Episode Summary
Xia Mo successfully locates Liu Shuangzhu's body and believes he has secured the key evidence needed to solve the case. However, he is outmaneuvered by the combined influence of the Gao family and a corrupt police official, Yang Zezhi, who closes the case by framing an innocent person. A flashback reveals a surprising new alliance between Gao Ying and Yang Zezhi, who have decided to investigate the conspiracy together. The episode concludes with a cliffhanger as Xia Mo discovers that Shen Ruchun bears the same distinctive wound as the murder victims.
Spoiler Alert
Rosefinch: Episode 18 Spoilers
While eating at a roadside diner, Xia Mo overhears Liangzi, a member of the Qingzhu Gang, mention that he was ordered to bury a batch of bones the day before. Xia Mo manages to drug and later interrogate Liangzi, threatening him with a knife to get the full story. That evening, following the lead, Xia Mo digs up a set of burnt remains in a suburban wasteland, seeing through Gao Ying's scheme to swap the bodies. Suddenly, Gao Ying appears, demanding to know why Xia Mo continuously opposes her family. Unfazed by her threats, Xia Mo remains resolute, knowing he is the only one who can make the corpse reveal the truth.
Following this, Xia Mo accompanies Gao Ying back to a dilapidated temple, where he watches her drag out the body of Liu Shuangzhu. Upon examining the corpse, Xia Mo discovers a diamond-shaped wound identical to one from the Yunli case. He feigns a major discovery to lure Gao Ying closer, then uses a drugged handkerchief to knock her unconscious, planning to take the body as crucial evidence.
Just as he makes his move, Zuo Ping and A Hu rush into the temple, finding Gao Ying in a daze. Gao Ying forces herself to give chase, but it's too late; Xia Mo has already handed the body over to Yang Zezhi for an official inquiry. Defeated, Gao Ying can only stand and watch as the evidence is taken away.
Meanwhile, Tang Zhenyun's interrogation of Kong Shun hits a wall when Kong Shun suddenly confesses to being the real killer, a clear attempt to take the fall for someone else. When Xia Mo returns to the police station and hears this, he grows suspicious. He calls Yang Zezhi to ask about the body, only to be told that no corpse was ever received. It's then that Xia Mo realizes the Gao family has outplayed them once again.
At the final hour of the deadline to solve the case, Yang Zezhi officially closes it, pinning all the blame on Zhang Zhiqiu while commending Tang Zhenyun for his work. Gao Susheng then appears at the station and leaves in the same car as Yang Zezhi. When Xia Mo shoots him a questioning glare, Yang Zezhi silently draws the car's curtain, confirming the corruption.
A flashback reveals that four hours earlier, Yang Zezhi and Gao Ying secretly buried the body together. Yang Zezhi, speaking from experience, tells Gao Ying that in the face of true power, a single corpse is meaningless. The two form an alliance, agreeing to jointly investigate the hidden truth behind the murders.
In the present, Shen Ruchun, who has been missing for days, suddenly returns to Zhuque Hall.When questioned by Gao Ying, she is tearful but remains silent, implying that even if she knows something, she is powerless. Just then, Xia Mo bursts in and deliberately bumps into Shen Ruchun, revealing a familiar diamond-shaped scar on her arm.
