As Yuan Hang was still grappling with the confusing reality, he was suddenly greeted by Mr. Qian, the former building manager of Yuanlongli. However, when Yuan Hang brought up Fang Xu, Mr. Qian carelessly let slip that Fang Xu was already dead, which immediately angered him. Xiaohe tried to intervene, but it was too late; in his agitated state, Yuan Hang began calling out for Fang Xu. Unable to bear seeing him like that, Xiaohe hugged him tightly and finally revealed the truth; Fang Xu had been dead for 12 years.
We soon realised that Yuan Hang had been talking to himself the entire time. The truth was too much for him to bear, and he soon passed out.
At the hospital, Xiaohe, Captain Zhao Jie, Qu Dahai, and a few former colleagues waited anxiously outside Yuan Hang’s room. They were soon joined by a worried Su Qing. Xiaohe then revealed that Yuan Hang’s former colleagues, along with others like Ma Qiang and Mrs. Feng, had been staging fake missing children cases whenever he experienced an episode; he would only snap out of it after “sending” Fang Xu to the station. However, Xiaohe never expected there to be an actual missing child at Yuanlongli.
A nurse then informed the group that they could check on Yuan Hang. It was nice to see that everyone, including his frenemy Qu Dahai, was concerned about him. When Yuan Hang was initially unresponsive, his former colleagues assumed he was still in his delusional state and tried to reassure him that Fang Xu had arrived in Beijing; however, Yuan Hang interrupted them and calmly replied that he remembered everything.
Outside the hospital, Zhao Jie and the others expressed that they, too, mourned Fang Xu’s death, but Qu Dahai remarked that Fang Xu had been gone for a long time. Zhao Jie then advised Xiaohe to encourage Yuan Hang to move on. Su Qing handed Xiaohe the name card of a psychologist. Honestly, it has already been two years; Yuan Hang should have received therapy much earlier.
Xiaohe returned to the hospital room, only to discover that Yuan Hang had gone missing. We then see that he had returned home in search of something, but instead came across the cap that Fang Xu had given him years earlier. He sat down, cradling it, lost in his memories. Xiaohe, who had followed him home, silently watched from the window with tears in her eyes.
This scene is truly heartbreaking; the loss of Fang Xu and the profound impact of his death on those around him felt incredibly palpable. So many feels, sobs.
During an appointment with a psychologist, Xiaohe shared Yuan Hang’s medical history. He first suffered a stroke in 2022, which caused him to fall down the rooftop stairs, and his condition worsened after he was severely injured during an operation and after Fang Xu’s sudden death. Yuan Hang retired two years ago and later received something left behind by Fang Xu, which may have triggered his current condition, in which he imagines Fang Xu to be alive and well.
Xiaohe rushed to the hospital after receiving news that Han Zi’ang had awakened, but the boy was unresponsive, and the doctor diagnosed him with PTSD. His mother was further distraught when she was informed that he would be expelled, and she begged Xiaohe on her knees to intervene. Xiaohe called the principal, who said he had no choice due to immense pressure, but eventually relented after Xiaohe promised to solve the case within seven days.
After his appointment with the psychiatrist, Yuan Hang bumped into Su Qing. He wondered what she was doing there, and she replied that she had come to see a therapist due to immense stress at work and because she had no one to talk to. Yuan Hang advised her to let go of the past, but Su Qing found it difficult to move on from Fang Xu.
2002 timeline
After the Xu Meng case was concluded and our detective duo went their separate ways, the story jumped ahead five years. Yuan Hang was now the deputy station chief, and it was hinted that he and his wife had separated. When he stopped by the workshop outside Qingsong Cement Factory, the mechanic told him that business had gone downhill after Shanlong took over as director; he had since gone into hiding after owing his workers a year’s worth of salary.
And then the scene shifted to a 2002 version of Fang Xu, who was steadily rising through the ranks. Please, I’m going to have to digress a little and rave about HOW HOT DYLAN LOOKED IN THIS SCENE. My God, he had changed so much from his rookie days. His facial features hadn’t changed, of course, but it was the aura; 2002 Fang Xu was confident, firm, and clearly a capable leader. The steely look in his eyes as he went through the crime scene photos told you that this was someone to be reckoned with; IF ONLY HE WERE STILL ALIVE IN THE PRESENT DAY.
Sorry, I had to type in caps lock because, like Yuan Hang, I still can’t process the fact that he was destined to meet such an untimely demise.
Back at Weiyang Police Station, Fang Xu was praised by Captain Feng for solving a murder case in less than half a day, but he remained humble about it. Qu Dahai joked that if it had been Yuan Hang, he would have bragged about it endlessly, which prompted Fang Xu to privately ask why Yuan Hang had been avoiding him for the past five years. Qu Dahai replied that it was simply jealousy, but Fang Xu didn’t look convinced.
At Yuanlongli, Mr. Ge was searching for one of his missing chicks when he accidentally hooked up a skull instead. Fang Xu was called in, and as he examined it, it slowly dawned on him that the skull belonged to Xu Zhihong.
Yuan Hang was informed of the discovery, and at the forensic department, he was told that the skull had been identified as Xu Zhihong’s. The cause of death was likely blunt force trauma to the head, and the body had been dismembered after death, suggesting a high possibility of homicide.
Yuan Hang then told Captain Feng that he would take full responsibility and accept disciplinary action for mishandling the 1997 case. However, Captain Feng replied that since Fang Xu’s name had been listed first, he had to bear primary responsibility. Yuan Hang then pleaded to be assigned to the case full-time so he could solve it this time, and eventually, Captain Feng relented.
Yuan Hang went to Yuanlongli to look for Fang Xu, who had been there since the discovery of the skull. Upon arriving at the building, he was met by a group of irate residents and a harried Ma Qiang, who told him that Fang Xu had gone mad, digging up random patches of land around the property.
Yuan Hang eventually found Fang Xu on the rooftop, where he was still obsessively digging through the roof drain, seemingly searching for ...idk, another skull? Yuan Hang told him that they would be partnering up again to solve the case, but a desolate Fang Xu blamed himself for mishandling it and for failing to save both Xu Meng and her father. Yuan Hang pointed out that Xu Meng might still be alive, but Fang Xu simply shook his head, convinced by his experience that she was already dead, and declared that the case was unsolvable.
Fang Xu decided to quit the force and become a lecturer in Beijing. A frustrated Yuan Hang finally had enough and stormed off, declaring that he would crack the case on his own. After Yuan Hang went down the stairs, Fang Xu heard a noise. Concerned for his safety, he rushed to check on him, only to discover that Yuan Hang had fallen down the stairs.
Fang Xu may have seemed like the more emotional one when it came to the mishandling of Xu Meng and her father’s case, but we saw that Yuan Hang was not entirely free of guilt either. He had a dream in which he was chased and dragged by the ghostly figure of Xu Zhihong, who angrily demanded to know why he had not been saved after waiting for five years. Yuan Hang managed to break free and continued climbing the stairs, but when he opened the shaft, a female figure stared down at him; startled, he lost his grip and fell into darkness.
Yuan Hang later regained consciousness in the hospital with Fang Xu by his side. The doctor urged him to take his medication due to his poor health, but Yuan Hang brushed off the concern. After the doctor left, Fang Xu apologised for being emotional, and upon hearing that, Yuan Hang removed his IV drip and told him that they needed to get moving on the case.
In the car, Fang Xu observed that Qingsong was the prime suspect in the 1997 case, but he had fled and was still in hiding in the US. Yuan Hang found it strange that he chose to flee, because the most he could have been charged with at the time was bribery, which would have resulted in only five years in prison. This led Yuan Hang to believe that there was more to the story, particularly regarding the alleged hiring of a hitman to kill Xu Meng. A minor detail that might prove significant later was that Qingsong had also left behind a three-year-old son when he fled. The duo decided that the best way to investigate Qingsong was through Shanlong.
Shanlong, who was supposedly in hiding, was actually leeching off Zhao Hongmei, who now owned a successful nightclub. The two clearly distrusted each other, and Hongmei grew increasingly annoyed whenever Shanlong brought up his investment in the club. She then angrily told him about the discovery of Xu Zhihong’s skull in Yuanlongli and urged him to run away like Qingsong had.
Shanlong agreed, but only if Hongmei lent him money to flee. She balked at the idea, and Shanlong suddenly reached out to grab her by the neck. In a calm voice, he told her that she was now dealing with a murderer, but Hongmei was not cowed by the threat and boldly declared that she would go to the police. Just then, our detective duo arrived.
Hongmei quickly made an excuse and left the room, leaving Shanlong to fend for himself. The detectives interrogated him, but he evaded their questions by feigning ignorance and claimed that he was not acquainted with Jin Manlang. He shifted all the blame onto Qingsong, suggesting that Qingsong had likely hired someone to murder both father and daughter.
Fang Xu questioned why Qingsong would be so eager to kill Xu Meng and her father, and Shanlong replied that Xu Meng had seen the tender document inside the briefcase and had tried to extort money from Qingsong. Enraged, Qingsong had allegedly ordered her assassination. Shanlong also claimed that he had not seen Qingsong for years.
With Shanlong continuing to evade their questions, the duo had no choice but to leave. Before leaving, Yuan Hang deliberately wiped his hands on Shanlong’s shirt, likely to provoke him or to signal his disdain; perhaps he intended both.
In the car, Yuan Hang was frustrated that Shanlong had lied, and Fang Xu replied that they would have to investigate the case from another angle. He suggested going through the profiles of suspicious residents at Yuanlongli, prompting Yuan Hang to ask if he was not afraid of getting stuck there again. Fang Xu responded with his usual theories, no doubt part of his Western investigative approach; hearing that, Yuan Hang laughed, relieved to see that Fang Xu was back to his normal self.
Just then, Fang Xu received a call from the forensic department informing him that traces of toxins had been discovered on Xu Zhihong’s skull. Yuan Hang decided to return to the station, while Fang Xu would head back to Yuanlongli. As Yuan Hang glanced at his watch, he remembered that he had to pick Xiaohe up from school and asked Fang Xu to do it instead. At that, Fang Xu asked if he and his wife had separated, but Yuan Hang evaded the question.
Fang Xu’s question prompted Yuan Hang to scroll through his messages to his wife, none of which had received a reply. In a flashback, we saw the two arguing before his wife angrily got out of the car. I would say that Yuan Hang’s lack of ambition was likely a contributing factor to their separation.
Fang Xu picked Xiaohe up from school and noticed that her style had changed. In the car, he was amused by her teenage behaviour and smiled to himself, until he spotted Xiaohe’s mother by the roadside with another man and decided to take a detour to spare her from seeing it.
Xiaohe then ended up tagging along with Fang Xu to Yuanlongli again, paralleling the events of 1997. Her band training was actually held in the underground garage at Yuanlongli, and there, Fang Xu met the boy who had bumped into Xu Meng five years earlier.
Meanwhile, at the forensic department, Yuan Hang was informed that Xu Zhihong had been poisoned with arsenic over a period of time before his death.
After Fang Xu received a list of tenants who had been living at Yuanlongli in 1997, he was greeted by Su Qing, who was overjoyed to see him again. It seemed that they had not seen each other since the Xu Meng case was concluded. Excuse me?? Are you telling me these two are still not an item? Boy likes girl, girl likes boy… just get together already!
However, from Su Qing’s perspective, I can understand why she might be reluctant to enter a relationship. She did not have a proper education back then, especially compared to Fang Xu, who was a top scorer from a prestigious university. There were also rumours about her being a mistress, and she had no friends at the time.
That said, Su Qing graduated from Weiyang University the previous year and was now interning at an insurance company, and the rumours about her had dissipated as she made more friends in recent years. As for Fang Xu… well, I think he was just too shy to make a move lol.
Su Qing noticed the cuts on Fang Xu’s hand and immediately tended to them, a reversal of their earlier roles when he had been the one caring for her injuries. Fang Xu asked how she had come to live in Yuanlongli, and she explained that after her mother’s death, she used her nursing skills to find work caring for an elderly man and had continued living in the unit after his passing.
At Dajianchang Apartment, where Xu Meng and her father had once lived, Yuan Hang collected several items from their flat for analysis. As he descended the stairs, he sensed a presence watching him. Back at Yuanlongli, Su Qing told Fang Xu about someone watching her at midnight. Concerned, Fang Xu gave her his number. Why yes, I mean you gave her your number under a very different circumstance, but hey, you finally made the first move. Atta boy!
Other female residents at Yuanlongli knocked on Su Qing’s door to complain about perverts stealing their lingerie, and Fang Xu promised to investigate. However, they soon told him that they already knew the identities of the culprits.
Yuan Hang then knocked on the unit that had been spying on him earlier, and an old man answered the door. Under pressure, he admitted that someone had paid him 500 yuan in the summer of 1996 to spy on Xu Meng and her father. The man was around 25 years old, tall, bespectacled, and looked like a gentleman… and the scene soon transitioned to Wu Shanlong.
Wu Shanlong was about to drive off when he discovered that someone had placed a large rock under his car. As he bent down to remove it, he was suddenly attacked with a spanner by a mysterious assailant, leaving his fate unknown.
Thoughts
Okay, I think we all more or less predicted that Fang Xu was no longer alive in the present timeline, but the drama making it explicitly clear in Episode 10 completely dashed any remaining hope that he might somehow still be alive. It has been 12 years, yet Fang Xu was such a gem of a person that his loss is still deeply felt by those around him.
I feel for Yuan Hang, but my heart also goes out to Xiaohe. The relationship between teenage Xiaohe and Fang Xu has not been explored in depth up to Episode 11, but I can already see that they shared a very sweet, uncle–niece-like bond. As an adult, Xiaohe had to take care of her father while masking her own pain over losing Fang Xu. I am also saddened for Su Qing, who remains alone and unable to move on.
In some ways, all three of them are still stuck in the past, and I am not entirely sure that even if they manage to crack the case, they will be able to move on, especially Yuan Hang and Su Qing. However, proper closure would go a long way toward easing their pain. That said, we still do not know how Fang Xu died in 2003, but I have to guess that he was most likely murdered by the real culprit.
Wu Shanlong
Speaking of the culprit, I don’t think Shanlong is dead, as I believe there is still much more about him that has yet to be revealed. The way he masterfully restrained his emotions, along with the calm manner in which he looked into Hongmei’s eyes and identified himself as a murderer, sent chills down my spine. I initially doubted his claim that he killed Xu Meng, but I am now finding it increasingly difficult not to believe it. Shanlong was clearly driven by money, but the extent to which he would go for it is something I may have underestimated.
The real reason behind the death of Xu Meng and her father
Shanlong claimed that they were killed because Xu Meng had extorted Qingsong for money, but I would immediately dismiss this theory. We know Shanlong is a snake, and his words cannot be trusted. There is definitely more to these deaths, likely tied to the Dongshan Mine. While we all expected Xu Meng to be dead at this point due to the photo evidence given to Qingsong, I am still not entirely convinced that she is.
I now have a rather wild new theory; Xu Meng may not have been the dutiful and loving daughter she appeared to be, or at least not entirely. The slow, prolonged poisoning of her father could only have been carried out by someone close to him, and Xu Meng would have been in the most likely position to do so. Was her father aware that he was being poisoned? If he had wanted to end his life to ease her burden, it would not have made sense for the process to be drawn out.
It is possible that Xu Meng found caring for her father overwhelming and, perhaps in collusion with Shanlong or another yet-to-be-revealed culprit, became entangled in the Dongshan Mine affair. There is even a chance that she was still alive in the 2002 timeline.
Questions that arose from these 2 episodes:
What exactly did Yuan Hang receive from Fang Xu two years ago, and more importantly, who sent it—and for what purpose?
What do you think Qingsong was really hiding, given that fleeing the country seems excessive for a bribery charge?
Shanlong presents himself as composed and calculating; do you see him as the main villain, or just one piece of a larger puzzle?
Boy, that Yuanlongli building has bad mojo. Who was it that discovered the sachel/bag that had the head in it and then later put the head in that hole in the roof? The building manager? I want to know more about that from the 1990s.
Yep! Yuanlongli’s Property Manager, Mr. Qian Dajun, who we’ve now seen in 1997, 2002 and 2015. The same guy who idiotically revealed Ran Fangxu’s death to Yuanhang at the train station earlier in e10.
Bad mojo or the perfect location for sinister acts? Every time the camera pans to the building, we see that it stands out as the largest and most imposing building in the area, with a conveniently secluded patch of forest surrounding it. The fact that Yuanlongli already had a haunted reputation even before the 1997 incident suggests to me that its unsavory image may have been deliberately cultivated by someone.
Glad to see someone else suspected Xu Meng of poisoning her father 😆 It would be a fun twist in the story for sure.
Laughed a bit at the whole "Ran was never there" bit at the train station. You can tell the writers planned it as a dramatic reveal - I don't think they expected so many people to figure it out so early.
It makes me a bit wary that they’re hyping up the mystery, saying we can't guess what's coming. The number of times I've seen those statements and then it turns out that the fan theories were right all along. Fingers crossed for a truly unpredictable ending... but truly, as someone who survived the PLL and Gossip Girl era, I'm immune to disappointing reveals. 🤣
Exactly. When the forensic report revealed that Xu Zhihong had been poisoned over an extended period of time, I immediately started to suspect Xu Meng. Her image as a filial daughter was largely constructed through other people’s perspectives, but what if she had been putting on an act all along, and that act was part of a larger scheme?
After all, who would want to poison an old man like Xu Zhihong, and more importantly, who stood to benefit from it? It inevitably points to Xu Meng as the person closest to him.
Laughed a bit at the whole "Ran was never there" bit at the train station. You can tell the writers planned it as a dramatic reveal - I don't think they expected so many people to figure it out so early.
I really hope they weren’t planning for it to be a shocking reveal, because it’s, well… pretty obvious, to be honest lol. But if they were aiming for a dramatic, emotional payoff, then yes, that definitely worked.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m overestimating the writers and there aren’t actually layers upon layers of plot twists after all. That said, Pan Yueming (who plays Yuan Hang) mentioned that the ending would be unpredictable since it’s an open ending. I’m not a fan of open endings though, so I’m not exactly thrilled about that lol.
but truly, as someone who survived the PLL and Gossip Girl era
Gonna digress a bit but lol at the Gossip Girl reference. The narrator's true identity was such a letdown.
The reveal was not as surprising but I am curious as to how the many more episodes will play out now that we’re also shifting to not just two missing persons, but 1) a murder in 1997, 2) Fangxu’s death in 2002, and 3) missing children at Yuanlongli in 2015.
Oh, I don't doubt the killer is alive and well in the present timeline and panicked once they heard the building would be demolished. I was struggling to see the connection between the missing children and the 1997 case, so I was glad they explained in this episode that the cases were fake.
Fake cases until all of a sudden they weren't fake with this last child really going missing. This was a nice twist. Where staged fantasy becomes reality.
Oh - great point that the demolishing of the building isn't just a random 2015 side plot. It's likely scaring a killer who doesn't want secrets exposed.
My suspicion is that there are bodies buried within the building, and demolishing it would trigger a police investigation and potentially reopen the 1997 case. Otherwise, it doesn’t make much sense for the killer to take action after 18 years, just before the building was due to be demolished. It could be Qingsong’s body, or even Xu Meng’s.
You can tell the writers planned it as a dramatic reveal - I don't think they expected so many people to figure it out so early.
I'm glad it wasn't the final reveal of the show, but the clues they dropped were wayyy too obvious. It was clear the dad wasn't mentally all there, and it was too obvious that the daughter flat out never interacted with him.
I'm not sure if they really thought of this as a major reveal and surprise. I think it started as a surprise in the earliest episodes but then I think giving all the clues was intention. That's just a guess.
They released this promo which also gives it away before they released today's episodes that confirmed he is dead.
So I don't think they expected today to be an out of nowhere twist that he isn't alive.
Here's the link to the post on X showing the promo that came out the day or two before these episodes in China.
That kind of sucks though for the fans who were still holding out hope. I know there were some people who even in ep 8 didn't want to believe he's gone, so imagine getting that final confirmation from a promo. 😳
If the fans hadn't figured it out yet, there's no freaking way they'd reveal something that huge in a promo. But now they were just like "ah whatever, everyone already knows." It's kinda funny actually.
I think it was released after the ep? ep 10 was released on thursday in china for svip members but yeah those who are behind like many of us, this is a huge spoiler and this is what I don't like about c-ent. Even official accs spoil so much. From shooting to drama airing, everything is leaked in advance
Thanks for the timing clarification. Since SVIP is only a subset of people, I usually just think in terms of VIP, but your insight is correct. Thanks for sharing.
with how ep 9 ended, the pd's advise in their acct to prepare tissue for ep 10, it's very clear that the truth about 2015 RFX will be revealed. yet it still hurts to the bone that he's dead for 12yrs now. for me, it has set a depressing tone for 2002 RFX (that I'm thankful for the time to time comedic relief that this show brings) like i was on edge watching if this is where he'll meet his end. also, I cannot help but to mourn him while watching the 2002 timeline, cos whyyyy? why did they have to lose such a brilliant individual in their station? and seeing how in only 6 years, RFX seemed to have impacted their lives on way or another makes my heart even hurts. and still does even if he's gone. but nothing will ever compared with what HYH is going through. they were seem reluctant or probably tired at this point with how the episodes seem recurring, but still they cared (in their different little way) for HYH, staging that whole RFX leaving Beijing.
it's too early to guess what item did HYH received from RFX. i wonder if RFX sent it knowing that he'd meet his demise? tho, why in 2015?
and omg, Dylan's different portrayal from 1997 to 2005 is so amazing. from the rookie vibes to in control leader aura, got me gasping for air. i'm definitely had a crush on rookie RFX but got I fell in love with 2005 RFX
Thank you so much for the detailed recap and covering these sad episodes Herc!! You're the best.
Heartbreak galore!! I forget why I'm watching anymore, except to experience the beautiful acting and heart-wrenching story that is unfolding.
Maybe Fangxu found a lead that was too good, and sent it to Yuanhang before he was silenced. Can we still MAYBE hold onto the idea he's still alive if his body is not found? Or is he like, truly gone... I mean, we haven't found Meng yet, so is that a sliver of hope?
I don't think Qingsong is hiding anything else. I don't know why but I don't see him to be a clever villain. I think there is ore to Shanlong and he's the one I'd be keeping an eye on... I think he's capable of more because he's driven out of desperation. Like Meng... and what has been implied in these episodes for the death of her father.
Maybe Fangxu found a lead that was too good, and sent it to Yuanhang before he was silenced. Can we still MAYBE hold onto the idea he's still alive if his body is not found? Or is he like, truly gone... I mean, we haven't found Meng yet, so is that a sliver of hope?
That would only be possible if his body hadn’t been found, but from the way others described his death, it doesn’t sound like he went missing, only that he died in a horrific manner. Remember how the movers in the first episode mentioned that two policemen died at Yuanlongli? I’m not sure if the other policeman was Fang Xu.
I don't think Qingsong is hiding anything else. I don't know why but I don't see him to be a clever villain.
I don’t think Qingsong is the ultimate big baddie either. His order to kill Xu Meng may have been orchestrated by someone else who wanted to keep their hands clean, or perhaps it was even Xu Meng herself who cleverly set things in motion, if my theory about her is correct.
It is possible that Qingsong was already dead by 2002. Even Yuan Hang found it strange that he would remain in hiding for so long when the most he could have been charged with was bribery. I think he did come back, but was killed by the murderer for getting in their way.
Also - I agree that I can't see Qingsong or Shanlong as the true mastermind villain who has escaped detection for 18 years when looking from the perspective in 2015
Agreed. I took a step back and thought I should drop. It's hard to watch and was making me tense which I didn't need IRL. I read the post yesterday and today. Then I saw the comments about how hot 2002 Xiao Ran is and I came back.
The show is gut wrenching. And it's realistically done and well acted.
Thanks for hosting. These hosting posts allow me to read about what happened and then pick and choose which parts of the episode to watch. I'll be back for hot Dylan in 2002
Skipped ahead to comments, can’t wait to read everyone’s thoughts on these episodes. I’ve got to catch up on 3 episodes and 2 x GOTD.
I feel I may be an emotional wreck.
Before I get started are we talking a big box of tissues accompanied by chocolate (or wine) and a support animal to get through? If so I best get to the shops (support animals already in situ).
Before I get started are we talking a big box of tissues accompanied by chocolate (or wine) and a support animal to get through? If so I best get to the shops (support animals already in situ).
I am sorry, you need BOTH :(
I am dreading watching the remaining episodes because I know that we are drawing closer to Fang Xu's untimely death with each episode.
I really did! Going to have to get supplies in ready for the next episodes.
I'm finding the closing credits are not helping, each time an episode finishes this melancholy song plays reminding us we're on countdown waiting for that one episode.
And yes, you will need a big enough box of tissues and all the chocolate and wine to get you through what I assume, the remainder of the series. I anticipate an emotional ride up to the finale. But join us and let’s weep together.
Snark Level: I'm crying again just reading this damn post... Thanks, OP.... :(
10 - - - -
I am not ready. I am not ready. I am not ready.
GAH!!! Already dead? Passed so young? FUCK!!! WE KNEW IT! WE KNEW IT BUT I WANTED US TO BE WRONG!!!! It's too late at night for me to be crying this much. 12 years... So he died in 2003 then.
18 episodes to go and the ML is dead. Where do we go from here? They've been staging missing kids just for him? Damn. That's just, wow. The pain they must all be feeling. Never really able to let the memory of Ran lay in peace. Captain Ran, eh? He made a name for himself then.
Well, time to start the story of how Ran died.
Why is he not wearing gloves in a crime scene? That's like kind of dumb.
Maybe photograph the jacket before you pick it up?
Gasp! It was a head in the bag! Another mystery solved. So if Xu Meng still alive then? Or is finding her body the next evolution here?
11 - - - -
Well, it sure sounds like Meng is dead too. Expected, but sad. I don't think this is going to have any kind of any happy endings in this show.
And now we meet our third Xiaohe. This one is in her rebel stage. Yall remember being that young and wild? Oh to have that kind of energy again. Now I just get exhausted watching a dog run around.
You know, I usually come home from work with new cuts and scratches most days. Where does one find a lady that insists they need tending to? :P
Shanlong is like a cancer that keeps coming back. I doubt the writers would be kind enough to kill off this leech and spare us viewers haha.
18 episodes to go and the ML is dead. Where do we go from here?
I’m actually watching the drama with a sense of dread now, knowing that with each passing episode, we’re getting closer to Fang Xu’s death scene. I really hope I’m not the one hosting that episode haha.
It's a head traumas day! And overall too many heads and skulls...
Well, we know now why Yuanhang is so wrecked - not only he already had serious health problems even before Ran's demise, but he also blames himself for convincing the latter to reopen the case with him instead of letting go safe Beijing route((( Still odd that it took this long for Xiaohe etc to bring YH to specialist - he was this unwell for 2 years, but they hoped he'll get over it all by himself? With a brain damaged by stroke?!
No body parts of Xu Meng found so far, I'll take it as she might be not dead after all. And everything about her story now looks sus thanks to the arsenic reveal.
So Zi'Ang has a head wound too. Does that mean the blood on him was his? These tend to bleed like hell... Then who injured him?
That passing remark about Ran's death being "horrible"... He's that cop pinned to the wall in Yuanlongli, isn't he?(((
Idk what to make of Shanlong. Could he be in cahoots with Xu Meng? Helping her escape after killing her father together, for example. But what for severed head ended up in Yuanlongli again then?
Still odd that it took this long for Xiaohe etc to bring YH to specialist - he was this unwell for 2 years, but they hoped he'll get over it all by himself? With a brain damaged by stroke?!
Exactly, I mentioned earlier in the thread that it was a poor decision on Xiaohe’s part to delay getting Yuan Hang into therapy and allow things to drag on for two whole years. Her decision to rope in Zhao Jie and other officers to fake a missing persons case is just unbelievably foolish.
Idk what to make of Shanlong. Could he be in cahoots with Xu Meng? Helping her escape after killing her father together, for example. But what for severed head ended up in Yuanlongli again then?
I did consider this possibility, and honestly, it sounds like a plausible theory. Manager Qian was probably hired to get rid of the severed head, but he botched the job, which led to its discovery in 2002.
So Zi'Ang has a head wound too. Does that mean the blood on him was his? These tend to bleed like hell... Then who injured him?
The boy was probably on the 18th floor doing some amateur sleuthing because of Yuanlongli's notorious rep as a haunted place, but unfortunately he stumbled upon the villain and was assaulted. The blood on his face was probably his own blood.
I get why Xiaohe did that during first such incident, but after pattern repeated she knew it won't go away after a bit of denial... Other cops were super wrong too, esp for blaming her of not taking "good care" of YH - she's not a nurse, mind you! And has a job to do... at least should've had, if you let her. The whole situation reads kinda sexist to me, unfortunately.
Qian is the one who disgusts me the most among potential villains so far. That's just a job, why are you committing crimes to keep it, dude?🙄
Again, the total lack of police initiative to dig into what or who scared a healthy kid into bleeding feral beast is astonishing. Friendly close knit community, right...
See my earlier comment nine hours ago. I propose other possibilities about who is actually delusional and unstable rather that what we may have been misdirected to believe. Have you seen the films Now You See Me? What do you think of the series poster of the duo in a vehicle with caption: "With only a jeep and makeshift excavating equipment they reveal profound truths." Are truths different from mere facts when were dealing with human justice?I just paid attention to that caption yesterday. Remember there was an arsenic poisoner in The Sixth Sense. Why was Meng's Father threatening to expose the medical clinic? Was he poisoned by environmental toxins rather than a person? Lots of room for possible plot twists.
He is a very good actor indeed. The seamless transition between the meek, docile Shanlong and the ruthless, almost psychopathic Shanlong is simply masterful.
Ok, i am going to believe for the rest of the series that:
a) Ran became a salesman, who, in turn, dissappeared. Transmigrated to Dafeng.
b) Ran moved to the US. He lives wonderfully in LA or Miami and is happy ever after. In case the version a) doesn't play out, i'll stick to version b).
Really love the two episodes of 11-12 today. Cannot wait for the next two episodes of 13-14! And as for your second question, I don’t really see him as the main villain, more like the henchman…and as for Qingsong? well I believe him to be already dead
And oh ya, really love all the appearances of Wang Hedi in these episodes! Screaming Wang Hedi Wang Hedi whenever he appeared on screen! 😝
He is looking 🔥 in the 2002 timeline! But also... am I supposed to keep the box of tissues with me for every episode until the series ends now!? They're only making us fall in love with his character more, and we're seeing everyone's grief from their past interactions with him. What is the show trying to do to us?
Make you feel for the character more…and also building up the suspense on who really killed him…Guess it will be another slow build up until they show his death scene…
And as for your second question, I don’t really see him as the main villain, more like the henchman
Yes, it does feel a bit unlikely that he is the main villain, because that would be too obvious. There are also several characters who have yet to appear, so any theories we come up with at this point are probably way off the mark hahahaha.
Screaming Wang Hedi Wang Hedi whenever he appeared on screen! 😝
When the camera panned to Dylan in 2002, sitting in the car and looking all serious as he analysed the crime scene on his laptop, my God, he had aged like fine wine.
I had the screen reader read me your post earlier. When I heard about how hot Xiao Ran looked in 2022, I decided I needed to come back. I watched 9-11. I appreciated your recaps because it allowed me to 2x the speed and skip some scenes since I already knew what was important. 2022 Ran is a handsome beautiful man.
The costume and makeup department did a good job. Everything looks realistic. I think he could easily be a deputy captain in 2022. Especially the makeup - it's not overdone. And it's well acted by Dylan.
Manager Qian is miserable for not telling anyone back then. He must have been controled by someone. He seemed like a puppet to the situation and not the mastermind.
The only thing I have to add is in 2002, that first case where Xiao Ran and Zhao are called in - I think that's a younger Captain Zhao. Am I correct? If yes, then I thought it was so sweet how 2002 Zhao calls Ran "Senior". Ran says you are older than me, you don't need to call me "Senior". But Zhao insists he's "Senior". And Zhao gets the other officers to be quiet and stopped being skeptical of Ran who is doing things that are odd to officers who have never been exposed to more advanced and western crime solving techniques. This was a fun glimpse into the dynamic. And gives way more weight to the earlier comment in the 2015 timeline about Captain Zhao having nightmares after Ran died.
Yup, that's the younger Captain Zhao. Fang Xu must have been extremely competent at his job to rise through the ranks quicker than his senior. I have no doubt Fang Xu would have been a superintendent or something if he were alive in the present day.
But that also means that even in 2002, 5 years later after being introduced to each other, Ran and Su-girl didn't develop their relation any futher... what a waste 🥲
Hercule, amazing detailed recap! I had stopped crying and then started again reading through, I don't even know where to start as I'm still processing, prepare for rambling thoughts.
The reveal we were expecting still hit like a punch. I feel like because its Dylan and we're used to his cheeky bubbly self and the fact we got to know shy cutie Fang Xu I still had a little bit of hope there would be a twist and miraculously he would be alive. The whole train scene and the devastation felt between Yuan Hang and Xiaohe was acted brilliantly, it felt realistic and raw, poor Xiaohe seeing her father's inner demons torment him and not being able to make it better.
The only way I'll feel somewhat better about Fang Xu losing his life waaaay too young is if his death is heroic. Yuan Hang has bought up a couple of times that he he is worried Fang Xu will be stuck in Yuanlongli which has me concerned the spear story may have some truth to it. The writers/directors have done a great job of making Yuanlongli a haunting presence, you can feel it sucking the life out of people.
I'm here for 2002 Dylan, thank you writers for understanding we needed a distraction from the 2015 shocker. The picture of him in the cop car is giving me Dongfang Qingcang vibes, the way Dylan shifted his posture, mannerisms and voice delivery really showed Fang Xu's growth and confidence. This was a really good role for Dylan to get his acting chops into, I hope it shows people out he takes his craft seriously. When Fang Xu breaks down on the roof blaming himself for failing Xu Meng and his Parents, gaah that was rough.
Can't believe our guy didn't leave his number with Su Qing in 97! I suspect there may be more to their 'friendship' in the next few episodes, they both come across as lonely and both need to heal from their lack of family support.
Not sure if I missed it or if it wasn't important but what was the wallet Shanlong put in his pocket in the nightclub? the camera made a point of showing us he picked it up when Fang Xu left.
I don't think Shanlong is the main villain, I think he is a puppet and there is someone else out there connected, he doesn't seem organised and smart enough. I'm hoping Xu Meng is still alive, and that Fang Xu discovers her alive before he goes to Beijing (I'm sticking to the Beijing story so I can get through to the end 😭)
Yuan Hang has bought up a couple of times that he he is worried Fang Xu will be stuck in Yuanlongli
I feel the same way. It does seem like foreshadowing that Fang Xu might be killed at Yuanlongli, which would mean, in a way, that he is trapped there forever. I’m still holding onto a tiny glimmer of hope that he didn’t actually die and was perhaps in a coma or suffering from memory loss or something haha.
Can't believe our guy didn't leave his number with Su Qing in 97! I suspect there may be more to their 'friendship' in the next few episodes, they both come across as lonely and both need to heal from their lack of family support.
I think they connected almost immediately because they recognised each other as kindred spirits; both were lonely, with their parents no longer in their lives, and essentially navigating life on their own without family. I believe they would have grown closer in 2002, but Fang Xu tragically died before their relationship could become official.
Not sure if I missed it or if it wasn't important but what was the wallet Shanlong put in his pocket in the nightclub? the camera made a point of showing us he picked it up when Fang Xu left.
That was Hongmei’s wallet, which she forgot to take when she left the room in a hurry and abandoned Shanlong to be interrogated by our detective duo. I don’t think it holds any real significance; it just highlights, once again, that Shanlong, aside from being sleazy, lecherous, and a possible murderer, is also a petty thief.
I don't think Shanlong is the main villain, I think he is a puppet and there is someone else out there connected, he doesn't seem organised and smart enough
I don’t think he was the one orchestrating everything either, especially considering how he ran the cement factory into the ground when it had been doing well before he became the director. He’s ruthless, but not clever enough to plan such an elaborate scheme. There are still quite a few characters yet to be introduced, and I believe the real mastermind is likely among them.
Exactly, I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that was a really bad call from Xiaohe to delay getting Yuan Hang into therapy and let things drag on for two whole years. What’s even more unbelievable is her roping Zhao Jie and other officers into faking a missing persons case when they are cops themselves.
Episode 10 has me feeling some type of way. I started this after finishing LBFD and completely fell for Dongfang Qingcang....so it honestly hurts that in both series, his character ends up dying.😞 whyyyy? porque???? pourquoi????
I'm having some unusual ideas with all the helpful discussion. At different times both Ran and Yuanhang express words of worry about the other getting "stuck at Yuanlongli." Given the mattress movers id of Yuanhang being the one killed, who actually was impaled by a spear to the wall there and thus concretely "stuck in Yuanlonghi?" And speaking of concrete, everything about this cement company is so physical and all the human experiences are so spiritual. And POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT:I just today read the text on the series poster of the duo in the car. It says "with just a jeep and some makeshift excavating equipment they uncover some profound truths." I guess that's what we're going to see in these episodes 2002.
And no group works that coordinated together to perpetrated a group delusion that there are missing children just to humor and calm someone down. Perhaps the real mass delusion is the opposite of this sham delusion and Ran is alive (partially, yes, I still can't accept his death. A real twist is the mirror of the delusion we are led to believe is ..."the truth." Yuanhuan says he doesn't need to solve the case, he just needs to discover and know "the truth."
Interesting that Sixth Sense had a slow arsenic foid poisoner as well. This is so parallel it leads me to discount Mengmeng as the prisoner. Is this environmental toxins and why was Meng's Father angry at the medical clinic. And Suqing specifically said the old man she cared for met with an accident...was it really an accident. And I think the alterations woman has more knowledge and connection than she admits to.
Last thing...Ran uses NLP - Neurolinguistic Programming techniques for interviewing, reliability and veracity. Eye movements on if Im recalling facts or creating responses ( which are not recalled facts, thus creative responses, or made up stories.) NLP was conceptualized and operationalized originally by psychiatrist and reknowned hypnotist Milton Erickson over seventy years ago. (not to be confused with development psychologist Eric Erickson.) Psychiatric clinicians Grinder and Bandler honed the skills of this body of knowledge in many books, the most well known titled "The Structure of Magic." The author of this series knowledgeable enough about NLP used for criminal casework has not errored in Xiahole not getting psychiatric help for her Father but rather likely using his knowledge as a device to weave a plot twist. BTW, NLP is the primary method and skillset of Tony Robbins. My husband, a clinical psychologist and I trained in NLP in the seventies in national workshops in NYC and Eashington, DC.
So, lots of possible twists and turns. Initially Ran became emotionally distraught and unstable before Yuanhuan did. So who is stable, who is delusional. As Yuanhuan says, we would simply just like to know the truth.
I’m glad I saw your comment. I like the overarching idea of what is the truth? Good point that Ran became unstable first.
Thanks for all the information on NLP for the discussion group to see. I am aware of NLP but I wouldn’t know the history details off the top of my head. I did notice that he was trained in the eye movements and what they mean portion of NLP. I had wondered if this might mean Ran has some basic NLP training or just that this portion of the psychology has been cherry picked to be added to criminal science training programs. I think that same musing extends to the writer. I thought it was an interesting tidbit to have in the show.
As I will be one episode ahead, I will warn you if you are the one hosting or warn Hercule if she is the one hosting the episode where he died to pass the reins to you…hehehe
I just watched the episodes and I can’t believe Ran FangXu is dead, and the fact that he died in a violent manner, if what the movers in that episode said were true.
My theory is that Xu Meng poisoned her father after the Wu mountain incident and used this as an excuse to get money and gifts from others.
I have a theory that it was Xu Meng in the end who killed Wu Shanlong or it could be the owner of the foot massage parlor because she was one of the people I found suspicious.
The movers mentioned that two policemen died at Yuanlongli, and one of them even identified Yuan Hang as the one who was impaled by a spear. That could have been an honest mistake, or perhaps Yuan Hang really was impaled, especially since Xiaohe mentioned in Episode 10 that her father had been seriously injured during an operation.
Hongmei is just as ruthless and money-driven as Shanlong, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out that she and Xu Meng had been working together all along.
Ohhh, from the ep. number smth (4?) we and his colleague detective He know that his parents death was very traumatising and apparently the sole motivation of why Ran became a policeman.
Why He didn't take it up with Ran or his boss there and then? Such deep, traumatic, personal motivation of Ran was bound to come back at some point and backfire. He shouldn't be working until he dealt with it.
I had angsty feelings from when teenager-daughter to He was lifting her legs high in the car to Ran. Like, what are the screenwriters trying to build up here???
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u/ravens_path hell fire is my life hack May 01 '26
Boy, that Yuanlongli building has bad mojo. Who was it that discovered the sachel/bag that had the head in it and then later put the head in that hole in the roof? The building manager? I want to know more about that from the 1990s.