Episode Summary
Liao Siyuan investigates Laila’s murder, tracing clues to suspect Song En and a love hotel where she was killed. After surviving arson at the hotel, Siyuan confronts trauma from his brother Sibai’s past death. Forensic examiner Qi Xia reveals Laila was pregnant, deepening the mystery as Siyuan’s hallucinations hint at hidden guilt.
Spoiler Alert
One week before her death, Laila joins Liao Siyuan’s community outreach group and accompanies him to a kindergarten dance demonstration. During this time, Siyuan’s cheerful demeanor begins to thaw Laila’s guarded heart, sparking an unspoken connection.
Haunted by the killer’s gruesome act of placing Laila’s severed head inside a geode, Siyuan confides in his brother, Liao Sibai. Sibai recalls Jia Song’s earlier warning about Song En—a man who frequently picked Laila up from school—and suggests investigating the clinic where Song En works. Disguised as patients, the brothers learn Song En was absent on the day of the murder. As they leave, Song En confronts Siyuan, cryptically revealing they’re both from Yong’an Village. Siyuan brushes him off, but the exchange lingers.
Meanwhile, forensic examiner Qi Xia determines Laila’s skull contains fluid buildup and traces of incense ash sediment, pointing to drowning in a specific river. Sibai, having found matching ash on Song En’s shoes and car tires, drags Siyuan to the riverbank to reconstruct the crime. While Sibai lectures on deductive reasoning, Siyuan remains skeptical—until police discover Laila’s submerged body nearby. At the station, a defiant Siyuan withholds his source until Qi Xia’s autopsy reveals a shocking twist: Laila was beaten to death, not drowned, and was pregnant at the time.
Suspecting Song En, Siyuan steals evidence from Laila’s clothing—a lighter from a love hotel—and follows Sibai’s theory that the river wasn’t the primary crime scene. At the hotel, Siyuan bullies the receptionist into admitting Laila and Song En checked in the night of her murder. Inside Room 207, Siyuan uncovers bloodstains and hypothesizes Laila fought back before being injected with a paralytic. As Sibai urges him to alert police, an arsonist traps them inside, flooding the room with gasoline. Flames engulf the space, triggering Siyuan’s PTSD from a decade-old fire that killed Sibai. Miraculously, he smashes a window and escapes—but not before hallucinating Sibai’s ghost urging him to survive.
Hospitalized with smoke inhalation, Siyuan faces Qi Xia’s fury over his recklessness. Their tense exchange unveils buried guilt: Siyuan blames himself for Sibai’s death in the past fire, while Qi Xia—Sibai’s former fiancée—admits she raised him out of loyalty. A CT scan later reveals brain abnormalities causing Siyuan’s hallucinations, complicating his credibility. The episode closes with Siyuan staring at a lighter, vowing to untangle Laila’s secrets—and his own.
Key Spoilers:
- Song En’s clinic alibi crumbles as hotel evidence mounts.
- The incendiary finale confirms the killer is surveilling Siyuan.
- Liao Sibai’s ghostly presence blurs reality and trauma, raising questions about Siyuan’s reliability.
