My Roommate Is a Detective Episode 29 Recap
> My Roommate Is a Detective Recap
Lu Yao arrived at the newly reopened Dahua Ballroom, a place where his aunt's husband, Liu Xiangui, had tragically died in a fire. He learned that after the incident, the building had been acquired at a very low price by Zou Ying. Originally the daughter of a prominent Hangzhou pharmacist whose family fortune was gambled away by her father, Zou Ying had single-handedly revived their business.
She then renovated the ground floor of the building into a ballroom and the upper floors into a high-end hotel. The evening's grand ball was to celebrate its reopening. Qiao Chusheng attempted to introduce Lu Yao to a girl, but Lu Yao, recognizing his ex-girlfriend Zou Jing in the crowd, quickly disappeared. Lu Yao, recognizing Zou Jing, retreated to a balcony, his mind wandering back to his days studying at Cambridge.
He recalled a time at a party where he argued with an older student. Zou Jing had intervened, drinking a large glass of alcohol on his behalf and for all Chinese students, eventually becoming heavily intoxicated. She explained that she couldn't stand by and watch a fellow countryman be bullied in a foreign land. Lu Yao was deeply grateful for her help, and their feelings for each other grew.
However, soon after, Lu Yao believed he saw Zou Jing with another man, leading to a deep sense of disillusionment. Zou Jing followed Lu Yao to the balcony and greeted him, trying to explain that his perception of her past actions was a misunderstanding. Lu Yao, however, remained unforgiving. He accused her of lying and believing only what he saw, while she retorted that he only believed what he thought he saw.
Their conversation quickly devolved into an argument, with Lu Yao accusing her of cheating and Zou Jing expressing frustration that he kept bringing up the past. They parted ways unhappily. Inside, Zou Ying formally introduced her sister, Zou Jing, to the assembled guests before performing a song. Qiao Chusheng, observing Lu Yao's sour mood and his gaze fixed on Zou Jing, approached Zou Jing and invited her to dance.
Zou Jing initially refused, stating she didn't drink, smoke, or dance, but agreed after Qiao Chusheng suggested dancing with him was better than dealing with random strangers. Lu Yao watched them closely from afar. Just then, Bai Youning arrived, demanding to know what Lu Yao was doing at such a place and why he was supporting Zou Ying. She revealed that Zou Ying was her father, Bai Qili's, lover.
Bai Youning explained that she had run away from home after finding Zou Ying at their house, which led to her overturning a dinner table and her father hitting her for the first time. She had moved out that night and never returned. Bai Youning attempted to drag Lu Yao home, but Qiao Chusheng intervened. Infuriated, Bai Youning turned her anger on Qiao Chusheng, accusing him of bringing Lu Yao to a place that would only make him more upset.
In his defense, Qiao Chusheng disclosed that the Municipal Council's directors had decided to send Lu Yao to Scotland Yard for a year of training, and if he refused, he would no longer be permitted to handle cases in the Concession. Feeling like an outsider for being excluded from such important information, Bai Youning stormed off. Lu Yao expressed concern for Bai Youning, but Qiao Chusheng assured him that a driver would take her home safely.
He then redirected Lu Yao to entertain Jiang Ruomei, a young lady whose father was a British knight, who had recently returned from her studies at Princeton University. Jiang Ruomei told Lu Yao she had read about him in newspapers and expressed a desire for him to be her guide in England. However, Lu Yao remained distracted, looking around the ballroom and giving unenthusiastic responses about England, which Jiang Ruomei noticed.
As Lu Yao began to move to get a drink, a violent explosion rocked the ballroom. He was thrown a considerable distance by the immense force of the blast. Bai Youning rushed to the hospital, her heart aching as she saw Lu Yao completely wrapped in white bandages. She cried, regretting not having forcefully taken him home earlier, and prayed for his swift recovery. Lu Yao, ever the prankster, feigned a critical condition, claiming he had little time left.
His act caused Bai Youning to weep uncontrollably. Qiao Chusheng arrived shortly after and exposed Lu Yao's deception, revealing that he had only suffered a minor concussion and would recover within a few days, adding that Jiang Ruomei had scheduled afternoon tea with him. Enraged by Lu Yao's trickery, Bai Youning grabbed a chair, intending to strike him. Lu Yao, startled, promptly leaped from his bed and fled.
Back at home, Bai Youning punished Lu Yao by making him hold a pineapple and a purple cabbage while maintaining a deep squat, threatening to break his legs if he moved. Qiao Chusheng intervened, attempting to get Lu Yao released so he could assist with the Dahua Ballroom investigation. Bai Youning, however, adamantly refused, citing concerns for Lu Yao's safety and insisting that Qiao Chusheng, as the inspector, was responsible for the investigation himself.
She declared Lu Yao grounded until the truth of the explosion was uncovered. The following morning, Qiao Chusheng and a group of patrol officers attempted to discreetly extract Lu Yao from his window, only to be caught by Bai Youning guarding the door. Qiao Chusheng then briefed Lu Yao on the explosion's aftermath, reporting two fatalities—Zou Ying and Liu Changlin, the vice chairman of the Guangdong Chamber of Commerce—and twenty-seven serious injuries.
He mentioned that preliminary investigations had not ruled out a gas explosion. Lu Yao immediately dismissed the gas leak theory, recalling that at the scene the previous night, he had seen dark red flames, not the blue or green flames characteristic of a gas fire, and there had been no gas smell.
Bai Youning, ever suspicious, pressed Qiao Chusheng about his whereabouts during the explosion, to which he vaguely claimed he was in the bathroom, though it was implied he was with other women. Lu Yao learned that Liu Changlin had been on stage presenting flowers when the explosion occurred. Bai Youning recounted seeing Liuzi, Bai Qili's personal bodyguard, on the street after her argument with Lu Yao and Qiao Chusheng. Liuzi had forcibly escorted her home.
Both Lu Yao and Bai Youning suspected Bai Qili's involvement in the bombing and urged Qiao Chusheng to discreetly question him. Qiao Chusheng, however, refused to confront Bai Qili directly. Just then, Zou Jing arrived at the police station, insisting on speaking with Qiao Chusheng. Qiao Chusheng revealed to Bai Youning that Zou Jing was, in fact, Lu Yao's first girlfriend, a detail Zou Jing herself had confided in him.
Bai Youning confronted Lu Yao, demanding an explanation of his past with Zou Jing. Lu Yao admitted they were classmates at Cambridge, with him at Trinity College and her a year older at King's College. Their relationship lasted for one year, four months, and seventeen days. He explained they broke up because he saw her tutor kiss and embrace her, which he interpreted as her cheating.
Qiao Chusheng, however, defended Zou Jing, stating that she had told him she had refused her tutor's advances and that the kiss was merely a traditional Western farewell on the cheek. Despite this, Lu Yao, still visibly upset after all this time, argued that the embrace and her tears indicated deeper feelings. He admitted to taking a long sick leave to go to Paris and numb his pain with hedonistic pursuits, claiming he had finally moved on.
As Qiao Chusheng prepared to take Lu Yao to meet Zou Jing, Bai Youning insisted on taking fifteen minutes to apply makeup, determined to make a strong impression and not be outshone. Upon meeting Zou Jing, Bai Youning introduced herself as the chief reporter for Xinyue Daily. Zou Jing immediately stated that she would not grant any interviews until the truth of the case was uncovered, to prevent media interference and public speculation.
She then asked Bai Youning to leave, asserting that Bai Youning's father, Bai Qili, was a suspect in the case. Zou Jing emphatically stated that her sister, Zou Ying, had been murdered. She explained that Liu Changlin was not on the original guest list and had only attended at the last minute, reinforcing her belief that Zou Ying was the true target of the attack.
She revealed that a week before the incident, her sister had received a threatening letter containing a bullet, advising Qiao Chusheng not to touch it due to potential fingerprints. Zou Jing further recounted that after the explosion, she had returned to the scene to search for her deceased mother's diamond necklace, which her sister had been wearing and was now missing.
There, she encountered several men, led by a distinctive figure with a long knife scar, who she recognized as Liuzi, Bai Qili's personal bodyguard, whom she had previously seen in her sister's office. These men were furtively taking photographs of the scene before fleeing when she discovered them.
Zou Jing insisted that Bai Qili was behind the murder and claimed to possess additional evidence, urging Qiao Chusheng and Lu Yao to accompany her home to retrieve it if they truly intended to solve the case.
