Chapter Summaries

Li Jingtai realized he could not bear to let Su Qiao die and rushed into the city, while Su Qiao escaped her kidnapper at an abandoned hospital. The masked man fled when a car arrived, leaving Su Qiao without learning his identity.

• Li Jingtai paced in agitation, admitted he did not want Su Qiao to die, and drove toward the city.
• Su Qiao forced much of the drug's effects from her body as the car carried her to the outskirts.
• When her kidnapper opened the car hood, Su Qiao kicked him away and escaped at the abandoned Xianghe Hospital.
• Su Qiao fought the masked man but could not gain the advantage while her limbs remained weak.
• A car's headlights distracted Su Qiao, allowing the masked man to escape after promising they would meet again.

Su Qiao nearly unmasked the person who had killed the original body, but Li Jingtai interrupted her and the culprit escaped. After giving statements at the Police Station, Su Qiao returned home and found broken glass scattered across the hall.

• Li Jingtai rushed to save Su Qiao, but she kicked him for interrupting her attempt to uncover the masked man's identity.
• Li Jingtai checked whether Su Qiao was hurt and said he had found her through her phone's location.
• Min Xingyu and Officer He arrived with other officers, and Min Xingyu ordered them to secure the scene before questioning Su Qiao.
• Su Qiao and Li Jingtai went to the Police Station to give statements, then Su Qiao returned home exhausted.
• Su Qiao stepped on a shard of glass and found broken glass scattered across the hall, wondering if the house had been robbed.

Li Jingtai’s concern for Su Qiao showed through as he cleaned up after her and made her noodles. The next morning, Min Xingyu and He Meishu questioned Su Qiao about inconsistencies in her kidnapping account, leaving her under suspicion.

• Su Qiao pointed out the mess Li Jingtai had made, then asked him to prepare noodles while she went upstairs to bathe.
• Li Jingtai grumbled about Su Qiao but went to the kitchen to cook for her, showing more genuine emotion than before.
• Su Qiao took the day off, but Min Xingyu and He Meishu arrived to question her again.
• He Meishu showed Su Qiao a test report indicating that her blood contained no ether or similar substance.
• Min Xingyu questioned how Su Qiao had awakened and fought her attacker, and Su Qiao realized they suspected her.

After learning of another murder near Xianghe Hospital, Su Qiao considered ways to protect herself and explained why ether had not affected her. The chapter ended with He Meishu questioning why Su Qiao had waited until the killer took her to the abandoned hospital before fighting back.

• He Meishu told Su Qiao that another murder had occurred near Xianghe Hospital, possibly bringing the total number of related cases to nine, and said the victim was a middle-aged man.
• Su Qiao decided to make small weapons for self-defense and claimed that drugs were easily expelled from her unusual body through sweat.
• Min Xingyu confirmed that resistance to medicines was possible, while Li Jingtai realized this might explain why drugs had failed to affect Su Qiao.
• Li Jingtai brought Su Qiao plain warm milk, and He Meishu felt envious of their relationship.
• He Meishu asked Su Qiao why she had not called for help or fought back before the killer took her to an abandoned hospital.

Su Qiao explained why she had not called for help after being abducted and handed Min Xingyu a sketch and recording of the killer. As the police prepared to investigate, Li Jingtai asked whether she was related to Officer He.

• Su Qiao told He Meishu that she had stayed quiet in the locked trunk to conserve her strength and avoid provoking the killer.
• Min Xingyu warned Su Qiao not to risk her life again, and she promised to be more careful.
• Su Qiao gave Min Xingyu a detailed sketch of the killer and a recording of his voice, helping the police investigate.
• Min Xingyu promised to catch the killer, while Su Qiao hoped the police would find him soon.
• Su Qiao noticed Li Jingtai staring at He Meishu and asked what he was looking at; he asked whether Su Qiao was related to Officer He.

Su Qiao told Li Jingtai that she had added the mole by her eye when she was seventeen, leaving him shaken by the possibility that he had mistaken He Meishu for the little girl he remembered. He began to wonder whether He Meishu had been the girl all along and whether his past actions had been wrong.

• Li Jingtai asked Su Qiao whether she was related to Officer He, and she explained that her parents had died and that she believed their resemblance was coincidental.
• Li Jingtai fixated on Su Qiao's mole and said it would help him find her, but she challenged him about whether he would recognize her without it.
• Su Qiao revealed that she had the mole added at a cosmetic hospital when she was seventeen.
• Li Jingtai gripped Su Qiao's shoulders, then staggered back when she confirmed the mole was not natural.
• Li Jingtai wondered whether He Meishu had added a mole and whether he had mistaken her for the little girl from his past.

Li Jingtai panicked after realizing Su Qiao might not be the person he had mistaken her for and feared she would leave him if she learned what he had done. He resolved to hide the truth, while remembering that he had planted the poster connected to the first murder scene to target her.

• Li Jingtai hurried upstairs, leaving Su Qiao to make her own breakfast.
• Li Jingtai searched his memories for proof that Su Qiao was the girl from his past, then realized their moles did not match.
• Li Jingtai tried to turn on his computer to investigate but accidentally knocked it down and smashed it in frustration.
• Li Jingtai feared Su Qiao would hate him and leave if she discovered his mistake and his actions.
• Li Jingtai decided he would never admit the truth and remembered that he had left the poster at the first murder scene to target Su Qiao.
• Li Jingtai slapped himself twice, regretting what he had done.

After Li Jingtai broke a computer and hurt himself in frustration, Su Qiao reassured him and helped him calm down. His feelings for her changed, and he decided to take better care of his appearance.

• Li Jingtai slapped himself over the broken computer until Su Qiao came in and asked why he was hitting himself.
• Li Jingtai said the computer held unpublished novels and a script, and Su Qiao promised to recover the files and buy him a replacement if needed.
• Su Qiao helped Li Jingtai stand, told him to ice his reddened cheeks, and urged him to come to her when he had trouble.
• Li Jingtai saw Su Qiao in a new light and followed her downstairs for breakfast.
• Li Jingtai asked Su Qiao to give him one of the Chinese herbal facial masks she had made.

Su Qiao turned Li Jingtai’s suggestion that they practice martial arts into a punishing workout, repeatedly throwing and striking him while he begged to stop. Li Jingtai was left sprawled on the lawn as Su Qiao ordered him to continue.

• Li Jingtai asked Su Qiao whether he should get beauty treatments or cosmetic surgery, and she advised him to improve his habits instead.
• Li Jingtai proposed practicing martial arts with Su Qiao after breakfast.
• Su Qiao repeatedly threw and struck Li Jingtai during their training until he collapsed on the lawn.
• Li Jingtai asked for a rest, but Su Qiao criticized his physique and told him to continue.

Su Qiao finished training Li Jingtai, who was battered and begged her to stop. After a creepy caller contacted Su Qiao, Li Jingtai traced the number and discovered it belonged to An Yixi, leaving him ready to retaliate.

• Su Qiao ended the day's training, but told Li Jingtai they would continue tomorrow.
• Li Jingtai complained that he could not endure being her sparring partner and limped back inside with her.
• Su Qiao answered an unfamiliar caller who said he had been watching her, then hung up after telling him he had the wrong number.
• Li Jingtai took Su Qiao's phone, memorized the number, and traced it on a tablet.
• Li Jingtai identified the caller as An Yixi and resolved to send him to his death.

He Meishu and Min Xingyu investigated the suspect’s abandoned car, but found no immediate clues. Later, He Meishu questioned her brother about his recent absence and relaxed after seeing records and photos showing he had been at the seaside.

• He Meishu told Min Xingyu that the suspect’s voice sounded strange, and Min Xingyu suggested a voice changer had altered it.
• Min Xingyu learned that the suspect had escaped, and he and He Meishu went to inspect the abandoned car.
• A Zhi reported that the car belonged to Gao Daxiong and that no fingerprints or other clues had been found.
• Min Xingyu ordered the team to investigate Gao Daxiong and the surrounding area, noting that the murderer might have known him or lived nearby.
• He Meishu asked her brother where he had been, and he said he had spent two days at the seaside.
• He Meishu checked her brother’s phone records and seaside photos, then relaxed after confirming his account.

After her rise in popularity, Su Qiao continued training and spent more time with Li Jingtai, but the two came upon another suspected murder scene. He Meishu investigated the victim, Kim Ji-woo, while Su Qiao secretly planted a tiny device nearby.

• He Meishu warned a man repairing a car to take precautions against his allergies and stay indoors while she returned to the station to investigate a portrait and a recording pen.
• Su Qiao resumed training, gained print advertisements through Sister Wu, and was picked up and dropped off by Li Jingtai every day.
• Su Qiao and Li Jingtai found police and onlookers gathered outside an old residential compound, where a body was being carried out.
• Su Qiao secretly dropped a tiny black object into the grass, then put on her earphones and pretended to scroll on her phone.
• A Zhi noted that a camera was missing from a tripod by the window and that someone had likely used the spot to watch outside.
• He Meishu learned that Kim Ji-woo had lived alone for years after beating his wife until she left him.

Min Xingyu and the team determined that Kim Ji-woo and Zhou Keqin’s deaths were separate from the Serial Murder Case, while Su Qiao chose not to get involved. After Li Jingtai cooked her seafood, Su Qiao helped him home when he got drunk, but he pulled her onto the bed beside him.

• The forensic pathologist estimated that Kim Ji-woo had been dead for at least six days, and Min Xingyu identified Zhou Keqin in a photograph taken before his death.
• A Zhi suggested Zhou Keqin had killed Kim Tae-seung to recover something Kim Ji-woo had photographed, then had been silenced himself.
• The forensic pathologist concluded that Kim Ji-woo had been killed by a blow to the back of the head and staged to resemble a Serial Murder Case victim.
• Min Xingyu ruled that the Serial Murder Case and the two recent cases had different killers.
• Su Qiao listened to the investigation, decided the cases had nothing to do with the killer she sought, and left with Li Jingtai.
• After Li Jingtai cooked seafood and got drunk, Su Qiao supported him upstairs, but he pulled her down onto the bed beside him.

Su Qiao tried to sober up the drunk Li Jingtai and stop him from doing something dangerous, but he ignored her and clumsily threw himself at her. She ordered him to bed, and he finally settled down with a pillow.

• Li Jingtai clung to Su Qiao while drunk and muttered that he had to deal with something dangerous.
• Su Qiao splashed cold water on Li Jingtai and told him to stop whatever he was planning.
• Li Jingtai failed to understand Su Qiao and lunged at her, knocking her to the floor.
• Su Qiao threatened to beat Li Jingtai unless he lay down, and he scrambled onto the bed with a pillow.

Su Qiao noticed Li Jingtai was hiding something, while he privately recalled his guilt and vowed to protect her. Later, Su Qiao discovered that another murder had occurred and that a police officer had been killed trying to intervene.

• Su Qiao gave Li Jingtai a blanket, then left when he refused to tell her his secret.
• Li Jingtai reflected on the wrongs he had done to Su Qiao and vowed to make anyone who threatened her disappear.
• Su Qiao came home early on Saturday, but Li Jingtai returned late, claiming he had gone for a walk and fed stray animals.
• Li Jingtai secretly examined a bruise on his abdomen and cursed after recalling that a knife had fallen during a confrontation.
• Su Qiao read that He Shangyuan, a former high school classmate of Zhou Keqin, had been murdered, and that a police officer had also been killed at the scene.

Su Qiao investigated the serial murder case while Li Jingtai urged her to stay home until the killer was caught. At the police station, the Major Crimes Unit realized missing photos might explain why He Shangyuan was killed.

• Li Jingtai asked Su Qiao if she had hacked into the police database, and she said she was tracking the serial murder cases because her abductors were likely involved.
• Li Jingtai asked Su Qiao to stay home and avoid ordering takeout until the murderer was caught, and she agreed to ask Sister Wu for a few days off.
• The Major Crimes Unit debated whether He Shangyuan had killed Zhou Keqin, noting that the killer had escaped after murdering He Shangyuan.
• The investigators realized Kim Ji-woo's camera, negatives, and photos had disappeared and wondered whether the missing photos were connected to He Shangyuan's murder.

The police connected Kim Ji-woo’s missing photographs to He Shangyuan and Zhou Keqin’s conflict, but the investigation took a grim turn when Min Xingyu arrested Li Jingtai as a suspect. After Li Jingtai was taken away, Su Qiao searched their home and found a hidden basement containing a photograph pinned to a blackboard.

• The investigators concluded that Kim Ji-woo’s missing photographs might reveal what happened between He Shangyuan and Zhou Keqin and help identify He Shangyuan’s killer.
• The team mourned A Zhi, who had been lost at the crime scene, while Min Xingyu smoked and brooded over the case.
• Min Xingyu arrived at Su Qiao’s home and arrested Li Jingtai on suspicion of involvement in a series of murders.
• Li Jingtai told Su Qiao to stay home and followed the police, while privately recalling his failed pursuit of a man who threatened her.
• Su Qiao searched the house for information about Li Jingtai and discovered a hidden basement behind the kitchen refrigerator.
• Su Qiao entered the basement and saw a small black-and-white photograph pinned to a blackboard.

Su Qiao investigated the childhood photograph and old newspaper in Li Jingtai’s underground room, uncovering the real reason behind his actions. She concluded that Li Jingtai had mistaken the original body for He Meishu and that his revenge stemmed from a brutal murder disguised as a suicide.

• Su Qiao recognized that the girl in Li Jingtai’s photograph was probably He Meishu, not the original body.
• Su Qiao found a sixteen-year-old newspaper report about a mother who allegedly killed her daughter and then herself.
• Su Qiao searched the Police Station’s database and discovered that the mother and daughter had actually been raped and murdered, then silenced.
• Su Qiao connected the neighbors’ suspicious accidents to Li Jingtai’s revenge against those who had failed to help the victims.
• Su Qiao realized Li Jingtai had mistaken the original body for He Meishu because of their similar looks, hairstyles, neighborhood, and moles, and lamented that the original body had died unjustly.

Su Qiao investigated the murdered freight company owner and the mother and daughter, but could not determine their connection to Li Jingtai or the old perpetrator. Before heading to the Police Station, she destroyed the evidence in the Underground Room and erased Li Jingtai’s digital traces, uncovering how a stolen photograph had been used to threaten Zhou Keqin.

• Su Qiao investigated yesterday’s victim and found no evidence that the freight company owner had the power or background of the perpetrator from sixteen years ago.
• Su Qiao discovered that the murdered mother and daughter were Chinese, but found no relatives or clues explaining their connection to Li Jingtai.
• Su Qiao burned the documents in the Underground Room and made sure she left nothing behind.
• Su Qiao erased traces from Li Jingtai’s computer and phone, including his searches, hacks, messages, and altered winning numbers.
• Su Qiao found that Kim Ji-woo, a Peeping Tom, had possessed the little girl’s photograph, which was then used in Kim Ji-woo’s name to threaten and extort Zhou Keqin.

Su Qiao pieced together how a photograph from sixteen years earlier led to Kim Ji-woo’s and Zhou Keqin’s deaths, and began investigating the powerful person connected to the crimes. She identified An Yixi as a possible mastermind but was left wondering why he had killed He Shangyuan.

• Su Qiao realized that Zhou Keqin and He Shangyuan had disguised their victims as serial murder victims after a photo from sixteen years earlier caused their deaths.
• Su Qiao recognized that she might also be targeted and resolved to train regularly while investigating the person watching her.
• Su Qiao searched the men’s high school records and identified An Yixi, whom she had encountered outside a fashion show, in their class photo.
• Su Qiao discovered that An Yixi was President An’s son and had seen a psychologist as a teenager.
• Su Qiao suspected that An Yixi had killed He Shangyuan but could not determine what motive he had.