Episode Summary
Ning Zhen and Lu Fan try to trick Mo Bei into revealing a body's burial location, but Mo Bei stays alert, evades their initial attempts, and even gets temporarily detained by Cao Jin before being released due to a convenient confession from someone else. Mo Bei uses refrigerated trucks in his movements, further complicating the chase. Although Ning Zhen and Lu Fan eventually deduce a potential burial area based on truck routes and find disturbed ground, the body unearthed by the police is not Ning Zhen's mother. With no direct evidence against Jiang Yan, Ning Zhen faces renewed pressure from the mysterious Shen Yuan to accept his violent methods for dealing with Jiang Yan, but she remains committed to achieving justice through legal means.
Spoiler Alert
So, Ning Zhen and Lu Fan are trying to play puppet masters. Their big plan? To subtly nudge Mo Bei into leading them straight to where a body is buried, hoping to finally get some solid evidence. The problem is, Mo Bei is practically glued to them, shadowing their every move, which makes Lu Fan's job super tricky.
Just when they're stuck, Ning Zhen gets an idea, deciding to use that mysterious video she got from Shen Yuan (remember him? Mr. Deep Abyss?). They start watching Mo Bei closely. At first, it looks like he's not biting. But then, they see him go home and come back out with a package. "Aha!" think Ning Zhen and Lu Fan, figuring their bait worked.
They're all set to follow Mo Bei to, presumably, the crime scene... when BAM! Tao Zi shows up out of nowhere and whisks Mo Bei away. Turns out, Cao Jin wants a word. Cao Jin's gut tells him Mo Bei was the one who attacked Wu Keran that night. But Mo Bei, smooth as ever, dodges the questions. Instead, he flips the script, bringing up his missing boss (implying Jiang Yan) and suggesting Cao Jin should be investigating Ning Zhen and Lu Fan. Classic deflection!
Meanwhile, Ning Zhen and Lu Fan are freaking out. If Mo Bei stays locked up at the police station (the Gong An Ju), their whole plan goes down the drain. But then, plot twist! Some random guy walks into the station and confesses... to burglary at Wu Keran's place. This forces Cao Jin's hand, and he has to let Mo Bei go, though he definitely keeps a suspicious eye on him.
Does Mo Bei lead them to the burial site as planned? Nope. He heads straight to a bar to chill. Ning Zhen and Lu Fan follow, but plot twist again: they don't realize the waiter at the bar is actually Mo Bei's guy, feeding him intel on their location!
Mo Bei then makes a show of picking up a woman at the bar and taking her home. Lu Fan's getting nervous, thinking Mo Bei totally knows they're onto him and won't fall for anything now. But Ning Zhen has a feeling Mo Bei isn't done yet, so they wait.
And she's right. After waiting a while, they see the lights go out at Mo Bei's place. Ning Zhen dashes out of the car and spots Mo Bei driving out of the underground garage. Scramble! Ning Zhen rushes back to Lu Fan, telling him to call Tao Zi ASAP to use the "Tian Yan" system (think city-wide surveillance cameras) to track Mo Bei's car. But Tao Zi isn't picking up! In desperation, Lu Fan has to call Cao Jin directly.
Things escalate. Mo Bei apparently has several refrigerated trucks involved now. Cao Jin manages to catch up and demands to inspect the vehicles.
However, without concrete evidence, they can't hold Mo Bei for long. They detain him briefly, using the excuse of suspecting contraband in the trucks. This gives Ning Zhen and Lu Fan a window to keep digging. They discover that the Jiang Group actually has seven refrigerated trucks, but they only found six that night. One was sent off to be cleaned. Bingo! They investigate this missing truck, find its license plate was swapped, and start meticulously tracking the convoy's routes, trying pinpoint exactly when and where Mo Bei split off from the others.
They analyze the data, focusing on the area where Mo Bei likely left the main route. By ruling out residential areas and other unlikely spots, they manage to narrow down the search zone considerably.
Their search leads them to a spot out in the suburbs. Ning Zhen notices an area of clay soil that looks like it's been recently disturbed – a potential dig site! They immediately notify the police.
Now, because Ning Zhen and Lu Fan have been suspended (or are otherwise barred from the official investigation at this point), they can't enter the crime scene. They're stuck waiting behind the police tape. The closer they get to the truth, the more anxious Ning Zhen becomes, terrified about what might have happened to her mother. Lu Fan senses her fear and reassures her, promising they'll face whatever comes together.
The police do find a buried female body. But... it's not Ning Zhen's mother.
Ning Zhen is incredibly frustrated. Even finding a body isn't enough. There's still no direct evidence tying Jiang Yan to the murder, meaning the real killer could still walk free.
Just to make things even more intense, Shen Yuan calls Ning Zhen again. Since she failed to find evidence that would legally convict Jiang Yan, Shen Yuan pushes her to accept his "gift" (which sounds suspiciously like vigilante justice). He even threatens to kill Jiang Yan himself if Ning Zhen refuses. But Ning Zhen stands her ground, insisting that Jiang Yan must be punished through the proper legal channels, not by taking the law into their own hands.
