Episode Summary
A fan, Xiao Tang, discovers a burned body, later identified as Yin Qing, the recently released accomplice of a deceased serial killer. While investigating, police also look into a case involving actor Meng Zisu. They discover a hidden camera in a fan gift and uncover a secret relationship between Meng Zisu and his manager, Kai Li. The episode ends with the police finding the prime suspect, Liu Sifan, on a school rooftop.
Spoiler Alert
The episode opens with Xiao Tang, a devoted fan of the actor Meng Zisu, excitedly discussing plans with a fellow fan for a flower wall support event for him. As she walks, a car intentionally swerves close to her, startling her. A black bag is thrown from the car. Xiao Tang, shaken but angry, approaches the bag and discovers a charred human hand inside. Horrified, she immediately calls Gu Zhen for help.
The next day, Gu Zhen is busy apologizing to Xiao Tang's teacher as she's too traumatized to attend class. Kong Rubai advises Gu Zhen to provide Xiao Tang with psychological counseling, noting the perpetrator's disturbed mental state due to the burning and discarding of the body. The victim is identified as Yin Qing, the girlfriend of Feng Chao, the main culprit in a serial kidnapping and murder case from five years ago. Yin Qing had been sentenced to four years in prison for her involvement and had only recently been released. This raises the question: Is this a revenge killing? But Feng Chao died five years ago, so who would want revenge on a dead man? Kong Rubai is intrigued by the case, but Gu Zhen has assigned it to other officers, prioritizing the investigation involving the famous actor.
Gu Zhen and Kong Rubai visit the film set and question the director about Meng Zisu. The director expresses his resentment towards Meng Zisu, claiming that fame has gone to his head and that he treats everyone around him poorly. He also hints that many people on set could have a motive to sabotage Meng Zisu. The director notes that Meng Zisu often vents his frustrations on his manager, Kai Li, and he has seen her crying in secret multiple times. The director doesn't recognize the victim and suggests the police speak with Meng Zisu's fans. Xiao Tang is among the group of fans, and Gu Zhen catches her, though she acts evasively. However, Gu Zhen and Kong Rubai are focused on the investigation. Only Xiao Tang and another girl recognize the victim; Xiao Tang thinks she looks familiar, possibly like Lin Xiaojing, the leader of fan group nine, who is supposed to graduate from Huaizhou University next year.
The hotel room was booked by Wang Qian, a student at Huaizhou University. He booked the room, but his girlfriend canceled, so he spent the night at an internet cafe instead, meaning he wasn't in the hotel room that day. Wang Qian is very cooperative and even provides the name of the internet cafe for verification. Su Qian discovers traces of a "date rape" drug in the red wine found at the scene. So far, the main suspects are Meng Zisu and Kai Li. The hidden camera in the room is untraceable, but a camera hidden inside a doll, a gift from a fan, reveals something unexpected. The footage shows that Meng Zisu and his manager, Kai Li, have an intimate relationship. Kai Li admits that she and Meng Zisu have been dating, but he refuses to go public with their relationship and deliberately scolds her in front of others. Kai Li explains that she has been cyberbullied by fans for years and planned to leak footage from the camera to the paparazzi to reveal their relationship. However, she claims the camera was broken and captured nothing.
It turns out that Meng Zisu was aware of Kai Li's plan to install the camera and sabotaged it beforehand. He believes his status prevents him from having a relationship with Kai Li. When Xiao Tang and Anna leave the hotel, Anna's friend picks her up, but Xiao Tang stays behind because she has other matters to attend to. The police show Wang Qian the surveillance footage, and he identifies the person dressed as a cleaner as his girlfriend, Liu Sifan, who has gone missing. Xiao Tang mentioned that Meng Zisu's most famous scene was filmed on a rooftop. Gu Zhen and Kong Rubai go to the school rooftop and, indeed, find the suspect, Liu Sifan.
