Episode Summary
The episode sees Liu Ziqing distraught as her husband, Li Wei, is arrested for drug use. Her brother, officer Liu Ziming, investigates, learning about drug operations involving An Pinghai and Ge Xiaohui. Liu Ziming, with his colleagues Xia Yu and Li Yugang, successfully arrests a dealer, Zhang Bao, who then implicates Ge Xiaohui. The team swiftly moves to arrest Ge Xiaohui at a hotel, finding significant amounts of drugs. Liu Ziming persuades Ge Xiaohui to cooperate in a sting operation to catch the main supplier, An Pinghai. The episode culminates with the team, along with Ge Xiaohui, attempting to meet An Pinghai's deliveryman, Huang Xin. An Pinghai, extremely cautious, repeatedly changes the meeting location, but they finally spot Huang Xin, setting the stage for an imminent takedown.
Spoiler Alert
So, the episode kicks off with Liu Ziqing totally freaking out. She can't get a hold of her husband, Li Wei, and is understandably worried sick. She ropes in her brother, Liu Ziming, who pulls an all-nighter searching bars, but no dice. Desperate, Liu Ziming turns to Liu Yang for help, and here’s the kicker: it turns out Li Wei isn't just missing; he's been locked up in a detention center, busted for alleged drug use at Nana Bar thanks to a public tip-off. Ouch.
Liu Ziming goes to pick up Li Wei, who, instead of being grateful, insists he was framed and begs Liu Ziming to keep the whole thing hush-hush. Yeah, good luck with that, buddy. Liu Ziming does his duty, drops Li Wei off at a rehab center, and then breaks the news to his sister, Liu Ziqing. Tough conversation, that one.
Later, Liu Ziming, ever the dedicated cop, takes Xia Yu to Cao Lei’s restaurant. Their mission? To pump their informant, Hei Wuchang, for info on the elusive An Pinghai and his crony, Ge Xiaohui. Hei Wuchang doesn't know An Pinghai personally but mentions that a guy named Zhang Bao has been slinging drugs for Ge Xiaohui at Nana Bar. Poor Hei Wuchang is in bad shape, health-wise, apparently turned away by hospitals. Liu Ziming, being a good guy, promises to help him out. As Hei Wuchang leaves, he drops his keys, and when Liu Ziming points it out, he casually mentions he has two sets. File that away; it might be important later!
Xia Yu, who’s a bit of a neat freak, is grossed out by Hei Wuchang and can't bring himself to touch the skewers on the table, even wiping the table down repeatedly. Just then, Li Yugang bursts in, oblivious, and starts chowing down on the very same skewers. Xia Yu keeps quiet about Hei Wuchang’s condition. Before Li Yugang can even finish his snack, Liu Ziming is up and ready to hit Nana Bar to find this Zhang Bao.
Showtime at Nana Bar! Liu Ziming, Xia Yu, and Li Yugang roll up. Li Yugang, bless his heart, is dressed in some seriously flashy threads, much to Xia Yu's amusement. After a long night of surveillance, they spot Zhang Bao and tail him to an underground parking garage, calling for backup. Liu Ziming has Xia Yu follow Zhang Bao on foot while he and Li Yugang wait in the car.
Plot twist! Someone with a key suddenly gets into Zhang Bao's car, moves it to a different parking spot, and gets out. Liu Ziming and Li Yugang don't miss a beat; they rush in, subdue the guy, and find several bags of drugs in the car. At the same time, Xia Yu and the backup team nab Zhang Bao. Double bust!
Back at the station, Li Yugang and Xia Yu interrogate Zhang Bao, who quickly spills the beans. He admits he’s a distributor, working for Ge Xiaohui, and even gives up Ge Xiaohui’s long-term room at the Lufu Palace hotel and mentions his girlfriend, Fan Jingjing. Armed with this, Liu Ziming wants to go straight to Captain Huang (Captain Huang) to get approval to arrest Ge Xiaohui, hoping to use him to get to the big fish, An Pinghai. Captain Huang is worried about tipping them off but agrees to report it up the chain. Liu Ziming, ever the opportunist, also tries to snag a new car, complaining their current ride is a piece of junk, but Captain Huang isn't biting and shoos him away.
Meanwhile, Liu Ziqing confronts Liu Ziming about Li Wei. She’s in denial, refusing to believe her husband is a drug user. Liu Ziming, however, lays down the hard truth, leaving her heartbroken. He advises her to be patient and wait until Li Wei completes his rehab.
The police then set up a sting operation at the Lufu Palace Hotel. Liu Ziming gets a room right across from Ge Xiaohui's, while Xia Yu and Li Yugang wait in their car downstairs. Once Ge Xiaohui returns to the hotel, they signal Liu Ziming, who bursts out and tackles Ge Xiaohui. Xia Yu and Li Yugang arrive as backup, and Ge Xiaohui is caught red-handed.
A search of Ge Xiaohui's room turns up a stash of drugs hidden inside a tea caddy, and then even more drugs elsewhere. Liu Ziming reports back to Captain Huang, who tells him to convince Ge Xiaohui to cooperate and help them keep An Pinghai from getting suspicious. Back in Ge Xiaohui's room, Liu Ziming discovers another large bag of drugs hidden in a secret compartment in a cabinet. Realizing he's toast, Ge Xiaohui initially refuses to talk. But Liu Ziming knows just what buttons to push and brings up Fan Jingjing. That does the trick; Ge Xiaohui’s defenses crumble, and he tries to distance Fan Jingjing from his crimes. Liu Ziming lays out the stakes and convinces him to help them nail An Pinghai.
Ge Xiaohui starts talking, revealing that An Pinghai has a monopoly on the Haiming market and always contacts him personally for deliveries. Their next meet-up is scheduled at Baishuanyuan, with a delivery guy named Huang Xin, whom Ge Xiaohui has met once. Just then, An Pinghai calls Ge Xiaohui. Thinking on his feet, Ge Xiaohui lies, saying he’s stuck in traffic and hasn't met Huang Xin yet. Turns out, An Pinghai is super cautious and ditches his SIM card after every call. Smart, but also a pain for our cops.
Liu Ziming requests permission from Captain Huang to accompany Ge Xiaohui to the transaction. Concerned for Liu Ziming's safety, Captain Huang agrees but insists on sending two backup teams.
So, Liu Ziming, Xia Yu, and Li Yugang, with Ge Xiaohui in tow, head to Baishuanyuan. The plan is to make the exchange at the entrance, but Huang Xin is a no-show. An Pinghai calls again, telling Ge Xiaohui to wait a bit longer. Finally, at 6:40 PM, An Pinghai calls again, but this time he changes the meeting spot. Liu Ziming and the team rush to the new location. No sooner do they arrive than An Pinghai calls again with another change of venue. Liu Ziming starts to think An Pinghai is onto them, but Ge Xiaohui reassures him that An Pinghai is just naturally paranoid. Liu Ziming updates Captain Huang, who sends units to secure the new location ahead of time.
At the final (hopefully!) meeting spot, Ge Xiaohui spots Huang Xin from a distance – he’s the guy in a brown leather jacket at the bus stop. Liu Ziming signals Li Yugang to get ready to make the arrest.
