Episode Summary
The investigation takes a dramatic turn when Liu Zixuan's testimony provides new clues. The task force uncovers Liao Boyan's secret obsession with Yang Yan: she is the recipient of his deceased daughter's heart, and he views her as his daughter's second life. Liao Boyan confesses to protecting Yang Yan from her husband, Yang Youmo, who was being manipulated by Zhao Qian. The episode's biggest shock comes when Wang Ya reveals that Yang Yan is still alive. The task force finds her living in the countryside, her death having been staged. Faced with this revelation, the mastermind Zhao Qian breaks down and confesses her true motive: a twisted game of revenge against Yang Youmo, whose hypocrisy reminded her of her own hated father.
Spoiler Alert
"The Perfect Suspect" Episode 15 Recap: The Living Ghost
Just when the task force thought they were closing in on the truth, this episode blows the case wide open with a stunning revelation that changes everything: Yang Yan is alive. The path to this bombshell is paved with heartbreak, deception, and a confession driven by the most twisted form of revenge.
A Child's Testimony and a Father's Secret
With Liu Zixuan now safe at home, the special task force pays her a visit. Though her mother, Sun Ting, is trying to mend their fractured relationship, the girl is still shaken. However, Liu Zixuan bravely provides a crucial piece of the puzzle: she went looking for Yang Yan on her own after being told about a "secret base." She also confirms that while Wang Ya did abduct her, she was treated with kindness, deepening the mystery around Wang Ya's role in the conspiracy.
The investigation pivots sharply when Li Keran finds Yang Yan's graduation photo. In it, Liao Boyan is standing beside Yang Yan, where her own parents should be. Armed with this discrepancy, Zhong Ning confronts Liao Boyan and unravels a five-year-old tragedy. Liao Boyan's daughter, Liao Yifan, died in a car accident, and her heart was donated. In his grief, Liao Boyan broke regulations to find the recipient: Yang Yan. Since then, he has viewed her as the continuation of his own daughter's life, watching over her from the shadows.
Confessions and Consequences
Under interrogation, Liao Boyan's story comes pouring out. He admits to everything. He witnessed Yang Youmo, manipulated by the venomous Zhao Qian, turn against his own family. Liao Boyan thwarted two of Yang Youmo's attempts to murder Yang Yan, but his protection wasn't enough to prevent her eventual "disappearance." He also confesses to having Wang Ya plant a listening device on Yang Youmo's phone, which is how he has proof of Zhao Qian's incitement to murder. His obsession is so complete that when Zhong Ning presses him, he declares with chilling conviction: "Yang Yan is my daughter."
The plot thickens when a medical exam reveals Liao Boyan does not have Alzheimer's disease; he faked the illness to conceal an even greater secret. Cornered, he refuses to say more, instead making a desperate plea to Zhong Ning. Referencing a time he saved Zhong Ning's child, Zhong Renxi, he asks for a "quick end," placing the detective in an impossible moral bind between his personal debt and his professional duty.
The Dead Don't Stay Dead
The deadlock is finally broken by Wang Ya. Overcome with guilt, she tells the task force where to find Yang Yan. Racing to a small house in the countryside, the team finds the impossible: Yang Yan, alive and well, living with an individual named Tan Qing. Her supposed death at the reservoir was an elaborately staged deception.
A Mastermind's Final Monologue
The news of Yang Yan's survival sends Zhao Qian into a complete breakdown. In a chilling final confession, she lays her soul bare. She never loved Yang Youmo; from the moment they met, she saw in him the same loathsome hypocrisy as her own father, Zhao Yinghong. Her entire relationship with Yang Youmo was a twisted game designed to expose his weakness and destroy him as an act of revenge. She admits to hating her father's "survival of the fittest" worldview, only to realize with bitter self-loathing that she has become a mirror image of him. "I've become the very thing I hate the most," she confesses, her destructive game finally at an end.
With Yang Yan's return, the entire case is turned on its head. But critical questions remain. What is the secret Liao Boyan is willing to die to protect? What is the true nature of the connection between Zhao Qian and her father? And with his conscience torn between gratitude and justice, how will Zhong Ning find his way through the wreckage?
