Original subtitles

[Under the Skin Ⅱ]

[Episode 21]

Mr. Cao,

we're from the Beijiang Branch

Criminal Investigation Unit.

I'm Du Cheng

and this is my colleague, Shen Yi.

Are you

Du Qing's brother?

Yes,

you know my sister?

I do.

We've known each other for many years.

We used to run into each other in Europe all the time.

She often mentioned

that she had a police brother.

Mr. Cao,

let's talk about the case.

Alright.

Come, sit.

We'd like to know

when was the last time

you saw your wife.

On the 22nd.

That day,

my son came home

and we had dinner at home.

The next morning at 6 AM,

I went to the airport for a business trip.

When did you

discover that your wife had been killed?

Just this morning.

After I returned,

I heard my secretary screaming.

Then I went to the cold storage

and saw my wife

lying in there.

Then I called the police.

Is it possible

that this case

is related to your business?

In my business dealings,

I've never

made any enemies.

Do you usually

live with your wife?

No.

We sleep in separate rooms.

I'm usually busy

and she's a light sleeper,

so we sleep separately.

That way we don't disturb each other.

Where's your son?

Does he live here?

I didn't see his room.

He lives alone outside.

Let me in!

Let me in to see!

Calm down!

Cao Jian,

you selfish bastard!

Calm down!

You never cared about my mom.

I should have made her leave you long ago.

What are you talking about?

Mr. Cao,

would it be alright

if we speak with your son

for a few minutes?

Alright.

Don't be fooled

by how put-together he looks.

Everything he has today

is all thanks to my mom.

When was the last time you saw

your mother?

I think it was on the evening of the 22nd.

I came home for dinner.

If I'd known, I wouldn't have

gone back that night.

You and your father

don't have a good relationship?

Although he gave birth to me,

I'll never respect him.

[Beijiang City Public Security Bureau, Beijiang Branch]

The deceased, Liu Yao,

was 58 years old.

[Basic information] [Name: Liu Yao]

She and her husband, Cao Jian, were schoolmates.

After graduation, they started a business together

and established a real estate company.

After having their son, Cao Xiaodong,

she gradually stepped back

and handed over full control of the company to

her husband, Cao Jian,

to focus on taking care of their child at home.

[Basic information] [Name: Liu Yao]

[Basic information] [Name: Cao Jian]

This

is Liu Yao's husband, Cao Jian.

After taking over the company,

he expanded the original business

to the hotel,

entertainment, catering,

and healthcare sectors.

He's a well-known entrepreneur in this city.

[Basic information] [Name: Cao Jian]

I think I've seen

some gossip about their family.

It said Liu Yao's family already had

a listed company, a big corporation.

Cao Jian's success

was entirely due to Liu Yao.

Could this be a case of

a wealthy family feud?

It's possible.

[Basic information] [Name: Cao Jian]

[Basic information] [Name: Cao Xiaodong]

This is Liu Yao

and Cao Jian's only son,

Cao Xiaodong.

Under his mother's care,

he was admitted to an Ivy League school in the US.

After graduating and returning to China,

[Basic information] [Name: Cao Xiaodong]

he rotated through positions in the family company.

After three years of rotation,

for unknown reasons,

he was assigned to

a club under the group

as the general manager.

A club?

Shouldn't such a foreign-educated second generation

be trained as

the heir to

the family business?

Why would he be managing a club instead?

Ask him.

No one here

knows better than him,

right, Mr. Du?

He must have been disobedient.

What did the forensics team find?

The preliminary cause of death is

multiple penetrating wounds

to the abdominal organs from a sharp instrument.

However, due to the freezing of the body,

the exact time of death

still requires a detailed autopsy.

[Basic information] [Name: Cao Xiaodong]

However, we

collected an unknown fingerprint

on the doorknob

at the first crime scene,

other than those of the victim's family and secretary.

It could very likely be from the killer,

but there's no match in the database yet.

What did the surveillance footage show?

The footage confirms

Cao Xiaodong and Cao Jian's

departure times are accurate,

but I found a suspicious person.

It's this person.

[CCTV Zone D]

At 10 AM of the 23rd,

he entered the complex through the back gate using a key card

and went directly to the Cao family's house.

He entered through the front door.

An hour later,

[CCTV Zone A]

he changed into a new set of clothes

and came out.

He was carrying a duffel bag in his hand.

[CCTV Zone D]

It seems that the bag

was full of stuff.

Unfortunately,

this person was wearing a hat and a mask.

We can't see his face clearly.

Where's Shen Yi?

He's working on the reconstruction now.

Li Han,

play this video

on a loop.

[CCTV Zone D]

Look,

this person enters the complex

and goes straight into the Cao family's house.

This indicates that he's familiar with

both the complex and the Cao family's house.

Jiang Feng,

go to the property management office

and investigate who has entered

the Cao family's house in the past half month,

including

the internal staff of the property management.

Understood.

Everyone,

I've reconstructed the person

from the surveillance footage.

[CCTV Zone D]

This person

has distinctive facial features.

His cheeks are sunken

and he has no eyebrows.

I have a bold speculation.

He might have undergone chemotherapy before

and is a cancer patient.

A cancer patient?

Cancer patients

who have reached the chemotherapy stage

usually lose a lot of weight.

So his original appearance...

should be like this.

That's Ji Jun!

He used to be a security guard in this complex.

He was very capable.

Many homeowners

would specifically ask for his help

when they needed something done,

like

parking cars,

greeting guests,

closing windows, locking doors, and such.

He did all these tasks very well.

So you're saying

he knows the passcodes

to the homeowners' digital locks?

Where is he now?

He quit three months ago.

Pancreatic cancer.

It was already late-stage when discovered.

[Chunyue Bay Service Center]

Do you have anything here that he used?

Yes,

he turned in his work badge when he left.

I still have it.

Where does he live?

Ji Jun, right?

Don't move!

[Summons Warrant]

You're suspected of intentional homicide.

The police are taking you into custody.

Take him away.

[Summons Warrant]

Let's go.

What are you doing?

Don't!

Go!

On what grounds are you taking him?

What evidence do you have?

[Summons Warrant]

We discovered his fingerprint

at the crime scene.

What?

What fingerprint?

What happened?

Captain Cheng,

the first room

only has basic personal belongings.

No stolen goods were found.

Captain Cheng,

nothing was found in the second room either.

This.

The stolen goods have been found.

Don't move.

Where did this come from?

I've never seen it before.

Did a resident lose something?

He's been working in that complex

for many years now.

He cares more about the residents

than he does about us.

Has he ever complained to you

about the residents in the complex?

How could he complain?

We can't even repay our gratitude fast enough.

We won't...

No matter what happened,

it can't possibly be related to him.

He...

He doesn't have much time left.

[Beijiang City Public Security Bureau, Beijiang Branch]

You worked as that complex's security guard

for so long.

Are you familiar with Cao Jian's family?

Not really.

Then why did you choose their house?

I had

accidentally seen

their door lock password

and I memorized it.

Plus, they're the wealthiest family there.

Describe the process of your crime in detail.

After I entered,

I looked around the first and second floors

but didn't find anything of value,

so I went up to the third floor.

In the bedroom on the third floor,

I found a lot of jewelry and accessories.

I took them all and left.

Then why did you kill her?

After I came out with the things,

as luck would have it,

I saw Liu Yao

coming out of the bathroom.

I was going to run,

but she saw me.

She even called out my name.

I panicked,

so I decided to go all out.

I pulled out the knife

and stabbed her.

After it was done,

I dragged her to the cold storage room.

I cleaned up the blood.

Then I went up to the second floor to change my clothes

and left.

How did you know

they had a cold storage room?

You just said you went to the first floor,

second floor,

and then straight to the third floor.

So how did you know

they had a cold storage room to hide the body?

Well,

I've been in that complex for many years

and

I got a general idea of each household's situation.

I learned a bit about everyone.

As for the Cao family,

I had already figured them out long ago.

I advise you to tell the truth.

Officer,

that's enough.

Stop asking questions.

I... I'll confess to everything.

Theft,

robbery,

murder,

I admit to all of it.

I'll just pay with my life.

What's your motive?

Why did you do this?

Motive?

Look at me.

I have late-stage pancreatic cancer.

I don't have many days left.

It doesn't matter if I die or not,

but my wife doesn't have a job,

and her health isn't good either.

My child is still in school.

The whole family depends on me

to earn money.

I worked as a security guard

and don't have many savings.

If I die,

how will they survive?

As long as it's for them,

I'd dare to do anything,

let alone killing someone.

What do you think?

When Ji Jun was describing

the process of killing,

his emotional fluctuations were minimal,

as if he was reciting

a well-prepared script.

But when he mentioned his child,

it was clear

that he was genuinely

worried about the child's future.

When we were at their home,

I could actually sense that

he's a good father.

He wanted to secure

a future for his child.

But why did he ultimately

choose to kill?

I suspect there's more to the story.

I want to take him back to Cao Jian's house

and have him reenact the crime.

It's exactly 10 o'clock now.

I need you to reenact

the crime scene.

Let's go.

Over there.

Right here.

I-I found

a lot of jewelry here.

I got a duffel bag

and packed everything in it.

I was about to leave

when I ran into Liu.

And then?

Then...

I went to the bathroom

and stabbed her to death.

Let's go.

Now, demonstrate

how you moved

Liu Yao's body

to the cold storage in the basement.

I'm getting

sicker and sicker now.

My body

isn't as strong as it was before.

Continue.

Alright.

That's enough.

Ji Jun,

you're lying.

You didn't kill her.

I did kill her.

I killed her.

With your current physical condition,

it's impossible for you to drag Liu Yao's body

to the cold storage in the basement.

I did kill her.

My fingerprint is still on it.

We found your thumbprint

on this door handle,

but both the position and direction

are the complete opposite of your actions

just now.

Moreover, when most people open a door,

the fingerprints they leave

are usually incomplete.

But the one we retrieved

was very clear.

So the fingerprint we found

was deliberately left

by someone

to interfere with

our investigation.

What are you hiding from us?

Ji Jun?

Ji Jun!

Call the ambulance!

This way.

Officer Shen,

please have a seat.

Mr. Cao will be here shortly.

Okay, thank you.

Your company's proposal

has been approved.

Can you check if these figures are correct?

Officer Shen,

I'm sorry.

I was held up. Sorry to keep you waiting.

It's alright.

I'd like to get some more information from you.

Sure.

Come, have a seat.

Officer Shen,

let me guess.

You've heard something,

right?

Someone said I'm a kept man,

that I got my position through my father-in-law,

or maybe

they said I'm used to being suppressed

and my self-esteem was trampled underfoot.

Or did people say

I killed Liu Yao

because I hated her?

Go on.

I admit

that when I married Liu Yao,

it was to

latch onto her father's influence.

In the business world,

connections and resources are everything.

And her father was my

biggest resource

and strongest backing.

A married couple

is a community of interests.

I needed Liu Yao,

but didn't Liu Yao need me too?

We've been married for so many years.

Did it really matter if there was love or not?

Now,

my father-in-law

is bedridden.

Even if I'm out there

living it up,

what could Liu Yao do to me?

So tell me,

why would I kill her?

It would make more sense to say

she wanted to kill me.

That would be more logical.

I see you have

quite a collection of oil paintings here.

Yes,

but these paintings aren't mine.

They belong to Liu Yao's family.

They like to vacation in Europe,

browse antique shops,

and occasionally commission buyers

to bid on paintings for them.

Then this painting of Fuxi and Nüwa

probably isn't Liu Yao's, is it?

It's the only

Chinese painting here.

And it has intertwined snakes on it.

Whether in your home

or office,

the caduceus symbol

can be seen everywhere.

Those represent commerce

and trade.

Only this one

symbolizes reproduction.

You

want another child?

Officer Shen,

you're very observant.

All I can say is

Xiaodong

is too ambitious.

After studying abroad for a few years,

he wanted to inherit my family business.

I could only tell him

that nothing

is that easy.

You see,

Liu Yao's family

has always been full of infighting.

So I've come to realize

that with kids, it's quality

over quantity.

That's why

when I first met

Du Cheng,

I couldn't understand

why he would refuse something

others would fight tooth and nail for.

Sooner or later,

he'll regret his naivety.

I know Du Cheng quite well.

On him,

I indeed can't smell any

worldly scent.

It's just like how outsiders

can't understand your pursuits either,

right?

Liu Yao is already dead.

What I personally pursue

is nobody else's business.

By the way,

how's your investigation going?

This burglary,

robbery, and murder...

It's such a major case.

The killer

must receive

the punishment they deserve.

We will definitely catch the killer.

How was it?

I suspect Liu Yao's death

is related to the child.

Ji Jun is unconscious.

He can't speak anymore.

Li Han just sent a message,

saying his wife brought a package

to the police station.

Let's go back and take a look.

Officer.

Officer.

We were wrong.

We truly know we were wrong.

What are you doing?

Let's talk this through.

I...

I-I found

a note at home.

It was left by Ji Jun.

He said he left us money

for us to live well

[I buried some money under the tree of your parents' yard]

after he's gone.

The money is all here.

We don't want it.

We don't want a single cent.

I'm just begging you.

Could you please

let him spend his last days

more comfortably?

Please get up and talk.

Sit down first.

Why is he so foolish?

Where did you get this gold bracelet?

He gave it to me.

When did he give it to you?

About half a month ago.

That day, he said

he never bought me the traditional three gold jewelry pieces when we got married,

so he gave me a bracelet first.

In the next life,

he'll give me a ring and a necklace.

Did he steal this too?

He might have been to Cao Jian's house before,

but we need to investigate further.

I checked Ji Jun's movements

from half a month ago.

[Beijiang Criminal Investigation Team]

I didn't find any evidence of him going to Cao Jian's house.

Then where did

this gold chain come from?

This gold chain

was given to his wife after Ji Jun returned

from the hospital for treatment.

[Beijiang Criminal Investigation Team]

I checked the surveillance footage of that day

and found this video clip.

[Street 1]

[Street 2]

It looks like he's deliberately trying to hit someone with his car.

Why would he want to hit a pregnant woman?

Captain Cheng,

the pregnant woman is called Zhou Shanshan.

She used to work

at Cao Xiaodong's club.

She was a PR specialist.

Later, she got involved with Cao Xiaodong

and resigned.

Now, she's pregnant and waiting to give birth at home.

[Personal Information]

At 3 PM on the 12th,

she was frightened by a car accident

and went to the hospital to protect the fetus.

[Inpatient Record of the First Affiliated People's Hospital of Beijiang University]

This is her information

and her hospitalization record.

I feel this case

isn't that simple.

Ji Jun is very likely

to have been bought off.

Who bought him off?

How do you suggest we investigate?

I'll cooperate with you.

Shen Yi,

you and Li Han

go talk to Zhou Shanshan.

We'll go chat with Cao Xiaodong.

Okay.

Captain Cheng,

there's a damaged statue here.

It looks like a lion.

Officers.

Please sit.

Why did you

come to see me?

Zhou Shanshan.

Is she your girlfriend?

Yes.

What's the matter?

Did you know she was hit by a vehicle?

I know.

We'd like to ask you some questions.

Did she have

any enemies

in her work or personal life?

Not that I recall.

What about you?

Do you have any enemies?

If I said it's my father,

would you believe me?

Why would he do that?

It's all about money.

He's worried that my mom and I

will kick him out.

My child will also inherit part of the family fortune.

So he hired someone

to try to kill my child.

I think he was the one

who killed my mom.

We need to investigate everyone here

who knows Zhou Shanshan.

Zhou Shanshan?

When she first came,

she seemed quite naive.

She didn't even know how to avoid drinking.

But who would've thought

she was playing dumb to catch the big fish?

When she finally made her move,

she caught the king and queen in one go.

Cao Xiaodong?

No,

the mom of Mr. Cao Jr.

Zhou Shanshan is a graduate student.

Surprising, isn't it?

Liu Yao

came here often?

Yeah.

Liu Yao particularly liked Zhou Shanshan.

Every time she came here to accompany clients,

she specifically requested Zhou Shanshan's company.

I think this Zhou Shanshan

was deliberately acting innocent.

That high education really makes a difference.

She can converse

with rich people on the same level.

You know what?

Zhou Shanshan's life

isn't actually that great.

Mr. Cao Jr. still acts the same as before,

drinking and playing cards at the club every day,

only going home at dawn.

I don't think Mr. Cao Jr.

really likes her.

Officer,

here's my business card.

Here, take it, take it.

When you come to make reservations in the future,

remember to ask for me.

I'll give you free drinks.

Take care.

You can go now.

I'm from the Beijiang Branch Criminal Investigation Team.

[Public Security]

I'm the sketch artist, Shen Yi.

Li Han.

You can leave too.

The police are here.

What could happen?

Okay.

Sorry.

After I was hit last time,

Xiaodong assigned me a bodyguard

who also serves as a driver

to protect me and the child.

Regarding who might want to harm you,

do you have any thoughts yourself?

I really don't know.

Have you offended anyone before?

I used to work at the club.

In our line of work,

no one dares to offend the clients

and no one respects us either.

Even the biggest conflicts

can be settled with a bottle of alcohol.

After I quit,

I've been living here,

waiting to give birth.

Who could I possibly offend?

How's the baby doing?

Quite well.

It's been six months.

It's a boy.

So,

how's your relationship with the other members of the Cao family?

I'm aware of

my position.

As for me,

I just want to use this child

to earn myself

some financial security.

As long as the child is connected to the Cao family,

that's enough.

Did you paint those pictures?

Yes.

I learned it in an adult painting class.

They're quite good.

The composition is very stable

and the colors are warm and bright.

It's evident

that you are indeed

quite satisfied with your current situation.

You can tell all that?

That's right.

Being hit

might've been an accident.

The Cao family treats me quite well.

I really don't have anything to worry about.

Your bracelet is quite unique.

Xiaodong's father gave it to me.

It's worth over a hundred thousand yuan.

Everyone in the family

treats me well in this regard.

Whatever I want,

they buy it for me right away.

[Public Security]

[Beijiang City Public Security Bureau, Beijiang Branch]

Liu Yao chose Zhou Shanshan

to bear a child for Cao Xiaodong.

So Cao Xiaodong

and Zhou Shanshan

don't have an emotional foundation.

Then why would Cao Xiaodong accept it?

Does this look familiar to you?

This...

I've seen this in

Cao Xiaodong's club.

I saw many identical ones

in Cao Jian's house.

What could this represent?

I think it's Liu Yao

using her own way

to assert her dominance.

Did she put the one

in Cao Xiaodong's club too?

Probably.

Look at this again.

This is a lioness.

Usually, a lion pride consists of

one male lion

and several lionesses.

The lionesses occupy

the absolutely dominant position.

To maintain the entire pride,

it's very likely to experience

multiple successions of male lions.

It could be the father before,

and then possibly the son.

Cao Xiaodong

placed such a large sculpture

in the center of the space,

indicating that the meaning

conveyed by this artwork

was something he strongly identified with.

But the lioness is beheaded now.

The debris underneath

suggests it was just recently smashed.

So,

I deduce that

Cao Xiaodong's

relationship with his mother, Liu Yao,

had changed.

Captain Cheng, Mr. Shen,

I found out that Cao Jian

invested in a gene company

called Beijiang Kailai Biology.

He took Zhou Shanshan there too,

so I'm wondering if we should go and take a look.

Alright.

I'll go with Captain Cheng.

Okay.

Hello.

I'm Tang Keying.

Mr. Fang asked me to pick you up.

This way.

Mr. Fang,

the guests from Beijiang Branch have arrived.

I didn't expect it to be you.

This is Du Cheng,

my colleague.

You know each other?

Pleased to meet you.

There's a case.

We found out

that Cao Jian brought Zhou Shanshan

here for genetic testing.

So we'd like to know

the details about

Zhou Shanshan

and the Cao father and son.

Cao Jian, Zhou Shanshan…

They're a peculiar family.

How do you feel about them?

There are many totem symbols

in Cao Jian's house.

Desire is conveyed everywhere,

but between these desires,

there's a strong conflict,

as if nurturing some kind of evil.

We'd like to know

what exactly Cao Jian brought Zhou Shanshan

here to do.

I'm very willing

to cooperate with the police investigation.

However, I'm sorry.

Kailai Biology is a

genetic research company.

We have a very strict

confidentiality agreement with our clients.

We found out

that Cao Jian is also your investor.

From this angle,

you have an obligation

to cooperate with our investigation.

That's a very good angle.

But Shen Yi's feeling

is already very close to the answer.

You should follow your intuition

and continue to dig deeper.

Are you willing or not

to cooperate with our investigation?

Alright.

I'll go check.

Cao Jian has brought many women

for genetic testing over time.

Zhou Shanshan was the last one.

Why did he bring so many people

for genetic testing?

To test if their genes are compatible.

Because the Cao family has a very serious

genetic defect.

And it's highly hereditary.

What kind of defect specifically?

The MAOA gene,

also known as the warrior gene

or the crime gene.

Research shows

that if the MAOA gene

in a male's body

mutates,

it can lead to uncontrollable emotions,

causing violent and aggressive behavior.

They can be considered born criminals.

The image of Fuxi and Nüwa symbolizes reproduction.

You

want another child?

Officer Shen,

you're very observant.

So,

who is it that wants to have a child

with Zhou Shanshan?

You can try

to compare your feelings

at their house

with your speculations.

You might find the answer.

Officer Du,

Shen Yi's unique perception

is an artist's gift.

I believe the police profession

restricts him.

Too many rules,

boundaries,

and rationality

will stifle his intuition

and imagination.

We should advise him

to reconsider his career choice.

Thank you for cooperating with our investigation.

Let's go.