Episode Summary
Shi Muxian publicly accuses Qu Tong of murdering Shi Yue, revealing Qu Tong and Su Muxin's broken relationship. Detective Zhou Mi begins to doubt his initial theory, believing Qu Tong's actions are not about protecting Su Muxin. Flashbacks reveal a history of bullying and conflict involving Qu Tong, Shi Yue, and Hao Meili, but also show Su Muxin's fierce loyalty to Qu Tong in their youth. The episode ends with the major revelation that Qu Tong orchestrated Su Muxin's escape from police surveillance by hiding him in her car's trunk.
Spoiler Alert
The Police Station Meltdown
We start with Shi Muxian at the police station. She's completely losing it. She screams that Qu Tong is the one who killed her daughter, Shi Yue. Qu Tong is there, looking ice-cold and bored. She even checks her watch while Shi Muxian is having a full-blown meltdown.
Shi Muxian’s logic is messy. She claims Qu Tong's relationship with Su Muxin was a wreck. So, Qu Tong hated Shi Yue and killed her. Qu Tong doesn't even deny that things with Su Muxin were bad. She says she was sick of him. She even adds that she wishes Hao Meili would just take him for good. It's a brutal and very public takedown of her own marriage.
Zhou Mi Starts Connecting the Dots
Detective Zhou Mi is watching all of this. He's starting to think his whole theory is wrong. He points out to his partner, Gao Bo, that the crime scene was weird. Su Muxin didn't clean up. He just took Shi Yue's phone. That doesn’t make sense for a killer trying to cover his tracks.
Zhou Mi realizes that Qu Tong's behavior might not be about protecting Su Muxin at all. He's dealt with her before. She has never told him a single true thing. But her reaction to Shi Muxian felt real. It was a raw mix of old grudges and new anger. Zhou Mi figures Qu Tong wouldn't help Su Muxin unless she had a really, really good reason.
Flashbacks and Old Grudges
We get a flashback to their school days. It explains some of that old anger. Shi Muxian once accused Qu Tong of sabotaging Shi Yue in a school beauty contest. The evidence was a smudged piece of paper. Qu Tong's mom, Shen Jing, came to defend her. But later, on the way home, Shen Jing slapped Qu Tong hard across the face.
Another flashback shows Hao Meili forcing Qu Tong to apologize to the whole class. Qu Tong stood there crying and saying sorry. Afterwards, a classmate called her a nasty name, "Daji." Su Muxin heard it and immediately beat the kid up. This tells you their bond was once incredibly strong.
Their old teacher, Zhang, tells Zhou Mi more about them. Qu Tong was quiet and didn't have many friends. She seemed soft but was actually very tough inside. Su Muxin pretty much only talked to Qu Tong. Teacher Zhang also heard that Su Muxin later got a government job at the AIC.
The Great Escape
The episode's biggest reveal is how Qu Tong has been helping Su Muxin. Wu Dong finally figures it out. Qu Tong knew the police were tailing her. She left a braille card in her car trunk for Su Muxin with a message: "Wait for my contact."
He hid in the trunk. Later, when Shi Muxian showed up with a knife to attack Qu Tong, the plan went into motion. Qu Tong got in the car. She told Su Muxin the escape route. Then she jumped out and ran, leading Shi Muxian away from the car. This gave Su Muxin the perfect chance to get away.
