Episode Summary
Ning Zhen risks everything to save Lu Fan from Mo Bei, exchanging a U-disk for his life. During their escape, Jiang Yan confesses to murdering Ning Zhen's mother before mysteriously disappearing. Mo Bei later confronts the injured Ning Zhen, demanding Jiang Yan's whereabouts. Suspicions arise around Wu Keran, Qiao En, and the enigmatic "Shen Yuan." Shen Yuan sends Ning Zhen a video of the captive Jiang Yan and issues an ultimatum: find evidence to ensure Jiang Yan faces legal justice within three days, or Shen Yuan will kill her. With the U-disk evidence gone, Ning Zhen realizes she must find her mother's remains.
Spoiler Alert
Mie Zui - Episode 19 Recap & Spoilers: The Clock is Ticking
Alright, buckle up, because this episode was a non-stop rollercoaster!
We kick things off with Ning Zhen in a desperate race against time. After sending her location to Cao Jin (smart move!), she pushes herself to reach the meeting point Mo Bei dictated. She's clearly running on fumes, flashing back to a childhood memory involving Lu Fan's dad and counting trees – talk about random motivation, but hey, whatever works! She has to make it. Meanwhile, Cao Jin is understandably freaking out, worried sick about both Ning Zhen and Lu Fan.
Back at the rendezvous, time's up. Mo Bei sees no sign of Ning Zhen and, being the delightful villain he is, decides waiting is overrated and pulls out a knife, ready to end things for Lu Fan. Talk about pressure!
But wait! Right in the nick of time, Ning Zhen bursts onto the scene! Lu Fan, probably terrified but also annoyed she risked herself, gives her grief for coming. Ning Zhen, however, is laser-focused on the rescue. She pulls a major bluff, claiming she's uploaded everything incriminating to her phone. If Mo Bei doesn't swap Lu Fan back safely as promised, she hits 'send'. Checkmate?
Mo Bei, seemingly cornered, agrees to the exchange. Ning Zhen tosses the U-disk over, grabs Lu Fan, and they make a break for it. Ning Zhen knows Mo Bei isn't the type to just let them walk away. Sure enough, Mo Bei glances at the U-disk's contents and immediately gives chase. Just as Ning Zhen and Lu Fan reach their car, Mo Bei catches up, gun drawn. Oof.
Just when you think things can't get more complicated, Jiang Yan shows up! And get this – she straight-up confesses to murdering Ning Zhen's mother right then and there! After dropping that bombshell, she casually gets back into a car. Mo Bei, feeling pretty smug about his apparent victory, prepares to shoot Ning Zhen and Lu Fan.
Suddenly, sirens! The police are closing in (thanks, Cao Jin!). Mo Bei hears the sirens and makes a run for it, leaving his dirty work unfinished. Cao Jin arrives to find Ning Zhen and Lu Fan shaken but alive, furious at how close they came to being killed. Seriously, a few seconds later, and it could have been game over.
Cut to the hospital: Ning Zhen is injured but stable. Neither she nor Lu Fan has any clue how many people Mo Bei might have working with him. After Cao Jin and Lu Fan step out, guess who pays Ning Zhen a visit? Mo Bei himself, sneaking into her room! He's not there to finish the job, though. He demands to know where Jiang Yan is – apparently, she's vanished! Ning Zhen is just as confused as he is. Mo Bei reasons that the confrontation spot was remote; besides Ning Zhen and Lu Fan, who else could have possibly known to grab Jiang Yan? Ning Zhen has a hunch: maybe the mysterious "Shen Yuan" took her. Worried about Jiang Yan, Mo Bei doesn't stick around to torture Ning Zhen further and leaves to investigate.
Perfect timing, Lu Fan returns just as Mo Bei is leaving. Seeing him sends Lu Fan rushing into Ning Zhen's room, frantic. Ning Zhen fills him in: Jiang Yan is missing. Lu Fan puts his thinking cap on and theorizes that Wu Keran might have tipped off Shen Yuan, though he can't figure out how they'd be communicating. This sparks a memory for Ning Zhen – when she visited Qiao En, Qiao En somehow already knew she was coming. Could Qiao En be the link between Wu Keran and Shen Yuan? Pretending she feels unwell, Ning Zhen gets Lu Fan to leave so she can secretly text Qiao En, asking about Jiang Yan.
Meanwhile, Wu Keran is a bundle of nerves, trying to get info from Shen Yuan about Jiang Yan's whereabouts but getting radio silence. Cao Jin shows up with food (sweet, but maybe not the time?), and Wu Keran tries to subtly pump him for case details, but Cao Jin remains tight-lipped. Just then, Wu Keran gets a text (presumably from Shen Yuan) and quickly retreats to her room, making Cao Jin suspicious.
Ning Zhen also confronts Qiao En directly, but Qiao En denies knowing anything about Jiang Yan's location. Still stressed, Wu Keran seeks comfort from Luo Yin. Luo Yin advises her not to let hatred consume her and gives her a sleep-monitoring bracelet (random?). Right after Wu Keran leaves, Ning Zhen arrives and catches Luo Yin looking at Wu Keran's files. Hmm, interesting...
Later, Ning Zhen receives a chilling video on her phone: it's Jiang Yan, trapped inside a cage! Then, Shen Yuan calls. The deal? Ning Zhen has exactly three days to find concrete evidence to ensure Jiang Yan faces legal justice for her crimes. If she fails, Shen Yuan will kill Jiang Yan.
The pressure is immense. Ning Zhen realizes the U-disk evidence is gone (thanks to the earlier confrontation). To prove Jiang Yan's guilt now, she needs something undeniable: her mother's body. The search is on, and the clock is ticking... fast.
