Episode Summary
Xu Qi'an, after a surprise promotion and a drunken confrontation with his resentful superior, finds himself transported into a real-life version of a murder mystery game. Accused of a crime related to his father's loss of imperial tax silver, he uses his knowledge of chemistry and the help of a magically-gifted colleague, Chu Caiwei, to prove his family's innocence by exposing a clever conspiracy involving sodium.
Spoiler Alert
The series kicks off at a company team-building event. Xu Qi'an, late because of a client meeting, walks into a surprise promotion announcement. The big boss names him the new North District Manager, working alongside Manager Zhu. While the boss calls it "assisting," it's clear Zhu, a long-time deputy, is furious at being passed over for the top job by a fresh-faced newcomer.
Zhu, unable to contain his bitterness, makes snide remarks about Xu Qi'an's inexperience and alleged brown-nosing. In front of the entire company, it's a humiliating moment. Xu Qi'an, instead of escalating the situation, grabs a beer. Everyone expects him to smash it over Zhu's head, but instead, he offers a respectful toast and apology.
To defuse the tension, Chu Caiwei suggests a murder mystery game after dinner. The suggestion is met with cheers, and the party moves on. Zhu, however, drinks himself into a stupor.
Later, Xu Qi'an leads the murder mystery game, drawing the role of a "Watchmen." He's struck by the intricate and tragic nature of the game's plot. Little does he know, he'll soon be living it. He wakes up in a dark, dank prison cell.
A jailer brings him a bowl of food, calling him "Xu Qi'an." Confused, Xu Qi'an asks why he's there, what he's done, and what time period it is, commenting about everyone's costumes. The jailer, assuming he's being difficult, dumps the food for a dog.
Xu Qi'an struggles to recall the details of the murder mystery game. A young nobleman, Xu Xinnian, visits, identifying himself as Xu Qi'an's cousin. Xu Xinnian explains that their father, Xu Pingzhi, lost the imperial tax silver, leading to the family's ruin. Xu Qi'an is imprisoned, facing exile, and his father is to be executed in five days.
Desperate, Xu Qi'an begs Xu Xinnian to get the case files. Xu Xinnian, though unsure how it will help, agrees to try.
He soon delivers the files. Xu Qi'an pores over them, realizing that the Dafeng Dynasty believes a demon is involved. The Emperor has dispatched investigators, including a woman (presumably a younger version of Chu) using a "wind-watching" technique to detect demonic presence.
Xu Qi'an, however, rejects the supernatural explanation. He focuses on the report of an explosion on the water when the silver vanished. He realizes it's a man-made disaster, not a demonic one.
He deduces that 150,000 taels of silver couldn't just disappear. Re-enacting the events, he realizes the truth and yells for the jailer, claiming to have solved the case.
The jailer, initially focused on his chicken leg, is stunned and rushes Xu Qi'an to the officials desperate for a solution.
Xu Qi'an explains that the silver was swapped during transport with a similar-looking metal called "sodium," which explodes on contact with water. The officials are skeptical. Chu Caiwei helpfully suggests he show them this "sodium." Xu Qi'an hesitates, explaining that sodium requires intense heat to refine, seemingly impossible in a pre-industrial society.
However, Chu Caiwei reveals her magical abilities. With her help and guidance, they produce sodium. It matches silver in appearance and explodes dramatically when dropped in water, proving Xu Qi'an's theory. The officials rush to inform the Emperor and take credit. Soon, the jailer receives orders to release Xu Pingzhi and his family.
Xu Pingzhi, who had been lamenting his fate and saying goodbye to his wife, is shocked when the jailer opens the door.
Overjoyed at his release, Xu Pingzhi asks what happened. He's told that a family member solved the case. He assumes it was his brilliant son, Xu Xinnian, but is astonished to learn it was his nephew, Xu Qi'an. Grateful, Xu Pingzhi tells his wife that Xu Qi'an will now be allowed to eat at the family table.
