Side dish: Parallel cutting is a Chinese knife skill. You can practice this technique while making Szechuan Chicken.
Episode Recap
Undercover cops, Apple (Priscilla Wong) and Tai Shu (Edwin Siu) discover that subordinate, Ga Lun has been serving as an informant for both of them. Now that his double agent role has come to light, and Tai Shu’s father knows about their undercover operation, Ga Lun wonders if he needs to continue playing an estate security guard. However, Tai Shu’s nosy father needs to be monitored, so Ga Lun continues his babysitting role.
Sure enough, Tai Shu’s father has decided to conduct his own investigation into the parallel trade syndicate that his son claims to be targeting. Ga Lun watches in exasperation as the older man makes up a list of suspects, and spies on estate residents.
At the local games and technology store, Ching, the younger sister of Wan, the comatose criminal, asks for a software program to help her unlock the USB storage key left by her brother. Ga Lun stops by the shop to pick up a CD made from the broken cassette tape belonging to the mother-in-law of beauty store owner, Fung Nei (Kaki Leung). He is bothered to see Ching with Chit, the teenage son of single mother, Lin Heung (Rachel Kan).
After Lin Heung learns of Wan’s USB storage key from her son, she and housewife, Dan Dan (Mandy Wong) go to investigate. They interrupt Ching in the middle of decrypting the USB key. Ching quickly hides the USB key, and when the women bring it up, she claims that it contained nothing, but family photos. Once the women have left, Ching resumes decryption, determined to make some money off of whatever information the USB key contains.
Ga Lun reports seeing Ching and Chit together, and Tai Shu instantly assumes a criminal connection between Wan and Lin Heung. He suggests that they investigate Lin Heung more closely, and his boss agrees. They sic the same two thugs used to threaten Dan Dan and her husband on Lin Heung, then watch as she makes a frantic call before meeting someone in a van. After losing sight of Lin Heung, they review video footage of her with the man in a van. Tai Shu is convinced that she is guilty whereas Apple is reluctant to believe that her friend could be involved with loan sharks.
While Tai Shu’s father is trying to pair her up with his son, Apple is suddenly called home for a family emergency. It turns out that her mom just wants Apple to accompany her to a Chinese opera practice session. Having backup is a good idea when mom’s frenemy, Mrs. Chiu shows up, and they exchange bitchy comments. Mrs. Chiu’s voice is terrible, then she has reporters show up, unannounced, and tells them that she has yet to find a partner for her duet. Apple’s mother is so incensed that she reconsiders enlisting the help of Fung Nei’s combative mother-in-law.
Meanwhile, Fung Nei presents her mother-in-law with the MP3 copy of her cassette tape that Ga Lun had converted. Her mother-in-law is about as happy as we have ever seen her, but her face falls when Fung Nei tentatively asks if she is the singer on the recording. The older woman had to give up singing to raise her son, and now, she sees no market for Chinese opera.
Apple and Tai Shu’s latest meeting with their boss, Wu Sir takes place in the middle of a war game on a remote mountainside. As usual, Wu Sir is trying to gain additional health benefits for his team while they meet. In the midst of the chaos, Wu Sir reveals that the man in the van was Lin Heung’s ex-husband, and he is now under surveillance. Apple and Tai Shu are tasked with continuing to monitor Lin Heung.
Apple and Dan Dan tag along with Lin Heung as she shops on behalf of her son in anticipation of his departure for Australia. Lin Heung’s disregard for the high price of the items causes Apple worry. Later, Chit tells Lin Heung to save her money since he will get a part-time job, while Lin Heung wants to save money by avoiding a medical checkup.
Working in the supermarket, Lin Heung learns of a baby formula shortage, but it turns out that her co-worker is buying up the store supply to resell at a higher price. After he is found out, the co-worker offers Lin Heung a cut of the profit if she helps out.
Meanwhile, Tai Shu’s father is still investigating the supposed parallel trade syndicate. After finding out about a shortage of cardboard boxes and an excess of empty baby formula containers in the trash bin of the supermarket, Tai Shu’s father reviews CCTV footage of the supermarket’s back door. Sure enough, he spots two people moving boxes in the middle of the night. Dad also accidentally runs into Lin Heung, and pockets the roll of receipts that tumbled out of her purse, which list an excessive amount of baby formula. Little does he know, the purse actually belonged to one of Lin Heung’s co-workers.
Tai Shu’s father brings his suspicions about the parallel trade in baby formula to his son and Apple. After Tai Shu’s father brings up Lin Heung as a suspect, Apple dismisses his findings, since they have nothing to do with their primary investigation. Tai Shu must interrupt to cover up his lie about the reason for their operation.
Things quickly escalate as Wu Sir decides to have Lin Heung arrested for smuggling baby formula, because they might actually be trading heroin. Apple is troubled by the accusations against Lin Heung, and when it appears that she is about to intervene in the sting operation, Tai Shu handcuffs her to their apartment.
Comments
This episode was a little convoluted, what with the introduction of an actual parallel trade syndicate and the police ready to arrest Lin Heung on suspicion of heroin smuggling. It does not seem to me like they have enough evidence to be arresting poor Lin Heung, so I am sure the entire operation will be an entertaining fiasco.
It was one step back for Apple and Tai Shu. Apple was expressing reservations throughout this episode about targeting Lin Heung, and Tai Shu pretty much just bulldozed right over her objections. To top it off, Tai Shu decided to handcuff Apple like a criminal, and not for sexy fun. I think he will be sheepish and reluctantly apologizing very soon. Then, we can get back on track for romance.
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