My Deepest Dream Episode 21 Recap
> My Deepest Dream Recap
Wu Yu, after ensuring Tan Jiao was asleep, received a call from Shen Shiyan. He found Shen Shiyan distraught and drinking, tears in his eyes. Shen Shiyan, lamenting that human connections are fragile and most people are just passing by, expressed hope that Wu Yu would continue their time travel. He asked them to return to an earlier time, before Zhuang Yu's death, and bring her back alive.
He believed that if Chen Xingjian was caught, their timeline could still be corrected. Shen Shiyan vowed to help Wu Yu catch the killer. Awakening with new insights, Tan Jiao recalled Chen Xingjian and his appearance in surveillance footage from her notebook. She rushed to his home, forced open the locked door, and began searching. Unexpectedly, Chen Xingjian returned. He confronted her, asking what she was looking for and how she knew Xu Jingmiao would be in danger.
Tan Jiao accused him of murdering Zhuang Yu and several other victims, including Chen Ningmeng, Liu Xiaojiang, and Ye Xunyi, claiming she knew all his secrets and that he couldn't escape. Chen Xingjian arrogantly dismissed her accusations, stating the police wouldn't believe her. He then donned a pair of gloves and choked Tan Jiao, provocatively suggesting he had a secret space where he could kill. At that critical moment, Shen Shiyan and Wu Yu arrived and rescued Tan Jiao.
Chen Xingjian immediately accused Tan Jiao of trespassing and attempted robbery, demanding her arrest and asserting his status as a victim. Tan Jiao vehemently declared him Zhuang Yu’s killer. Chen Xingjian, however, smugly reminded them that Shen Shiyan's colleagues had closely monitored him during the time of Zhuang Yu's death, providing him with an alibi.
As Shen Shiyan and Wu Yu prepared to leave, Chen Xingjian callously confessed to killing Zhuang Yu, then retracted it as a joke, further mocking Shen Shiyan. Enraged, Shen Shiyan punched Chen Xingjian, knocking out a tooth. Shen Shiyan warned him that he was unworthy of speaking Zhuang Yu’s name and vowed that if Chen Xingjian was indeed the killer, he would face severe repercussions.
At the police station, Shen Shiyan took responsibility for his disciplinary breach, but his captain insisted he take his annual leave and recuse himself from the case due to protocol. Despite his desire to continue the investigation, Shen Shiyan was forced to comply. The captain ordered a thorough investigation into Chen Xingjian's social connections.
Deeply tormented by Zhuang Yu's death, which she felt was her fault, Tan Jiao secretly followed Chen Xingjian to an underground parking lot while Wu Yu was away. She confronted him, detailing his murder plans for Xu Jingmiao, including her abduction on October 24th, her murder, and the planned disposal of her body three days later in the third trash can of Forest Park.
Tan Jiao taunted him, declaring that as long as she was alive, she would thwart all his plans. Furious, Chen Xingjian put on his gloves and began to choke her, but then spotted a small recording device Tan Jiao had placed on top of a nearby car. He realized her ploy to provoke him into killing her on camera. Seeing his plan foiled, Chen Xingjian released Tan Jiao and mocked her "silly but cute" strategy.
Desperate, Tan Jiao refused to let him leave, drawing a hidden dagger and attempting to force Chen Xingjian to stab her to create undeniable evidence. Just then, Wu Yu, who had been alerted by Shen Shiyan about Chen Xingjian's audition at Room 23 and deduced Xu Jingmiao was in danger, rushed to the scene.
He disarmed Tan Jiao, who was distraught, crying that she was running out of time and that if Chen Xingjian wasn't caught, Wu Miao would still die in the future. She agonized over Zhuang Yu's death, feeling Zhuang Yu died in her place, and couldn't stop seeing images of Zhuang Yu lying cold. Wu Yu embraced her, urging her to calm down and reminding her that anger and hatred wouldn't solve anything.
He reassured her that they had been given repeated chances and would find a way to catch the killer and save those they loved, a lesson he said she had taught him. Back at their home, a delivery arrived—a USB drive from Chen Xingjian for Wu Yu. In the video, Chen Xingjian acknowledged Wu Yu’s cleverness in anticipating his attack on Xu Jingmiao.
He expressed anger that his "perfect plans" had been repeatedly foiled and declared his intention for a "fair and square" confrontation. He revealed he had abducted Xu Jingmiao and given her only "24 hours to live," challenging Wu Yu to find her. He cryptically added that he would be "where I should be." Tan Jiao, hearing Chen Xingjian's taunts, worried that her actions had jeopardized Wu Yu's chance to catch him.
Wu Yu reassured her that Chen Xingjian was merely trying to manipulate their emotions and that her defiance had provoked him into making a desperate move. He vowed that he and Shen Shiyan would catch Chen Xingjian and avenge Zhuang Yu. Tan Jiao and Wu Yu reported the new development to the police, playing Chen Xingjian's video message. They informed the police that only 20 hours remained.
Captain Ding questioned if Chen Xingjian was genuinely waiting or just playing games, but Wu Yu explained that the killer's motive was to defeat them and then kill Xu Jingmiao as a "trophy." Wu Yu and Tan Jiao analyzed Chen Xingjian's previous murder sites: Chen Ningmeng's body in a public restroom, Liu Xiaojiang's in a sewer, and Ye Xunyi's at a garbage disposal plant, with Xu Jingmiao's planned for a trash can.
Tan Jiao recalled Chen Xingjian spraying perfume in his room, suggesting he was trying to conceal a smell. They concluded that Chen Xingjian's motivation was revenge and humiliation, leading him to choose "extremely dirty and stinky" locations for his victims. This revelation, combining the physical locations with the psychological motive, led them to pinpoint the Western Suburban Landfill as Chen Xingjian's likely hideout.
The police swiftly organized a search party, accompanied by Tan Jiao and Wu Yu, and headed to the Western Suburban Landfill. Using a drone, they quickly located Xu Jingmiao. The drone footage showed Chen Xingjian preparing to inject Xu Jingmiao with potassium cyanide. Noticing the drone outside the window, Chen Xingjian realized he had been discovered and attempted to escape with Xu Jingmiao. Captain Ding immediately ordered all units to move in, swiftly surrounding Chen Xingjian.
