MILD SPOILERS for the characterization, not the plot.
Introduction
A Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower (摩天大楼) is a 2020 Chinese drama based on the 2015 Taiwanese novel Skyscaper (under the same native title) 摩天大楼 by 陳雪 (Chen Xue), and directed by three Taiwanese directors: Leste Chen, Hsu Chao Jen, and Matt Wu. It does not only solve a simple murder case but digs deeper into problems of ethics versus law, logic versus emotion, mental health disorders, and entangled social issues.
To avoid spoiling the plot, I will just introduce you to the characters from the point of view of the investigators on their first encounters with the suspects and other characters, including the lingering question pondered by the detectives on their motives for murder. With that said, the character’s introduction will be one-dimensional. However, once you watch the drama, you’ll realize that most characters are three-dimensional. It means how you see them may be different than how they want you to see them, and what they conceal is dragged to the surface throughout the story. To the contrary of spilling the secrets, my character introduction might pique your curiosity and interest to watch this drama if you haven’t yet!
Story
A beautiful coffee shop owner suddenly dies in a condominium at the Horizon Tower. This case shocks the whole tower, and after investigation, the clues point to three suspects. All the clues seem to point to the possibility of a love crime. However, amid the investigation, new clues begin to emerge and turn the focus to the victim’s complicated and painful youth. Her family, consisting of her stepfather, mother, younger brother, and foster mother, were implicated in the case.
The Victim
The victim is 29-year-old Zhong Mei Bao (adult: Angelababy; teen: Zhang Yu Wen; child: Wang Sheng Di). She owns the café on the ground floor of the Horizon Tower and has lived alone in the same residential building for two years. She was found dead with blunt trauma. No signs of physical fight or sexual assault. No signs of property damage. Zhong Mei Bao seldom came out of the apartment besides running the café. The whereabouts of her family are unknown, though she told a few neighbors about having a brother. Police investigation found that when she was a teenager, she was put in a special boarding school for problematic children after stabbing her stepfather.
The Detectives
Two investigators are assigned to take the murder case. Zhong Jing Guo (Guo Tao) is a veteran detective. In the past, he lost his former work partner because of him. He is also facing a work-related allegation charge. Therefore, he detaches himself from any emotional effect caused by work. He is unsympathetic and straightforward towards subjects of investigation.
Zhong Jing Guo’s new work partner is Yang Rui Sen (Yang Zi Shan). She is a rookie detective who was just transferred to the crime division. She is timid but calls out her senior for his biting remarks. Yang Rui Sen is absorbed deeply into the case, to the point of prioritizing the case rather than her personal life, including her relationship with her boyfriend.
The Suspects
First suspect: Xie Bao Luo
Xie Bao Luo (Lu Yu Lai) is the building security guard. He is the first person who found the victim. He claimed that he was responsible for Zhong Mei Bao’s death because he was negligent in protecting a resident during his duty. He made friends with her when he helped her move in two years ago, and after that, he frequently helped her at the café. However, he denies having a romantic relationship with the victim. The police investigation found that Xie Bao Luo was a bank manager before working at Horizon Tower. He was fired due to money reasons and now he’s in debt. He has seen that Zhong Mei Bao has valuable furniture and belongings.
Second suspect: Lin Da Sen
Lin Da Sen (Rexen Cheng) is an architect. He and his wife live in the building but he also owns and rented out the unit where the victim lived. Later the detectives found out that he and Zhong Mei Bao are childhood friends, but Lin Da Sen denies liking her. He lets her live in the unit for free because he feels sorry for the victim who has a rough childhood. The police suspect that Lin Da Sen and the victim had extramarital affairs. But most likely he will not leave his wife, because she comes from a rich family and he works for her dad who owns an architecture firm. He may have killed Zhong Mei Bao if she was a threat to him. But his alibi is strong: he was at the hospital during his wife’s labor.
Third suspect: Ling Mei Yu
Ling Mei Yu (Ma Liang) is the real estate broker for the Horizon building. He is divorced, but still lives with his former wife at the building. The police found out he has a habit of keeping the keys to the condos he sold. He was reported to the police before for breaking into private property. He claimed that he only briefly interacted with Zhong Mei Bao as a café customer. Later, after a thorough investigation of the air duct and vents in the victim’s apartment, they found his fingerprints on the vent. It was revealed that he used to peep on Zhong Mei Bao. He admitted to the detectives that he was a voyeur but not a killer.
Possible suspect: Li Mo Li
Li Mo Li (Baby Zhang) is Lin Da Sen’s wife. They were a college sweetheart and she married him for love, though her family didn’t agree since he was not rich. The police investigation found out that she was a straight-A student and a career-oriented woman. However, she had two miscarriages before and when she was pregnant again, her family forbade her to work. During interrogation, Li Mo Li admitted that her relationship with her husband was not good despite just having a baby. They have arguments since she wants them to go to the U.S. for further study, but Lin Da Sen doesn’t want to leave his elderly mom alone. Even if Li Mo Li knows about her husband’s extramarital affair thus likely killed her, her alibi is strong since she was in labor on the night of the murder.
Possible suspect: Ding Xiao Ling
Ding Xiao Ling (Ma Xiao Yuan) is Ling Mei Yu’s on-and-off girlfriend who is also a resident at the Horizon Tower. They used to cosplay sex using the resident’s private properties when the owners were not home. After he got divorced, Ling Mei Yu proposed to her but was rejected. Not because she doesn’t love him anymore, but because he cheated on his wife while they were married. She also knows Zhong Mei Bao and that Ling Mei Yu might like/peep at her. Ding Xiao Ling doesn’t have an alibi during the murder night so she is worried the police might suspect her.
Possible suspect: Sheng Mei Qi
Sheng Mei Qi (Mao Xue Wen) is Ling Mei Yu’s ex-wife. They still live together at the Horizon Tower for financial purposes. She knows her ex cheated on her with Ding Xiao Ling as well as his peeping on Zhong Mei Bao. Shen Mei Qi said that Ling Mei Yu won’t remarry her because he likes the type of Zhong Mei Bao and Ding Xiao Ling. She said she followed her husband, that was how she found out about his peeping hobby. Her fingerprints were also found on the vent of the victim’s place. The detectives suspect that she still loves her ex-husband as she defended him for not killing Zhong Mei Bao.
Possible suspect: Yu Ming Yue
Yu Ming Yue (Kong Yan) is a popular novelist who lives next door to the victim. Her novels are famous and have been adapted into dramas. She and Zhong Mei Bao know each other since both don’t have much social life. They have each other’s house keys. Though popular, Yu Ming Yue secluded herself. She has agoraphobia (a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or that help wouldn’t be available if things go wrong) and PTSD. The detectives later deduce that her last novel is about the victim. The story is about a romance between a demon and a princess. But Yu Ming Yue hasn’t delivered the ending yet.
Possible suspect: Ye Mei Li
Ye Mei Li (Liu Dan) came from the same town as the victim and has known her for a long time. When they met again, Zhong Mei Bao hired her to help her organizing the New Years party at Horizon Tower. Later she became a cleaner for the building and occasional housekeeper for Zhong Mei Bao and Yu Ming Yue. But she got arrested by the police due to a past case of child trafficking and had kidnapped a boy for 12 years. From interviewing the building residents, the police found out that Ye Mei Li is just too perfect to be a housekeeper. They suspect she has a hidden identity that Zhong Mei Bao knows about. But Ye Mei Li has a strong alibi: she is in prison!
Possible suspect: Zhong Jie
Zhong Jie (Ni Hong Jie) is Zhong Mei Bao’s mother who has gone MIA. She is married to Yan Yong Yian who has beaten her and the children often. Later when she went to the hospital to treat her wounds, the doctor urged her to report the domestic abuse but she declined. The hospital had to step in to file a police report, and her husband was arrested. But she kept visiting him in prison. According to her husband, she asked for money to be given to other men. Zhong Jie also had a boyfriend. When she disappeared, her husband said she committed suicide. But Zhong Mei Bao said her stepfather killed her mother.
Possible suspect: Yan Yong Yuan
Yan Yong Yuan (Jiao Gang) has a shady past. He used to own a small electronic company when he married Zhong Jie, the victim’s mother. According to him, he loves Zhong Jie but she married him for money. When his business failed, Zhong Jie urged him to smuggle goods to Hong Kong so he was arrested. After release, he tries to find his family but they run away. Later he found his son but he didn’t even recognize the father. He told the police his wife Zhong Jie and stepdaughter Zhong Mei Bao tricked him. He stated that his wife had other men, and he would give her money to be spent with her lovers. Later he went to a reality TV show that reunites family members to get his son back.
Possible suspect: Ye Shun Jun
Ye Shun Jung (Vincent Cao) is the victim’s half-brother and a renowned pianist. After his father was arrested and his family scattered apart he was admitted to the psychiatric hospital and was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. After many years he reunited with Zhong Mei Bao but they don’t interact much due to his busy performance schedule. He stated that after his father was released from prison, Yan Yong Yuan blackmailed him for money. However since Ye Shun Jun has a psychiatric record, his statement is invalidated. Yang Yong Yuan claimed that his son is ashamed of his father because of his past. Little Ye Shun Jun used to disguise as a girl just to play piano, as urged by Zhong Mei Bao.
Just who could be the real murderer?
Conclusion
A Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower truly is an underrated and hidden gem crime drama. Due to its fast release, it is under the radar with not enough exposure time nor a popular cast. For me, the drama is full of plot twists, mind-blowing, and kept me on the edge of my seat! Since it’s only 16 episodes with 40 minutes of running time each, you can easily binge-watch it in one or two days. There is no filler you want to skip it’s packed with details that if you blink, you might miss them. Oh yeah, as I mentioned in the introduction about my craving for friendship amidst darkness-themed dramas, did it get fulfilled? Yes, and it’s a pleasant surprise, and to borrow my fellow MDLer’s words: “it was beautifully revealed”.
Credits: I do not own any of the images used. Credits go to the respective owners. Images are from the official posters and screenshots. The gif animation is self-made taken from the scene in the officially subbed Tencent channel.
The original article was published on April 4, 2021. Link HERE.
