Episode Summary
Xu Xiao and Lin Guoqiang investigate a dismemberment case, clashing over investigative approaches. They interview bar workers, leading to the discovery that the victim was Ai Lin, identified by her roommate Ye Xiaolan. A dorm manager is caught stealing women's underwear and implicates Ye Xiaolan in theft. DNA evidence provides new leads. Lin Guoqiang is attacked while investigating alone in the woods.
Spoiler Alert
"Hanging Mirrors" Episode 3: Digging Up Trouble (Recap & Spoilers)
Episode 3 kicks off with Xu Xiao and Lin Guoqiang hitting the archeological site. Chen Nan, flexing her expert knowledge of ancient tombs, throws out some clues about the dismembered body. Xu Xiao, though, isn't loving Chen Nan's know-it-all attitude and gets a bit snarky. He grumbles about wasting time. Lin Guoqiang, ever the believer, thinks the killer's gonna strike again and starts rambling about feng shui and superstitions from his notes. Xu Xiao, the voice of reason, isn't buying the mumbo jumbo and drags Lin Guoqiang to the forensics lab.
Based on the evidence, Xu Xiao figures the victim was probably in the service industry, maybe someone estranged from her family, making her harder to track down. He wants to hunt down people who work in similar fields for leads. So, they round up some women from a local bar and flash them photos of the victim's tattoos. At first, everyone's tight-lipped, scared of getting involved. But Xu Xiao lays it on thick, warning them they're all in danger if the killer isn't caught. Finally, two women, Ye Xiaolan and Qin Fang, recognize the tattoo. Ye Xiaolan IDs the victim as her good friend and roommate, Ai Lin.
Xu Xiao and the team raid Ye Xiaolan and Qin Fang's place, but the trail's gone cold – a lot of stuff's been tossed out, making the search a pain. The dorm manager and a cleaning lady show up, asking questions. Xu Xiao notices something fishy about the male dorm manager and has Da Fei tail him. Turns out, the manager's been secretly dumping a stash of women's underwear! Xu Xiao confronts him, and the manager admits he swiped the stuff for his weird fetish, but swears he had nothing to do with the murder. To cover his own butt, he snitches on Ye Xiaolan, claiming she also took a bunch of Ai Lin’s things. Cornered, Ye Xiaolan confesses to taking some of the victim's makeup. Xu Xiao hauls both of them down to the station.
While Xu Xiao's mulling things over, Yang Ju (Director Yang) brings in two colleagues from another department. They solved their case, but some loose ends remain. A missing woman hasn't been found, and they want to run a DNA comparison with Xu Xiao's case.
Taking a breather, Xu Xiao feels guilty about neglecting his mom because he's been swamped with work. He calls her up. Mom's super understanding and assures him she's doing fine, putting his mind at ease.
The DNA comparison turns up new leads, including some unique features on the victim's body that the killer missed.
Then, bam! It's a dark and stormy night. A figure in a raincoat is digging in the woods with a flashlight when a car pulls up. Xu Xiao ducks for cover. Someone else gets out and starts digging too. Suddenly, the first figure pulls a gun and reveals himself as Lin Guoqiang! He was trying to find clues on his own. But the other person ambushes him and knocks him out cold.
Lin Guoqiang ends up in the hospital. Xu Xiao rushes to his side. Lin Guoqiang recounts his run-in with the attacker. Xu Xiao chews him out for going solo and tells him he should have called for backup.
So, who attacked Lin Guoqiang? What will the DNA comparison reveal? And what was Lin Guoqiang hoping to find in the woods? Stay tuned!
