Episode Summary
Lin ZhiTao returns to work after recovering, finding a renovated office. Meanwhile, Lu Sheng befriends and helps two struggling siblings, Hu Li and her brother. A new, disturbing case arrives: Cui JiaYi, a girl under 14, collapsed and was found to have been sexually assaulted. Lin ZhiTao investigates Cui JiaYi's home life with her sister, Cui MingLi, and the sister's boyfriend, Xie ZhiHua, uncovering suspicious details at their hair salon. The sister is obstructive, while the boyfriend seems nervous. After debunking false rumors and finding Cui JiaYi when she runs away, Lin ZhiTao takes her home. There, the depth of Cui JiaYi's trauma is evident, culminating in her showing her sister videos of the abuse she endured.
Spoiler Alert
First off, some good news! Our girl Lin ZhiTao is finally out of the hospital and back in action. And talk about a welcome back – she returns to a newly renovated office space, complete with her own private area to crack cases. Seriously, goals. Bai EnYu and the assistant were super stoked to see her, giving her big hugs. You could tell Lin ZhiTao felt that warm, fuzzy "welcome home" vibe, and honestly, it was nice to see her smiling.
Meanwhile, in a completely different storyline, Lu Sheng is doing his thing, working hard, when he bumps into this young girl named Hu Li. Her little brother is with her, and the poor kid isn't talking, just digging through trash cans for food. At first, Lu Sheng figures they're orphans, but nope, turns out Hu Li is the older sister looking after him. Seeing how tough things are for them, Lu Sheng starts bringing them meals pretty regularly. Sweet guy, right? He even finds out Hu Li's birthday is coming up, so he goes all out – picks up a big cake, grabs some flowers, and shows up in the evening to celebrate with them. Aww.
Alright, back to the main action. A disturbing new case lands on the prosecutor's desk. A young girl, Cui JiaYi, collapsed during gym class. It gets worse – she was bleeding heavily, and doctors later confirmed a vaginal tear and a ruptured hymen. The kicker? Cui JiaYi is not even fourteen years old. The law is crystal clear here: because she's underage, it doesn't matter if anyone claims there was consent, the person responsible committed rape. Full stop. Since the local county doesn't have a dedicated office for protecting minors, the case gets bumped up to Lin ZhiTao.
Lin ZhiTao jumps right on it, doing a home visit to get the lay of the land. Cui JiaYi is living with her older sister, Cui MingLi, and the sister's boyfriend, Xie ZhiHua, who owns a hair salon where Cui JiaYi also works, washing hair for customers. Lin ZhiTao picks up on some unsettling vibes – Cui JiaYi seems forced to put on a happy face, the bathroom door in the salon looks like it doesn't lock properly (major red flag!), and there's a mirror positioned just right to reflect directly into Cui JiaYi's bedroom, potentially showing everything happening inside. Creepy.
Bai EnYu is also getting weird feelings about the boyfriend, Xie ZhiHua. He notices Xie ZhiHua gets super tense whenever Lin ZhiTao starts asking Cui JiaYi questions. Cui MingLi, the sister, isn't helping matters. She keeps aggressively questioning Cui JiaYi herself, totally impatient and interrupting Lin ZhiTao's team multiple times, even after being warned off. Xie ZhiHua keeps telling Cui MingLi to "protect her sister's reputation," which seems to just make Cui MingLi dig her heels in, refusing to call the police and insisting she'll handle her sister's "problem" herself. Yikes.
While looking around, Bai EnYu spots a bunch of disposable toothbrushes tucked away in the salon – kinda weird, and no one knows what they're for. The team then checks in with Cui JiaYi's classmates. A rumor surfaces that some kids saw Cui JiaYi going to hotel rooms with boys. But hold up – after digging a little deeper, it turns out that was totally innocent. The kids were just celebrating a cartoon character's birthday together, and they even have videos to prove nothing inappropriate happened. Phew, false alarm.
Just as they're sorting that out, drama strikes again. One of Cui JiaYi's friends gets a text message – Cui JiaYi has run away from home. Everyone scrambles, prosecutors included, and they finally find her down by the dark seaside. Cui MingLi tries to drag her back home, but Cui JiaYi dramatically shakes her off, yelling that the salon isn't her home. Oof, the tension!
Seeing how distressed Cui JiaYi is, Lin ZhiTao makes a call and takes the girl back to her own place for safety. It becomes pretty clear that Cui JiaYi has been through some serious trauma. She's incredibly timid, even asking Lin ZhiTao's permission just to lock her bedroom door – like she's been walking on eggshells forever. The next morning, Cui MingLi shows up looking for her sister. At her breaking point, Cui JiaYi finally confronts Cui MingLi, showing her videos that reveal the abuse she's suffered.
