Episode Summary
Ning Zhen and Lu Fan grow more suspicious of the Jiang sisters' evasiveness and tail them, but the sisters put on an act. Meanwhile, Wu Keran, desperate for news about her missing father, agrees to Cao Jin's DNA request and then receives a cryptic call telling her to seek out Jiang Xiao for clues. She decides to use herself as bait, dressing provocatively to attract Jiang Xiao's attention. Cao Jin's investigation uncovers Jiang Xiao's suspicious money transfer and connection to a missing drunk woman. Wu Keran arranges to meet Jiang Xiao and agrees to dinner at his house, ignoring Cao Jin's worried calls. Just as Cao Jin discovers Wu Keran's destination and sends a warning text, Jiang Xiao sees the message on her phone while she's in the bathroom.
Spoiler Alert
Mie Zui - Episode 9 Recap & Spoilers
The episode kicks off with Ning Zhen spotting Jiang Yan picking up her sister, Jiang Xiao. Now, Ning Zhen and Lu Fan have had their suspicions about these two for a while. Remember how Jiang Yan totally dodged meeting them before? And Jiang Xiao's excuses have been pretty flimsy. Ning Zhen's gut is screaming that the Jiang sisters are deliberately hiding something major. So, she and Lu Fan decide to tail them. However, Jiang Yan and Jiang Xiao aren't amateurs; they quickly realize they're being followed and decide to put on a little performance, basically acting out a scene for Ning Zhen and Lu Fan's benefit, trying to throw them off the scent.
Meanwhile, Wu Keran is still obsessed with cracking that old case. She approaches Cao Jin again, hoping to get some inside info, even if it means bending the rules. Cao Jin, sticking to protocol, doesn't give anything away. Instead, he throws her a curveball: he needs to collect her DNA. This immediately sets off alarm bells for Wu Keran. Why would they need her DNA unless... something happened to her missing father? The thought terrifies her.
Later, we see a glimpse of Jiang Xiao's character that's pretty unsettling. He spots an attractive woman who's clearly had too much to drink. Playing the part of a concerned bystander, he offers her a ride home. The woman, seeing his fancy car and decent looks, figures he's loaded and, perhaps unwisely, goes along with it, getting into his car.
Back with Wu Keran, she's heartbroken and desperate, repeatedly calling her father's old, disconnected phone number. Miraculously, on one attempt, someone actually picks up! She's ecstatic for a split second, but the mysterious voice on the other end doesn't offer comfort. Instead, they give her a cryptic instruction: if she wants clues about her father, she needs to find Jiang Xiao.
This phone call lights a fire under Wu Keran. Recalling that Jiang Xiao seems to have a thing for certain types of women, she makes a dangerous gamble. The next day, she deliberately dolls herself up, aiming for a sexy look calculated to grab Jiang Xiao's attention. She's resolved to use herself as bait, willing to sacrifice her own safety for any chance to find out what happened to her dad.
While Wu Keran prepares her risky plan, Cao Jin is still investigating. He discusses with Ning Zhen and Lu Fan how the Jiang sisters seem too vigilant, almost unnaturally so. His colleague, Tao Zi, then delivers a potentially crucial piece of information: records show Jiang Xiao once transferred money to a man named Zhang Jianmin. The plot thickens!
Wu Keran puts her plan into action. She engineers a seemingly accidental "meet-cute" with Jiang Xiao, making sure they exchange contact information. As luck, or perhaps misfortune, would have it, Cao Jin happens to drive by and sees them talking. He calls Wu Keran right away, sensing something is off, but she lies, brushing off his concerns and not revealing her true intentions.
Later, Jiang Xiao texts Wu Keran, feigning concern. Playing hard to get, she ignores him at first. But that evening, she replies, using a supposed minor injury as a pretext to send him a provocative photo – specifically, a picture of her leg where the "wound" is. This works exactly as she intended (and feared?). Jiang Xiao's interest is piqued, and his messages become overtly flirtatious and suggestive. Wu Keran plays along, matching his ambiguous energy. The dangerous dance continues, culminating in her agreeing to have dinner at his place.
Just as Wu Keran is heading towards potential danger, Tao Zi digs up another disturbing lead for Cao Jin: a young woman recently vanished after a night of drinking at a bar located near where Jiang Xiao's car had been tracked. This immediately connects in Cao Jin's mind with the drunk woman he saw Jiang Xiao pick up earlier. Extremely worried, Cao Jin tries calling Wu Keran again. She sees his call while en route to Jiang Xiao's apartment but deliberately ignores it.
Wu Keran arrives at Jiang Xiao's home. She's not naive; she knows this could be incredibly dangerous, like walking straight into the lion's den. But the drive to find her father pushes her forward. During dinner, she keeps up the facade, continuing to flirt and subtly entice Jiang Xiao.
Meanwhile, Cao Jin, unable to reach Wu Keran, goes to her apartment only to find her gone. Panic setting in, he immediately calls his colleague Xiao Yu and asks them to track Wu Keran's ride-share information – where did she go? Xiao Yu quickly finds the destination address. Cao Jin instantly texts Wu Keran a warning message. He also forwards the address to Ning Zhen and Lu Fan, hoping they can get there too.
But here’s the cliffhanger: Inside the apartment, Wu Keran excuses herself to go to the bathroom, leaving her purse (and phone) behind. Just then, Cao Jin's urgent warning message flashes across her phone screen... and Jiang Xiao sees it.
Gulp. Talk about ending on a tense note! Looks like Wu Keran's dangerous game just got infinitely more complicated. Can't wait to see what happens next!
