Episode Summary
Ruan Mingyu clears his name by revealing a dark history involving Hu Jie, a murder weapon in a lake, and a love triangle. The police identify Chen Chuchuan as the Gold Award winner and a primary suspect. Evidence links Chen to the crime scene and questionable medications. The episode ends with a drugged Chen Chuchuan showing up at Qi Sizhe’s doorstep.
Spoiler Alert
Digging for Dirt
Qi Sizhe isn't waiting around for answers. He hits up a real estate agent named Zhang Chunmin. While checking out a property, he chats with a neighbor. This woman drops a useful nugget of information. She heard a tattooed man arguing loudly with Wang Chen late at night.
Back at the station, the forensic team gets a hit. The hair found at Hu Jie's place matches Ruan Mingyu. Zhu Qingyue takes this report straight to the interrogation room. Ruan admits he visits Hu Jie often. He claims finding his hair there proves nothing. But Han Feng presses harder. He asks if Ruan is involved in Fan Jiangxue's murder. Ruan looks visibly shaken.
The lab results for the painting come back. The fingerprints on the unsigned artwork do not match Ruan Mingyu.
Ruan’s Alibi and Confession
Ruan finally starts talking. He admits he went to Hu Jie's house after they parted ways at the restaurant. He wanted that painting. He explains that Hu Jie was emotionally unstable. They had a huge fight at dinner. He got worried when she didn't answer his calls later. That is why he went to her place in the middle of the night.
Qi Sizhe updates Han Feng on the evidence. The fingerprints don't match. The hair sample doesn't come from the same maternal line either. Li Xiaoxi does some legwork too. She verifies Ruan's story with the security guards at his apartment building. His timeline checks out.
A Toxic History
Ruan opens up about his past with Hu Jie. They met at a college art competition. She was talented and beautiful. He was obsessed. He followed her to Lija Town that summer. He saw her throwing something into a lake and took a photo. She caught him and demanded he delete it.
Later, Ruan heard a local died after being stabbed with a pen. He suspected Hu Jie threw the murder weapon into the lake. He used this suspicion to manipulate her. He wanted to bind her to him. But Hu Jie didn't love him. She loved the guy who won the Gold Award at the competition. They even brought that winner to Lija Town. But things got messy. The winner fell for Fan Jiangxue instead.
The Gold Award Winner
The investigation shifts to Song Weimin. His sister tells police that Song was in a bad mental state before he died. We finally learn the identity of the Gold Award winner. It is Chen Chuchuan. He is Qi Sizhe’s senior.
Song’s sister found a stash of medication in his belongings. Qi Sizhe examines the pills. He notices a bag from Chen Chuchuan’s psychology clinic. There are only two pills left inside.
Confronting the Clinic
Qi Sizhe heads to the clinic. Chen Chuchuan isn't there. The receptionist, Maggie, is packing up boxes. Qi spots a painting in the office. It is the Gold Award entry from the competition.
Han Feng questions why Qi is snooping around the clinic. Qi explains his theory. He compared Song Weimin’s meds with Li Shuting’s meds. The ingredients are identical.
The connections are getting personal. Chen Chuchuan is linked to these new drugs. Li Ming is connected to the "Rough Diamond" case. One is Qi’s senior. The other is his junior. Han Feng tells Qi to step back. He wants him to recuse himself. Qi refuses. He needs the truth. Zhu Qingyue supports him and asks him to keep digging.
Closing In on Chen
Chen Chuchuan is now the prime suspect. The police raid the clinic. Su Huaining leads the search for Chen. Li Xiaoxi scans the surveillance footage. She finds Chen’s car near the scene of Hu Jie’s death that night. Then the car vanishes from the feed.
Qi Sizhe runs tests in the lab. Song Weimin’s pills are normal. There is no drug residue in Song’s body. Maggie provides another clue. She says Hu Jie visited the clinic a month ago. Chen looked terrified the moment he saw her.
The Hallucination
Chen Chuchuan is hiding out in a safe house. He swallows some pills and lies down. The drugs kick in. He hallucinates that Fan Jiangxue is lying next to him. He relives memories of them painting together in Lija Town.
Qi Sizhe is at home. Someone knocks on the door. He opens it. Chen Chuchuan is standing there.
