Episode Summary
The team begins to suspect Ding Qi can predict the future, and Duan Zheng confirms he's in a time loop, securing their trust. Ding Qi investigates An Lan, who reveals her personal mission to wake her comatose mother. The main suspect, You Yuxiang, is revealed to have a terminal brain tumor and escapes police custody. At Mo Yuanzhi's university lecture, You Yuxiang hijacks the event with a live video, accusing Mo Yuanzhi of a past murder before taking a hostage. The episode ends in a tragic standoff where a police officer misinterprets You Yuxiang's movement and fatally shoots him.
Spoiler Alert
The Team Starts Catching On
So, Mo Yuanzhi is still pushing for his big speech at the university. He tells Ding Qi that after the murder, all his potential investors got cold feet. The ones left are just watching and waiting. He thinks this speech is the only way to build back their confidence in his company. Ding Qi points out that he's putting a lot of people at risk. This sets Mo Yuanzhi off, and I have to say, he seems way more on edge than in the other loops. Something's different with him.
The rest of the police team is finally connecting the dots. Da Kai and the others are having a meal when they realize something spooky. They've all had dreams about dying. They also agree that Ding Qi has been acting strange, giving them bizarre orders that don't make sense. They start to piece it together. They think Ding Qi might be predicting the future through his dreams.
Duan Zheng just lays it all out for them. He tells them Ding Qi is in a time loop. Of course, they think he's completely lost his mind at first. But then Ding Qi calls with another one of his weird requests. He wants Yu Peishan to run a background check on a guy named You Yuxiang. Duan Zheng tells everyone that no matter how crazy it sounds, they need to stick together and trust Ding Qi. Surprisingly, they all agree.
Ding Qi's Investigation
Ding Qi is on his own mission. He needs to get into the experimental lab to find An Lan. Tang Xin, who seems to be caught in the middle of everything, helps him with the door access.
An Lan's Secret
An Lan leads Ding Qi out of the lab pretty quickly. She says the place is full of commercial secrets. Ding Qi cuts straight to it and asks where she was around midnight. She claims she was in the lab because some data had changed. He asks if it was about waking up coma patients. She doesn't answer directly.
Instead, she tells him she went to the hospital. She thought her mother had woken up. But when she got there, her mom was still unresponsive. An Lan thinks her mother's brain might be awake even if her body isn't. She's determined to find a way to bring her back completely. Then she drops a little bomb. She's also been invited to the lecture at Qingtengwan University.
The Police Station
Back at the station, things are getting tense. Duan Zheng tells Ding Qi that their suspect, Ye Kun, isn't talking. Ding Qi goes to interrogate him and plays his big card. He looks at the clock and asks Ye Kun if he's waiting for midnight. This gets Ye Kun's attention immediately. Ding Qi tells him that he and the person Ye Kun works for are the same kind of people.
Just as they might be getting somewhere, news comes in. You Yuxiang, the guy they were supposed to be watching, escaped during a bathroom break. And Yu Peishan has some critical new info. You Yuxiang was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor a month ago. He only has about a month to live.
The University Lecture Goes Sideways
Everyone converges at the university. The police manage to get You Yuxiang under control before Mo Yuanzhi even arrives. But it doesn't last.
Before his speech, Mo Yuanzhi has a strange moment with a ringing in his ears. He recovers and tells An Lan that her appointment is official. He says all that matters is that they trust each other.
The Big Reveal
Mo Yuanzhi gets on stage and starts his presentation. He introduces An Lan to the audience, and she begins talking about their gene technology. Ding Qi arrives just in time to see this. The Q&A starts, and the student who asks a question this time has a different one than in the last loop.
Suddenly, the presentation screen is hijacked. A video plays, showing You Yuxiang with the kidnapped flower girl. He announces to everyone that he's in the underground laboratory. He claims it's the same lab where Mo Yuanzhi murdered his mentor, Jiang Yuwen, eight years ago.
The Standoff
Ding Qi and his team race to the basement. Down there, You Yuxiang is clearly in pain from his tumor. Mo Yuanzhi uses this to his advantage. He tells everyone You Yuxiang is mentally unstable and tries to make the crowd doubt him.
Ding Qi confronts You Yuxiang with his gun drawn, telling him to release the hostage. You Yuxiang uses the girl as a shield and tells Ding Qi to drop his weapon. He says he feels like he's seen Ding Qi before but doesn't know him. He repeats his accusation. He says Mo Yuanzhi killed Jiang Yuwen.
Then it all ends horribly. You Yuxiang stands up, and as his head hurts, he moves his hand—the one holding a knife—toward his head. Fang Lu thinks he's about to harm the hostage. She fires a single shot. It hits You Yuxiang right in the forehead, killing him instantly.
