Episode Summary
Liao Siyuan uncovers Qi Meihua’s criminal past and exposes her as the mastermind behind the fake Na Wei’s identity theft, linking her to multiple murders. A chilling birthday confrontation reveals Qi Meihua is the true Na Wei, with forensic proof tying her gun to the crimes.
Spoiler Alert
The episode opens with a flashback revealing Qi Meihua’s dark past as a drug trafficker who funded her rise by lavishing the Liao family with gifts like clothes and shoes to repay their kindness. During Lunar New Year, she hires a photographer for a family portrait—a rare moment of domestic normalcy. Meanwhile, Liao Siyuan stumbles upon an old theater ticket for a Mike (Macbeth) production, sparking his curiosity.
Siyuan tracks down the theater troupe’s manager and learns they once staged Mike. While flipping through old cast records, he discovers a shocking detail: an actor who looks identical to Na Wei. The manager reveals this actor abandoned the play due to financial disputes, violating his contract. Armed with this revelation, Siyuan confronts the imprisoned Na Wei (the real one), playing the show’s finale music to jog his memory. Na Wei recalls his failed acting career, which tanked the troupe—a humiliation that drove him to quit.
The plot twists as Siyuan uncovers a TV news clip showing Na Wei signing a restaurant deal. But here’s the catch: The man in the clip is an imposter. Siyuan pieces together that the fake Na Wei seized the opportunity to reinvent himself as the actor. Years earlier, this imposter followed Na Wei to Yong’an Village and hid in the Liao family’s kitchen, witnessing Na Wei murder the Liao parents. When the imposter accidentally alerted Na Wei, a dying Mrs. Liao strangled Na Wei, allowing the imposter to grab a gun and kill him.
Outside, Tie Xin hears gunshots and arrives just as the fake Na Wei exits the house. The imposter orders Tie Xin to torch the Liao home per their "plan," incinerating both the parents’ bodies and the real Na Wei’s corpse. In the present, Siyuan taunts the fake Na Wei, calling him a "knockoff" whose poor acting skills forced him into hiding. Enraged, the imposter stabs Siyuan with a pen from his shirt and disposes of the body.
But why did the fake Na Wei kill instead of denying the truth? Flashbacks show his obsession with perfecting Na Wei’s persona, even mimicking his speech. His delusion deepens when he receives a box containing Na Wei’s signature suit and pen—a twisted gift that cements his belief that he is Na Wei. Back in prison, the real Na Wei recites old play lines, finally embracing the "magic of acting" he once scorned.
Meanwhile, Qi Meihua packs for a family vacation, gifting her boutique’s clothes to employee A-Mei. She casually orders A-Mei to trash a pair of limited-edition heels—seemingly unbothered. But when Siyuan spots those same shoes later, they trigger a memory: Qi Meihua attended the fake Na Wei’s play. The bombshell drops as detective Shu He reveals ballistic evidence linking Qi Meihua’s gun to both Liao Zhibai’s and Tie Xin’s murders.
A shaken Qi Xia accompanies Siyuan to the police station, reeling from the truth. Siyuan, however, keeps his promise to make Qi Meihua birthday noodles. As he serves her, he returns the discarded heels and coldly declares, "You’re the real Na Wei." The episode ends with Qi Meihua’s mask slipping—a silent, chilling acknowledgment—as the camera lingers on her untouched bowl of noodles.
The finale will expose how Qi Meihua manipulated the imposter Na Wei, weaponizing his identity crisis to cover her crimes. That "family portrait"? It hides a deadly secret in plain sight.
