Episode Summary
Liao Siyuan uncovers Xu Man’s secrets—a begonia necklace, hidden cash, and a pistol—while surviving her truth-serum trap. The team links Xu Man to the unsolved arson case and a mysterious woman named Lan Xiaotang. As Xu Man prepares to flee, evidence ties her to A-Lin’s murder through a rare perfume, pushing the investigation into a deadly endgame.
Spoiler Alert
Liao Siyuan heads upstairs to fix Xu Man’s water heater but secretly photographs evidence in her room, discovering a vintage begonia flower necklace. Suspicious of Xu Man’s motives, she spikes his drink to test his loyalty. Their tense standoff is interrupted by Shu He and Nick, who warn Xu Man about the killer’s threat—though Shu He’s “protective” investigation only deepens her distrust. Xu Man feigns exhaustion to dismiss them, masking her unease.
While rummaging through her belongings, Liao Siyuan uncovers stacks of cash and a hidden pistol in Xu Man’s drawer. After finishing the repair, he attempts to leave, but Xu Man insists he stay. Sensing danger, he discreetly dumps his drugged drink and pretends to sip it. Xu Man, playing coy, refills his glass and moves closer. When Liao Siyuan tries to exit, she coldly calls his name—and he collapses, barely conscious as shadowy questions haunt his fading awareness.
The next morning, Liao Siyuan awakens disheveled, mocked by Liao Sibai, who deduces Xu Man knew he’d swapped the drinks. Testing the substance, Sibai identifies it as a WWII-era truth serum—now banned but accessible to someone like Xu Man. The siblings grow convinced she’s tied to the decade-old fire case. Back at the hospital, Ma Luo notices a floral scent on Liao Siyuan and grumbles about covering for him all night. Li Zhi reports staking out Xu Man’s villa, witnessing her late-night coffee run that yielded only a survey form. Shocked, Liao Siyuan reveals he found a wedding dress in her closet, prompting the team to urge him to involve the police.
Desperate, Liao Siyuan pressures Nick for help, dangling the necklace photo as bait. The team speculates the trinket belonged to someone named “Xiaotang” linked to Xu Man. Sibai connects the three victims’ financial struggles, theorizing they sought loans from Xu Man before their deaths. Meanwhile, Xu Man abruptly invites Liao Siyuan to a street-food stall, announcing plans to leave Buhe. He drops the charade, confronting her about Nu Na’s group and the missing photo from their records. Xu Man deflects until he mentions Lan Xiaotang—the necklace’s owner, a woman imprisoned for manslaughter and recently released. Xu Man claims Lan is dead, blaming Nu Na’s circle for her demise.
Elsewhere, Qi Xia detects a familiar floral scent in A-Lin’s room. Sibai warns against trusting Xu Man’s story, noting no official record of Lan’s death. Later, Qi Xia identifies the scent as “Orlando Mist”—the same perfume Xu Man wears—pushing Liao Siyuan to alert Shu He. Phone logs confirm A-Lin visited Xu Man’s villa, and authorities scramble to stop Xu Man’s escape. As she packs, shredding photos with a chilling smile, the puzzle tightens: Xu Man’s secrets may hold the key to the murders—and the truth about Lan Xiaotang.
