Checkmate Episode 15 Recap
> Checkmate Recap
Shen Huatang recounted the night her mother, Shen Baifeng, died. She initially believed her mother had discovered a love letter from her brother, Shen Huarong, to his lover and tried to conceal it from Shen Huarong’s wife. However, her sister-in-law stumbled upon the letter and confronted Shen Baifeng. Though her mother refused to show the letter, her sister-in-law later referenced its contents during her divorce from Shen Huarong, whose previous affair Shen Baifeng had intervened to end.
The night before Shen Baifeng’s death, her sister-in-law offered tea as an apology, which Shen Huatang also drank. She then fell into an unusually deep sleep and heard nothing from her mother's room. The next morning, Shen Baifeng was found poisoned. Shen Huatang’s suspicions were heightened when her sister-in-law hastily collected all the teacups before the police arrived.
Situ Yan, investigating, deduced that the sister-in-law likely put sleeping pills in the tea to sedate them both, allowing her to search Shen Baifeng’s room for the incriminating love letter. Situ Yan requested to visit Shen Huatang's home for further investigation. He had already dispatched Luo Shaochuan to pick up Zhao Xiaoling, explaining that her intimate knowledge of the Jasmine Restaurant would be crucial to the Moly murder case.
At the Shen residence, Situ Yan learned more about Shen Baifeng's death. Shen Huatang revealed that her mother had previously discussed divorce and her brother's infidelity with Li Yantong, the housekeeper, and intended to consult a lawyer to amend her will. Her sister-in-law overheard this, leading to a heated argument that prevented the lawyer's visit.
Li Yantong, who had worked for the Shen family for about ten years and was highly trusted by Shen Baifeng, began taking frequent leaves, especially at night, after Shen Baifeng’s death—a stark contrast to her previous schedule of only Wednesdays off. On the night of Shen Baifeng's death, both Li Yantong and Yu Daren were absent. Li Yantong returned the next morning, discovered Shen Baifeng dead in her locked room, and called the police.
Li Yantong then vehemently accused Yu Daren of the murder, claiming he had an affair and killed Shen Baifeng to prevent exposure. However, Shen Huatang did not believe this, citing Yu Daren's solid alibi of working all night at the bank. She did recall witnessing a public argument between Li Yantong and Yu Daren days before the murder, where Li Yantong warned Yu Daren to "stay away from her" and "remember his place."
Situ Yan also noted that Shen Baifeng’s former bedroom, now occupied by Yu Daren, had its connecting door covered by a dressing table. He observed that a lethal dose of strychnine, present in Shen Baifeng's regular medicine, would require consuming an entire course at once, far exceeding her daily intake. Shen Huatang, appreciative of Situ Yan’s renewed interest in the three-year-old cold case, agreed to convey his request for a meeting with Yu Daren that evening.
Situ Yan's investigation continued to uncover connections. A telegram from Wang Mingzheng confirmed that Li Yantong and Cheng Xiangjun were indeed classmates. Situ Yan also obtained Shen Baifeng's prescription, and after consulting a pharmacist, confirmed his suspicions regarding the medication dosage. Jin Qiming reported on a house in Plain Lane, purchased eight years prior by a "Mr. and Mrs. Feng."
Neighbors had only ever seen Mrs. Feng, described as tall and elegant, primarily on Wednesdays, while Mr. Feng was never seen, reportedly arriving late at night and leaving before dawn. Situ Yan also discovered a missing water bill from the Jasmine Restaurant belonging to Cheng Xiangjun, who had ordered takeout.
Meanwhile, Luo Shaochuan picked up Zhao Xiaoling, who revealed she had gone to Manzhouli because her fiancé, Yunfeng, had secured a high-paying job at the "Yuxin Food Factory" that required a married couple. Luo Shaochuan recognized the factory, recalling Bai Shanshan mentioning it as an enterprise in Manzhouli managed by a distant relative of Yu Daren. These details solidified Situ Yan's deductions. Situ Yan gathered everyone at the Jasmine Restaurant to expose the truth about the Moly murder.
He presented Yu Daren as the shooter, who, under the pretense of using the restroom, entered the back kitchen and fatally shot Moly. The real target was Li Chengyan, with Moly being a convenient scapegoat. Chen Qingshan, currently imprisoned and facing execution, had witnessed Yu Daren in the kitchen. When Chief Bao questioned how Li Chengyan's noodles were made after Moly's death, Yu Daren, appearing agitated, attempted to leave but was stopped by Luo Shaochuan.
Situ Yan then revealed that the "Cheng Xiangjun" who ordered takeout that day and served the poisoned noodles was, in fact, Li Yantong, the housekeeper, in disguise. She had entered the kitchen after Yu Daren, hidden Moly's body, staged it as a suicide, cleaned the scene, and then served the poisoned noodles to Li Chengyan.
Situ Yan then dramatically unveiled that the body found in the box in Plain Lane was the real Cheng Xiangjun, not Mrs. Feng as initially believed. He pointed out the killer deliberately used size four shoes on the body to mislead investigators, knowing her own size five feet wouldn't match. Situ Yan further connected Li Chengyan and the real Cheng Xiangjun, who had met on a train and developed a close relationship.
Cheng Xiangjun, mistakenly believing Li Yantong was Yu Daren's wife and a medical school classmate, offered to introduce Li Chengyan to Yu Daren for business connections. However, when they met, Yu Daren pretended not to know Cheng Xiangjun to conceal his secret relationship with Li Yantong. Situ Yan then exposed Yu Daren and Li Yantong as the "Mr. and Mrs. Feng" who had never truly separated.
The house in Plain Lane served as their clandestine rendezvous spot—Li Yantong visiting on her Wednesdays off, and Yu Daren secretly at night. Situ Yan then linked these events to Shen Baifeng's death. He explained that Shen Baifeng's argument with Li Yantong, overheard by Shen Huatang, was not about Shen Huarong's affair, but because Shen Baifeng had discovered a love letter from Li Yantong to Yu Daren.
Distraught, Shen Baifeng instructed Li Yantong to find a lawyer to amend her will, a task Li Yantong deliberately sabotaged. Situ Yan explained that Shen Baifeng's death was a calculated murder. Knowing Shen Baifeng's beauty tonic contained strychnine, Li Yantong had gradually added bromide to it.
The bromide reacted with the strychnine to form a lethal precipitate, ensuring that on the planned night—a Wednesday (Li Yantong's day off) when Yu Daren was also absent (reconciling bank accounts)—Shen Baifeng would unknowingly consume a fatal dose with her last medicine from the bottle. To further facilitate the crime, the electricity at the Shen residence was intentionally cut, ensuring Shen Baifeng drank the concentrated poison in the dark.
Shen Baifeng actually survived one day longer than planned because she forgot to take her medicine after attending her daughter's birthday party. The motive for Cheng Xiangjun's murder was also revealed. Li Chengyan, a notorious fraudster, had accidentally overheard Cheng Xiangjun discussing Li Yantong's past engagement to Yu Daren.
Recognizing Yu Daren's wealth stemmed from Shen Baifeng's mysterious death by poison and Li Yantong's position as her housekeeper, Li Chengyan suspected foul play and attempted to extort Yu Daren and Li Yantong. Fearing exposure, Yu Daren ordered Li Yantong to eliminate Cheng Xiangjun permanently. Li Yantong, viewing Cheng Xiangjun as a threat, agreed, orchestrating the elaborate plot at the Jasmine Restaurant to frame Moly and Chen Qingshan, thereby eliminating Li Chengyan and tying up loose ends.
