Sparrow 麻雀 Episodes 30-32 Recap

Zhongliang’s look though.

Including: Fake coughs, fake proposals, fake love, fake documents.

Bicheng takes the secret documents back to her office, and she calls Shanhai to tell him the news. He doesn’t pick up though, since he’s at the dock and out of the office. Then Bicheng calls Chen Shen, but he also doesn’t pick up, since he’s investigating the supplies in a storage room. Meanwhile, San Sheng hears everything from Bicheng’s office, since he’s installed secret listening devices.

However, Chen Shen is suspecting something is up, for two reasons. First, San Sheng’s men apparently were at the bureau late last night. They probably were there to set up some sort of plan. Second, he notices the wires are slightly different around the doors and walls of the bureau. He suspects that they have been switched into the listening device wires.

He enters Bicheng’s room, and when she says “Look at this!” and points to the secret plan, Chen Shen quickly raises a finger to his mouth in the “Shh” motion and uses sign language to tell her that this is actually all a trap. She then uses paper and pen to show him what Zhongliang told her, and Chen Shen says she needs to quickly return the documents to Zhongliang’s office, since the door to the storing documents room where Meina works is locked (she’s supposedly out at a headquarters meeting, which is according to Zhongliang’s plan). This is exactly what Bicheng does.

San Sheng is stumped that the two didn’t spill any knowledge about the Guilin plan, and he reports this back to Zhongliang when he returns. Zhongliang says there’s still plenty of time to uncover Sparrow and Shu Di Huang, however, and he then tells Er Bao to create another Guilin plan and to label them A and B respectively. The two plans are to be put into the safe.

Bicheng and Shanhai talk about the events that happened and he ponders why Chen Shen might be helping them – after all, isn’t he also after the Guilin plan? Why would he risk his own mission to help them? Bicheng retorts back that it was Shanhai himself who wanted Chen Shen to help in the first place. “Maybe I was using him,” he admits. “But aren’t you also using me to pursue Meina?” Ooooooh that comeback though.

Chen Shen hears news from Zhongliang that the Japanese have engineered a new car technology that allows them to more readily capture criminals. For instance, a telegram that Bicheng now sends could possibly be received by the Japanese as well. Chen Shen thus warns Bicheng.

San Sheng visits Xiaonan at one of her rehearsals and says he’s brought another prop for her to hit him with, aka a flower. He also brings her cookies. But Xiaonan doesn’t hit him and instead is nice to him this time. Also, during rehearsal she is accidentally pushed backwards by one of the actors and San Sheng saves her from hitting a wall by putting his own arm out as a cushion. This actually injures his arm big time and Xiaonan accompanies him to the hospital. She even brings him soup and feeds him at the bureau, evoking the jealousy or care (honestly can’t tell which, probably both) from Chen Shen. Xiaonan is actually happy, as evidenced by her quick smile, and she probably has been getting nearer to San Sheng in order to make Chen Shen jealous.

Chen Shen and Bicheng go to the orphanage to visit Pi Pi, where they communicate with him using sign language. Bicheng asks Chen Shen why he chose to adopt Pi Pi, and he answers it was because he was unique. But Bicheng asks further how he chose him when he can’t even talk to him? Chen Shen then asks her whether or not she thinks talking to all the people at the bureau count as communication then, and she ponders for a while and says no.

Zhongliang hears news that on Meina’s birthday Shanhai is planning to spend the night with her at a hotel. Which, by the way, Bicheng has barely any reaction to, to the disappointment of Shanhai. Zhongliang suspects Shanhai will try to take the office keys then, so he decides to schedule an event at the same hotel and the same time – the wedding anniversary of him and his wife. I mean come on, what are the chances it’s the same day?!!

On Meina’s birthday, Chen Shen gifts her a shiny new clutch, which she loves and decides to use instead of her original purse. She also wears a fancy qipao (traditional Chinese dress) that doesn’t have pockets in it (translation: she can’t put the keys on her body).

Episode 32 is rather straightforward so I’ll just give a brief recap. Chen Shen and Shanhai’s plan is this: they have bought identical clutches, one that Chen Shen gave to Meina already, and another that Chen Shen is supposed to hold onto until the dance, when he will purposely bump into Meina and then switch the bags. Bag 1, which he has given Meina, she has already used to store her keys. Bag 2, in case its identity is discovered, has a ring in it that Shanhai will use to say as an excuse “I was planning on giving a ring to Meina”.

The thing is, the dance is monitored very strictly by San Sheng and Zeng. So in the end, Chen Shen doesn’t switch the bags. San Sheng is still suspicious though, so he “accidentally” spills wine on Chen Shen’s jacket, and while Xiaonan / Bian Tou try to clean the mess, Bag 2 falls out of his jacket. In it is a ring, so Chen Shen makes up a story fast: he proposes to Xiaonan on the spot. Xiaonan is touched — or is she sad? She’s crying, but ultimately she lightly rejects Chen Shen, saying that she wants a man that will, without hesitation, come to her side. Also, she says not to buy her a purse the same as another woman next time (since she sees Meina’s bag). Meanwhile, Bicheng quickly wipes away her disappointed tears.

However, here is one important part. Perhaps the most crucial part of the episode. A flashback reveals that at the qipao store, Chen Shen had made it so that power went out momentarily there while Meina was in the dressing room. This gave enough time for one of Chen Shen’s men, on his orders, to obtain Meina’s keys temporarily and fit the shape into a foam-like material. Then the keys were swiftly returned to Meina’s purse. So we learn two things from this flashback.

1. Chen Shen now has the key imprints and essentially can unlock the door to the documents office now.
2. Chen Shen didn’t tell this information to Shanhai and Bicheng. Thus, his mission is more important than his love for Bicheng here. Otherwise why would he pretend not to have the keys at the dance and to go along with Shanhai’s plan to switch purses?

Also, Chen Shen figures that San Sheng still suspects him way too much even after his fake proposal to Xiaonan. So he makes up another story and tells Zhongliang that really, the bag and ring was bought by Shanhai, originally to be given to Meina. However, he had Chen Shen temporarily hold onto it while he was dancing with Meina. And then when the wine spill happened, Chen Shen then couldn’t say this otherwise he would hurt Bicheng’s feelings, since she was right there in the room. Thus Chen Shen fake-proposed to Xiaonan. San Sheng / Zhongliang still don’t really buy the story, but it’s more believable now.

Thoughts

Also worth noting – in Chen Shen’s proposal to Xiaonan, he mentions that he is willing to do anything for the woman he loves. Interesting, he doesn’t say he is willing to do anything for Xiaonan specifically. I wonder if he is referring to Bicheng, and how in order to save her and Shanhai, he is willing to put away his feelings and propose to Xiaonan even though he doesn’t truly love her.

Whatever happened to the calligraphy pen and watch of Shanhai’s that San Sheng’s men stole? Is this going to be an important plot point in the future?

Before watching this episode, I had been trying to understand Bicheng’s character. Now, I simply just don’t get it anymore. I can’t. Why did the writers do this to her character? I’m so frustrated, since Zhou Dongyu is one of my favorite actresses. She should have known something was up when Zhongliang just gave the secret documents to her. I mean, if they were really top secret, would he simply hand them to her? Come on. It’s obviously a trap. Not only that, but she doesn’t even try concealing her smile and happiness at finding the plan?