Episode Summary
Lu Fan and Ning Zhen capture a suspect linked to "Shen Yuan," Li Jing's brother, who confesses to stalking Wu Keran and killing Zhao Weiguo and Qian Xian out of revenge for his sister, but denies other murders. Forced by Cao Jin to stay off the case, they hand the suspect to Tao Zi. The investigation turns towards the Jiang Corporation, run by Jiang Yan since her father's accident. Lu Fan and Ning Zhen face resistance from Jiang Yan and her brother, Jiang Xiao. Later, Cao Jin arrests Jiang Xiao after observing his suspicious behavior. Meanwhile, Ning Zhen reviews old footage, discovering evidence suggesting Wu Fei was framed for murder by someone driving a Jiang Corporation car primarily used by Jiang Xiao. Jiang Xiao is interrogated but quickly released when the company lawyer intervenes.
Spoiler Alert
Mie Zui - Episode 8 Recap & Spoilers: The Walls Start Closing In?
Alright, so right off the bat, Lu Fan actually manages to catch someone connected to the whole "Shen Yuan" mess. First thing he does? Calls Tao Zi. Why? Because Captain Cao Jin, being the boss, has basically told Lu Fan and Ning Zhen to keep their noses out of the Shen Yuan case. So, they have no choice but to hand their freshly caught suspect over to Tao Zi.
Of course, Tao Zi scrambling off like that immediately pings Cao Jin's radar. Worried about his subordinate, Cao Jin tails him, only to find Tao Zi... with the suspect already apprehended. Tao Zi tries to play it cool, claiming he made the catch. But Cao Jin isn't buying it – he knows cops don't just leave a suspect chilling by themselves. The truth? Ning Zhen had spotted someone tailing Wu Keran earlier. She and Wu Keran actually cooked up a little plan and managed to trap the stalker themselves! Turns out, this guy had only just bought Wu Keran's personal info. Small fish, maybe?
Meanwhile, Lu Fan hits the archives, digging deeper into the old "Cangbei Nude Corpse Case." Problem is, some files are missing – checked out by none other than Cao Jin. Never easy, is it? Lu Fan and Ning Zhen then track down Cao Jin to get the scoop on the interrogation of the guy they did catch.
Here's what they learn:
The suspect is Li Jing's brother, an IT guy. He found out his sister had been assaulted while fixing her computer (ouch). Driven by revenge, he used the Shen Yuan website to go after people. He admits he was tailing Wu Keran the previous night, claiming he just didn't want anyone else to get hurt. He also confesses to killing Zhao Weiguo and Qian Xian. However, he insists he had nothing to do with the deaths of Li Guokun and Zhang Jianmin. Hmm.
Putting their heads together, Ning Zhen figures they need to look into the Jiang Corporation (Jiang Shi Ji Tuan). Why? Because they hired Wu Fei way back when. Bit of background: the company's old chairman had an "accidental" fall 15 years ago and has been in a vegetative state ever since. His daughter, Jiang Yan, stepped up, took charge, and has done pretty well with the company.
So, Ning Zhen and Lu Fan head over to Jiang Corp HQ. Surprise! They find out Jiang Yan isn't the only heir – there's a younger brother, Jiang Xiao, known around the office as "Little Jiang General" (or something similar). They try to see Jiang Yan, but get stuck waiting for two hours. Eventually, Jiang Xiao comes out to meet them, spinning a tale about his sister being tied up with important clients. Lu Fan and Ning Zhen try asking him about an old employee blackmail incident, but Jiang Xiao gives them a smooth, practiced answer that reveals absolutely nothing useful. As they're leaving, guess who they see heading out? Jiang Yan. Looks like she wasn't busy, just dodging them. Shady.
Trying another angle, they visit the family of the employee involved in that past blackmail incident, but hit another dead end – no helpful info there either.
Back to brainstorming, Ning Zhen starts thinking the video evidence implicating Wu Fei might be a setup – deliberately faked to point the cops in Wu Fei's direction. Lu Fan immediately starts pulling up old surveillance footage to check it out.
On a side note, Wu Keran tracks down Cao Jin, wanting to treat him to dinner as a thank you. And guess who happens to see this little interaction? Yep, Lu Fan. Awkward? Maybe.
Later that night, we see Jiang Xiao living it up at a bar, surrounded by women but still looking bored... until he spots an attractive woman drinking alone. Typical.
Meanwhile, Cao Jin is driving Wu Keran home. Stopped at a red light, he spots Jiang Xiao making out with a woman in another car. His cop senses tingling, Cao Jin decides to follow. Jiang Xiao quickly realizes he's being tailed and abruptly kicks the woman out of his car (classy). Cao Jin uses the opportunity to call for backup and gets Jiang Xiao pulled over and nabbed, ostensibly for drunk driving.
The Big Breakthrough:
While all that drama is unfolding, Ning Zhen strikes gold reviewing the old surveillance footage. She notices something crucial: there was another car following Wu Fei's car back then! Her theory explodes: What if Wu Fei was murdered by someone in that car? And what if the killer then drove Wu Fei's car around, intentionally getting caught on camera to frame Wu Fei and send the police down the wrong path?
The police trace the suspicious car from the footage... and it belongs to the Jiang Corporation. The primary user? Jiang Xiao.
Boom. Cao Jin and Lu Fan haul Jiang Xiao in for questioning. But he's completely uncooperative, stonewalling them. And just when they might be getting somewhere, the Jiang Corporation's lawyer shows up and gets Jiang Xiao released.
So, Episode 8 leaves us with a major new suspect in Jiang Xiao, a potential frame job involving Wu Fei, and our leads hitting a legal wall. Things just got way more interesting! Can't wait to see how they try to pin down the slippery Jiang Xiao next.
