Episode Summary
Liu Ziming, while returning to Haiming, spots and helps apprehend a fugitive, Sun Haixing. Back at the station, he faces disciplinary action from Captain Huang but is eventually assigned to Zhao Dali's team, mentoring rookie Li Yugang. They investigate the murder of Zhang Fan, whose husband, Tang Lin, reported her missing. The investigation involves suspicious bloodstains, alibis, and a neighbor's security footage showing a disguised person with a suitcase. After exploring leads including an online acquaintance, Yu Hailin, and Tang Lin's deceptions about his marriage (including Zhang Fan's virginity, revealing their sham marriage), a drifter confesses to Zhang Fan's murder. Liu Ziming's team is later updated with another new officer, Xia Yu. The episode ends with Wang Xuanzi celebrating her university acceptance and a jump to 2005, where Liu Ziming's team botches a pursuit of a drug trafficker, An Pinghai, leading to their ritual of throwing Captain Huang's pens onto the station roof out of frustration.
Spoiler Alert
"Into the Heat" Episode 11: Recap & Spoilers
Our story kicks off with Liu Ziming on a boat, heading from Ancheng back to Haiming. But this is Liu Ziming we're talking about, so a peaceful boat ride? Not a chance. He spots a wanted man, Sun Haixing – a nasty piece of work suspected of murder at the Alilang Nightclub (apparently, he threw the victim off a building!). Quick-thinking Liu Ziming snaps a photo, zips it over to Zhao Dali for confirmation, and then ropes in the local Ancheng police.
What follows is classic cop show gold. Liu Ziming, smooth operator, strolls up to Sun Haixing pretending they're old buddies. Sun Haixing's goons immediately try to jump Liu Ziming, but he's too quick, taking down the main target. The local cops roll in right on cue, and boom – the whole criminal crew is busted. Back at the Haiming Criminal Police Team, Liu Ziming walks in to find his colleagues fumbling the installation of a new one-way mirror in the interrogation room. With a glance, he points out it's backward. Facepalm. They quickly sort it out. Some things never change, right?
Despite his heroics, Liu Ziming isn't exactly welcomed back with open arms. He hands his written self-criticism to Captain Huang, hoping to get back on duty ASAP. Huang, however, tells him to keep cooling his heels and casually drops that Cheng Yunhao is now home safe. Liu Ziming is dying to know how the rescue went down, but Captain Huang shuts that down, warning him not to go snooping. So, naturally, Liu Ziming tries to get the scoop from Liu Yang. Later that evening, he grabs dinner at Cao Lei's restaurant and gets some happy news: Cao Lei's wife is pregnant again! Liu Ziming is genuinely thrilled for his friend.
But Captain Huang isn't done with Liu Ziming's penance. He rejects the self-criticism and demands a new one – a whopping 5,000 words this time! On the bright side, Liu Ziming is officially assigned to Zhao Dali's team and tasked with mentoring a rookie, Li Yugang. Perfect timing, as Zhao Dali has just caught a fresh homicide. He and Wu Hai head to the crime scene, leaving Li Yugang to brief Liu Ziming on the grim details.
Here’s the lowdown on the new case: Two weeks prior, a man named Tang Lin from Pacific New City reported his wife, Zhang Fan, missing. Yesterday, her body was discovered. The coroner's report says Zhang Fan died five days ago. The kicker? Building security footage shows Zhang Fan returning to her apartment but never leaving. Liu Ziming and the newbie, Li Yugang, head to Tang Lin's place. They find suspicious bloodstains in the bathtub. Zhao Dali bags the sample and heads back with Wu Hai to get Captain Huang's approval to bring Tang Lin in for questioning. Li Yugang, who claims he’s already combed the scene, is less than thrilled to be stuck there with Liu Ziming for another round of investigation but doesn't dare argue with Zhao Dali.
Liu Ziming, ever meticulous, has Li Yugang help him scour the apartment building's hallway. They try to talk to the across-the-hall neighbor, but no one's home. Back at the station, Tang Lin is brought in. He paints a picture of a happy marriage with Zhang Fan, saying they were college sweethearts. He claims he initially thought she’d been kidnapped and was waiting by the phone for a ransom call, only to be devastated by the news of her death.
Liu Ziming and Zhao Dali dig up an old video of Tang Lin being honored as one of Haiming's "Outstanding Entrepreneurs." In his speech, Tang Lin publicly thanked his wife, Zhang Fan. Zhao Dali, however, senses that their picture-perfect marriage might have been just for show and suspects Tang Lin might be involved in Zhang Fan's death, but they're short on hard evidence. Liu Ziming then meets with Zhang Fan's best friend (who, in a slightly confusing turn, is also named Zhang Fan). The friend staunchly defends Tang Lin, insisting he truly loved Zhang Fan. Adding another layer to the mystery, a waitress at a local coffee shop mentions that the victim, Zhang Fan, often visited alone, looking lost in thought, and had once asked about IVF treatments.
A break comes when Tang Lin's neighbor returns from a business trip. Liu Ziming and Li Yugang pay her a visit and hit the jackpot – she has a security camera! Reviewing the footage from around the time Zhang Fan disappeared, they spot a heavily disguised figure pushing a large suitcase down the stairs (not the elevator). Based on the height, Liu Ziming rules out Tang Lin. He theorizes it might have been Zhang Fan herself, aware of the neighbor's camera and trying to leave incognito. But if that was her, why did she end up dead? The theory hits a snag.
The police pull Zhang Fan's phone records and find three calls from a man named Yu Hailin in Guangdong. Liu Ziming tracks him down to a hotel. Yu Hailin's story is a sad one: he met Zhang Fan online. She told him she was trapped in an unhappy marriage and wanted to elope with him. He waited for her at the train station as planned, but she never showed. With that, Liu Ziming crosses Yu Hailin off the suspect list.
Back to Tang Lin. Liu Ziming and Li Yugang visit his company, and it turns out Tang Lin has an alibi for the time of the murder. Meanwhile, Li Yugang, during a bathroom break, overhears station gossip: apparently, Zhang Fan's killer was a random drifter, caught during another crime, who confessed to robbing and murdering her. When Tang Lin hears this news, he appears deeply saddened.
But Liu Ziming isn't buying Tang Lin's grief. He confronts him directly, accusing him of simply using Zhang Fan. Then, Liu Ziming drops a bombshell: he has proof that Zhang Fan was a virgin. Tang Lin is utterly stunned.
Cornered, Tang Lin finally spills the truth about his marriage. Yes, they were college classmates, and Zhang Fan had pursued him. His parents, however, were pressuring him to get married, so he reluctantly tied the knot with her. But their marriage was a sham. He deeply resented Zhang Fan after she connected with Yu Hailin online. They lived separate lives under one roof, but Tang Lin, for his own reasons, didn't want a divorce. (So, the drifter's confession still stands for the murder, but Tang Lin's web of lies about his "perfect" marriage is exposed.)
With that case (mostly) wrapped, Liu Ziming submits his revised 5,000-word self-criticism. Captain Huang, impressed by its depth, officially assigns two new officers to Liu Ziming's team: Xia Yu and the aforementioned Li Yugang.
On a lighter note, Wang Xuanzi excitedly tells Liu Ziming she got into Shanghai Media University! She also can't help but comment on how handsome Xia Yu is, much to Li Yugang's chagrin. Liu Ziming offers to treat Wang Xuanzi to celebrate. Li Yugang immediately invites himself along, and Wang Xuanzi, being good-natured, says sure and suggests Xia Yu join too. After their meal, Wang Xuanzi performs a touching ritual: she writes down her university acceptance on a piece of paper and burns it, a symbolic way of sharing the news with her deceased mother. Liu Ziming gently encourages her to look towards her new future. Wang Xuanzi also expresses her deep gratitude for Wei Jie's unwavering support through the years.
The episode then jumps forward to 2005. The Narcotics Division needs backup from the Criminal Police Division for a big bust. Captain Huang tasks Liu Ziming's team – now including Liu Ziming, Xia Yu, and Li Yugang – with apprehending a drug trafficker named An Pinghai. They stake out An Pinghai's place, and when he drives off, they give chase. Unfortunately, their police car is ancient and predictably breaks down, allowing An Pinghai to slip away. Captain Huang is furious and gives the trio an earful.
Later, Liu Ziming, clearly familiar with this routine, covertly snags three of Captain Huang’s pens. He then leads Xia Yu and Li Yugang in a peculiar stress-relief ritual: they climb to the roof and chuck the pens onto it. It’s their way of blowing off steam after a scolding from the Captain. Apparently, the rooftop is already littered with pens from countless past frustrations – a testament to their challenging careers!
