“The truth however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to seekers after it” – Agatha Christie

My Roommate is a Detective is based on the events happening around 1920’s mid Shanghai . The cast consists of Qiao Chu Sheng(Zhang Yun Long) resourceful police officer, Lu Yao(Hu Yi Tian) consultant detective and Bai You Ning(Xiao Yan)focused reporter.

Episode 1

The episode opens up with Lu Yao waking up to the sound of the telephone. A person informs him that policeman are searching for him. Lu Yao didn’t panic but quietly tries to leave the house only to be caught by Qiao Chu Sheng.

He is taken to the interrogation room. Qiao introduce himself as the inspector of the Concession Police. He gives more information about Lu Yao. He is 24, stock Department manager of Bank of Sassoon, graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge. He has a double degree in Maths and medicine. Lu Yao jokingly says he missed a law degree since he was lazy to do law thesis.

Qiao questions the whereabouts of Lu last night at 9’o clock. Lu explains he was drunk and couldn’t remember. Qiao explains that there was a inauguration of new house of Nie Chengjiang, a famous Shanghaip entrepreneur. Around 8.45, Chen Quisheng came with his secretary and two bodyguards. Lu was the last person to have a conflict with Chen. He was stabbed from someone in the mirror men’s room and he died later.

Lu explains that he didn’t murder anyone. He went to Nie mansion to collect old debts from Chen. Qiao asks why he ran away when he saw the cops at morning. Lu explains he was thrown out of the mansion.Out of anger, he scratched Chen’s car and broke his car glass. The carkeeper saw his crime and chased him out.

In the meantime , there was a commotion outside. We get introduced to a free spirited journalist , Bai You Ning arguing with police asking to let her meet Qiao. Both Bai and Qiao seems to know each other since Qiao previous employer was Bai’s father. She says she ran away from home as she saw her father with another woman. Qiao laughs and says her mother passed away long time ago. She is not convinced and she enquires about the peculiar case happened in the mansion.

Qiao says, Chen was murdered from someone in the mirror in Nie mansion.No one was there and no one came in or left the room as it is guarded by his two bodyguards and secretary. The current suspect is Lu Yao who works in Sassoon Bank. YouNing insists she will sit in interrogation and observe the questioning of the suspect.

Lu says he doesn’t want a journalist in the interrogation.Qiao was surprised and asks how he guessed YouNing was journalist. He found her jewels, shoes, hairstyle are expensive but her pen is cheap, hence confirming she works for ‘ Xinyue Daily’.Even though her hair style is expensive, he can smell cheap soap from her hair which is provided in the hotels.Her sock is worn in reverse guessing she left in hurry thus ran away from home.

Lu adds that Qiao was promoted recently to Inspector from his expensive watch. His subordinates do not respect him. Qiao sends for the carkeeper in the mansion.

Qiao then leaves to meet his old boss, Bai’s father. He enquires about the case and asks not to torture the suspect as he is representative of Sassoon bank.Elsewhere, Youning visits collegeaue of Lu. He says Lu looks gentle and polite but he is ‘ Satan in smock’. He also adds he cares everything for money and can sell friends and conscience for money.But he is a genius and good at chess and cards.He has never made a mistake in analyzing the stocks.

YouNing passes this information to Qiao. He doubts Lu to be the murderer,as he has seen ganagsters with murderous looks in the past.The car keeper confirms that he scratched the car at 9’o clock.(He is not the MURDERER) .Sensing an opportunity,Qiao explains to Lu that even though Lu scratched the car, the exact timings could not be confirmed. Lu says he will pay for the car repair. but he did not murder anyone.Qiao believes Lu and requests his help to catch the murderer.

Lu accepts the offer and they visit the crime scene.Qiao says there is no space where someone can hide even in the ceiling.Lu finds a secret passage behind a mirror which is not properly attached to the wall. Qiao says there is only a solid wall behind the loosely attached mirror. Lu checks the confessions of the three eyewitness. He finds it weird that the murderer had little time to hide as the eyewitness rushed after witnessing their boss getting stabbed. Lu doubts the witnesses must be lying.

The reporter enters and confirms the part where she explains the two bodyguards had their gambling debts paid and the secretary He Kun was a gang member. Lu asks about the autopsy and on seeing the report explains it is too sloppy. He asks Qia to do some additional tests. He wanted to visit Nie mansion again as home owner is also suspect.

We see Nie is treated by the doctor. He says Mr.Nie had a heart attack on reading the newspaper. The newspaper explains that the victim and Mr.Nie had a past. There was a village in the place of the new mansion. Mr.Nie gave a huge money to the victim to take care of demolition and removal. An old woman died there and the newspaper said it is retrbution.

Lu questions the doctor as he is first in the scene. The doctor explains that the victim was lying there without any pulse. He adds that he pulled out the knife, covered his wound and pressed his chest. But he died. Lu secretly takes the doctor alone and asks about his job. He says he has done medicine in Harvard University and the working as family doctor pays well.

Lu asks Qiao if there was any profit from the construction. Qiao says the mansion value became so high as it is constructed by Germans and it is one of the top mansions in Shanghai. Lu asks Qiao to investigate further about the demolition.

YouNing visits Lu in his apartment gives the information about demolition. Most of the v left the village except for a old lady who will not relocate even though Chun gave a huge amount. Chen send this men and threatened the old lady by throwing firecrackers at her house in midnight. The old lady got heart attack and no relative came to bury her.Moreover the carkeeper retracted his statement making Lu alibi invalid. YouNing repuests Lu to find clues as someone is trying to frame him.

The autopsy report came and the knife was stabbed onliquely to his right atrium and incision is 2 cm lower to the heart.It is stab- to-kill. No fingerprints found in the weapon and high amount of diuretic is found in his body. He also states the watch the victim wearing is BErget Tourbillion should be surrounded by diamonds but on close examination the watch has cheap crystals.

Lu requests Qiao for a large mirror. He asks You Ning to check the mirror and he pulls a white sheet above the mirror. You Ning checks and says the mirror is fine. But suddenly a hand comes and tears the white screen and vanishes. Lu explains the mirror trick. He says the mirror was moved downwards and by making a small hole on the wall , he tore the white sheet. Qiao acted as an assistant by moving the mirror. He explains the same trick is not used by the murderer but predicts there should be an accomplice to the murder.

The eyewitness are interrogated again. The bodyguards say they saw the murder in the ceiling mirrors as they were standing behind the secretary. Secretary confirms he saw a hand coming from the mirror, murdering the boss. Qiao founds the bodyguards are the one who replaced the diamonds in the watch and paid the gambling debts. Lu says he suspect Secretary he that he is thr accomplice and he found the murderer.

They rush to Nie mansion and stop the doctor feeding the medicine to Mr.Nie. Lu smells the medicines and sys the ingredients ( Chinese Angelica, ephedra,lobelia)which is bad for the patients who have cardiovascular disease. Lu says that he killed Chen and he is attempting to kill Mr.Nie as well. He says he will explain everything in the crime scene.