Episode Summary
Mr. Zhao plots to take the tortoise shell for himself, while Chen Nan discovers new clues in the tomb. Xiao Xing uncovers discrepancies in a past case involving Lin Guoqiang and Zhou Jiahei. Xu Xiao investigates Lin Guoqiang's possible involvement and questions him about the old case. They investigate illegal placenta sales, leading them to Wang Bingde. Chen Nan gets arrested for taking an artifact from the museum, and Xu Xiao notices a suspicious gesture from Wang Bingde.
Spoiler Alert
"Hanging Mirrors" Episode 8: Recap & Spoilers
We kick off with Mr. Zhao carefully stashing away the tortoise shell he acquired. Just then, his mysterious boss calls. The boss figures out that Zhou Wenhao didn't have the guts to kill anyone on his own and suspects Mr. Zhao was pulling the strings. Mr. Zhao denies everything, because he wants to keep the tortoise shell for himself and go solo. He even argues that killing Zhou Daye was beneficial for everyone. After hanging up, Mr. Zhao makes sure the call can't be traced. Sneaky!
Meanwhile, Chen Nan is digging around in the ancient tomb and uncovers some new clues. She calls Xu Xiao and promises to share the info once she's pieced it together, hoping it'll help with Xu Xiao's case.
Xiao Xing has been busy digging up old files related to a case Lin Guoqiang worked on ten years ago. She finds some interesting stuff about Zhou Jiahei. Turns out, there were two female victims, but Lin Guoqiang only reported one death, and there's no record of the other. Plus, Lin Guoqiang wasn't even with the city police back then; he was a county detective who got transferred after investigating Zhou Jiahei.
This makes Xu Xiao suspicious. He starts to rethink Lin Guoqiang's involvement in the current case and realizes some things don't add up. So, Xu Xiao decides to revisit Zhou Daye's house alone, hoping to find something. Guess who's there? Lin Guoqiang!
Xu Xiao takes the opportunity to grill Lin Guoqiang about the decade-old case. Lin Guoqiang sticks to his story about only one victim. Xu Xiao calls him out on it, and Lin Guoqiang gets defensive, even bringing up Xu Xiao's personal history, hinting that everyone has secrets they want to keep buried. Just then, the medical examiner calls with some disturbing news: they found a placenta. While it's considered nutritious, selling placentas is illegal.
Later that night, Lin Guoqiang is at home, clearly haunted by thoughts of his daughter. Xu Xiao, on the other hand, heads to the hospital and talks to Director Li in the obstetrics department. Xu Xiao doesn't even have to explain why he is there, Director Li knows and spills all the details about the placenta situation. Lin Guoqiang goes to another hospital, pretending to be a buyer, and gets a doctor to admit they're also illegally selling placentas. He then calls Xu Xiao to come over.
Chen Nan visits the museum to get a closer look at the ancient ding (a type of Chinese cauldron) from a previous case. But she can't see much through the glass. When she asks the receptionist to take the ding out, the receptionist gets all weird and makes excuses, clearly trying to prevent Chen Nan from getting her hands on it. Chen Nan suspects something fishy is going on at the museum. The receptionist claims the curator is away, but Chen Nan doesn't buy it. While the receptionist is distracted, Chen Nan sneaks in and grabs the ding herself. Risky move!
Xu Xiao and Lin Guoqiang track down a wealthy businessman named Wang Bingde and ask him about buying placentas. Wang Bingde admits that Zhou Daye introduced him to the placenta market and doesn't hide anything from the detectives. Wang Bingde met Zhou Daye at an antique shop, and they initially got along well. However, Wang Bingde became wary of Zhou Daye's shady dealings in antiques and distanced himself. Xu Xiao and Lin Guoqiang, not finding any new leads, prepare to leave, but not before warning Wang Bingde that buying and selling placentas is illegal and could expose him to viruses. Wang Bingde is understandably freaked out.
The episode ends with Chen Nan getting arrested for messing with museum artifacts! She calls Xu Xiao for help. As Xu Xiao drives to the rescue, he remembers his conversation with Wang Bingde. He recalls that Wang Bingde gave them a respectful bow as they left, and his hand briefly touched his hair. Xu Xiao finds this gesture very strange and suspects that it may mean something.
