Episode Summary
Wu Keran cleverly turns the tables by drugging and capturing Jiang Xiao, staging her own kidnapping to lure him out. In a tense confrontation in the woods, Jiang Xiao nearly kills Wu Keran after escaping his bonds, but Cao Jin, Ning Zhen, and Lu Fan arrive just in time. Jiang Xiao plays the victim, blaming two deceased men, Li Guokun and Zhang Jianmin, potentially avoiding immediate charges and getting bail. During the police intervention, a mysterious black-clad figure escapes Ning Zhen. The investigation links to Lu Fan's father's case ("Shen Yuan"), creating a conflict of interest, but Lu Fan and Ning Zhen can continue for now. The episode ends with Lu Fan discovering that Ning Zhen's past actions indirectly led to his father's death, a secret she and Cao Jin kept from him.
Spoiler Alert
"Mie Zui" Episode 10 Recap & Spoilers: Things Get Wild
Alright, so the episode kicks off with our trio – Cao Jin, Ning Zhen, and Lu Fan – rushing over to Jiang Xiao's place. But surprise, surprise, it's totally empty. Inside, Cao Jin spots Wu Keran's phone and has that sinking "uh-oh" moment. He figures Jiang Xiao must have seen the text message he sent her, and now, the logical conclusion is that Jiang Xiao has kidnapped Wu Keran.
But hold onto your hats, because here comes the twist! It turns out Wu Keran is way ahead of everyone. She actually drugged Jiang Xiao first. Remember that dinner scene? She sneakily slipped some pills into his wine and then, pretty boldly, fed it to him mouth-to-mouth. So, right after Jiang Xiao saw that incriminating text and was probably about to turn nasty, the drug kicked in, and boom – he passed out. Wu Keran then cleverly staged the scene to look like she was the one abducted before hauling the unconscious Jiang Xiao off to the outskirts. Mastermind move, right?
When Jiang Xiao finally wakes up, he finds himself tied up, with Wu Keran demanding to know where her father is. Playing dirty, Jiang Xiao lies, pretending to lead her to the spot. He points to a tree, cruelly telling her that her father is buried right there. As Wu Keran is overcome with grief and momentarily distracted, Jiang Xiao seizes the opportunity, using a hidden knife to cut his ropes.
Once free, the tables turn brutally. Wu Keran is no match for Jiang Xiao, who quickly overpowers her. As if things weren't dramatic enough, a heavy rain starts pouring down. Jiang Xiao then begins dragging a struggling Wu Keran deeper into the dense woods.
Meanwhile, Cao Jin and the team spot Jiang Xiao's abandoned car by the roadside. They immediately figure the pair must have gone into the forest and start searching frantically.
The confrontation reaches its peak near the actual burial site of Wu Keran's father, Wu Fei. Jiang Xiao, knife in hand, is literally seconds away from killing Wu Keran. But wait, there's another player! A mysterious figure dressed all in black is hiding in the bushes, apparently about to intervene. Before the black-clad person can make a move, though – BANG! A gunshot echoes. It's Cao Jin and the others arriving just in the nick of time.
Hearing the police, Jiang Xiao instantly drops the knife, throws his hands up, and starts playing the victim, claiming he's the one who was attacked. Smooth, right?
The black-clad figure sees the cops and tries to slip away but accidentally steps on a twig, alerting Cao Jin. A chase ensues, with Ning Zhen desperately pursuing the fleeing figure, shouting questions about an old case and demanding to know their identity. The figure stops briefly, offering Ning Zhen a cryptic choice: learn about the case or learn their identity – but not both. Faced with this impossible decision, Ning Zhen hesitates, and the figure vanishes back into the woods.
Back at the station, Jiang Xiao is interrogated. Despite the evidence piling up (like, you know, almost murdering Wu Keran), he sticks to his story, shamelessly blaming everything on Li Guokun and Zhang Jianmin. Conveniently, both of them are dead, meaning "dead men tell no tales," and Jiang Xiao might just walk away clean for now. Lu Fan is absolutely livid, especially considering the immense risks Wu Keran took to get them this far. To make matters worse, Jiang Xiao's lawyer is already processing his bail – he could be out in just three days.
There's another complication: the investigation into "Shen Yuan" (Deep Abyss) is linked to Lu Fan's father's old case. Technically, this means both Lu Fan and Ning Zhen have a conflict of interest and should recuse themselves. However, since there's no direct evidence yet connecting Shen Yuan to the specific "Cangbei Naked Corpse Case" they're working on, they're allowed to keep digging for clues... for now.
In a smaller side plot, Officer Tao Zi notices a woman lingering nervously outside the police station. He approaches her, thinking she might need help, but just as she's about to speak, a car pulls up, and she quickly leaves. Hmm, suspicious!
Later, Cao Jin, Ning Zhen, and Lu Fan visit Wu Keran in the hospital. They break the news that Jiang Xiao isn't facing immediate punishment. Wu Keran is understandably devastated and furious. We see her later at her father's grave, overcome with grief and regret, pounding the ground with her fists.
Trying to comfort her, Ning Zhen starts revealing something about what happened "back then." This leads to the episode's final bombshell: Lu Fan overhears or pieces together that it was Ning Zhen who made a crucial phone call years ago, a call that indirectly led to his own father's death. He also realizes that Cao Jin and Ning Zhen have deliberately kept this secret from him all this time.
