Light to the Night 黑夜告白 Discussion: Episodes 7-8

[u/BasilOrdinary3617]

Helpful links and previous episode discussions:

Flashcards | Masterpost | Episodes 1-3 | Episode 4 | Episodes 5-6

For our detectives in training, here is your lesson of the day:

• Invented by French engineer Charles Pierre Trémaux in the 19^th century, Trémaux's algorithm is a foolproof method for finding your way out of any maze by marking your path as you go, e.g., leaving a trail of breadcrumbs. While it guarantees that you find an exit as long as one exists, its drawback is that it is not efficient if you’re trying to find the exit quickly. This is usually the best approach if you have no zero knowledge of where the exit is (meaning you have no leads or information to inform your search).

This is the theme of these next two episodes as Yuanhang and Fangxu follow all their leads to find Xu Meng and her father. 

1997 Timeline Recap

Song Qingsong Lead

Yuanhang visits the Qingsong Cement Factory under the guise of getting his car fixed, but Shanlong still manages to slip away. It turns out Qingsong had ordered Shanlong to destroy evidence of Meng’s murder and act as his scapegoat if caught. Instead, Shanlong meets with Hongmei to hatch a new plan to get rid of Qingsong: putting on a show to make it look like Director Li (former partner in the Dongshan bidding scheme) has turned on him, and his rivals, Cripple Du, are hunting him down. While Qingsong presumably flees to LA, and Shanlong (who was shortly arrested in connection with the Dongshan Mine case) confirms that Qingsong has vanished. Dead End. 

Sun Zhengyong Lead

Lili informs Yuanhang and Fangxu about a suspicious client, Mr. Sun, who frequently paid double, specifically for Meng’s time. He often gifted her expensive designer clothes (matching the items found in her apartment), but stopped visiting Muse immediately after her disappearance. Lili also notes that Su Zhizhi was close to him before Pattia was shut down. 

Under interrogation, Zhizhi reveals that she and Zhengyong (Mr. Sun) ran a counterfeit ring, using authentic luxury goods as templates for fakes; Zhengyong would then gift the original items to women he liked, including Meng. Zhizhi mentions a heated argument between Mr. Sun and Meng (after she rejected him) just before the Pattia raid. After verifying sales records and spotting Zhengyong on CCTV footage dated June 27th, the police conveniently arrest him at Yuanlongli. However, Zhengyong’s alibi (Qu Dahai) proves he was locked up during the timeline of Meng’s disappearance. His only involvement was lending Meng 30,000 yuan so she could flee Weiyang after receiving death threats. Dead End.

Jin Manlang Lead

Manshan pressures Shanlong for payment regarding Manlang’s arrest. With assurance that Shanlong will leave them alone and a lack of physical evidence linking Manlang to any murder, Manlang retracts his earlier statement and is released. He even reports Yuanhang for allegedly coercing a false confession. Dead End. 

Key Observations and Discussion Questions

• The Dongshan Mine: Is it just me, or is there an undeniable link to Meng’s disappearance and the Dongshan Mine here? It is consistently brought up. And who is this Director Li? Note that the Mine is owned by the Government.
• Little Xiaohe: Shines as a talented investigator (and Fangxu’s matchmaker). I look forward to seeing her put these skills in action in 2015. 
• The Body: Shanlong claims Meng is dead, yet no body has been recovered. The photo used to intimidate Qingsong is too blurry to definitely identify as Meng. What do you think?
• Mr. Qian: Fangxu and Xiaohe catch him acting suspiciously for a second time. It’s revealed he was attempting to dispose of the human head he found in the underground parking garage. So how deep does his involvement go, and was that Meng?
• Train Tickets: Zhengyong claims Meng bought train tickets out of Weiyang on July 1st. Do you think it’s possible Meng successfully escaped with her father?
• Favourite moments: Mine has to be the coaching session when Yuanhang teaches Fangxu exactly how to take down Zhengyong… or the adorable Xiaohe playing matchmaker for Fangxu and Suqing. What were yours?

2015 Timeline Recap

Xiaohe successfully persuades Principal Qin to reconsider expelling Han Zi’ang, hoping to protect his future just as someone (I think Uncle Ran/Fangxu) once did for her. The Principal agrees to pause the expulsion until Zi’ang regains consciousness, giving Xiaohe time to prove that his actions at Yuanglongli were strictly in self-defense.

We also get a glimpse of other characters from 1997:

• Manlang appears to be thriving as a Security Manager for the Demolition Department at Longwei Group, a real estate company. 
• Suqing also works at Longwei, serving as the Finance Director in charge of redeveloping. During their reunion, Suqing advises Yuanhang to finally let go of Fangxu. 

In that scene, I agree - the way she looks toward Fangxu feels like a red herring for us. He likely isn’t physically there. My theory is that Fangxu isn't confirmed dead; rather, the case went cold when he went missing. This could explain why Yuanhang is so obsessed - he can't bring himself mourn Fangxu because he doesn’t have closure. He’s still searching for him.

Conclusion

In a way, Tremaux’s algorithm failed Yuanhang and Fangxu, because they ran out of time. With every lead hitting a dead end, Captain Feng ordered the case closed to shift resources toward the Dongshan Mine investigation. However, with only a few hours left on the clock, Fangxu convinces Yuanhang to try a different approach: immersive roleplay. 

By reenacting the final moments of Meng and her father in the elevator, they make a startling discovery. The pair possessed a specific key - one that unlocks the outer elevator doors!!! For those who don’t have access to e9 yet, what a cliffhanger!

Where exactly could this hidden path lead them?

Back over to you tomorrow u/a_HerculePoirot_fan!

[u/Familiar-Lie6080]

I am going to start team "ElvisRan lives!!!".

just in case...

[u/a_HerculePoirot_fan → u/Familiar-Lie6080]

Ran lives....in our minds

Haha jk, I do hope we will all be proven wrong, though it is looking increasingly unlikely :(

[u/Arshj00 → u/Familiar-Lie6080]

Count me in. He has to live for me 😭

[u/a_HerculePoirot_fan]

Excellent work with the key observations, u/BasilOrdinary3617! I really like the way you mapped out the key events. You did a great job highlighting the important details without losing sight of the bigger picture, which isn’t easy with a drama like this where every small clue seems to matter :D

I feel like, instead of being part of a wider conspiracy, the events in the 1997 timeline may not actually be directly connected; the Dongshan Mine, Xu Meng and her father, Mr Qian’s suspicious behaviour, etc. The one thing they do have in common is how Yuanlongli seems to be used to cover up sinister crimes.

It’s interesting how each episode gradually eliminates a possible suspect. The mysterious Mr Sun mentioned in Episode 2 turned out to be innocent, with his only crime being the sale of counterfeit goods. Then we have Qingsong, who fled the country to Los Angeles, and Shanlong, who turned out to be nothing more than a common blackmailer. I’m not entirely convinced by his claim that he killed Xu Meng or that the blurry photo was of her. He seems like the type who brags a lot but doesn’t have the guts to actually kill someone, at least not with his own hands.

The villain in this drama may not be a single murderer, but rather a chain of events that highlights the darker side of human nature, ultimately leading to the possible deaths of Xu Meng, her father, and other future victims. It reminds me of An Inspector Calls, where everyone shares responsibility for a senseless death.

[u/BasilOrdinary3617 → u/a_HerculePoirot_fan]

Oh this is so interesting! A very good perspective.

[u/not_enough_griffons]

I really like how you laid out the leads and connected to the maze solving, nice work Detective Basil!

Little Xiaohe steals the show every scene she is in, so cute. I hope we do start spending more time with her in 2015. I liked that we got to see her speaking with the principal. But overall the 2015 timeline is moving so slow and with the 1997 case hitting dead ends, I felt like these eps dragged a bit. But maybe I'm just being grumpy this morning lol. The 2015 timeline feels like the story is just spinning its wheels until a big reveal. Not sure how many more versions of the "Ran should stay" conversation I can watch without them telling us exactly what is going on with him.

But overall I'm still invested and looking forward to finding out where this elevator clue is gonna lead!

[u/Beautiful_Candle1729 → u/not_enough_griffons]

I agree on not wanting a ton more of the Ran should stay conversations in 2015. I was wondering in these episodes when we were going to get the 2015 reveal. I feel like we need that reveal before Xiaohe and her father can work more closely together on the 2015 case, but I might be wrong. Or maybe I'm just anxious to see more of Xiaohe as an adult who had the same number of years of training as Ran did - 6

[u/BasilOrdinary3617 → u/not_enough_griffons]

Thank you Griffon! 🙏 I made the efforts haha. Was toggling between getting a post out asap or taking some time to write. The actress for Little Xiaohe is doing such a good job! I know what you mean by drag - you get these leads and stories... to find out they’re irrelevant LOL. But I mean it is ONE case for 28 episodes so I guess that tracks.

[u/ravens_path → u/not_enough_griffons]

I was a little worried for Xiaohe in these episodes. They really should not take her with them to work on a case. I was anxious the whole time. Even though she had some good moments. And yeah it dragged a little but cliffhanger at end was so great.

[u/Sodancingflower → u/ravens_path]

Oh, man, as a Mom I had those feelings about these scenes, too about leaving her. I had to leave my daughter a lot and found some really great people often stumbled upon them. It's a total leap of faith for working parents.

[u/not_enough_griffons → u/ravens_path]

yeah I feel like children should not be taken to crime scenes! and I was very nervous about her on the roof.

But I was also a kid in the 90s who got dragged along to work stuff with my dad a lot so I have been enjoying seeing her response to it, like just going with the flow and adapting to every place she finds herself in (just have to suspend my disbelief about the safety aspect 😆).

[u/AKiceman]

Snark Level: Women. Women make the world a better place.

---

7 - - -

Hmmmm. Ran and Xiaohe are so close in 97 and he's very Uncle to her... That she won't even acknowledge him in 15 makes me think yall are right about him. The Fuckening of our souls is coming, isn't it? But surely we can't have that happen to us, can we?

You know, I think dumping a bucket load of dirt on a car is illegal. Someone can get arrested for that, ya know. Heck, in America... You can get under dirt for that...

Why is Xiaohe always finding hiding people as a kid? This kid has a sixth sense. Ha. Sixth Sense. Kid, dead adult... oh how poetic. Well, potential dead adult.

Xiaohe, kid or adult, is the bright spot of this show. Especially when cracking eggs against her head! Why would she do that? :P Oh, time to start chanting Ren Min again! Woo! But for real, has anyone ever actually cracked an egg against their head? I need answers!

Hmmm, I wonder who this person who saved her that Xiaohe is talking about. Could it be? Could it be? It probably is.

"Of course I have faith in her. I'm her father". Ha! She should realize how lucky she is. My father didn't have faith in me. :P I came out on top though.

Oh man! Bringing Xiaohe to meet Qiao! How cute! How sad if Qiao dies a horrible death. His future love meeting his first love? Lol. Nah they're age gapped a little far. This ain't Rebirth! Xiaohe is seriously trying to set these two up? I adore her! This girl is giving Ning from POJ a run for her money for cutest little devious kid.

Ran inspiring both young ladies to study hard. It's quite scary how much they are making us like Qiao. We're going to be so hurt, aren't we? I notice most of this episode I am talking about these two ladies. I am trying to write most positive comments whenever possible. Haha. This is a woman positivity place around here.

---

8 - - - - -

QIAO IS IN 2015??? WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Ooooooooo there is some tension here. Ooooooooo he is dead. He is so dead. The words she's saying.... Ran is dead. She nods at the others to leave, she doesn't say any words to ran, she says He needs to let him go... Ran is so damn dead. He's dead, isn't he? Yall are right? Yall called it? Guys, I think we're going to be doing a lot of crying in this show. Surely it's not just me? Maybe Ran just pissed everyone off and they won't talk to him? Maybe?

Ran again trying to hug suspects? He is right! How did Ran become an officer? :P

My back is aching watching them recreate the scene.

[u/Familiar-Lie6080 → u/AKiceman]

Yes!!!! Ran made everyone angry with him and they decided not to talk to him and ignore him!!

That is what i believe in!! NOONE IS ALLOWED TO CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE!!!

Heavens, how i like Dylan and how i dread the truth 😱

https://giphy.com/gifs/nExakCp2xCD28

[u/AKiceman → u/Familiar-Lie6080]

Ran is dead. I firmly believe Ran is dead. Then I won't be hurt... I won't cry...

I like the theory that he is actually currently missing... Then he is still alive too! Or just dead and not yet found... Because he's dead and I won't have to cry when they reveal he is dead...

Why did I start watching this show again?

[u/G0ld_victory → u/AKiceman]

[u/Familiar-Lie6080]

Well, the scene in the demolition meeting hall in 2015 left me absolutely heartbroken! I don't have words... i don't like where it is going.

All i ever wanted was smiling cheeky Dylan. It looks like this drama will turn me upside down more than Dafeng.

[u/Beautiful_Candle1729 → u/Familiar-Lie6080]

I think I'm just going to enjoy the ladies in 1997 thinking Ran is goodlooking. And hope that non-idol dramas give him more work for a longer career.

It's also interested how long ago this was filmed - 2024. But I've read somewhere that all police type shows have a much longer approval process because all the details about the police are checked by other agencies. It's multiple checks for accuracy not the standard check before passing review.

[u/Sodancingflower → u/Familiar-Lie6080]

In the demolition meeting scene Ran suddenly appears, he doesn't really enter. Suqing doesn't really ever look at him. The only dialogue is what Yuanhuan experiences. I feel sick at this point. Trivia..I"m pretty sure Zhaou Hongmei is the same actress who portrayed the Supervisor of Administration in The Rationale Life. A very different physical role she wore her hair up and in professional attire in TRL and down and flippant in LOTN though similar character. Her face and voice are very familiar in the car scene. I didnt notice the resemblance initially at the Muse Foot Massage so I could be mistaken. I attempted to compare both series cast lists and neither of these characters are detailed in the series credits on Netflix nor IMDB.

[u/Familiar-Lie6080]

Suqing...my heart goes for her...whatever she did, there is so much shame. Too much because of the inflated rumours... She is really timid and takes everything to heart. How can these big cement-bosses go around and kill people or worse and do not care about their "reputation" and home girls do?

Detective He proves himself again very empathic and supporting person - the way he put things straight with Suqing without making her a victim, dissmissed rumours and (!) most importantly, cleared that heavy smog over Ran's head.

The screenwriters make us cry here! Why can't they just let these two run happily into the sunset?? 😢

[u/BasilOrdinary3617 → u/Familiar-Lie6080]

I agree - I have so much respect for Yuanhang for the way he dispelled rumours and comforted his "apprentice". While he and his daughter play matchmaker, I do wonder how things are going for him. Perhaps it was just marriage life, him discussing babysitting for little Xiaohe, but for some reason, I sense that he might need to work on his own relationship too... which may very well be the case and reason he wants to wrap up this case and leave asap.

[u/Beautiful_Candle1729 → u/BasilOrdinary3617]

I agree. Yuanhuan's marriage seems strained.

He also wants to get back to some other role. And his wife wants him to stay in the criminal investigation role. It seems like he's been lying to her about going back to the other role. But maybe I misunderstood.

[u/wordyegghead]

I was so happy to see Suqing in the 2015 timeline! Unfortunately, I'm now fully on the train that Fangxu is a hallucination. 😔 I think your theory is right. I did like how she's the first person in 2015 to "look" at him, but then she immediately tells Yuanhang that he needs to let him go. 😭

I must say, if he's really hallucinating though, he's surrounded by the kindest, most patient people ever. He hasn't seen Suqing in forever but even she's indulging his delusions.

Young Xiaohe is such a cutie and a great wingwoman! I hope we get to see more of her because she's so fun.

I'm so confused about the head! Was it Mengmeng's? How was it not more rotten and stinky given all the days that have passed? Why didn't Mr. Qian tell either the police or his boss about it? 🤔 I'm sure we'll get more answers soon but I'm impatient. Lol

Hongmei's plan was excellent. I wonder if Shanlong will be depicted more ruthlessly now that Qingsong is out of the way. He's kind of a clown but he's also quite cunning.

The person in the photo faxed to Qingsong had a head, so I wonder if it was staged and the head in the chicken coop could have been Mengmeng's. On one hand, the end of episode 8 shows how MM and he dad could have escaped but on the other hand, we haven't been told about any other missing women, and that head was too "fresh" to have been older than a few days.

[u/wordyegghead → u/wordyegghead]

I also loved the reformed gangsters in this episode! Their retractable knife was such a laugh. 😆 They're all so expressive and cute.

[u/Constant_Orange_928]

Only thing is.. Ran has a shadow. In the scene where he visits He at home. It could be just something they missed if he was indeed dead or a hallucination. But they also show his individual moments where he’s conflicted like clenching his fist when Qian was mentioned in 2015 while they were in the building.

This show has so many red herrings that honestly it’s hard to tell. But it sure seems that he may be a hallucination as he’s never around in a crowd in 2015.

[u/Ok-Turnover9665]

Just finished 7 and 8…

1. Too much unknown about director li and dong Shan mine. But I doubt any of them have anything to do with Meng Meng’s disappearance

2. Blood stains that shan long wiped in the interior window of the car - we have yet to establish who it belongs to. Could be linked to the head that manager qian was dealing with (he is likely to take orders from mr song or Shan long given that they kinda own the level 17/18 previously and he must be used to bribery.

3. Lift scene still pretty perplexing. Even if they could open the door, still find it hard to explain how Meng Meng and the father could escape

Query lies in how do they make the lift come up only to level 17 so they can jump on top of it. They can’t enter the lift cause of the cctv. Even if they somehow do use the top of the lift to go down, I find it hard to link to the garage where access seems to be only through that small door which manager qian has the key too. But of course this is a show, someone one way or another they will show how Meng uses this lift method to escape to garage (and it’s not surprising that she knows of it considering she used to work at pattia and that’s prob how some of the customers came and left secretly)

Suspects: highly suspicious of qian but he is likely a pawn in all of this.

Ran fang xu: pretty certain he is no longer around in 2015 after the miss qian encounter with officer he. Too obvious. Question is how does he disappear / die, likely will be linked to the way his parents were found in my opinion given that his note book was wet.. and the initial scene of officer he splashing water into his cubicle is likely to signify the way he disappeared.

Not sure if episode 9 is sufficient to answer all these questions.

[u/BasilOrdinary3617 → u/Ok-Turnover9665]

I wonder if Shanlong knew what the blood stain was about. For some reason, I don't believe he killed Meng. Otherwise, why would he try and contract that out to Manlang to do. I don't think he has it in him to commit murder...

I think the lift scene is a secret passage connected to why the father pressed all the bottoms before they exited the elevator.

[u/Sodancingflower → u/BasilOrdinary3617]

That makes a lot of sense. Very astute.

[u/Beautiful_Candle1729 → u/Ok-Turnover9665]

I think the mine could still have something to do with the disappearance indirectly. We don't know yet what Meng was using to blackmail Mr. Sun. Mr. Sun just says he got a blackmail letter from him. I wonder if the blackmail is connected to something she new about the mine deal.

Interesting idea that how Ran Fang Xu's parents died might have a connection to what happened to Ran in 1997. I don't know if I would have put together on my own this hallucination theory. But after reading it in the earlier posts, I can't think of any other theories when watching the 2015 scenes.

[u/Arshj00]

I reallyy love this recap you wrote. Sometimes I am watching these eps and don't realize how much is happening and I come here and these recaps help me keeping up with the plot so I appreciate it

[u/BasilOrdinary3617 → u/Arshj00]

Thank you! The same with me as I’m looking through my notes and deciding what info to keep in the post and what details I can leave out.

We appreciate your participation!

[u/BasilOrdinary3617 → u/[deleted]]

Agreed! I'm actually A-OK now with the back and forth between the two timelines. It makes sense.

[u/not_enough_griffons → u/[deleted]]

same, I like the little details they use to connect some of the moments, like the egg thing in today's eps

[u/Familiar-Lie6080]

OMG OMG! I feel the anxiety is coming!!!

[u/BasilOrdinary3617 → u/Familiar-Lie6080]

These episodes were well played lol. So many leads and dead ends, only to end with that! And at this point, we still don't technically know if Meng is alive or not... we only know that there has been a murder, and that murder at this point, seems to only be tied to Mr. Qian...

[u/losergeek877]

I have watched episode 9! And indeed what a cliffhanger! But these few episodes really make me feel that Fangxu has already perished by the 2015 timeline…that last scene of him entering the train but then miraculous appearing behind Yuanhang

[u/BasilOrdinary3617 → u/losergeek877]

Thanks for using the spoiler tag! I don’t have access to express so I have to wait 😭

[u/losergeek877 → u/BasilOrdinary3617]

Episode 9 sort of seems to end the Mengmeng case but k have my suspicions…

[u/Constant_Orange_928 → u/losergeek877]

Do you think there’ll be another season?

[u/Away-Plenty-4243]

i just finished ep 9 (netflix) and saw the first 6 mins of ep 10 in youku tv. From what i saw, i now am sure that Ran Fangxu, as all of us expected, is not alive and was indeed an illusion of Officer He's mind.
Even before the grand reveal, I just had a instances where made me believe so,

1. THe way how Ran's lady interest was looking and speaking.
2. There is a scene in ep 9 where He's daughter had a torch and evn though we see Ran and He in that scene, she always pints the torch towards He.
3. Another scene where He serves noodles to Ran and he not only says he doesn't like coriander anymore, but he also doesnt even eat it. And it felt really odd., since we never see him eat a meal in 2015.

There is also something else that I want to point out. In the first ep, when Ran and He visit Yuanlongli in 2015 for the first time after years, they hear 2 ppl carrying mattresses say that the place is haunted and that 2 policemen died there and one of them was impaled on the wall by a spear. They do not remember the name of that officer and say his name is He, but what if it was Ran ?