw cash.
• Captain Li told his colleague to investigate the cash withdrawals and identify who collected the money and where.

Qin Ming entered the detention center as prisoner 1078 and was relentlessly abused by Zheng Qi while the guards ignored his pleas for help. By the end, Qin Ming was physically broken and trapped in a purgatory that seemed only to be beginning.

• Guard Wang put Qin Ming in cell 107, where Zheng Qi and the other inmates sized him up.
• Zheng Qi kicked Qin Ming, forced him to serve water from a mop basin, and humiliated him in front of the cell.
• Zheng Qi and his lackeys repeatedly stole Qin Ming’s food, made him clean the toilet, and beat and degraded him.
• Qin Ming tried to resist and seek help, but Zheng Qi retaliated and the guards turned a blind eye.
• Qin Ming wasted away under the abuse, losing his confidence and hope as the torment continued.

Qin Ming endured relentless abuse in Cell 107 until he considered confessing to escape. During a routine inspection, Prison Guard Li secretly signaled that Mr. Wei’s network was abandoning him, leaving Qin Ming relieved that his torment in the detention center might soon end.

• Zheng Qi subjected Qin Ming to daily beatings, humiliation, forced labor, and deprivation in Cell 107.
• Qin Ming’s mental defenses collapsed, and he began considering confessing to charges to escape the detention center.
• Prison Guard Li discreetly tapped two fingers against his thigh three times as he passed Qin Ming during an inspection.
• Qin Ming recognized the secret signal as Mr. Wei’s instruction to prepare for abandonment and inferred that the police had found a crucial breakthrough.
• After Prison Guard Li left, Qin Ming felt a measure of relief that he might soon leave Cell 107, despite the uncertain fate ahead.

Wang Lei caught Prison Guard Li making a covert signal and beat him after Li tried to shove him. Li complained to Deputy Director Zhao Jianguo, who ordered him out and feared that an unseen power had reached inside the detention center.

• Prison Guard Li finished signaling and continued his inspection, but Wang Lei blocked his path and questioned his finger movements.
• Prison Guard Li threatened Wang Lei and tried to shove him, so Wang Lei struck him with a series of forceful blows aimed at places unlikely to leave visible marks.
• Wang Lei warned Prison Guard Li to keep his hands in check and left him collapsed in the corridor.
• Prison Guard Li went to Zhao Jianguo and blamed Wang Lei for attacking him, omitting his own actions and the signal.
• Zhao Jianguo refused to hear Prison Guard Li's complaint and ordered him out, then feared that an unseen hand had infiltrated the detention center.

Expert Chen confronted Qin Ming with evidence of financial irregularities, questionable treatment decisions, and the harm to his family, breaking down his silence. Qin Ming ended the interrogation by confessing that he had done it all.

• Expert Chen calmly questioned Qin Ming about his background and his daughter, then described unusual medical spending at Ankang Hospital.
• Expert Chen linked Zhao Cheng’s accounts to shell companies and costly surgeries in Qin Ming’s department.
• Expert Chen said the preliminary assessment found insufficient grounds for Hou Xiaoya’s lymphoma diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
• Qin Ming’s resolve crumbled as he thought about his family and the evidence against him.
• Qin Ming raised his head and confessed, saying, “I admit it. ...I did all of it.”

Captain Li learned that Qin Ming had a valid bipolar disorder diagnosis, leaving the police unable to dismiss his claim or bypass a forensic psychiatric evaluation. Enraged by his powerlessness, Captain Li grabbed Qin Ming, who taunted him that the law would protect him even if he attacked again.

• Captain Li left the interrogation room after an officer summoned him to the corridor.
• The officer showed Captain Li Qin Ming’s hospital records, which documented a bipolar disorder diagnosis and nearly two years of intermittent treatment.
• Captain Li called the records fake, but the officer said the diagnosis appeared legally valid and they had no direct evidence of forgery.
• Overcome by anger, Captain Li punched the wall, injuring his hand, then stormed back into the interrogation room and seized Qin Ming by the collar.
• Qin Ming calmly mocked Captain Li, saying that even if he punched him a hundred times, the police could not lock him up, and Captain Li restrained himself from striking him.

Qin Ming confessed to his actions, then claimed a psychiatric diagnosis made him unable to understand or control them. Expert Chen challenged the excuse, while Captain Li ordered Qin Ming’s medical history checked; Qin Ming remained confident that his certificate would shield him.

• Qin Ming said he had done everything, then claimed he had bipolar disorder with delusional symptoms and could not remember or control his actions during episodes.
• Expert Chen questioned whether Qin Ming’s alleged episodes explained his treatment of Hou Xiaoya and the transfers involving Zhao Cheng.
• Qin Ming dismissed the financial records and argued that his illness could account for his behavior at Ankang Hospital.
• Captain Li ordered an officer to verify Qin Ming’s psychiatric records and diagnosis.
• Qin Ming privately relied on a certificate arranged by Mr. Wei as a defense against prosecution.
• Expert Chen explained that a forensic assessment would have to determine Qin Ming’s capacity at each specific act, but Qin Ming continued to insist he had been a madman.

Lin Feng learned that Qin Ming was using a bipolar disorder diagnosis to seek a psychiatric evaluation and avoid criminal liability, but he refused Lawyer Zhou Wenyuan’s offer to influence the evaluation. He decided to let Qin Ming stay in the psychiatric hospital, where he might encounter the genuinely dangerous Chen Meijiao.

• Lawyer Zhou Wenyuan told Lin Feng that Qin Ming had obtained a bipolar disorder diagnosis and could use it to avoid criminal punishment.
• Lawyer Zhou Wenyuan suggested asking Du Mingyuan to influence the forensic psychiatric evaluation, but Lin Feng refused.
• Lin Feng mocked Qin Ming for believing a psychiatric hospital would be a safer refuge than detention.
• Lü Yi reacted fearfully at the thought of Qin Ming encountering Chen Meijiao, a dangerous patient at Du Mingyuan’s hospital.
• Lin Feng decided to let Qin Ming remain in the psychiatric hospital until he understood madness and despair.

Qin Ming arrived at the Municipal Mental Health Center believing his staged psychiatric symptoms had secured his escape from prison. Instead, staff at the intensive care ward stripped, restrained, and confined him, leaving him terrified and powerless.

• Qin Ming recalled the training arranged by Mr. Wei and believed his performance had secured a favorable forensic assessment.
• Qin Ming was transferred to the Municipal Mental Health Center and taken to its Intensive Care and Behavior Correction Ward.
• Two orderlies stripped Qin Ming for an invasive search and identified him as patient 7409.
• The orderlies dressed Qin Ming in a restraint garment, strapped him to a bed, and put him in a diaper.
• An orderly threatened to sedate Qin Ming with a drug that could irreversibly damage his central nervous system, then locked him alone in the padded room.

Qin Ming was moved from solitary confinement to a shared room, where Chen Meijiao’s gentle company gave him hope. That night, he woke to find Chen Meijiao standing by the barred window with an inhuman, scrutinizing gaze.

• Attendants moved Qin Ming to a two-bed room and loosened his restraints slightly.
• Chen Meijiao introduced himself and comforted Qin Ming as Qin Ming spoke about his suffering.
• Qin Ming fell asleep believing Chen Meijiao’s company would help him endure the hospital.
• Qin Ming woke to the sound of scraping metal and saw that Chen Meijiao’s bed was empty and his restraints had been undone.
• Qin Ming spotted Chen Meijiao by the window and saw his eyes gleaming with cold, inhuman scrutiny.

The official investigation ruled that Qin Ming was not criminally liable because a bipolar episode had severely impaired his ability to recognize or control his actions, provoking public outrage. After Monkey poured out his anger and despair to Lin Feng over drinks, Lin Feng stopped him beside a black sedan and signaled him to get in.

• The authorities announced that Qin Ming would receive compulsory treatment and that Ankang Hospital would face administrative penalties for management failures.
• The ruling sparked widespread anger and accusations that Qin Ming and the hospital had escaped meaningful punishment.
• Monkey saw the announcement while helping his parents and silently broke down over the ruling.
• Monkey called Lin Feng to drink with him and vented his grief, anger, and helplessness about Xiaoya and the outcome.
• Lin Feng listened, paid the bill, and helped the drunken Monkey leave the food stall.
• As Monkey tried to head home, Lin Feng called him over beside a black sedan and motioned for him to get inside.