Checkmate Episode 5 Recap
> Checkmate Recap
Bai Shanshan expressed her disdain for Wei Minxi, believing she agreed to marry Luo Wensheng solely for his wealth. She highlighted Wei Minxi's past, noting that despite being childhood sweethearts with Luo Wensheng, Wei Minxi married a man who was an alcoholic and abusive, only for her ex-husband to die two years ago, coincidentally after the Luo family became rich and Luo Wensheng became the richest man in Harbin.
Bai Shanshan, who was Luo Wensheng's sister-in-law, openly accused Wei Minxi of murder, even though the police had closed the case, suggesting that the police investigation at the time, which led to Director Xie's promotion, might have involved some irregularities. She further implied that a missing cheque from Luo Wensheng's assets was evidence of others, including Wei Minxi, coveting the family's fortune.
Director Xie confirmed that Bai Shanshan was indeed the first to spread rumors about Wei Minxi killing her husband. He explained that Bai Shanshan's husband, Luo Wensheng's second brother, had drowned while out on an errand, leaving her a widow. While she contributed to the Luo family during their hard times, she became relentless in demanding a division of the family property once they prospered.
Luo Wensheng, hoping to stabilize his son, Luo Shaochuan, intended for him to marry Zou Jingxuan, whom he considered kind-hearted. Director Xie admitted that he initially disbelieved Bai Shanshan's accusations against Wei Minxi, but a letter sent by Wei Minxi herself to Luo Wensheng confessed to the murder and revealed she was being blackmailed. However, the letter mysteriously disappeared after Luo Wensheng's death, prompting Director Xie to speculate it was either burned by Luo Wensheng or taken by the murderer.
He recalled the letter's contents: Wei Minxi was deeply regretful and lived in constant fear, anxious about her secret being exposed and Luo Wensheng viewing her as a murderer. She wished to reveal the blackmailer's identity but was terrified of harming Luo Wensheng. She never named the individual. Director Xie concluded that the blackmailer must have been someone Luo Wensheng deeply cherished, which prevented Wei Minxi from exposing them.
He considered the possibility that Wei Minxi’s death led to Luo Wensheng’s distressed state, escalating conflicts with his son, Luo Shaochuan, and perhaps leading to Luo Shaochuan's impulsive act. On the night of Luo Wensheng's murder, Director Xie recounted that around 8:50 PM, after leaving Luo Wensheng's study where they had discussed Wei Minxi's letter, he encountered Fang Hong, a servant, in the living room.
Shortly after leaving the house, around 9:00 PM, he was bumped by an unknown young man. Worried about Luo Shaochuan’s state given the letter’s vague content, Director Xie went to a bar to find him. The bartender informed him that Luo Shaochuan, heavily intoxicated, had left around 9:00 PM, mentioning he was going home.
Rushing back to the Luo residence, Director Xie met Fang Hong again and together they discovered Luo Wensheng dead in his study, stabbed from the back with a dagger from the family's collection, usually kept on the silver table in the living room. There were no signs of a struggle, suggesting the killer was an insider. Initial fingerprint analysis on the weapon excluded all household members except Luo Shaochuan.
Situ Yan, however, suggested they compare the fingerprints against Luo Wensheng's own, believing the murderer intended to frame Luo Shaochuan. Meanwhile, Luo Shaochuan was hiding at Mrs. Shen's house, starving. While he was in the kitchen looking for food, Mrs. Shen and Officer Bao arrived, with Officer Bao stating he was there to collect documents for Situ Yan. Mrs. Shen quickly spotted Luo Shaochuan and prevented Officer Bao from entering the kitchen, fabricating a reason to dismiss him.
Officer Bao mentioned that Luo Shaochuan was now wanted for patricide, assaulting an officer, and escaping custody. Mrs. Shen then cooked a meal for Luo Shaochuan, who expressed his deep appreciation, comparing it to his mother's cooking, and wished that the entire tragedy was just a nightmare and his father was still alive. He affectionately suggested that he and Situ Yan would treat Mrs. Shen as their own mother from then on.
Situ Yan later went to Mrs. Shen's house to question Luo Shaochuan, only to find Zou Jingxuan had followed him. She confronted Luo Shaochuan, urging him to surrender to Director Xie and clear his name, as she believed he was innocent. Mrs. Shen intervened, explaining that unlike Situ Yan, Director Xie's actions as deputy director represented the official police stance, which could lead to a harsh interrogation and an unfair trial, especially since the police already presumed Luo Shaochuan guilty.
Therefore, she advised against his public appearance until more facts emerged. Luo Shaochuan, who claimed to have no memory of the murder night due to heavy drinking, asserted he had no reason to oppose Wei Minxi marrying his father. He revealed that Wei Minxi had even helped him join the army, preventing his father from disowning him.
He dismissed Bai Shanshan’s rumors about Wei Minxi, further explaining his own financial independence from his mother's inheritance and other investments, denying any motive for blackmail. He also pointed out that Bai Shanshan frequently argued with his father over the family's assets. Luo Shaochuan suggested that the murderer's true motive was financial gain and advised Situ Yan to have Director Xie stake out the bank for anyone attempting to cash the missing cheque.
Luo Shaochuan then commented on his family members, noting that Zou Jingxuan was timid and therefore unlikely to be the murderer. He highlighted Bai Shanshan's constant demands for money and her contentious relationship with his father over the family's assets. He also discussed Wen Yi, the housekeeper, as possibly harboring a love-hate motive, as many once expected her to marry his father, and she had strong influence over the other servants.
He concluded that virtually everyone in his house seemed to have a hidden agenda against his father. Officer Bao informed Situ Yan that the new fingerprint comparison confirmed the prints on the murder weapon belonged to Luo Wensheng. This strengthened Situ Yan's theory that the killer intended to frame Luo Shaochuan.
Situ Yan explained that Luo Shaochuan’s alibi—being dropped off at his hotel around 10:00 PM, with a 20-minute walk to the Luo mansion—meant he couldn't have committed the murder within the initially reported timeframe, providing everyone in the house with an alibi. This led Situ Yan to suspect a conspiracy involving an inside accomplice. Situ Yan and Director Xie returned to the Luo residence for a re-interrogation.
When asked about the study, Zou Jingxuan struggled to recall if the curtains were open or closed, but Fang Hong confidently stated they were closed when he first entered. Fang Hong then described the crime scene, noting that the chair was initially slanted when he first saw Luo Wensheng's body, but was later found straightened when the police arrived.
Zou Jingxuan then remembered that the chair was indeed straight when she had last seen it but slanted when she returned, realizing someone else must have been in the room. Bai Shanshan, growing agitated, argued that the missing cheque was rightfully hers due to her contributions to the family's wealth, accusing Luo Wensheng of being stingy. She then verbally attacked Wen Yi, calling her sneaky and suggesting she manipulated the servants.
Bai Shanshan also revealed she saw Fang Hong leaving a gold shop, hinting at suspicious wealth, and implied Wen Yi might be tampering with the ledgers. Director Xie became increasingly frustrated with Bai Shanshan's outbursts. Situ Yan managed to convince Zou Jingxuan to speak the truth. She tearfully confessed that she had lied about saying good night to Luo Wensheng.
In reality, she had stolen his cheque book and had gone to his study intending to return it and apologize, but lost her nerve and couldn't bring herself to enter. It was then that she encountered Fang Hong, and to avoid suspicion about her presence and the stolen cheque book, she fabricated the story about wishing Luo Wensheng good night and telling Fang Hong not to disturb him. She vehemently denied being the murderer or framing Luo Shaochuan.
Following this, Fang Hong revealed that around 9:30 PM on the night of the murder, he had heard Luo Wensheng talking to a male visitor in the study, who had not entered through the main door. Fang Hong clarified that he hadn't mentioned this earlier because he had been told to remain silent. Wen Yi confirmed that Luo Wensheng had indeed lent money to Fang Hong for his ailing mother.
Zou Jingxuan also recalled hearing Luo Wensheng say, "Someone has been asking for money more and more often recently," around 9:30 PM, which she believed could not have referred to Luo Shaochuan as he had not requested money in two years. This new information placed Luo Wensheng's time of death between 9:30 PM and 9:45 PM, further exonerating Luo Shaochuan from the initial timeline and pointing towards a complex conspiracy.
