Episode Summary
Episode 13 centers on the meticulously planned police operation to apprehend the notorious drug lord, An Pinghai. Following a series of decoy locations, An Pinghai's associate, Huang Xin, is captured during a rendezvous with Ge Xiaohui, who is already cooperating with the police. Both Huang Xin and another dealer, Zhang Shengli, are persuaded to assist in the sting. An Pinghai, displaying extreme caution, instructs Ge Xiaohui to move to a different hotel room and tells Zhang Shengli to rent a vehicle. The police, spearheaded by Liu Ziming and Captain Huang, lay a trap at the designated hotel. An Pinghai attempts to access Ge Xiaohui's room through the ventilation system but is ultimately caught after a tense confrontation during which he discharges his weapon. Liu Ziming grows suspicious that Ge Xiaohui might have subtly warned An Pinghai. In the aftermath, the apprehended dealers confess their crimes. On a personal front, Liu Ziming celebrates his birthday and receives the joyful news of Fang Tingting's pregnancy. The episode then transitions to the year 2006, depicting Liu Ziming navigating the psychological effects of the dangerous operation, securing a new apartment, and his brother-in-law, Li Wei, completing his term in a drug rehabilitation center.
Spoiler Alert
Okay, let's dive into the heat!
So, our main drug kingpin, An Pinghai, is proving to be one crafty customer. He sets up a meet with Huang Xin and Ge Xiaohui, but not before making them jump through hoops, changing locations like he's playing musical chairs. They finally land on a bus station. Liu Ziming, ever the dedicated cop, is there escorting Ge Xiaohui. The moment Liu Ziming spots Huang Xin waiting, he gives the signal. Li Yugang and the team, who were lying in wait, swoop in and grab Huang Xin. He puts up a fight, naturally, but seeing Ge Xiaohui cuffed is enough to make him surrender.
Liu Ziming then has a little chat with Huang Xin, laying out the pros and cons, and convinces him to play nice and keep An Pinghai from getting suspicious. Sure enough, An Pinghai calls, and Huang Xin, knowing he's toast, agrees to cooperate with the police. Smart move, relatively speaking. Captain Huang, still worried An Pinghai might smell a rat, gets Liu Ziming to also bring in another dealer, Zhang Shengli, just to make everything look legit.
Using Ge Xiaohui as bait (again!), Liu Ziming quickly lures Zhang Shengli into their trap. By the time Zhang Shengli realizes what’s up, it’s too late. He tries to resist, but Liu Ziming warns him that cooperation is his best shot at a lighter sentence if they catch An Pinghai. Zhang Shengli, seeing no other way out, reluctantly agrees.
Liu Ziming gets Zhang Shengli settled into the hotel An Pinghai picked out. Meanwhile, Liu Ziming notices eight missed calls on his phone – it's Fang Tingting, who also sent a message asking him to call back. Wanting to spare her any worry, he decides not to return the call just yet. Oh, and did we mention it's Liu Ziming's birthday? His buddy Xia Yu brings him a cup of instant noodles, calling them "longevity noodles" (a sweet tradition!). Liu Ziming, ever the sharer, even gives some to Ge Xiaohui.
An Pinghai then rings Ge Xiaohui, talking about a big score he wants to pull off. But he’s got a bad feeling, like his eyelids won't stop twitching – a classic "something bad is about to happen" omen. Ge Xiaohui does his best to calm An Pinghai down, while also subtly tipping off Liu Ziming that An Pinghai is likely to be armed and is super paranoid this time around. True to form, An Pinghai, still uneasy, tells Ge Xiaohui to book a new room in the hotel, specifically on a different floor. This guy leaves nothing to chance!
Next, An Pinghai calls Zhang Shengli, telling him to rent a car and wait for more instructions. Liu Ziming, Xia Yu, and Li Yugang tag along with Zhang Shengli to the rental place and then tail him closely. The tension is ramping up! An Pinghai then calls Ge Xiaohui again, telling him to wait in the hotel room. This prompts Captain Huang to immediately call for backup from the main bureau.
Captain Huang isn't messing around. He's got officers stationed everywhere in the hotel and is personally overseeing things from the surveillance room. He learns from a staff member that the heat pump room could be an access point, so he sends Zhao Dali and a team to check it out. Zhao Dali discovers that, yup, the pump room indeed connects to the guest rooms and starts a thorough search.
Meanwhile, An Pinghai makes his move, sneaking into the guest room area through the ventilation ducts – very action movie-esque! He knocks on Ge Xiaohui's door. Inside, Liu Ziming, Xia Yu, and Li Yugang are braced for anything. Suddenly, An Pinghai lets out a cough.
Liu Ziming flings open the door and, quick as a flash, goes for An Pinghai's gun. But An Pinghai manages to fire off a shot! Luckily, Liu Ziming dodges it. Just then, Captain Huang and the cavalry arrive, nabbing An Pinghai on the spot. Liu Ziming is understandably shaken. He starts putting two and two together, suspecting Ge Xiaohui knew all along An Pinghai would use the vents and that the cough was a deliberate signal. When Liu Ziming confronts Ge Xiaohui about it, Ge Xiaohui just clams up. Mysterious!
With the operation wrapped up, Captain Huang and the officers haul the drug traffickers back to the criminal police team's headquarters. The interrogations begin. Liu Ziming gets the lovely task of questioning An Pinghai, who, surprise surprise, denies everything and even tries to provoke Liu Ziming. Liu Ziming warns him not to push his luck. Elsewhere, Zhao Dali and Captain Huang work on Huang Xin, Ge Xiaohui, and Zhang Shengli, and these three eventually spill the beans, confessing to all their crimes.
After pulling an all-nighter, Liu Ziming finally makes it back to his dorm. He calls Fang Tingting to let her know he's okay. And then, a heartwarming moment: he sees a birthday cake on his table, along with Fang Tingting's pregnancy test results! Our guy is going to be a dad! Overjoyed, he rushes to pick Fang Tingting up from work and goes with her for a prenatal check-up. He's already super eager to see the baby, much to Fang Tingting's amusement. Later, they watch the news on TV, seeing reports about the successful bust of the Haiming City drug trafficking ring and the large seizure of drugs.
Fast forward to 2006! Liu Ziming, along with Xia Yu and Li Yugang, is out apartment hunting. Unfortunately, only the lower-floor units are left. But Xia Yu, resourceful as ever, uses his mom's connections to get in touch with the building's big boss, who specially approves a high-floor apartment for Liu Ziming. Nice!
On one of his days off, Liu Ziming is in the kitchen, cooking for Fang Tingting. Suddenly, an egg explodes in the microwave. The loud pop makes Liu Ziming jump, thinking it's a gunshot, and he drops the bowl he was holding. Fang Tingting rushes in and immediately guesses that he must have been in a shootout during his last mission. It's clear the job is taking a toll on him.
Liu Ziming also pays a visit to his sister, Liu Ziqing. He reassures her, telling her not to worry too much about her husband, Li Wei, who's doing well in a drug rehab center and will be out soon.
Three months fly by, and Liu Ziming goes to the rehab center to pick up Li Wei. It's an emotional reunion, especially when Li Wei's daughter joyfully runs into his arms. Liu Ziqing has prepared a huge feast to welcome him home. Li Wei, filled with shame and remorse, apologizes to Liu Ziqing.
