My Roommate Is a Detective Episode 26 Recap
> My Roommate Is a Detective Recap
Following the revelation of her guilt, Axiu confessed her deep love for Dong Lin, explaining that he was the only person who had ever treated her as a human being, patiently teaching her to read and write. She described her resentment towards Qian Yiru, who constantly abused Dong Lin, and her desire to free him from the stigma of living off a woman.
To achieve this, Axiu spent all her savings to hire a prostitute named Xiaolian, staging a fake murder to make herself Dong Lin's sole alibi and prove her indispensable devotion. Dong Lin, however, dismissed her actions, insisting that Qiao Chusheng and Lu Yao would have cleared his name regardless, which deeply wounded Axiu. She expressed her shock at Dong Lin's selfishness and cowardice, a stark contrast to the man she thought she loved.
Lu Yao explained to a frustrated Bai Youning that he had suspected a setup early on. He found dried pig blood on the bathtub's edge—"fishy but not sweet"—and his informant had told him Dong Lin was asking about a woman named Xiaolian. Lu Yao used this knowledge to bluff Dong Lin, who then revealed his connection to her.
Lu Yao also confirmed Axiu's involvement by identifying her handwriting on the envelope containing the key, knowing Xiaolian couldn't have entered the apartment otherwise. As they spoke, Qian Yiru's brother burst in with a notarized will, declaring himself the new owner of the house and all assets.
He moved to evict Dong Lin, who pleaded for help, but Qiao Chusheng, Lu Yao, and Bai Youning turned away indifferently, with Lu Yao only pausing to secure Dong Lin's promise of a new camera for solving the case. That night, Lu Yao received a terrifying phone call from his elder sister, Lu Miao, who announced she was in Shanghai to take him home and would not leave without him.
Panicked, Lu Yao began packing to flee, but Bai Youning stopped him. When Lu Yao, knowing his sister's formidable nature, yelled at her in frustration, Bai Youning called her father, Bai Qili. He immediately dispatched men to surround Lu Yao's residence, preventing Lu Miao from approaching. Bai Youning then fiercely declared that the French Concession was her territory and Lu Yao was her "pet," and that no one would take him from her.
The next morning, Zhou Yunliang, owner of the Dazhou Department Store, was killed by an apparent lightning strike while visiting his late wife's grave during a storm. At the scene, Lu Yao noted several inconsistencies: a nearby tree was split by the strike, but the victim's copper-capped "Luojin Umbrella" was undamaged. The body was charred beyond recognition, and there was no heart medication on the deceased, despite Zhou Yunliang having suffered a recent heart attack.
Lu Yao declared it a murder, theorizing that the victim was a stand-in for the real Zhou Yunliang, who had faked his death. He also suggested a device, similar to Franklin's kite experiment, was used to attract the lightning. The Zhou family's butler, Zhang, identified the body as Zhou Yunliang by a missing lower tooth. He explained that he was in Shaoxing on an errand for the young madam, He Qiaoyin, and thus couldn't accompany his master as usual.
When Bai Youning suggested Zhou Yunliang had absconded with a lover, Butler Zhang erupted in anger, accusing her of slander. Infuriated by his outburst, Bai Youning impulsively declared him the murderer. At the Zhou residence, Lu Yao discovered 27 large insurance policies with Zhou Yunliang’s son Zhou Yalong, daughter Zhou Yafang, and concubine He Qiaoyin as beneficiaries. He Qiaoyin told them the children were unfilial and only cared about the inheritance.
In the kitchen, Lu Yao tasted a soup the master loved but He Qiaoyin never ate. Claiming he wanted to savor the "taste of home," he bought the pot, privately intending to have it analyzed. Meanwhile, Bai Youning recounted the Zhou family's troubled history. Years ago, Zhou Yunliang’s attempt to marry He Qiaoyin, a ballad singer, was thwarted by his wife and children, who threatened public disownment.
After his wife's death, he tried again, but his children's opposition escalated, with Zhou Yafang threatening suicide. With the children set to inherit the estate and He Qiaoyin to receive a massive insurance payout, all three had a strong motive. Lu Miao arranged a meeting with Lu Yao, but Qiao Chusheng and Bai Youning promised to handle it, telling him to focus on the case.
Lu Yao instructed the coroner to run extensive tests on the body, particularly for hemoglobin levels, and to analyze the soup. He then met with Zhou Yalong, who confirmed he, his sister, and He Qiaoyin were in a shareholders' meeting during the incident. At the declining Dazhou Department Store, Butler Zhang blamed the family's infighting and the children's incompetence for its failure. This impending bankruptcy, combined with the insurance payout, solidified the motive for Lu Yao.
He dispatched Bai Youning to verify the insurance signatures and sent an officer named Adou to the docks with a list of English import names, including "secondary coil." Just then, the autopsy report arrived in two parts—"cause" and "effect"—confirming the victim died a painful death. With new insights, Lu Yao decided to return to the cemetery.
