Detective L Episode 12 Recap
> Detective L Recap
Luo Fei and Qin Xiaoman arrived in Suzhou, where they had travelled to locate the brothel mentioned by Sun Qi Xue. Upon finding the Man Ting Fang, they discovered that Madam Qi, the former proprietress, was now completely insane and unable to provide any coherent information. With this avenue closed, they headed to the local police station to review old records.
Meanwhile, in Shanghai, Sun Qi Xue received a phone call from the police, asking her to come to the station to identify a suspect they claimed to have apprehended. Sun Qi Xue told her husband it was about a student's family issue, but on her way, she was met by an acquaintance, causing Sun Qi Xue to react with visible fear.
At the Suzhou police station, Qin Xiaoman contacted Huo Wen Si, who confirmed Madam Qi's condition was typical insanity and offered to come assist. Luo Fei, however, felt that investigation, not interrogation, was the key. As they began sifting through dusty archives, Luo Fei expressed his suspicion that Sun Qi Xue had not been entirely truthful about her past.
He noted that her hands, despite her claims of being a factory worker and maid when she first arrived in Shanghai, were too soft and well-maintained. He believed the old files would expose her deception. Through their overnight search, Luo Fei eventually unearthed a crucial will. To his surprise, it referred to "four sisters" instead of the three Sun Qi Xue had spoken of.
Furthermore, the bottom edge of the document appeared to have been deliberately cut, suggesting information had been removed. Luo Fei concluded that Sun Qi Xue had intentionally concealed the existence of a fourth person. Just as he made this discovery, a long-distance call from the Shanghai police arrived: Sun Qi Xue had been killed. Luo Fei was overcome with self-reproach, regretting not staying to protect her.
Huo Wen Si soon arrived in Suzhou and offered to collaborate with Luo Fei, but Luo Fei, still reeling from Sun Qi Xue's death, vehemently refused, stating he never works with others. Luo Fei then took Qin Xiaoman to the stretch of the River Wei Qing where the sisters had supposedly attempted suicide. He observed that the river was remarkably shallow and unsuitable for navigation, making Sun Qi Xue’s story of being rescued by passing fishermen highly improbable.
To test his theory, they constructed a weighted figure and tossed it in, confirming it would be carried downstream, past the shallow section, towards a deeper river more suitable for boat traffic. This strengthened his belief that the suicide attempt was a pretense. Huo Wen Si, meanwhile, revisited Madam Qi at the Man Ting Fang. Employing psychological techniques, he pretended to be a former client, Mr. Zhang, and gently coaxed her into conversation.
Madam Qi, in her confused state, recalled how the arrival of the "Four famous actresses" had made her business flourish, but then rambled about them all jumping into the river because of Mr. Li. Huo Wen Si eventually extracted a key detail: Mr. Li had given one of the four sisters, Qi Yun, a significant sum of money for her redemption, but this money mysteriously vanished after the apparent mass suicide.
When Huo Wen Si relayed this to Luo Fei, Luo Fei immediately sensed danger, realizing Madam Qi was likely the murderer's next target. They rushed back to the Man Ting Fang. They arrived just as Madam Qi was violently pushed from a balcony. Qin Xiaoman quickly gave chase and apprehended a disfigured woman, a fishmonger.
The woman identified herself as Qian Zhao Di, or Ah Di, and claimed she had only accidentally pushed Madam Qi during an argument over payment for fish. However, Luo Fei, examining her, deduced that she was, in fact, Qi Yun, the fourth sister. He pointed out that the triangular blade she carried, typically used for gutting fish, was the same weapon that had killed Zhao Qi Meng and Qian Qi Yue.
He also mentioned the fingerprints left at previous crime scenes, which would confirm her identity. Confronted with the evidence, Qi Yun asked for a cigarette and began to recount her story. She had grown up in an orphanage, sold to Man Ting Fang at sixteen, and endured a miserable life until she met Mr. Li. He promised to buy her freedom, sell his possessions, open a small grocery shop in Lower Street, and marry her, hoping for a son.
However, before he could fulfill his promise, Madam Qi and her three "sisters"—Zhao Qi Meng, Qian Qi Yue, and Sun Qi Xue—informed her that Mr. Li had died in a car accident on Gui Yun Road. Devastated, Qi Yun confined herself to her room for three days, refusing to eat and contemplating suicide. The three sisters, claiming eternal sisterhood, stayed with her all night, ultimately convincing her to join them in a suicide pact to escape their wretched lives.
Together, they penned the will. Qi Yun explained that Mr. Li had left her 10,000 silver taels, which she intended to send, along with the will, to his family via a newspaper, as the money held no meaning for her without him. She entrusted Sun Qi Xue to mail the envelope. Unbeknownst to Qi Yun, Madam Qi had instructed the three sisters to prepare two envelopes. Sun Qi Xue swapped the envelopes, keeping the money.
The three sisters then faked their suicide attempt in the shallow River Wei Qing, secretly swimming back to shore, leaving Qi Yun to be swept away. She was severely injured by rocks, her face scarred, and eventually rescued by a fisherman. Over time, she recovered, married the fisherman, and embraced the harsh life of a fisherwoman, transforming into an unrecognizable old woman. Years later, while selling fish in Shanghai, Qi Yun encountered Zhao Qi Meng.
Terrified, Zhao Qi Meng confessed everything: the sisters' betrayal, the theft of the money, and how Qi Yue and Sun Qi Xue had orchestrated the deception. Overwhelmed by hatred, Qi Yun meticulously planned her revenge. She killed Zhao Qi Meng, then used a contact book found on Zhao Qi Meng to locate and murder Qian Qi Yue and Sun Qi Xue. Finally, she returned to Suzhou under the guise of a fishmonger to confront and kill Madam Qi.
She stated that she felt no remorse for her actions against those who had ruined her life, only regret for the life she sacrificed and the pain it would cause her husband and daughter. After hearing Qi Yun's confession, Qin Xiaoman remarked that she almost wished the case hadn't been solved, expressing sympathy for Qi Yun's plight and calling Luo Fei cold-blooded.
Later, however, Luo Fei anonymously sought out Qi Yun's husband, purchased two bass fish, and gave their daughter a box of cookies, instructing her to keep it safe until she started school and not to let anyone take it. Upon opening the box, the father and daughter found it filled with money, a gesture of profound compassion from Luo Fei. Qin Xiaoman learned of this act, leading her to gradually reconsider her perception of Luo Fei.
Amidst these events, Luo Fei continued his investigation into the embezzled Jin Chamber of Commerce funds. He discovered that a massive sum of money had been siphoned off and was now in the hands of "Captain," who was apparently using it to establish a Black Dragon Society within the French Concession, and an imminent large-scale operation was expected.
Back at their residence, their landlady, Su Su, jokingly told Qin Xiaoman that she would arrange a blind date for her, remarking that a woman of Qin Xiaoman’s age should already have two children. Luo Fei listened with a noticeable look of annoyance.
