Detective L Episode 3 Recap
> Detective L Recap
Luo Fei and Qin Xiaoman arrived at Lawyer Wu Qingfeng's residence, only to find him packing his belongings. Wu Qingfeng explained that he was moving to Nanjing for a new position, as the Ma family had exhausted their funds bailing out Ma Boyuan and could no longer afford a private lawyer. Luo Fei suggested they discuss Ma Boyuan's case, which he believed held a deeper truth. Luo Fei began by recounting a story.
He described Ruan Mengzhu's unhappy marriage into the prominent Ma family, where her status was very low. She repeatedly tried to escape, but her own family, prioritizing their business ties, always sent her back. Luo Fei noted the absence of Ruan Mengzhu's photo in the Ma family home and the oppressive atmosphere created by Ma's domineering mother and ineffective son.
Wu Qingfeng admitted to having heard these rumors but maintained that, as a lawyer, he couldn't interfere in his client's family matters. However, Luo Fei revealed that he found Ma Boyuan's IOU and a book titled "Fate in Tears and Laughter" in Ruan Mengzhu's nightstand – Ruan Mengzhu had the second volume, while Wu Qingfeng possessed the first, and both had matching bookstore stamps, suggesting a connection.
Ignoring Wu Qingfeng's attempts to dismiss this as mere gossip, Luo Fei asserted that Wu Qingfeng had developed feelings for Ruan Mengzhu and sympathized with her plight. He believed Wu Qingfeng decided to help her escape, knowing that a simple departure would lead to Ma's family forcing her return. Thus, faking her death became the only way out.
Luo Fei elaborated on the scheme: Wu Qingfeng ordered an identical cheongsam and jewelry to Ruan Mengzhu's, cut the street light wires in the Ma family garden, and blocked part of the road with a gardener's trolley. On the night of the "accident," Ruan Mengzhu faked a struggle with Ma Boyuan, clinging to the car door before "falling" into the bushes.
At that moment, Wu Qingfeng, hidden in the bushes, placed a pre-prepared corpse, dressed identically to Ruan Mengzhu, under Ma Boyuan's car. The car then ran over the body's head, mutilating it beyond recognition and convincing Ma Boyuan he had mistakenly killed his wife. Luo Fei concluded that Ruan Mengzhu had already fled to Nanjing, waiting to reunite with Wu Qingfeng. Wu Qingfeng, though initially stunned, quickly regained his composure and challenged Luo Fei for evidence.
Qin Xiaoman presented records from Bao Da Xiang tailor showing two identical cheongsams being ordered, one of which was ordered by a man wearing glasses matching Wu Qingfeng's description. She also revealed a leather shoe print found in the bushes at the crime scene, matching Wu Qingfeng's shoe size and pattern, and a broken lens from his glasses, found at the scene and matching his prescription.
Wu Qingfeng dismissively explained away each piece of evidence, claiming he merely ran an errand for Ruan Mengzhu, that many people wore similar shoes, and that his glasses broke when he "peed" in the bushes. He then demanded to know the source of the substitute corpse, pointing out that no young women had been reported missing or dead recently. Luo Fei acknowledged that without the corpse's identity, his case was indeed incomplete, and he and Qin Xiaoman left.
Back home, Luo Fei pondered Wu Qingfeng's challenge about the corpse's origin and finally had a breakthrough. The next morning, Qin Xiaoman found a note asking her to meet at Jessfield Road at 10 AM. Upon arrival, she found Wu Qingfeng, who was about to leave, along with Superintendent Savoy, both having received similar mysterious notes.
Luo Fei then appeared, finishing a bowl of wontons, admitting he sent the notes to gather everyone and declaring that he had found the crucial evidence. Though initially hesitant due to his impending train to Nanjing, Wu Qingfeng agreed to give Luo Fei ten minutes inside his house. Inside, Luo Fei dramatically broke a teacup and called for a servant to clean it. When the maid, Xiang, entered, Luo Fei immediately addressed her as "Mrs. Ma" (Ruan Mengzhu).
He pointed out that her delicate hands were ill-suited for handling sharp porcelain fragments. He then explained how he knew: during their previous visit, he observed "Xiang" intently scrutinizing his name card, despite his intelligence from neighbors that the real Xiang was illiterate. This confirmed that the person masquerading as Xiang was actually Ruan Mengzhu. With the truth exposed, Wu Qingfeng confessed.
He explained that he had accidentally killed the real Xiang after she overheard his phone call with Ruan Mengzhu and attempted to blackmail him. In his panic, he didn't know how to dispose of the body, but upon realizing Xiang's physical resemblance to Ruan Mengzhu, he conceived the elaborate fake death plot.
Luo Fei clarified that he initially thought Wu Qingfeng's plan was "killing two birds with one stone" (faking Ruan Mengzhu's death and framing Ma Boyuan), but it was actually "killing three birds with one stone" as it also involved the murder of the real Xiang. Superintendent Savoy promptly arrested both Wu Qingfeng and Ruan Mengzhu.
Qin Xiaoman felt disheartened by the outcome, struggling with the irony that Ma Boyuan, a cruel and abusive husband, was ultimately innocent of murder, while Wu Qingfeng, who sought to liberate Ruan Mengzhu from her suffering, became a murderer himself. Luo Fei offered a philosophical perspective, stating that the world isn't black and white, and people cannot be simply classified as good or bad. He noted that even criminals can have sympathetic motives, and victims aren't always innocent.
He asserted that while absolute justice might not exist, it is the police's duty to ensure everyone believes in its presence. Qin Xiaoman later wrote a letter to her aunt, reflecting on the case and her commitment to upholding the law to ensure justice. Later, Qin Xiaoman discovered Luo Fei's method of crime scene reconstruction, observing ink spatters on the ceiling that mimicked blood and an outline on the floor marking the victim's initial position.
Excited, she joined him in an experiment to simulate a murder. As Luo Fei dragged Qin Xiaoman, who was playing the role of a struggling victim, out of the room, they were interrupted by their landlord showing the apartment to a prospective tenant. The horrified tenant immediately fled, leaving the landlord infuriated. Meanwhile, the Jin Chamber of Commerce was organizing a donation drive for 150,000 displaced refugees. A death threat letter was sent to the chairman, referencing "the mysterious murder of Han Wei Wei" and a "locked-room mystery," hinting at their next case.
