Original subtitles

=Sword Rose=

=Episode 4=

Why would you give her those pills if she's your girlfriend?

Well, as a guy,

of course, I wanted my girlfriend

to be a little...

More developed

after taking them.

Men care about pride.

Look,

I...

I admit giving her

the pills

was wrong.

I admit my mistake.

I'll take responsibility and accept whatever legal punishment comes my way.

This guy is too slick.

Without solid evidence,

he won't say anything.

So, what do we do now?

Talk to Zhou Min.

I already told you

her mother won't agree.

Her mother doesn't agree.

Then we'll step in and do her mother's job.

Then...

Hold on a second.

We can't continue to waste time like this.

Hello.

Got it.

Zhou Min is here.

She has agreed to meet us.

Min,

your mother

and a few of us are here with you.

If you ever feel uncomfortable

or wish to stop at any point,

that's perfectly okay.

I want to speak.

I can't let that man hurt anyone else.

I met him on my way home from school.

He asked me for directions,

so I showed him the way.

After that, I blacked out.

When I woke up,

I was in a small room.

There was a man

in a white coat nearby.

I remembered what some classmates said

about bad people who abduct others to harvest organs.

I was terrified

and tried to fight back.

Then...

Then he took off my pants.

Min, take a look at this photo. Is this the man in the white coat?

Yes,

that's him.

You're doing fine.

Are you okay to continue?

Then

he covered my face with a cloth.

After that, I lost consciousness.

When I woke up again,

my eyes were covered.

I could only hear voices.

The man

who took me

was talking to someone else.

That man sounded very angry.

The one who took me

kept apologizing and saying he made a mistake.

There was music playing the entire time,

so I couldn't hear clearly.

Do you remember

what kind of music it was?

It sounded

like club music.

Officers,

I've already told you everything

I know.

That's all there is.

You say

you were dating Zhou Min.

What kind of date involves taking her

to an unlicensed doctor for a so-called "goods inspection"

and sending her to a nightclub?

No, no.

That's not true.

That never happened.

Hu Xifan,

the unlicensed doctor,

had already confessed.

So did your buddy Zhao Liang.

He told us everything.

You're the only one left.

If you stay silent now,

you'll take the fall for all of it.

All right.

With combined sentencing for multiple offenses,

it'd be around 20 years.

Can you handle that?

Wait.

I admit it.

I only...

I only

want to be with her,

but sometimes she can be stubborn.

And I wasn't thinking clearly.

I was young

and lost it.

At one point,

I even thought about selling her.

Officer Chang, you already know.

I was planning to sell her to you,

but I didn't have a handler.

What did you just say?

No handler?

Did we ask you about that?

No, no.

I got emotional just now.

I said the wrong thing.

When you were with Zhao Dafeng,

you mentioned your boss.

Who is that boss?

Uh...

I never mentioned anything about a boss.

I must have misspoken.

It has to be.

Anyway, I acted alone.

I admit it,

and I will take full responsibility.

All right then.

What was the name of the nightclub where you took Zhou Min?

Play House.

(July 2, 2009) All teams, be alert.

(Play House, Linshan City) (Target unit clear.)

(All personnel are in position at exits.)

(Action.)

Take off your earpiece.

Relax.

You're too tense. Anyone could tell we're investigating.

Just give it to me.

♪Should old acquaintance♪

♪Be forgot♪

♪And auld lang syne?♪

♪Should♪

♪Old acquaintance♪

♪Be forgot♪

♪And auld lang syne?♪

♪For auld lang syne, my dear♪

♪For auld lang syne♪

♪We'll take a cup of kindness yet♪

♪For auld lang syne♪

What are you doing?

Sit down!

You scared the girl.

It's all right, sweetheart.

Men like that are just too rough, aren't they?

Come here, baby.

Let me see if you're hurt.

Let me see.

Don't worry.

I never force anyone.

It's okay, little one.

You,

go take a walk.

Stay still.

Let me...

Let me see.

Let me take a look.

Just a quick look.

They said

we have to be ready to leave at any time tonight.

Make sure the boys downstairs stay sharp.

Don't let them drink too much.

Okay.

Did he hit you here?

Let me take a look. Hurry up.

Do you girls come here often?

Yeah, we're regular here.

The vibe here is insane.

Yeah, it is!

Is this the whole place?

There's karaoke upstairs.

Want me to treat you to a karaoke session?

The third floor is booked. So no karaoke tonight.

I wonder which rich man booked

the entire floor.

What do you mean?

Skinner, time to go.

Hold on.

I booked

the entire third floor

for a week.

Mr. Li

is still enjoying himself.

Leaving now

would ruin the mood.

Enough.

It's not even your money.

It's the boss's orders, so stop complaining.

He's already got his eyes on that girl.

Just keep him entertained.

Keep him interested. Got it?

Okay.

Fine.

I understand.

The boss really knows how to have fun.

Later,

you two stand by the door.

Keep watch.

Hey, man. What kind of place is this?

Move.

Why won't you let me in?

Get lost.

Yeah, boss?

I'm on my way.

Excuse me.

Who are you?

Who let you in here?

Where are you taking me?

Come!

Stop!

Just move it!

Let me go!

Ouch!

Where's the handler?

Mr. Yin, they're heading downstairs.

Move in now.

Got it.

I'm on the way.

Move!

Faster!

Move!

Walk!

Stop right there!

Stop where you are!

Don't move!

Police!

Come here!

Get down!

Come here.

It's okay now.

This way!

Walk!

(Linshan City Police Bureau)

How were you trafficked

and ended up here?

I'm from Mount Mangqing.

Two months ago,

someone came to our village offering jobs.

They said we could make good money in the city.

I never thought it would be like this.

Me too.

I only wanted to earn a little money.

But they tricked us

and forced us...

To serve clients.

Later, they took me to a place

that looked like a forest.

Some people were already waiting there.

Move it!

Why are you so slow?

Keep walking!

Bai,

they are here.

Come here.

Get in.

Come here.

Get inside.

Get in!

- Come here! - Walk!

(After that,)

(they took us to a house.) Walk!

Move it.

I said, walk!

Stop resisting.

Move it!

Faster!

Soon after,

they made us change clothes and get in a car.

(Another girl)

(was with us.)

(She)

(was really brave.)

(She jumped out of the car and ran.)

Get off.

Faster!

Get out!

One by one.

Get off.

Get up!

Go inside!

Walk!

Trying to run, huh?

Hey, she's getting away.

Did they catch the one

who got away?

I don't know.

We never saw her after that.

Do you remember

what those men

looked like?

Officer,

I think

there was another girl abducted

besides us.

I saw two men dragging

and pulling her away at the time.

Was this the girl they took?

I don't think so.

I don't recognize this person.

Could they have caught the girl

who jumped out of the car?

It's him.

The bald guy.

(Police)

Get in!

Get in the car!

It's Number Four.

That's him!

Try it, I dare you.

Hey, look at me.

I said, look at me.

Go on, shout for help.

It's Number Four.

It's him!

(Victim: Fafa, Zhou Min) Based on the suspects they identified,

we can confirm

(Bai Wentao aka Whiteboard) that Bai Wentao was telling the truth.

But who is their handler?

Both Bai Wentao and Hu Xifan appear

to be intimidated by this person.

They refuse to say anything.

But with them staying tight-lipped like this

and no other clues, where do we even begin?

Actually, we might have one clue.

What clue?

The girl who escaped.

We don't even know who she is.

True, we don't know her name.

But we do know

where she was last seen.

(Bai Wentao aka Whiteboard)

(Missing Person)

I'll go first.

My child has been missing

for eleven years, three months, and nine days.

Every night,

I dream about him.

In my dreams,

he's wearing the clothes I bought him,

crying

and asking me

when I'll come to get him.

Later,

Madam Zhang

told me

that my son would be fourteen by now.

He's not that little boy from my dreams anymore.

That's when it hit me.

I don't even know

what he looks like now.

Meilian,

don't be too sad.

I'm okay.

Saying it out loud

makes me feel better.

Liu,

do you want

to share your story with everyone?

Okay.

Here's what happened in my family.

My wife has health issues,

and my son and daughter-in-law are both busy with work.

So I was the one taking care

of my grandson, Xiaoxiao, the most.

One day,

I went to pick him up from kindergarten.

I was just ten minutes late.

And in those ten minutes,

he was gone.

It's all my fault.

Liu.

Come on, Liu.

Don't blame yourself.

None of us ever wanted something like this to happen.

Don't you all agree?

The reason we're all here today

is that we share a belief.

We believe our children

are still out there, safe.

We believe

they will come back to us,

healthy and whole.

That's right.

My Xiaoxiao is blessed.

He'll come back just fine.

Yes.

Be strong.

- That will come true. - Let's be strong.

Let's stay strong.

- Stay strong. - Stay strong.

Let's have faith.

- Have faith. - Have faith.

Be strong.

Have faith.

Be strong.

Director Deng,

we've identified

the two girls rescued yesterday.

I've asked Ai Xin to contact their families to pick them up.

What about the girl who ran off? Any leads?

No.

Little Spud.

Any leads on Little Spud?

Nothing yet.

To be honest,

among the younger male

and female officers,

you're one of the best.

But investigating anti-trafficking,

we can't rush things.

Every case is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Hard to sort out.

You have to be patient.

Go home and get some rest.

Don't stay up all night again.

(Today,)

we have two new members

joining our group.

Would you like

to share your story with us?

Okay.

Xin,

let's tell everyone

about Little Spud.

Maybe they can help us look for him.

The more eyes, the better.

He's right.

Please, tell us.

Come, dear.

She's not in a good place right now.

Maybe let others go first.

Sorry about that.

It's okay.

Have a seat.

Everyone, please don't worry.

I truly believe

that we will find

our children again.

Lately,

I've come to believe

that

the spiritual connection between people is real.

Professor John Taylor

from UC Berkeley

has even proven it.

The trigger mechanism

is complicated.

But I believe

blood ties

create the strongest bonds.

I truly believe that we will reunite

with our children in the near future.

We will.

Yes.

We absolutely will.

We'll definitely find them.

Have faith.

Stay strong.

We can do this.

Be strong and have faith.

Hang in there.

Let's hang in there.

Have faith.

Be strong.

Do you even hear yourself?

Your child is missing,

and instead of searching,

you're here talking about psychic connections?

Ms. Cai.

Stop...

I understand how you feel.

We've all been through this.

Besides, the professor...

Why did you bring me here?

Do you really think listening

to these people will help, Lin Hao?

Xin.

One child has been missing for three years.

Another for eleven.

Madam Zhang's child has been gone for twenty years.

Instead of looking for them,

they're sitting here talking about telepathy?

Uh...

Ms. Cai,

hear me out.

Everyone here has been through

the same thing.

We understand

how you feel.

Oh, you understand?

Yes, we do.

But I don't get any of you.

Honestly, I don't.

Why are you all just sitting around, sighing,

pretending everything's okay,

avoiding reality,

and wasting time?

Xin...

The kids won't come back on their own!

I'm sorry about that.

Xin!

Xin!

(Missing Person: Luo Xiaoyu)

(Police)

(Lin Yangyu; Zheng Weiwei)

If we

look at the entire chain, from luring and abducting, to control and transport,

transit,

hand off,

sale,

and payment,

is it possible

that somewhere along the way,

the criminals trafficking girls

and those trafficking kids

might cross paths

in terms of time or venue?

Like Bai Wentao.

He was trafficking girls,

but he could've been involved in child trafficking too.

Normally,

trafficking girls

and trafficking kids are two separate operations.

Then we have to figure out

how Luoluo ended up in Bai Wentao's hands.

Maybe there's someone who knows something

or a middleman.

If we can find that person,

we might crack

the child trafficking ring.

But where do we even start?

He keeps insisting that Luoluo was a child he adopted.

And we haven't found any witnesses or middlemen.

How do we connect these two cases?

It's clear

we're not getting anything

about his handler from Bai Wentao.

So

our only hope now is

to find the girl

who got away.

All right.

Mr. Yin, stay here and coordinate.

The rest, come with me

to find her.

Thank you.

Listen.

I get that finding the child is the top priority.

But

I think the mom

is close to a breakdown.

When someone loses their emotional anchor,

they will collapse.

Do you get what I mean?

If it really comes to that,

maybe they should consider having another one.

Just so she has something to hold on to.

I understand. Thank you for your concern.

Okay, I'll get going then.

Okay, take care.

Think

about what I said.

See you.

I'll take my leave then.

Xin.

What did Aunt say?

Nothing.

Give birth to another one?

Give birth to what?

You misheard.

Mom, I'm not deaf.

What did she mean by that?

Mom,

Little Spud is my child.

He's not some object

you can just replace.

How could she say something like this?

She meant well.

Seriously?

Do you think she meant well?

It sounds like Aunt struck a nerve in you.

You want me to have another one too, don't you?

Of course not.

Xin, you got me wrong.

I never had that intention.

That's what you want, isn't it?

No, that's not it.

Then why did she suddenly show up today?

Did you ask her

to say all that?

Let me make this clear, Mom.

I only have one child.

I will never have another!

If that's how you see it,

then you don't deserve to be his grandmother!

I...

I never...

Mom didn't mean you should have another one!

She only...

Only what?

Stop it.

Say it!

Tell me what your family really wants, Lin Hao?

Who gave her the right to say those things?

Who is she to even say that?

If it weren't for her, our son wouldn't have gone missing!

What? Have you lost your mind?

What am I saying?

I'm losing my mind because of you!

Why are you yelling at me?

Stop. Please stop.

You only care about your mom.

She's the one who lost him, not me!

Who are you to blame me?

It was your family

who came to tell me to have another child!

Stick to the issue!

It's not like

Mom lost Little Spud on purpose!

Enough!

Okay.

Stop it already.

Stick to the issue, right?

Fine!

You want another child so badly?

Let's get a divorce.

Go find someone else to have a baby with!

Who said I wanted another kid?

Your whole family did!

Stop it, Hao!

(Baby Missing)

Enough already.

Xin,

I am also a mother.

I understand everything

you said to me today.

Losing the child

broke me too!

I blame myself every single day.

If I could,

I would trade my life to bring him back.

Hello?

Mr. Lin, I know where your son is.

Mom,

there's news about Little Spud.

Okay.

I'll head over.

Hello.

Are you the one who called us?

Please have a seat.

Okay.

She's my wife, Cai Xin.

This is my mother.

Hello.

Where's the child now?

Ms. Cai, calm down.

Everyone, calm down.

My name is Zhao Zhilong.

I'm a volunteer with a community outreach group.

My cousin happened

to see the child.

Well,

we had posted a missing child notice

in our "Hoping for Our Child's Return" group chat.

I usually upload the info online right away.

Yes, we also uploaded it.

Coincidentally,

my cousin saw it.

The child had a black mole on his back, right?

Yes, a black mole.

That's something we remember clearly.

Here, take a look.

It looks just like him.

Yes, that's him.

It's definitely him.

My cousin said

he saw the child in Lianxiang Town.

Lianxiang Town?

Let's get over there now.

Take a seat first.

Sit.

Lianxiang Town

isn't that big

or small either.

But it's still a town.

If you rush over there like this,

do you think it's safe for the child?

You mean we might alert the traffickers?

Is that right, Mr. Zhao?

So, what should we do?

I'll call my cousin.

He knows the area well.

I'll have him scout around

and figure out a general location.

Great. Thank you.

Don't worry.

He's just as kind-hearted

as I am.

He'll do everything he can to help you.

Okay?

Thank you so much.

Okay.

Also, there's one more thing.

I need you to promise me one thing.

What is it?

I will do everything I can to help you find your child.

But once we do,

you must not involve the police.

Why not?

Madam,

child trafficking is a serious crime.

If the traffickers find out,

they might get desperate and do something extreme.

I hope you...

Don't worry.

We won't call the police.

I'll make sure they don't.

Yes.

We promise.

Okay.

Go home and pack. I'll send the details once I have them.

- Thank you, Mr. Zhao. - Thank you!

Thank you.

Let us know the moment you hear anything.

I don't trust that man. Something feels off.

I feel like he's connected

to the people who took our child.

I don't care if he is connected to them or not.

What matters is getting my child back.

I only care about that!

Xin, listen. You need to calm...

Mom, let's head there first.

Don't say anything.

Let's go.

Based on what the two girls said,

the third girl escaped

while they were being transferred to the Play House.

We've already checked

all the surveillance around that area.

But there's no useful footage or leads.

And there haven't been

any recent reports of missing or distressed girls.

I suspect

she may have already left Linshan City.

Mu Lang's team is after her,

but they haven't found any trace of her in the city.

I think

she has headed south,

toward Pengcang Town.

Hurry up and eat.

We're heading to Pengcang Town after this.

Don't forget the infant formula and baby bottle.

I got them.

What else should we bring?

Take a whole pack of diapers.

Okay.

Don't forget to bring your ID.

Hao.

Mom, we need to leave soon or we won't make it in time.

Shouldn't we call Director Deng?

No need!

She's right. We can update her later.

My ID should be in my bag.

Okay.

I still think we should involve the police.

Mom, didn't you hear him?

He told us not to.

I'll just call Yanyan.

She is not an outsider.

If the police could solve this, they would've found him by now.

Yeah.

Mom,

can you not make this harder than it already is?

We're making a move now, Mom.

Did you bring it all?

Let's get going.

(Pengcang Town)

(Signature Stir-Fry Dish)

Hello, Mister.

What would you like to eat?

Our food's authentic.

The fish is really fresh.

Sorry, can you give us a minute?

Why are we here?

What's your specialty?

Pickled fish stew.

Ah, pickled fish is popular here.

Is yours authentic?

Don't worry.

My family has been here in Pengcang for generations.

This recipe has been passed down

for more than ten generations.

Guaranteed authentic.

Really?

I'll try one.

Coming right up.

One pickled fish.

Didn't you already eat?

We might as well try the local food now that we're here.

We're not here for food.

We're here for work.

Even when you're working, you've got to eat.

It's here.

Yes.

(Community Cooperative)

This is the place.

(Rural Credit Cooperative) Yes, we're at the right place.

Rural Credit Cooperative.

Is this the cousin?

Yeah.

Hello.

Hello.

You must be Mr. Lin and Ms. Cai.

Yes, we are. Hello.

I'm Zhao Zhilong's cousin.

You can call me Wang.

Nice to meet you.

Where's my child?

Calm down.

My cousin should've explained

the situation to you.

We know the child is still

in our town.

But we can't confirm

which family took him in.

I think

we'll need more people

to help ask around.

How many of you came this time?

Just a few of us.

If there were too many people, it would attract attention.

Okay, let me think.

How about this?

Let's split up.

I've marked

a few locations here.

You go check those spots.

(Lincheng Supermarket, Lianxiang Town) I'll get some friends to help too.

(Children's Store, Street Market)

Oh, this is my number.

Call me if anything comes up.

Okay.

Don't worry.

You'll find him.

(Lianxiang Town's Lincheng Supermarket, Children's Store, Street Market)

Hello, have you seen this child?

No.

Never seen him.

Take a closer look.

He has a round face and is really cheerful.

I don't recognize him.

Sorry.

Madam,

could you please take a look?

Have you seen this child?

A few days ago,

I saw someone carrying a kid who looked like this.

Yeah, it's him.

Are you sure

it's him?

Of course, I'm sure.

This child

is chubby

and smiles at everyone.

I even played with him.

Do you know where he is now?

No idea.

But it was definitely that kid.

They came to the market.

They probably live nearby.

Xin, we're close to finding him.

I think we've almost found him.

We'll find him soon.

Hello?

Okay.

We're heading there now.

What's the update?

They found him.

Let's go. Where?

Hurry!

The bill, please.

Okay.

How much?

Food was good, right?

I finished everything. See there?

I told you

it's authentic.

That would be 132 yuan.

I'll give you a 50% discount.

It's okay.

We'll pay this amount.

That's a lot.

You'll take us to the place after this,

right?

Of course, I'll take you.

Did you solve the case?

Get in.

Buddy, hurry up!

Coming!

Turn left up ahead.

Mr. Lin,

my friend just sent this photo.

Take a look.

It looks like him.

That's our child.

Let's go and get him now.

Where is he now?

Well,

my friend

is currently near

the buyer's house.

But he didn't give me the exact address.

I'm only helping out.

He's not the same.

How much is he asking?

Twenty thousand yuan?

Two hundred thousand.

What?

Mr. Lin, I'm really trying to help.

I'm not keeping the money.

I...

Two hundred thousand, it is.

Okay. I'll get in touch with them.

Be patient.

Xin,

we don't have that much money.

This is the shop I mentioned.

It's run

by Madam Liu,

nicknamed Chatterbox.

There's nothing in this town she doesn't know.

Madam Liu,

he's my friend.

- How do you do? - He's hoping to ask you something.

I'll leave you to it, okay?

Okay, thanks.

I'll leave you to it.

Okay.

Our shop is the busiest

on this street.

We offer fair prices,

so we have many customers.

So, of course,

I hear things.

Perfect.

Feel free to look around.

Okay.

Madam,

I used to eat this candy as a kid.

I haven't seen it in years.

I can't believe you have them.

I'll take all of these.

Okay.

Madam, you've lived here a long time.

Have you seen any young girls from out of town lately?

Yes, there's one.

Do you know where she is now?

♪What kind of person do you want to be?♪

♪A beacon in the night, lighting the way for others♪

♪A brave soul♪

♪No matter the role I play♪

♪My heart stays true♪

♪Through it all, I became who I am♪

♪I walked my youth with nothing to regret♪

♪Bearing love's pain, I fight for the impossible♪

♪Never letting down those unwavering eyes♪

♪Go on river, just keep flowing♪

♪With steady eyes, I raise my hand♪

♪The gentle strength of navy blue, one moment etched in eternity♪

♪Once I choose this path, I won't turn back♪

♪Let time come and go as it will♪

♪There's always someone behind the spotlight♪

♪What we cherish in time stays forever new♪

♪Just like my heart♪

♪It will never rust♪

♪This heart in navy blue♪

♪Will never rust♪WEBVTT

♪Will never rust♪