My Roommate Is a Detective Episode 18 Recap
> My Roommate Is a Detective Recap
Lu Yao's apartment is ablaze, leading him to immediately suspect Bai Youning's cooking as the cause, especially upon seeing her disheveled. Despite her protests of innocence, Lu Yao scolds her for her recklessness, highlighting the danger she put herself in and sarcastically remarking on her "water in her brain" as a potential firefighting tool. With their home damaged, Bai Youning suggests staying at a hotel, but she has no money. Lu Yao then proposes they stay at her father's house.
Bai Youning vehemently refuses, declaring she would rather freeze to death than allow her father to mock her misfortune. Lu Yao responds by sarcastically likening her to "The Little Match Girl," implying her foolishness in the situation. Meanwhile, Lu Yao's father, Lu Zifu, in Shanghai, receives news that his son has rejected a teaching position at St. George University.
Enraged, Lu Zifu believes his son has gone astray and immediately contacts his subordinate, Zhiqing, instructing him to travel to Shanghai to bring Lu Yao back. Separately, in Shanghai, the vice principal of Shuren Middle School, Ding Rongxian, arrives at the secluded Yuning Pagoda around six in the morning, clearly under the influence of alcohol from drinking all night. He dismisses his secretary, Xie Zhen, and driver, insisting they stay put while he ascends the pagoda alone.
Despite Xie Zhen's concerns about the deserted location and rumors of the pagoda being haunted, Ding Rongxian, feeling emboldened by the alcohol, scoffs at the idea of danger. Suddenly, a loud noise and a woman's piercing cry echo from the pagoda's summit. Xie Zhen and the driver rush up. Ding Rongxian stumbles to the top, confronting a figure he identifies as Mo Lan, questioning if she is human or ghost.
Mo Lan then shoves Ding Rongxian from the pagoda, causing him to die instantly. The next morning, Qiao Chusheng arrives at the police station to find Lu Yao and Bai Youning asleep on his office sofa, having been displaced by the fire and refusing to stay at Bai Youning's father's house. Qiao Chusheng wakes them, informing them about the death of Ding Rongxian, the vice principal of Shuren Middle School, who fell from the Yuning Pagoda at 6 AM.
Lu Yao initially resists, citing the need to buy building materials and clean his apartment, but Qiao Chusheng, emphasizing the importance of the case due to Shuren Middle School's influential connections, offers to cover all repair and redecoration costs. Lu Yao agrees. At the crime scene, Qiao Chusheng explains that Ding Rongxian had received an anonymous letter instructing him to meet at the Yuning Pagoda at six in the morning.
Lu Yao finds the meeting location peculiar, especially given Ding Rongxian's inebriated state, speculating he might have been emboldened by alcohol. Bai Youning, leveraging her reporter instincts, uncovers that five years prior, a schoolgirl named Xu Xiaoya died after falling from the same pagoda during a Shuren Middle School spring tour, a consequence of a stampede.
She notes that Ding Rongxian, a socially well-connected individual with a complex background, was poised to become the next principal and had just welcomed a son last month, making suicide highly improbable. Lu Yao, Qiao Chusheng, and Bai Youning search the pagoda's summit for clues but find nothing conclusive. Lu Yao detects a strong sulfur smell and explosive residues, while Bai Youning dismisses reported crying sounds as merely the wind.
Lu Yao then interrogates Xie Zhen, Ding Rongxian's secretary, inquiring about his income and any "off-the-books" earnings related to school admissions. Xie Zhen denies having such authority. The driver, who accompanied Ding Rongxian, later clarifies that he himself has an intense fear of blood and fainted after seeing the body, which is why Xie Zhen, despite his subordinate role, had to go report the death.
The driver also reveals Ding Rongxian's dying words: "Mo Lan, are you a human or a ghost?" Xie Zhen clarifies that the anonymous letter had been received a month prior, initially ignored by Ding Rongxian, who only decided to meet the sender while inebriated the previous night. When Lu Yao persists about Ding Rongxian's potential illicit income, Xie Zhen evades the question.
Annoyed, Lu Yao, despite having no evidence, theatrically threatens Xie Zhen with torture, calling for Salim to "use harsh tortures." Qiao Chusheng intervenes, releasing Xie Zhen and scolding Lu Yao for his reckless behavior, revealing that Xie Zhen's uncle is the influential Hu Zhuxuan.
Reviewing records, Lu Yao discovers a crucial link: after the stampede five years ago, Mo Lan, a school librarian and one of the lead teachers, was fired to appease public anger, while Ding Rongxian, also a lead teacher, was inexplicably promoted. Furthermore, Lu Yao learns that Mo Lan had committed suicide by jumping from the Yuning Pagoda a month prior, with Salim having handled her body. Lu Yao visits Shuren Middle School to speak with the principal.
The principal describes Mo Lan as deeply introverted and socially awkward, often crying for an entire night if gently reprimanded. He claims to have assigned her to the external lending desk in hopes of encouraging her to socialize and make friends. He recounts her unusual habits, like washing all her clothes together, leading her white attire to turn green, and always wearing mismatched socks and a peculiar hat, causing colleagues to avoid her.
Lu Yao then inquires about a woman named Zhu Yingjiang, whom the principal initially denies knowing. When Lu Yao presses, stating Zhu Yingjiang visited the school to complain at least three times, always met personally by the principal, he finally confesses. Zhu Yingjiang and her husband had repeatedly caused disturbances at the library, accusing Mo Lan of murdering their daughter. The school paid them off and, despite his reluctance, dismissed Mo Lan to quell the unrest.
After Mo Lan's departure, the Zhu family stopped coming. The principal provides their address. Lu Yao and Qiao Chusheng locate Zhu Yingjiang's gynecological clinic. Upon hearing of Ding Rongxian's death, Zhu Yingjiang is overcome with joy, exclaiming "This is great!" and immediately lights incense for her deceased daughter, Xu Xiaoya.
She openly admits to harboring intense hatred for both Mo Lan and Ding Rongxian, confessing she "dreamt of killing them both," wishing them both dead, believing divine justice has finally been served against the "incompetent teachers." She provides an alibi for the morning of Ding Rongxian's death, stating she was at the farmer's market from 5:30 to 7:00 AM, a fact her neighbors can corroborate.
She then reveals her husband is at a casino, having gambled away all the compensation money they received from the school after Xiaoya's death. Lu Yao and Qiao Chusheng proceed to the casino. Spotting them, Zhu Yingjiang's husband immediately flees. Qiao Chusheng gives chase, but the husband, despite having gambled for two days straight, manages to escape. Qiao Chusheng wonders why the man ran if he wasn't involved in the murder.
Lu Yao deduces that the husband likely mistook Qiao Chusheng for a loan shark, mockingly implying Qiao Chusheng's appearance fits the part. Qiao Chusheng instructs Lu Yao to delve deeper into the stampede incident at the school, while he himself investigates who might have helped Ding Rongxian cover up the affair.
Lu Yao arranges for Xie Zhen, who admits his uncle is the renowned Hu Zhuxuan but emphasizes his own detachment from the underworld, to bring Liu Xinxin, Xu Xiaoya's classmate and a witness to the original incident. Liu Xinxin, initially hesitant, confesses after Lu Yao promises her safety and confirms Ding Rongxian's death.
She reveals that Mo Lan had strongly objected to taking the students up the dangerously high pagoda, fearing accidents, but Ding Rongxian, arrogantly asserting he would take full responsibility, insisted on leading the children up while Mo Lan stayed behind. Tragically, Xu Xiaoya fell from the fourth floor and died. Ding Rongxian then systematically threatened the students with expulsion and promised them guaranteed admissions to top universities if they collectively lied about the incident.
Liu Xinxin adds that her impoverished parents also compelled her to remain silent, fearing the loss of her hard-earned place at Shuren Middle School. Analyzing Ding Rongxian's initial testimony, which claimed Mo Lan led the ascent and he saw Xu Xiaoya's shadow falling from the base of the pagoda, Lu Yao points out a critical inconsistency: given the pagoda's structure and the time of day, Xu Xiaoya's shadow would have been obscured by the pagoda itself.
He concludes that Ding Rongxian deliberately fabricated his account, swapping his position with Mo Lan's to shift blame onto her, and that Mo Lan, being introverted and vulnerable, was easily intimidated into accepting the false accusation. Concurrently, Qiao Chusheng learns that Ding Rongxian had hired Axe Hong, a known figure from old Zhabei, to follow Mo Lan for several weeks.
When confronted, Axe Hong admits to merely "scaring her to keep her mouth shut" as a favor for Ding Rongxian, denying any direct harm and attributing Mo Lan's subsequent suicide to her "not tough in mental quality." The autopsy report confirms Ding Rongxian died from a fall. Lu Yao, consulting a medical text, explains that high doses of quinine can cause severe neurological damage, leading to symptoms like constricted vision and temporary blindness.
He theorizes that Zhu Yingjiang might have chronically poisoned Ding Rongxian, timing a sudden onset of blindness to cause his fatal fall from the pagoda. They immediately visit Zhu Yingjiang's clinic, only to find it deserted. Their next stop is Ding Rongxian's home, where his wife provides his medical records, showing he had been prescribed quinine for malaria three months prior after a trip to Southeast Asia.
This confirms that the quinine found in Ding Rongxian's system was merely normal medication residue. Lu Yao, puzzled, wonders why Zhu Yingjiang would flee if she wasn't the killer. A sudden realization compels Lu Yao to rush back to Yuning Pagoda with Qiao Chusheng. There, they discover Zhu Yingjiang perched on the pagoda's edge, seemingly preparing to commit suicide, with a photo of her daughter, Xu Xiaoya, laid out below. Lu Yao quickly intervenes, urging her not to die.
He reveals that their investigation has concluded Ding Rongxian was solely responsible for the stampede incident. Lu Yao persuades Zhu Yingjiang that only by remaining alive can she witness Ding Rongxian's reputation being utterly destroyed and truly secure justice for Xu Xiaoya. As she begins to descend, Lu Yao adds a crucial, harsh truth: Mo Lan was an innocent victim, constantly harassed by Zhu Yingjiang, who was ignorant of the real facts, until she was driven to suicide.
He asserts that Zhu Yingjiang holds direct responsibility for Mo Lan's death, declaring Ding Rongxian the "arch-criminal" and Zhu Yingjiang an "accomplice." He stresses that she has no right to die until she atones for her sins, successfully dissuading her from taking her life. Later, Bai Youning brings Lu Yao to an art exhibition by the renowned painter Gu Weiyun. Though initially feigning a lack of artistic understanding, Lu Yao proceeds to eloquently praise Gu Weiyun's work.
He particularly highlights a piece that masterfully uses varying shades of red to evoke an atmosphere of peace and calm, defying the conventional association of red with passion and excitement. Bai Youning, observing his elaborate flattery, sarcastically remarks on his shameless efforts to secure free food.