Episode Summary
Li Wei returns from rehab, but his financial irresponsibility leads to his family's home being seized. Liu Ziming, after buying a new apartment for his pregnant partner Fang Tingting, takes in his sister-in-law Liu Ziqing and niece Nizi. Meanwhile, Liu Ziming visits the condemned An Pinghai, who asks him to help his elderly mother. Li Wei struggles with his sobriety and past associations. Liu Ziqing, desperate, pawns her jewelry and rents a cheap, ominous apartment. The episode ends with Liu Ziming investigating a new case: a decomposed female body found in a dry well.
Spoiler Alert
So, Li Wei is back from rehab, and his wife, Liu Ziqing, and their adorable daughter, Nizi, are trying their best to act like everything's totally normal. You know, the "welcome home, honey, nothing to see here!" routine. Of course, this just makes Li Wei feel even more like a heel. He apologizes profusely to Liu Ziqing, who basically tells him this is his absolute last chance to get his act together and for them to live a decent life. No pressure, Li Wei!
Meanwhile, our main man Liu Ziming is busy playing dream husband. He’s taken all his savings and plunked them down on a new apartment, signing the contract on the spot, all to surprise his pregnant partner, Fang Tingting. Sweet, right? But his cop life never takes a break. An Pinghai, the criminal he nearly died catching, has been sentenced to death and requests a final chat with Liu Ziming. At the detention center, An Pinghai is his usual charming self, full of sarcasm, mocking Liu Ziming for only getting a "collective second-class merit" despite almost being killed. Liu Ziming admits he was terrified back then – scared he wouldn't see his unborn son or be there for his own parents. But, he says, if he had to do it all over, he'd still be a cop and still bring An Pinghai down. In a surprising turn, An Pinghai asks Liu Ziming to help his elderly mother. She has a pension but lives in a high-rise and struggles with stairs. Liu Ziming, being the stand-up guy he is, immediately starts looking for ground-floor places and even gets his Captain Huang to enlist the local police and neighborhood committee to help with the move.
Now, back to Li Wei – it's his birthday! His buddy Zhuzi, who just got back in the country, keeps calling. Li Wei tries to ignore it in front of Liu Ziqing, but she, bless her heart, encourages him to go out and celebrate with his friend while she preps a birthday cake at home with Nizi. So, Li Wei heads to a bar where "Liu Ge" (Sixth Brother) tries to slide him a packet of new designer drugs. Big props to Li Wei, he actually refuses! However, the birthday celebrations get a bit too festive, and they all end up wasted. Liu Ziqing calls Li Wei, but he's so out of it, he doesn't even hear his phone.
The next day, Fang Tingting is at the hospital for a prenatal check-up, and Liu Ziming rushes to be with her. But then, drama calls – literally. Nizi phones in a panic: their house has been seized by the court! Turns out, Li Wei’s debts were way bigger than they thought. Liu Ziming immediately scoops up the devastated Liu Ziqing and Nizi and brings them to his place. Talk about awkward timing – his mother-in-law (Fang Tingting's mom, Fang Mu) is there. Liu Ziming tries to play it off like Liu Ziqing is just there to help out with the pregnant Fang Tingting, but Fang Mu has a sixth sense for trouble and knows something’s up. Liu Ziqing, feeling like a burden, wants to take Nizi to a hotel, but Fang Tingting, being an absolute gem, pulls Nizi into a room and insists they stay.
To lighten the mood (and maybe teach Liu Ziming a lesson), Fang Tingting makes him strap a big watermelon to his waist to experience what pregnancy feels like. He grumbles but does it. Once Fang Mu leaves, Fang Tingting is all comfort and support for Liu Ziqing. Liu Ziqing finally breaks down, confessing that Li Wei completely spiraled after rehab, squandering all their money. In a truly touching moment, Fang Tingting gives Liu Ziqing money that Liu Ziqing had previously lent them and even offers her and Nizi her own room. Cue the waterworks – Liu Ziqing is moved to tears.
The following morning, Nizi gets up and wants to make breakfast. While cleaning, she accidentally drops a glass, waking Fang Tingting. They realize Liu Ziqing left super early. When Fang Tingting calls, Liu Ziqing is vague, just saying she had things to do. The reality is heartbreaking: Liu Ziqing has rented a dirt-cheap apartment – one where someone recently died (creepy!) – and has pawned all her gold and silver jewelry, getting a terrible price for it, just to make ends meet. The poor woman is desperate.
And just when you think the episode has delivered all its punches, we get a classic crime drama twist! Some workers in a forest discover a decomposed female body in a dry well. They call the cops, and Liu Ziming, along with his colleagues Xia Yu and Li Yugang, are on the scene. A heavy rain the previous night has washed away any potential evidence around the well, and it's pretty clear this wasn't the primary crime scene – the killer likely dumped the body here. Liu Ziming, ever the professional, gets right in there to examine the corpse, while Xia Yu and Li Yugang are visibly grossed out and trying to keep their distance. Liu Ziming, in a classic hazing move, calls them over to get a good whiff of the scene (yuck!) and then makes the germaphobe Xia Yu climb into the well to investigate further. The initial forensic report? The victim suffered "mechanical damage," but a lot more investigation is needed.
