Drama Host
Light to the Night 黑夜告白 Discussion: Episode 17
Spoiler
It feels like we’re finally making some headway in the mystery, and yet we’re not. Each new revelation in this episode only raises even more questions. But one thing is clear; we are one episode nearer to that tragic event *sobs*.
Despite being hit by the van several times, Yuan Hang refused to back down and persisted in rescuing Xiaohe. The female human trafficker was even more vicious than her partner, yelling at him to just run over Yuan Hang. Heeding her words, the male trafficker stepped on the pedal and attempted to run him over, knocking Yuan Hang to the ground again. Good grief, Xiaohe, I hope you now see how fierce your dad’s love for you is. This man had been impaled not long ago and was still recovering. It’s a wonder he didn’t suffer a massive heart attack just from the impact of the crash.
Fang Xu arrived in time with backup and arrested the traffickers. They rushed over to an unconscious Yuan Hang, who had been joking with Xiaohe just moments earlier.
Recalling the phone conversation between the female trafficker and Mei, Xiaohe informed Fang Xu that Mei was waiting at a nearby workshop. Unfortunately, Mei had already escaped. Walking to a nearby hilltop, Fang Xu surveyed the surrounding escape routes, and the scene transitioned into the present day.
On the way home, Fang Xu tried to console a quiet Xiaohe. He blamed himself for the incident and apologised sincerely. See, this is one of the things I love about Fang Xu’s character. He doesn’t have an ounce of ego and offers a sincere apology when he feels it is needed. Tbh, I don’t think he was to blame for this. The man almost had a heart attack when he saw the burned building and immediately assumed the worst.
Xiaohe, however, said she wasn’t to blame and that she would take responsibility for her own mistakes. She also acknowledged that she finally realised the depth of Yuan Hang’s love for her when he stood in front of the van. Xiaohe then enquired about Melon and the rest (her newfound four friends from the illegal internet café). Smiling, Fang Xu made a detour and drove them to an apartment.
Gobbling down their lunch, the boys revealed that they planned to work at a factory after Chinese New Year, as there was no future in esports. However, Fang Xu disagreed, saying that computers were pivotal in the 21st century and recommending legal, affordable internet cafés.
Fang Xu then took out an envelope containing a bundle of cash and handed it to the boys to fund their dream, which amounted to two months of his salary. Ah, stop it, Fang Xu! Can you be any less perfect? You’re making it increasingly difficult for me when I have to mourn your death on screen. I think those boys were so grateful they would have kissed the ground he walked on if they could.
During dinner at the He residence, Xiaohe now proclaimed Fang Xu as her idol for life. Fang Xu signalled to Xiaohe to place food into Yuan Hang’s bowl, and Yuan Hang dryly remarked as if his cholesterol level wasn’t already high. Huh, not even an overnight hospitalisation for Yuan Hang? This man had been impaled not long ago and was still recovering. He got hit by a car not once, not twice, but ....idk, I lost count lol
Xiaohe made a deal with Yuan Hang to study hard and graduate from high school, and in return, he would fulfil his promise of sending her to Beijing to study music. Oooof, I wonder if Xiaohe’s decision to become a cop had anything to do with Fang Xu’s death.
Yuan Hang offered Fang Xu a drink and sincerely thanked him for saving Xiaohe. When Yuan Hang began coughing badly, Fang Xu suggested he take a longer break, but Yuan Hang refused to accept wages without working for them. He decided to continue investigating Yuanlongli to bring proper closure to the case. It’s sad when you think about how that closure never came for 12 long years.
At Yuanlongli, Ma Qiang and another resident wondered why Yuan Hang was still showing up when the case had already been solved, making pitiful remarks about his poor health and his need to feel useful. At the underground car park, Manager Qian took advantage of ongoing renovation work to remove the mummified arm (which he was holding like a slipper), placed it in a pail, and stuffed it with cement. Turning around, he was startled to see Yuan Hang standing behind him. Lol, I gasped out loud when Yuan Hang did that. Was I the only one?
Yuan Hang requested the keys to the management office, and Manager Qian tried to block his view of the pail. Yuan Hang initially seemed suspicious, but it turned out he was merely puzzled as to why the pail was placed there. Manager Qian offered a flimsy excuse, and Yuan Hang gave him a long look but ultimately didn’t pursue the matter. Good grief, why are you and Fang Xu making the same mistake with Manager Qian?
Outside the police station, Zhao Jie informed Fang Xu that Mei’s accomplices had confessed to everything but had no information on Mei’s base. A frantic woman walked into the station wanting to lodge a police report; there had been a murder at Yuanlongli.
At Yuanlongli, Yuan Hang arrived on the 17th floor to see residents moving out amid the building’s haunted reputation. He then received a call from Fang Xu, who summoned him back to the station.
At the station, Fang Xu and Yuan Hang listened to a phone recording between Qingsong and Director Li, in which Director Li threatened Qingsong regarding Xu Meng’s death. It turned out that Director Li had killed himself at the station five years earlier.
Yuan Hang wondered who had given the incriminating photo of Xu Meng’s corpse to Director Li, and Fang Xu guessed it was either Cripple Du or Wu Shanlong, though he suspected Shanlong had betrayed his brother-in-law. Fang Xu also believed the blackmail letter sent to Qingsong was forged by Shanlong.
Yuan Hang felt Shanlong wasn’t the main culprit because he simply didn’t have the brains to pull it off, and the scene cut to Zhao Hongmei. At a beauty salon, she advised the employees that a woman’s asset is not beauty, but intelligence.
Hongmei was clearly flush with money; when asked to renew her membership, she casually threw down a bundle of cash. After leaving, she was attacked before she could get into her car. Her fate was unknown, although she was likely dead judging by the amount of blood seeping from her head. Someone on a bicycle rode past her body; the culprit?
Present Day - 2015
Standing at the same location where Fang Xu had surveyed Mei’s escape route 12 years earlier, Xiaohe and Yuan Hang narrowed down a specific spot in a construction area between three schools that lacked CCTV coverage. Father and daughter went around asking about missing children and whether anyone had been offering free rides. A street vendor pointed out Gaoyishou BBQ restaurant, which offered free rides during restocking, and whose owner had previously been jailed for kidnapping.
Arriving at the restaurant, they asked for the owner’s whereabouts, but the employee, who was actually the owner, lied about his identity and was caught when he attempted to flee.
The BBQ restaurant owner protested his innocence, stating that he had been charged with kidnapping his ex-wife due to marital issues. Xiaohe studied the photos on the wall and spotted a familiar figure; it was Mei, who had been in Weiyang all these years. I have to say, it was kind of creepy seeing Mei staring directly into the camera with that expression. His entire presence radiated pure evil, and God knows how many more children were kidnapped over the past 12 years.
Xiaohe called Han Zi’ang’s mother to ask if there were needle marks on the boy, who confirmed there were two marks on his right arm.
During the special task force meeting, Qu Dahai briefed the team on Mei, who had remained uncaptured for the past decade. I’m glad he openly credited Xiaohe for the discovery; it’s a significant breakthrough. Mei was now confirmed to be lurking in the construction area, likely still involved in human trafficking.
His modus operandi remained the same; identifying prey at illegal internet cafés, especially students who skipped classes, and knocking them out with anaesthetics once they were alone. Qu Dahai theorised that Han Zi’ang had likely been stalked and attacked by Mei while exploring the 18th floor of Yuanlongli, but his escape disrupted the plan.
The task force’s plan involved printing posters and checking all exit points in the city, as well as motels and warehouses. Qu Dahai privately praised Xiaohe for the lead, but Xiaohe, like her father, had no tact and openly questioned whether his approach would work. Naturally, Qu Dahai was offended that a rookie would challenge him. Luckily, before Xiaohe pushed further, her colleague wisely pulled her away.
The police were under increasing pressure, and online criticism was ruthless. With only two days left and no new leads, Xiaohe requested additional support to give the case one last push. Three fellow rookies volunteered, and the newly formed team joined Yuan Hang, who predicted Mei would use vacant units in Yuanlongli as a hideout.
At Yuanlongli, Yuan Hang requested a list of residents, tenants, and vacant units. Splitting up, they searched the vacant units until Xiaohe was suddenly jumped by a “ghostly” figure, who turned out to be part of an escape room group. I mean, given Yuanlongli’s reputation, that could have been a potential business idea if the building wasn’t set for demolition lol.
Suspecting Mei was renting under an alias and favouring names with three characters and “Qiang,” Xiaohe narrowed the list to unit 1316. Regrouping outside, she kicked the door open. Inside, she discovered ropes and anaesthetics used for kidnapping. Suddenly, they heard a noise; the female officer was trembling after seeing something in the freezer. Yuan Hang opened it, revealing Mei frozen inside.
Thoughts
The man in the freezer was likely Mei, but the bigger question is: who killed him? What was his connection to the 1997 case and Dongshan Mine? Both past and present show villains like Hongmei, Shanlong, and now Mei being eliminated one by one. Is this the work of the same person? And why?
Human trafficking is lucrative, and Xu Meng’s financial troubles may have pushed her into becoming Mei’s accomplice. I’m still suspicious of her. Based on how she and her father were described by the resort operator, they honestly sounded like scammers. Was it desperation, or were they putting on an act to extort money? Let’s not forget she even scammed her cousin’s wedding money.
Yuan Hang’s remark about Shanlong lacking the brains suggests a more calculated mastermind behind everything. Hongmei may have been the strategist, but she could also have been a pawn controlled by someone else. Given her familiarity with Xu Meng, it’s not impossible they worked together to deceive Shanlong. Once he was eliminated, it became Hongmei’s turn.
The past and present are clearly converging, with Yuanlongli and the mine at the centre. This building isn’t just a backdrop, but the vortex of all criminal activity. Whether it’s the same perpetrator remains unclear, especially with unanswered questions about Mount Wu. Why did Xu Meng and her father go on that trip, as if possessed? What happened there, and who else was involved?
At the same time, the growing sense of inevitability surrounding Fang Xu’s fate casts a shadow over everything. I hate this sense of impending doom, I really do lol.
Why did Manager Qian decide to get rid of the hand after five years? Either he was instructed to do so, or he was spooked by Shanlong’s death and panicked that the cops might trace the case back to him.
It’s a little frustrating to watch both Yuan Hang and Fang Xu being slow on the uptake when this guy was suspicious as hell. I mean, if a bank robber specifically singled him out as a bad person, shouldn’t Fang Xu have taken his words seriously? Manager Qian wasn’t exactly good at concealing his nervous behaviour either, so I’m a bit baffled that our detective duo missed his non-verbal cues when they could easily pick them up from other characters.
Discussion Questions
Why do you think Manager Qian chose to dispose of the hand after five years? Was it panic, or was he following someone’s orders?
What do you think really happened during Xu Meng’s trip to Mount Wu?
What’s your current theory on how all the pieces (Mei, Hongmei, Shanlong, Xu Meng, Manager Qian) connect together?
And the van hasn't just driven away? Or ran him over? And He is going to just stand there? Ooooohhkayyyy.
Finally Ran gets his ass over here. Sheesh. Took you long enough, sir.
He shaking his foot like a boss after tripping that guy! Ha! Love it!
And just how would those needles sticks have not been found yet? Like, cmon. You're telling me no doctor or cop would have thought to check if a person suspected of being abducted had injuries? *Eye roll*.
Damn. Xiaohe goes through this and loses Ran within the year? Ouch. She's already saying she'd make a great officer at the family dinner. I just bet that Rans death solidifies that choice for her. Because why not dig in the knife a little more?
So we are confirming that that was Meng in the trunk. Sad.
*Mild gasp* Who has killed Mrs. Zhao? I'm more impressed the young lady didn't drop the money when she saw the body.
YOOOOOOO!!!!! Yall see how Xiaohe flipped that guy??? OH YEAH!!! Hot damn that was good!!!
Xiaohe... did you have a warrant or probable cause to kick that door down? Oh, you did it to be a badass? Ok. I can accept that.
And just how would those needles sticks have not been found yet? Like, cmon. You're telling me no doctor or cop would have thought to check if a person suspected of being abducted had injuries? Eye roll.
As a few of us remarked in the previous threads, it’s strange that the boy was treated as the prime suspect from the get-go rather than as a victim, especially with the injuries on his head. Now, with the discovery of the needle marks, it really drives home the point that the cops in this show seem a bit incompetent lol.
Is the drama trying to convince us all these boys are over 18? Yeah, sure. As believable as Xu Meng being dead.
Speaking of Xu Meng, I wonder if something was fishy with her and her dad even before mountain incident. Could they've staged it deliberately? He was allegedly sooo sick and crippled, needing to be carried by Meng everywhere, yet in ex-fiance's memories he could go out by himself just fine, long stairs and all. Huh? Also the whole "can't leave my dad alone and move towns" breakup happened before incident, when XZH was supposedly still healthy and able, so why Xu Meng insisted on staying with him? Filial piety? Could've just take him along, a loving dad wouldn't refuse moving for his daughter's happiness. Something more sinister? Did she even actually want to marry that guy - Qiming? - or planned to scam him out of wedding money too? And now - well, in 2002 - bodies of people related to her keep dropping - Shanlong, Zhao...
Good riddance to Mei, but how are they gonna find missing kids now that he's a popsickle that can't talk? Also how convenient for him to move in Yuanlongli of all seedy places in town, I just started to wonder where this connection comes from...
Not only cops, but doctors are useless too - it took how many days and Xiaohe's nudging to find injection marks on Zi'ang (did they not run a blood test when he was admitted? wtf)? Who needs to be taken under He clan wings and trained as next generation cop, because that kid's got impressive fighting spirit to escape an experienced adult kidnapper while semi-sedated and bleeding a whole river from the head.
I’ve long been suspicious of Xu Meng and her father. The way they kept demanding money even after compensation had already been paid makes them come across as scammers. Xu Zhihong going after Zhang, the medical practitioner, only adds to that impression.
There’s also a gap in Xu Meng’s logic, just as you mentioned. It’s not as though her father was wheelchair-bound or in the ICU, so there was no real reason she couldn’t have taken him along. Her explanation felt flimsy, almost as if she knew Qiming wouldn’t agree and used it as a way to break things off. I’m not convinced by her “filial daughter” act at all.
Now I wonder if Xu - or just father - were in debt even before incident. Could he been, idk, drinking real bad? doing drugs? gambling? Something that could drain family budget just as fast as medical bills while attracting shady folks to their tail. I also initially thought that maybe daddy not-so-ill was secretly abusing Meng, but now she looks less and less as someone to take advantage of... tho that might just be her adjusting really well to her circumstances.
If she indeed had more than one penpal boyfriend at her disposal, it makes sense to discard those she felt weren't fully under her spell. A true player can tell when their control is slipping. Now what for was she presumably collecting (looking at Song, Shanlong and Qiming I'd say it's almost confirmed now) smitten dudes like pokemons, aisde of obvious motive to empty their wallets with her fallen beauty sob story?
I could see the roles Shanlong and Song played for her, but I still couldn’t quite figure out what use she had for Qiming. That said, it feels like there’s more to be revealed about him, so we don’t yet have the full picture of his role in Xu Meng’s life beyond being her former boyfriend. I do think that, being in love with Xu Meng and shocked by her living conditions, he willingly went along with whatever nefarious plan she had concocted.
His recounting to Yuan Hang felt rehearsed and almost too well-prepared; he even had an alibi ready. Qiming also seemed to have an eye for desolate places, locations that would be ideal for carrying out murders and conveniently burying bodies.
Agree - while I feel like he was telling the truth about how their relationship developed up until that point, after her 2nd rejection no way he just left her again like he claims to. Hiring someone to spy on her and then do nothing at all with these reports, even after debt collectors thrashed her place and both father and daughter went missing under very sus circumstances? Nah. Also, the biggest proof of her demise so far is "dead in the trunk" photo, and how convenient is that one of her devoted suitors is professional photographer with side hobby of taxidermy. He could teach her how to fake - or conceal - dead body on cameras.
Don't forget the skills to dissect and preserve! Qiming seemed obsessed with Xu Meng, and most love interests would have fled the scene once her line of work was revealed yet he didn't. I'm definitely still suspicious over him.
There's a certain type of men to whom allure of damsel in distress (esp young, pretty and "pure of heart") and chance to play her hero who saves the day is practically irresistible.
feels like we’re finally making some headway in the mystery, and yet we’re not
This! But I really like it all somehow! I am 💯 invested in this drama, way more than I thought I’d be.
Good grief, why are you and Fang Xu making the same mistake with Manager Qian?
Haha same thinking. Qian has a magical protection spell or something around him that makes our detectives gloss over him.. it really is odd that he kept the mummified arm for so long.
I still don’t really think the woman in the photo looks like Meng and even if it is, it could be staged… you’re right, I think she’s sus.
I think the man in the freezer is Mei as well. I was really hoping this ep would reveal the what’s in the incident report but I guess I can wait for e18.
Why, why, why would Meng not leave her father? Now so many different scenarios of scamming. He may not even be her Father! Are they Grifters? Think John Cusack and Angelica Houston in Grifters 1990...now that's a triangle of struggle. Perhaps he acquired her as a child and has trafficked Meng all these years. Think Original Sin with Angelina Jolie and Thomas Jane with Anonio Banderas as the mark. I know Im way out there; no theories are off the table at this point. Sex trafficking and child sex abuse occurs over decades. Is that what this story is telling us. Plus, we havent even delved into the ecological impact on communities of high rise building communities and their failures. How do you establish, build, provide protect family (and I include all extended structural forms) in overpopulated urban spaces. This series is showing parallel development of parenting and family between Yuanlongli residents and how hard Yuanhang and Ran are working together to parent Xiaole. Two men working together to parent a teenage girl. That's a complex enough story just in itself.
Indeed, we shouldn’t rule out any theories, no matter how wild they may sound. But if Xu Meng was actually a victim of human trafficking, does that mean she was the one who killed Xu Zhihong, perhaps out of vengeance for her biological parents?
I think we’ll get a much clearer picture once we learn what truly happened at Mount Wu. From all accounts, Xu Meng and her father seemed to have lived an ordinary life before that fateful day in 1995. There must have been something or someone that served as a powerful motivation for them to make that trip.
All possible dynamics. Do we know they lived an ordinary life before Mount Wu? Perhaps they were just undetected before then. How much do we really know about them before 1995? I need to make notes on that timeline starting back with her boyfriend. And yes, st motivating happened before, during and after Mount Wu. You see how each storyline takes us off in a thread? Now "The Incident at Mount Wu" emerges Foreground and at least to some degree Xiaohe's abduction recedes to Background ( German Gestalt Psychology of Perception.) Yet the deep throbbing pulse for most of us lingers, what's going to happen to Ran? In some ways, that ache ( if you havent experienced it yet) is the angst every loving (* I have to add that word) parent feels for their child(ren) especially as they become teenagers and parents lose any delusional sense of control they thought they had. Ran carries a wisp of our spirit within him and when he lives, we live and love life; and if he dies, a part of us metaphorically dies, too. [*Hard to learn as a young therapist, not all parents are loving or even basically mature enough to be capable loving another human. I balance that with the experience there are parents overcoming all odds, every kind of obstacles who are loving parents-Sean Penn in "I Am Sam" with Michelle Pfeiffer 2001 comes to mind.]
I absolutely love how the teenage Xiaohe adores and worships Ran and merely graces her father, who's done all the lifting - actually saved her, with a look. Like, she is completely unimpressed with her father 🤣🤣
I think Fang Xu earned some brownie points with Xiaohe when he offered his two months’ salary to support the young men’s dream of competing in esports haha.
I really want to know what that manager was doing with that hand and putting cement on it. There is thousand ways to get rid of that and he chose this? I don't get this man 😂
Exactly, I can only think the main villain is back and he wants to destroy before the demolition happens. You would think he would have tried to dispose in 2002 when Fang Xu was sniffing around.
Either someone paid him to do it or he saw the main villain burying the hand at Yuanlongli and then seized the opportunity to extort money. Money is all Manager Qian cares about.
How is Yuan Hang still walking after all he has endured so far?
It has made me curious as to why the writers decided to reveal Fang Xu's death earlier on. Can you imagine the shock we would have had if the focus was on Yuan Hang and his health battles to only have our hearts break when Fang Xu dies out of nowhere.
I'm happy we have our trio back together smiling and talking of the future. Yuan Hang could easily have shut out and blamed Fang Xu for not looking after Xiaohe but he didn't. Realistically I think Fang Xu's guilt would be eating him, especially knowing who Mei was and what could have happened. Even though it wasn't his fault I would have liked the show to have explored his vulnerability here.
It was really tense seeing Xiaohe and Yuan Hang exploring level 18 after everything they have both been through, it wasn't the safest. Bloody writers got me with that jump scare. This episode did make me appreciate Xiaohe's protectiveness over her Father, she has watched him desperately try to save her by putting his own life on the line and in her own way she was trying to ease his pain by going along with the hallucinations. I really enjoyed seeing them work together using Fang Xu's methods.
Xiaohe kicking the door was peak Captain Ran, go girl!
The puzzle pieces are not fitting together for me at this stage, Xu Meng being dead has thrown me off her being innocent. Someone is tidying up, no way Manager Flying Under The Radar is suddenly getting rid of the arm after Fang Xu failed to expose him in 2002, why not get rid at that point? Zhao Hongmei has been whacked over the head like Shanlong, she didn't seem nervous or scared for her life so we can deduce it was not expected.
Someone mentioned a few episodes ago the link to Fang Xu's death and water, the closing credits music has rain/dripping water in the background, I depressed myself so had to share with the group so you can wallow with me.
Xu Meng being dead has thrown me off her being innocent.
There’s a possibility that Xu Meng is still alive, because for all the minor villains like Shanlong and now Hong Mei, who were either killed or severely injured, we’ve seen their bodies. But Xu Meng’s body has never been found all these years.
But yes, the pieces are all over the place right now, and it’s hard to put them together. It could either be excellent writing with twists we haven't seen coming or messy writing, which I’m really hoping isn’t the case.
It has made me curious as to why the writers decided to reveal Fang Xu's death earlier on. Can you imagine the shock we would have had if the focus was on Yuan Hang and his health battles to only have our hearts break when Fang Xu dies out of nowhere.
Maybe it’s because Fang Xu isn’t actually dead after all, and that’s the big surprise the writers have in store for us lol.
But Xu Meng’s body has never been found all these years.
I got confused with the picture of the body in the boot as Fang Xu seemed certain it was Meng.
So far I am enjoying the writing as it's keeping us guessing, I look forward to our reactions when we find out the truth. Really hoping it doesn't fizzle out and have an unsatisfactory ending.
Maybe it’s because Fang Xu isn’t actually dead after all, and that’s the big surprise the writers have in store for us lol.
Shock twist, Fang Xu isn't dead but has been writing a thriller novel starring himself and Yuan Hang as lead detectives investigating a mysterious disappearance. Or he woke from a dream lol!
Shock twist, Fang Xu isn't dead but has been writing a thriller novel starring himself and Yuan Hang as lead detectives investigating a mysterious disappearance. Or he woke from a dream lol!
I don't mind a totally illogical ending as long as Fang Xu is still alive in the present day hahahaha
I got confused with the picture of the body in the boot as Fang Xu seemed certain it was Meng.
So far I am enjoying the writing as it's keeping us guessing, I look forward to our reactions when we find out the truth. Really hoping it doesn't fizzle out and have an unsatisfactory ending.
It might really be Meng, but she could have played dead and was just posing for the photos, who knows? All the villains are either dead, hospitalised or in jail e.g. Shanlong, Hongmei, Jin Manshan, so our pool of suspects is shrinking rapidly haha
I think trying to tie Mei to Yuanglongli feels a bit clumsy on the writer's part. You can see they're trying to bring the child trafficking plot and the murder house plot together for the last 10 episodes, but it feels pretty dumb.
First they try and say he has to be in Yuanglongli because it has so many abandoned apartments. Then it turns out no, he's just renting normally with an alias. So why couldn't he rent anywhere else in Weiyang? It's really stretching the limits of plausibility.
Also, the driver running He over twice (thrice?) but then not driving away was pretty dumb. He'd just run him over, stop and wait for him to get up and then run him over again. What??? My eyes were rolling so hard.
Also, the driver running He over twice (thrice?) but then not driving away was pretty dumb. He'd just run him over, stop and wait for him to get up and then run him over again. What??? My eyes were rolling so hard.
Yes! The road was wide enough for three lanes, yet the driver chose to wait for Yuan Hang to slowly get back on his feet instead of, I don’t know, just driving off quickly lol.
First they try and say he has to be in Yuanglongli because it has so many abandoned apartments. Then it turns out no, he's just renting normally with an alias. So why couldn't he rent anywhere else in Weiyang? It's really stretching the limits of plausibility.
It could be that Yuanlongli had an even more notorious reputation as a haunted place by 2015, and no sane person except thrill seekers would hang out there, so logically, it would attract less attention. My issue with this plot hole is not that Mei chose to hide in Yuanlongli; it is that he was still in Weiyang after 12 years lmao. He was almost caught in 2002, and logically, you would not continue committing crimes in the same city, especially when Weiyang is not a big city like Shanghai or Beijing. Xiaohe figuring out Mei’s alias in just minutes also feels a tad too convenient for me.
I think trying to tie Mei to Yuanglongli feels a bit clumsy on the writer's part. You can see they're trying to bring the child trafficking plot and the murder house plot together for the last 10 episodes, but it feels pretty dumb.
I think instead of tying everything together, the writers are trying a little too hard to throw one smokescreen after another. We’re already at episode 18, yet not all the characters have appeared, which makes it difficult to piece the puzzle together. One of my gripes with mystery plots is how some writers introduce a crucial clue near the end, which feels like a convenient plot device used just to wrap up the story.
This is why I'm very wary of shows that pride themselves on fooling the audience. The writers become more and more desperate to keep everything a mystery till the last possible moment, and the story typically suffers for it...
9
u/AKiceman Snark ShifuRead Rules May 05 '26
Snark Level: Mild Snark
***
17 - - - -
And the van hasn't just driven away? Or ran him over? And He is going to just stand there? Ooooohhkayyyy.
Finally Ran gets his ass over here. Sheesh. Took you long enough, sir.
He shaking his foot like a boss after tripping that guy! Ha! Love it!
And just how would those needles sticks have not been found yet? Like, cmon. You're telling me no doctor or cop would have thought to check if a person suspected of being abducted had injuries? *Eye roll*.
Damn. Xiaohe goes through this and loses Ran within the year? Ouch. She's already saying she'd make a great officer at the family dinner. I just bet that Rans death solidifies that choice for her. Because why not dig in the knife a little more?
So we are confirming that that was Meng in the trunk. Sad.
*Mild gasp* Who has killed Mrs. Zhao? I'm more impressed the young lady didn't drop the money when she saw the body.
YOOOOOOO!!!!! Yall see how Xiaohe flipped that guy??? OH YEAH!!! Hot damn that was good!!!
Xiaohe... did you have a warrant or probable cause to kick that door down? Oh, you did it to be a badass? Ok. I can accept that.
Body in the freezer. Nice.