Episode 18 recap: Hu Xiaodie was taken away, and Huasheng was extremely worried.
Manager Wu came to find Hu Xiaodie and said that he wanted to collect the rent for the house. Hu Xiaodie immediately said that she had already agreed to shoot a new film. Manager Wu said that Mr. Qin had withdrawn his investment. Hu Xiaodie bluntly stated that as long as she solved the case, things would definitely get better. Manager Wu said that he already knew there was a gunshot in the house yesterday. Hu Xiaodie asked how he knew, and she mentioned that as long as she was given a few more days, Ah Zhong would have revealed himself yesterday.
Bai Langning and Chief Duan came to Ah Zhong's room to investigate the case and found women's clothing there. They immediately speculated that the woman seen by the witness was very likely Ah Zhong in disguise, which further increased his suspicion. Chief Duan said that there must be a lot to dig out from Ah Zhong. Hu Xiaodie asked about the connection between Huasheng, Zhou Lingling, and Wang Lili's cases. Huasheng said that both cases involved the Black Jade of Wu Nv, which could be extracted from a cactus. Hu Xiaodie said that if she wanted to find clues, she would have to ask her good friend for information. Huasheng was surprised to see her so-called friend, realizing that these people were truly hidden talents from various fields.
The waiter accidentally spilled tea and took Hu Xiaodie to change clothes. At that moment, Huasheng remembered that someone had taken a pen from his pocket before Liu Fei Fan died, and that person had a birthmark on their hand. Realizing that Hu Xiaodie might be in danger, Huasheng immediately ran out to find her.
Now, the number of suspects can be narrowed down. I suspect Inspector Bai is playing dumb. Hua Xiaoqing joined this company to get close to Wang Lili because she suspects that Wang Lili has a significant connection to the kidnapping case involving Zhou Lingling.
She was present at several coincidences, and the similarities between Ling and Li's case are too high. Therefore, the suspicions are focused on her. She has always believed that Ling is still alive, so Lili, who is alive and can provide more clues, is more important to her.
Lili feels like she's blocking Qin Sanye's path to wealth, but he hasn't had a chance to take action yet because the important account books are not clear. He may be the mastermind behind the scenes, but the person who killed Lili is not associated with him.
Ah Zhong is Lili's business partner, and luckily he's good at gambling. Lili alive is more profitable than her being dead. Inspector Duan and Inspector Bai, on the other hand, have the biggest suspicions because they know too much about Hua Xiaoqing, especially the engraved pen.
No one would boast about having such a pen. However, Inspector Duan is unusually stubborn and easily influenced. Several clues were discovered because of reminders from others. That's why I suspect Inspector Bai is another business partner of Wang Lili or one of the blackmailers, which led to the sudden decision to take drastic measures.
Manager Wu is in a similar situation as Ah Zhong. Lili being alive can bring more benefits.
I like the character Hua Xiaoqing. Hua Xiaoqing is a character filled with struggle and pain. She is determined but filled with doubt, not some confident and sunny sunflower.
In reality, aren't people constantly breaking apart and reassembling themselves in pain?
Hua Xiaoqing's determination is a lifeline to hold onto survival, not some idealistic fantasy.
After doing some research, during the Republican era, Shanghai was rampant with gangsters and frequent kidnapping cases. For example, between 1909 and 1928, the concession police had arrested 1,598 kidnappers.
Moreover, in some high-profile cases involving industrialists, there were instances of kidnappers impersonating the police or collusion between the police and gangs (such as the famous Rong Desheng kidnapping case).
Therefore, there are likely multiple forces behind the Zhou Lingling case... and Hua Xiaoqing is bravely fighting against such a dangerous environment all by herself.