Deng Jiajia and Steven Zhang Team Up for Chinese Drama Adaptation of The Murder in Kairotei

Fit for a mystery drama, the edgy teaser announcing the leads of the Chinese drama adaptation of The Murder in Karotei / Kairoutei Satsujin Jiken 回廊亭 is both captivating and curious. It’s also a bit more upbeat than I expected.

The show which is adapted from the novel of the same name by Keigo Higashino also had a Japanese TV film adaptation. The plot follows a secretary of an old rich man whose life begins to take a turn for the worse after she accompanies her boss to a family reunion because shortly after that, her boss dies, the love of her life is murdered and she is left in a burning house with her face beyond recognition due to her injuries. As they say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Determined to avenge her lover, she undergoes plastic surgery and goes to the reading of her former boss’ will where all the family members who were in the previous reunion were present. Believing that one of them to be the culprit, she will do anything to catch him (or her).

It feels like it’s been taken out of a Detective Conan episode with all the intriguing details surrounding the crime and I’m lovin’ it!

Japanese writer Keigo Higashino is a well-known author of mystery novels which brings my expectations for this show a wee bit higher than usual. It’s been quite a while since I got this excited but I guess my thirst for the drama would have to wait because it is only at the beginning stages of production. Filming started yesterday, January 12, 2020 with a cast led by Deng Jiajia and Steven Zhang Xincheng.

It’s been quite a while since I saw Steven Zhang but I still remember crushing on him in My Huckleberry Friends. His role in this seems to stray as far away as possible from Lin Yang who was a cute schoolboy and here, I expect to see him in a more mature light. His co-star Deng Jiajia is not only beautiful but has also earned some praise for her amazing performance in the hit historical drama Ming Dynasty. It’ll be nice to see the two stars bringing their A-game to make the show fascinating.