Checkmate Episode 9 Recap
> Checkmate Recap
Parents caused a commotion at the school gate, demanding to take their children home. Xia Ru’an struggled to manage the situation, but Luo Shaochuan stepped in to help. Fan Lihua apologized on behalf of the school, but the parents were still upset about the murder and the unsolved case.
Luo Jinyan then firmly stated that the police were handling the investigation and Inspector Luo (Luo Shaochuan) was present, assuring them that no "female ghost" was involved and that the police would not conclude a "female ghost" was responsible. She offered the parents an application form to withdraw their children but warned that once the case was closed, those students would not be readmitted. This decisive stance silenced the parents, who then became hesitant.
Luo Jinyan reiterated her decision and instructed Zhao Qiansun to assist any parents who chose to fill out the form. Later, Xia Ru’an explained to Luo Shaochuan that many parents sent their children to the school for its prestigious background, viewing them as political opportunists. She lamented the unfulfilled educational aspirations of Principal Fan, contrasting them with Vice Principal Luo Jinyan's pragmatic philosophy, which prioritizes skills that empower female students to have a "right to speak" after graduation.
Xia Ru’an mentioned that a student's suicide had occurred not long after Luo Jinyan joined the school. Luo Shaochuan offered Xia Ru’an a less stressful, better-paying job, wanting her to share any insider information, and promising to protect her. However, Xia Ru’an declined, stating she was new and only Li Pei, who had been there for six years, could offer any long-term insights.
Luo Shaochuan then asked about teachers from seven or eight years ago, realizing the deeper issues, and left for the newspaper office. Meanwhile, Situ Yan and Zhou Mowan were investigating a different case. Situ Yan had learned from Zhou Mowan that Shen Huatang's servant, Li Ying, a short-term worker, had been hired from the North Market. Upon visiting the North Market, they asked about short-term workers.
The boss there mentioned that Li Ying knew a girl named Amy, who was already employed at Jing Yang Restaurant, owned by Mrs. Sun. Other market workers also discussed how the police were actively searching for a dog in the Eighth Street area, noting the peculiar modern trend of people doting on dogs. Earlier, Situ Yan had asked Jin Qiming about Consul Boult of the Russian Consulate and his Pekingese.
Jin Qiming confirmed the dog was given to the consul by his newspaper president. Situ Yan then asked Jin Qiming to help him locate a specific individual: a woman with difficulty walking, who takes on handicraft work, lives in a cheap, stair-less rental house, has a sister who visits weekly, and owns a Pekingese. After Situ Yan left, Luo Shaochuan questioned Jin Qiming about their conversation.
Annoyed that Situ Yan was focusing on a dog instead of the school murder, Luo Shaochuan offered to use his police force to help Jin Qiming find the woman. In return, Luo Shaochuan demanded Jin Qiming help him investigate the "female ghost"—the student who had hanged herself in the music classroom seven years prior. Jin Qiming confirmed to Luo Shaochuan that Situ Yan believed the school case was almost solved.
Jin Qiming later conveyed to Luo Shaochuan that the girls' school case was actually a "revenge case," suggesting Lin Jie was killed to avenge a bullied student from seven or eight years ago. Luo Shaochuan subsequently ordered his subordinate, Liu, to discreetly search for the woman with the dog.
Situ Yan, seeing Luo Shaochuan's men searching the area conspicuously, warned Liu that pursuing a kidnapper so openly could lead to the victim's harm, especially as the kidnapper was a crippled woman with a child and a dog. Situ Yan quickly consulted a map, rushing to a nearby well to prevent any tragedy. Zhou Mowan found Amy's crippled sister about to throw the Pekingese into a well.
Amy confessed that the dog kidnapping was her idea; she had cut the dog's leash and sent a ransom note out of desperation. She explained that she had no other means of survival and urged them to take her away. Situ Yan revealed he had deduced the "main character" of the incident was the Pekingese named Aiya, noting the similarity in name to Mrs. Sun's dog, Beibei.
He explained how Amy, using her position as a servant, had swapped the dogs in the park and, after cutting the leash during a feigned conversation, claimed the dog was stolen after Aiya, a trained dog, ran back to her. Amy admitted Situ Yan was entirely correct. Her sister confessed it was her fault for involving Amy, who was simply trying to secure their future, especially given her sister's disability.
Amy explained that she and other uneducated, unskilled, and often disabled short-term workers had collectively devised the scheme, knowing that the ransom money was insignificant to the wealthy women, who would likely keep the matter quiet. Amy insisted she acted alone, having succeeded five or six times, and explained that Mrs. Sun's husband's suspicions about her being a thief had pushed her to commit the acts.
When Luo Shaochuan's officers arrived, Situ Yan intervened, declaring it a misunderstanding and sending them away. Zhou Mowan informed the sisters that returning the dog to Shen Huatang would settle the matter, for which the sisters expressed their gratitude. Zhou Mowan returned the Pekingese to Shen Huatang, who joyfully embraced it as her "baby daughter," affirming its status despite Zhou Mowan's attempt to distinguish between dogs and humans.
Shen Huatang mentioned hearing about Lin Jie's death, expressing a mix of pity and relief at not having to attend her classes anymore. Zhou Mowan then sternly warned Li Ying not to repeat her actions. Jin Qiming reported to Luo Shaochuan that the student who committed suicide seven years ago was a princess, forced into marriage by her prince father. Luo Jinyan had tried to persuade the princess but failed, leading to the princess's death.
Luo Jinyan's influence was evident, as the prince, who initially threatened her, fled to Fengtian after his daughter's demise. Jin Qiming confirmed that Lin Jie was also from Fengtian. Luo Shaochuan hypothesized that the princess's lover would seek revenge, and Lin Jie, being from Fengtian, must be connected to the prince. Jin Qiming then revealed that the prince himself was dead. Luo Shaochuan concluded that the murderer must have also killed the prince as part of a revenge plot.
He excitedly instructed his subordinate, Bao, to request all murder case files from Fengtian to identify other victims in this "cross-city revenge case," confident the case would be solved once the files arrived. He also considered the possibility that the perpetrator might be the princess's female friend or "bestie," given that all teachers were female.
Situ Yan encountered Jin Qiming, expressing anger at Luo Shaochuan's reckless dispatch of police to openly search for a kidnapper, which could have led to the victim's death. Luo Shaochuan, offended by Situ Yan's criticism, angrily left, accusing Situ Yan of being unproductive. Jin Qiming conveyed to Situ Yan that Luo Shaochuan believed the girls' school case was a revenge killing.
Situ Yan dismissed this, arguing that a true revenge killing would involve a more "ritualistic" method, ensuring Lin Jie's death mirrored the previous student's hanging, not by gunshot. He questioned the music room as the location and suggested to Jin Qiming that Luo Shaochuan should investigate the new teachers, believing the killer was among them.
Zhou Mowan observed to Situ Yan about the hidden struggles of many people who, in their "darkness," resort to illegal means just to survive, acknowledging their wrongdoing but also their desperation. She also criticized Situ Yan and Luo Shaochuan for "speaking beautiful words but doing nothing beautiful." Situ Yan expressed admiration for Zhou Mowan, a "noble music teacher" who understood the hardships of the common people. He shared his past as a lawyer, having witnessed pervasive injustice and darkness.
Failing to "subvert" the darkness, he chose to become a detective in pursuit of truth, believing that one day, darkness would pass, and "the widowed, the lonely, and the disabled would all be provided for." Zhou Mowan realized Situ Yan had suspected Shen Huatang's "daughter" was a dog from the very beginning. Situ Yan explained his strict logic: he couldn't disregard any possibility, no matter how small, until it was definitively proven.
He further elaborated on his reasoning: the low ransom for a banker's granddaughter was illogical; kidnapping a person in public was too reckless for the meticulous criminals; and an illegitimate child of Shen Huatang would likely be a known rumor. Situ Yan then asked Zhou Mowan for her help with the "female ghost murder case," and, impressed by her logic, she agreed.
Luo Shaochuan, still determined to prove his "revenge killing" theory, summoned Jin Qiming and insisted that Situ Yan was wrong, demanding Jin Qiming convey his conviction that the case was a revenge killing, vowing to solve it quickly and make Situ Yan apologize. Luo Shaochuan invited Xia Ru’an to dinner, presenting it as a way for her to relax after recent stress. Xia Ru’an, despite claiming unfamiliarity with Western food, skillfully cut her steak.
Luo Shaochuan asked about the new teachers, to which Xia Ru’an confirmed Lin Jie, Tao Zhiling, and Zhao Qiansun. Luo Shaochuan noted that Tao Zhiling was "insane" and Zhao Qiansun "crazy," implying the new staff was peculiar, though Xia Ru’an defended Tao Zhiling. He learned that Xia Ru’an was a proofreader and typesetter at a magazine in Fengtian before moving a year ago to care for her mother, who suffered from severe rheumatism and whose condition worsened last winter.
Luo Shaochuan offered to find a good nursing home for her mother and cover the costs, but Xia Ru’an politely declined his financial assistance, stating she could not accept his money, and left. Zhou Mowan brought Situ Yan to the music room, where students stored their instruments, as the girls attending the school were rich and wouldn't steal from each other.
Situ Yan theorized that the killer was searching for an instrument when Lin Jie discovered them while playing the piano, leading to her being shot. He concluded that the instrument was likely no longer there. Zhou Mowan then recalled a student, Zhenzhen, asking her to tune a dull-sounding violin. Zhenzhen later experienced something strange: an unknown teacher at school called her name, gave her a "new" violin, claiming it was from her aunt and taking the old one for servicing.
Zhenzhen was too excited to realize it wasn't her original violin. Later, her aunt gave her another new violin at home, confirming the school incident was not from her aunt, leaving Zhenzhen confused and terrified, suspecting a ghost. Zhenzhen couldn't identify the teacher but remembered feeling a sense of familiarity.
