Episode Summary
The investigation into Yang Youmo's death intensifies as new consultant Zhong Ning joins the task force, creating tension with team leader Zheng Gang. The team is caught between the conflicting accounts of Yang's mother, Zhang Qiaoyun, who blames his ex-lover Zhao Qian for her family's string of tragedies, and Zhao Qian, who denies involvement. Key clues emerge: the 92-meter height of Yang's death matches the height of his wife Luo Lijuan's supposed suicide, and the nursery rhyme "Hide and Seek" links multiple crime scenes. The investigation into the drugs used on Yang leads to a gambler, Xie Wuqiang, who begins tailing the mysterious man who purchased the substance, setting up a tense cliffhanger.
Spoiler Alert
"The Perfect Suspect" Episode 3 Recap & Spoilers: The Deadly Clue in the Nursery Rhyme
The investigation into the bizarre death of Yang Youmo deepens, pulling the task force into a web of conflicting testimonies, buried family secrets, and psychological warfare. With the arrival of a new, sharp-witted consultant, the team uncovers clues that suggest Yang Youmo's death was not an isolated incident but the final act in a devastating family tragedy, with the key to it all possibly hidden in the lyrics of a children's song.
A Tale of Two Women
The episode finds the task force at a standstill, caught between two fiercely opposing narratives from the two women central to Yang Youmo's life. In one corner is Zhao Qian, the powerful head of Green Cloud Group and Yang Youmo's former lover. When confronted by the gruff detective Zheng Gang, she coolly denies any involvement, admitting only to a past affair that she claims ended abruptly once she discovered he was married.
In the other corner is Zhang Qiaoyun, Yang Youmo's grieving mother. Her story is one of pure tragedy and relentless accusation. When the brilliant but unconventional consultant Zhong Ning visits her posing as an old classmate of Yang's, Zhang Qiaoyun unleashes her pain. She recounts a horrifying sequence of events that began after Yang Youmo met Zhao Qian: first, her daughter-in-law, Luo Lijuan, fell to her death in an apparent suicide; then, her five-month-old grandson, Yang Tong, suffocated in his crib; and finally, both her daughter Yang Yan and son Yang Youmo were killed. For Zhang Qiaoyun, there is no doubt—Zhao Qian is the monster responsible for destroying her entire family.
A New Face and Old Tensions
Facing this impasse, Captain Zhang Yiming makes a decisive move: he brings in Zhong Ning as a temporary consultant to the task force. This decision is met with clear reluctance from team leader Zheng Gang, who has a strained history with Zhong. However, an order is an order. The tension between the two is palpable, but a personal connection to the case gives Zhong Ning's presence more weight: his daughter, Zhong Renxi, was a classmate of the victim, Yang Yan. Despite their cold start, Zhong Ning and Zheng Gang agree to set aside their differences to pursue the truth, starting with Zhao Qian.
Echoes from a Deadly Fall
The team's first stop is the Yang family home, where Zhong Ning has a startling realization. He recalls that Yang Youmo died on a crane platform 92 meters high.On a hunch, he has officer Li Keran measure the distance from the family's apartment window to the ground. The result is a perfect match: 92 meters. This discovery casts Luo Lijuan's suicide in a new, sinister light. The team theorizes that her fall was no suicide; it was a murder staged to look like one, and it's the precipitating event for all the deaths that followed. Both Zhong Ning and Zheng Gang come to a chilling conclusion: the killer is likely seeking revenge for Luo Lijuan.
The "Hide and Seek" Connection
A visit to a local baby supply store that Luo Lijuan frequented provides another critical piece of the puzzle. The store owner remembers Luo Lijuan as a devoted mother but notes she seemed more emotionally invested in her husband, Yang Youmo. The owner also recalls an incident where a frantic Luo Lijuan ran into the store, claiming she was being followed. While surveillance footage showed nothing, one detail stands out: the nursery rhyme "Hide and Seek" was playing in the store at that exact moment. Zhong Ning makes an immediate connection—it's the same song that was playing from the altimeter device when Yang Youmo died on the crane.
Corporate Stonewalling and a New Lead
The investigation leads the team back to the formidable Zhao Qian at the Green Cloud Group. Zhong Ning cuts straight to the point: the adrenaline that killed Yang Youmo and an anesthetic used in Zhao Qian's own recent kidnapping were both manufactured by her company. He demands six months of shipping records. Zhao Qian stonewalls them, claiming such an inquiry would disrupt her company and the city's economy. The standoff is broken by the arrival of Captain Zhang Yiming, who, after reprimanding his team for their aggressive tactics, personally oversees the request. Zhao Qian relents.
This pressure tactic yields a new lead. Zhao Qian's associate, Liu Renkai, traces a batch of the suspicious drug to a desperate gambler named Xie Wuqiang, a man with a history of domestic abuse and theft. Liu Renkai confronts Xie, demanding to know who purchased the drug from him on the day Yang Youmo died.
A Picture's Hidden Pain and a Final Pursuit
While the team unwinds over a barbecue, Zhong Ning pores over the Yang family photos. He notices that in their official family portrait, Luo Lijuan’s smile is forced and joyless. A quick check of the timeline reveals a heartbreaking detail: the photo was taken the day after their son, Yang Tong, was born. On the day of the birth, Yang Youmo had spent the entire day with Zhao Qian, exposing a deep fracture in the family's "perfect" facade.
The episode culminates in a tense chase. Following Liu Renkai's orders, Xie Wuqiang has his son stake out their apartment building. They successfully identify the man who bought the drugs. Xie follows the mysterious figure through the streets, attempting to make contact, but the man ignores him, walking silently and purposefully into the night, setting the stage for a direct and dangerous confrontation.
