Checkmate Episode 10 Recap
> Checkmate Recap
Ye Zhenzhen, distressed and believing she was haunted, told Zhou Mowan that her violin had been behaving strangely ever since she returned from Fengtian after the vacation. It couldn't be tuned properly, and she questioned if a female ghost was responsible. She recalled that when they were in the music classroom a few days prior, a light fixture had shaken and fallen. She also expressed fear of both the female ghost and Ms. Lin.
Zhou Mowan deduced that the murderer might be looking for this specific violin. Situ Yan wanted to examine it immediately. As Zhou Mowan was taking the violin out of the school, she encountered Li Pei. Li Pei mentioned that Zhou Mowan was looking for a skilled master to tune her violin, and Zhou Mowan advised her to be careful because it wasn't safe lately. The next day, another murder occurred at the school.
Luo Jinyan was found dead in the music classroom, near Zhou Mowan's locker, having been struck in the back of the head with a blunt object, possibly a stone or brick. Fan Lihua was the first to discover the body and was deeply shaken by the horrific sight. Luo Shaochuan reviewed the crime scene, noting Luo Jinyan's position near Zhou Mowan's locker. Meanwhile, Situ Yan proceeded to disassemble the violin.
Zhou Mowan, concerned, quipped that he would have to pay the girl if he broke it. Inside, Situ Yan discovered a large bag filled with expensive gems. Luo Shaochuan later learned about the discovery of the gems in the violin. With no progress in finding the murderer, Sergeant Bao put pressure on Luo Shaochuan, urging him to enlist Situ Yan's help immediately.
Sergeant Bao suggested that the culprits must be either Tao Zhiling or Li Pei, and even proposed arresting both for interrogation, which Luo Shaochuan dismissed as potentially letting the real murderer continue their crimes. Sergeant Bao then angrily reminded Luo Shaochuan that he had been in charge of the case from the start and had promised a quick resolution. He gave Luo Shaochuan two options: either get Situ Yan's help or catch the murderer himself.
Luo Shaochuan, vowing to provide an answer, ordered his subordinates to keep a close watch on Tao Zhiling and Li Pei, reporting anything suspicious they did or said. He then found himself replaying the interrogations of various individuals in his mind, finding everyone suspicious. He recalled the self-introductions of Luo Jinyan, Fan Lihua, Li Pei, Xia Ru’an, and Zhao Qiansun.
Bai Shanshan played a trick on Luo Shaochuan, telling him that Zou Jingxuan was angry and wanted to go to Beijing for a business trip, hoping he would stop her to foster their relationship. To her surprise, Luo Shaochuan reacted with enthusiasm, even offering to drive Zou Jingxuan to the station, which left Zou Jingxuan bewildered. He encouraged her new-found independence to learn business and help manage the Luo family.
Before leaving for the station, Luo Shaochuan insisted they pay their respects to Mrs. Shen, prompting Zou Jingxuan to hurriedly leave when she mistakenly thought Luo Shaochuan believed she liked Situ Yan. An old man from next door, observing the interaction, sagely offered Luo Shaochuan advice on understanding women, noting that a woman's words often contradict her true feelings. Situ Yan informed Luo Shaochuan that the girls' school had another incident.
Luo Shaochuan, finding Zhou Mowan at Situ Yan's home, warned him to stay away from her, suspecting her involvement in the case. Luo Shaochuan reiterated his belief that the previous dog-kidnapping case was a diversion orchestrated to prevent Situ Yan from investigating the girls' school murders. Situ Yan dismissed this as overly imaginative, clarifying that Zhou Mowan was simply fooled by Shen Huatang, a wealthy banker's daughter, and questioned why Luo Shaochuan seemed to side with the wealthy.
Situ Yan then informed Luo Shaochuan about the gems found in Ye Zhenzhen's violin, concluding it was a murder motivated by money. He believed Zhou Mowan was in the most danger since she possessed the violin that the murderer was seeking. Situ Yan then asked about Ye Zhenzhen's trip to Fengtian. Luo Shaochuan recalled Ye Zhenzhen mentioning she visited her uncle, who worked for a printing house owner in Fengtian.
The owner was killed shortly after Ye Zhenzhen's arrival, and her uncle urged her to return home quickly due to unrest caused by a warlord in the city. Situ Yan confirmed that Ye Zhenzhen and her mother were safe as they lived in the city, far from the printing house in the commercial port. Luo Shaochuan continued his investigation, and Situ Yan inquired if Ye Zhenzhen encountered anything strange in Fengtian.
Luo Shaochuan recounted that Ye Zhenzhen's luggage was searched on the train on her way back, leading Situ Yan to believe that the jewelry was likely placed in the violin at that time. Jin Qiming reported that the assassinated owner of the Fengtian Printing House was also the chairman of the Fengtian Chamber of Commerce.
While the reason for his death was unknown, there was speculation that he was killed by the Revolutionary Party for uniting merchants to resist their troop stationing. Situ Yan clarified that the motive was financial, not revenge, and noted the printing house owner's assistant was still missing. He suspected two groups were now searching for the money, suggesting a "dog-eat-dog" scenario where one party killed the owner, blamed revolutionaries, took the money, and hid it in the violin.
The assistant, he believed, was likely dead, and the murder of teachers in the music classroom was a consequence of someone trying to retrieve the violin. Zhao Qiansun, the school painter, attempted to pry for case details and offered suggestions about conjuring ghosts, but Luo Shaochuan dismissively told him to leave. Situ Yan, observing Luo Shaochuan's extensive investigation into the teachers' backgrounds, teased him about "flirting with girls" like Xia Ru’an.
Luo Shaochuan insisted his efforts were purely professional, aimed at narrowing down suspects. He pointed out that Xia Ru’an had an alibi for the second murder, while Li Pei and the newly arrived Tao Zhiling did not, making them prime suspects. He had already assigned men to watch Tao Zhiling. Fan Lihua was deeply affected by the murders, suffering from fatigue and headaches, her hair turning noticeably white.
Situ Yan decided to interview Fan Lihua first, given that she had discovered Luo Jinyan's body. Fan Lihua recounted that she saw a flickering light in the music classroom late at night and, despite Luo Jinyan's earlier prohibition against approaching the room, went to investigate with a wooden stick for self-defense. She found Luo Jinyan sitting beneath a locker after turning on all the lights.
Luo Jinyan had previously believed Zhou Mowan was connected to Lin Jie's death and had been investigating Zhou Mowan's locker. Luo Shaochuan confirmed that Luo Jinyan was indeed searching the locker when she was killed by a blunt weapon to the back of her head. He speculated that the murderer knew about the jewelry and, fearing Luo Jinyan would find it first, killed her, unaware that Zhou Mowan had moved the violin to the dorm.
Fan Lihua, feeling too weak to continue cooperating, stated that Xia Ru’an and Li Pei would assist the investigation. Situ Yan then went to examine the crime scene and, noticing human traces, concluded that the "haunting" rumors were intentionally fabricated by the killer to deter others from entering the music classroom while they searched for something.
He inferred that the killer, knowing Luo Jinyan was inside, still entered the room, likely out of fear that she would find what they were looking for first, and had probably already searched all the boxes. Luo Shaochuan admitted he had been misled, initially believing the case was a revenge plot tied to a "Princess's suicide" in Fengtian, but he still asserted that the current teachers must be connected to Fengtian.
Situ Yan, acknowledging Luo Shaochuan's imagination, refocused on Zhao Qiansun, finding it suspicious that a painter was allergic to paint. Luo Shaochuan promised to re-investigate Zhao Qiansun. Meanwhile, Xia Ru’an was busy arranging for students to leave school as parents, agitated by the continuous murders, took their children home. Situ Yan questioned Xia Ru’an about Zhao Qiansun, learning that he was a new hire this semester and his file was missing from the archives.
Situ Yan also discovered from the existing archives that Li Pei had taken a year-long leave, but the reason was unknown. Luo Shaochuan vouched for Xia Ru’an, confirming she was a new hire from Fengtian, a former proofreader who returned to care for her mother, and had an alibi for the murder. Situ Yan subtly hinted at Luo Shaochuan's apparent interest in Xia Ru'an, but she humbly declined any offers for a job in the Luo family.
Situ Yan requested photos of all the teachers, explaining it was difficult for him to remember everyone. He also asked to interview Li Pei and Tao Zhiling, but Xia Ru’an explained that Li Pei was busy with student departures and Tao Zhiling was unavailable at the moment. Situ Yan and Luo Shaochuan interviewed Zhao Qiansun. When confronted about his missing file, Zhao Qiansun defensively stated that Luo Jinyan hired him, suggesting they could "summon spirits" to ask her.
Situ Yan then directly asked if he was interested in "Mr. Li's money." Zhao Qiansun, realizing they knew, admitted he was sent to monitor Ye Zhenzhen and find a breakthrough on her, confirming he was hired to recover money. He stated he worked for a powerful organization that had ties to the government, and the missing money was their operational funds from the printing house owner who was assassinated for political reasons.
He confessed that his organization had "widened their range of search" after the money disappeared, and suspected the printing house owner's assistant of stealing the money and hiding it in Ye Zhenzhen's violin. Zhao Qiansun advised Situ Yan to hand over the money to avoid trouble.
When Situ Yan accused him of murder, Zhao Qiansun denied it, claiming he was just a painter, but suggested they investigate Tao Zhiling, recalling a time when Lin Jie had scolded Tao Zhiling for lurking suspiciously near the music classroom. He also mentioned Luo Jinyan had asked him for a square wooden stick, not to fix her desk. Situ Yan later interviewed Li Pei, asking about her year-long leave.
Li Pei explained she was tired and wanted to rest, traveling to southern cities like Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hunan, but denied ever visiting Fengtian. Separately, Li Pei also informed Situ Yan that Zhou Mowan was fine and had only been helping her learn about the school. Luo Shaochuan then reported that Tao Zhiling had gone missing after his men had followed her to a tea garden in Huifangli. Sensing urgency, Situ Yan immediately suggested they check the dorm.
Luo Shaochuan offered to get the keys from Auntie Lan, but Situ Yan, anticipating the situation, knew it wouldn't be necessary. They found Tao Zhiling dead on a desk in the dorm, shot in the head, her skull pierced. An officer confirmed that the bullet trajectory and weapon matched those used to kill Lin Jie, indicating the same murderer. The time of death was approximately two hours prior, and bruises on Tao Zhiling's body suggested she had struggled with her assailant before dying.
