Episode Summary
Following the discovery of Feng Xiaojuan's body, Captain Cao Jin investigates her murder, quickly learning she is the ex-wife of the recently released Li Guokun. Cao Jin encounters a young officer, Ning Zhen, who seems unusually interested in Li Guokun and reveals he is the son of Ning Defu. Li Guokun has an alibi confirmed by CCTV, but Ning Zhen spots inconsistencies. Meanwhile, detective Lu Fan is barred from the case by Cao Jin but investigates independently, leading to a confrontation and uneasy truce proposal with Ning Zhen at the victim's home. The investigation struggles for leads, while Cao Jin probes Ning Zhen's background and Li Guokun remains the prime suspect despite his alibi.
Spoiler Alert
Mie Zui Episode 2 recap & spoilers
The episode kicks off with Captain Cao Jin rolling up to a crime scene by the river. The local cops have already secured the area and ID'd the victim – a woman named Feng Xiaojuan. Now, here's where it gets interesting: Cao Jin spots a familiar face among the local officers, the same young cop who was recently looking for Li Guokun. Smelling something fishy, Cao Jin cleverly cooks up an excuse to "borrow" this officer from the local precinct chief.
Alone with the officer, Cao Jin tries to casually ask about the Li Guokun situation, but the officer totally clams up, pretending he doesn't know much. That is, until Cao Jin drops the bomb: the dead woman, Feng Xiaojuan, is none other than Li Guokun's ex-wife. That gets a major reaction out of the young cop. Hmm.
The investigation moves to Feng Xiaojuan's apartment, which turns out to be the primary crime scene. She was killed there before being dumped in the river. The place and nearby trash cans are getting tossed for clues. Just then, Lu Fan arrives on the scene. Right on cue, the "borrowed" officer finds a potential piece of evidence – a knife. Lu Fan, eager to jump in, notices the officer looks familiar and seems a bit too involved for just a regular beat cop. He wants to question him, but Cao Jin swoops in and shuts it down, telling Lu Fan he's off this case.
Lu Fan isn't having it. He argues that Li Guokun, just out of prison for a week, is the prime suspect now that his ex-wife, who seemingly escaped harm back then, is dead. But Cao Jin holds firm, worried Lu Fan will let his emotions run wild and get himself hurt again (clearly some backstory there!).
Cao Jin then takes the new officer (whose name we still don't know!) to track down Li Guokun. Turns out, the officer doesn't know where Li Guokun lives, giving Cao Jin the perfect opening to ask why he went to the mental hospital to pick up Li Guokun in the first place. The officer finally fesses up – he was trying to ask Li Guokun about something from way back, looking for someone specific.
They find Li Guokun, who denies everything. He claims he didn't have time to commit the murder and hasn't even seen Feng Xiaojuan since getting out. With no immediate leads, Cao Jin leaves, but not before pointedly telling Li Guokun that his ex-wife is dead. Cold.
Cao Jin then checks the surveillance footage from a supermarket near Li Guokun's place. The timeline seems to back up Li Guokun's alibi – he seemingly didn't have the window of opportunity. However, the sharp-eyed young officer notices a crack in the story: Li Guokun claimed he wasn't paying attention to the time, but the CCTV footage clearly shows him repeatedly checking the time while shopping. Busted!
After leaving the supermarket, Cao Jin tells the officer he can go. As they part ways, Cao Jin finally asks his name. Drumroll... the young officer is Ning Zhen, the son of Ning Defu (a name that likely resonates from the past!).
Meanwhile, Lu Fan isn't one to sit on the sidelines. He decides to investigate solo and sneaks over to Feng Xiaojuan's place that night. He spots a shadowy figure in black trying to get into the apartment! Thinking they're tampering with evidence, Lu Fan moves in to make an arrest. A fight breaks out – the figure is surprisingly skilled – and in the struggle, Lu Fan realizes he's fighting Ning Zhen!
Awkward. Ning Zhen figures out Lu Fan is also digging into Li Guokun and suggests they team up. But Lu Fan is hesitant, maybe distrustful. He asks Ning Zhen point-blank why he's so invested in Li Guokun. Ning Zhen dodges the question and throws it right back at Lu Fan. With neither willing to spill their secrets, they part ways on tense terms.
Back home, Ning Zhen looks at a photo of his mother, flashing back to seeing Li Guokun upon his release – Li Guokun apparently gave him nothing. Separately, the source material mentions Cao Jin looking at a photo of his mother, thinking Li Guokun might be the key to finding her, but feeling lost. (This might imply parallel motivations or just slightly confusing narration in the source).
Cao Jin holds a case meeting. Lu Fan, ever the rebel, is eavesdropping outside. The investigation is stalled, and Cao Jin decides they need to broaden the search and focus on finding the exact spot where the body was dumped into the river. He also asks his colleague Tao Zi to dig deeper into Ning Zhen's background, feeling the official record is too clean or basic.
The episode wraps up with Ning Zhen mediating a petty dispute between some elderly neighbors. As he leaves, he witnesses police making an arrest nearby and clocks a delivery driver in the vicinity – could be nothing, could be something.
Phew! So, Episode 2 throws us deeper into the mystery, revealing Ning Zhen's identity and personal stake, highlighting the friction between Cao Jin and Lu Fan, and showing Li Guokun is definitely hiding something despite his apparent alibi. Lots of threads dangling!
Just a quick note for those new to C-dramas: Unlike many Western shows with a weekly episode drop, Chinese dramas often air multiple episodes per week or even daily, so the story moves much faster! Keep that in mind as you follow along.