Episode Summary
Detectives Liu Ziming and Li Yugang investigate the highly decomposed body of music professor Yang Kaixin. The investigation reveals Yang lived alone, estranged from his wife Wu Minru and children. Neighbors recall a heated argument Yang had with an unknown man months prior. At the university, colleagues were unaware of his long absence, and it's discovered that several female students, including Huo Sicong and Yang Yan, had accused him of sexual assault and possessed audio evidence. One student, Dong Chunni, hired a man named Huzi to threaten Yang, but Huzi has since disappeared after stealing from his ex-girlfriend, Wu Xiaomeng.
Spoiler Alert
The Case of the Decomposed Professor
The episode kicks off with our guys, Detectives Liu Ziming and Li Yugang, stepping into a pretty grim scene at the Huacui Community. The victim? Yang Kaixin, a music professor. And when I say grim, I mean it – the poor guy's been dead so long, he's severely decomposed. Even with a mask, Li Yugang nearly loses his lunch. The M.E. can only confirm it's a male.
Xia Yu arrives on the scene, and he and Li Yugang get to work canvassing the neighbors. Turns out, Professor Yang Kaixin lived alone. His wife, Wu Minru, and their two kids, son Yang Mo and daughter Yang Wei, live elsewhere.
The team tracks down Wu Minru. She reveals Yang Mo is off on a business trip for his magazine job, and Yang Wei is still in college. The last time Wu Minru saw her husband was a full six months ago. He apparently lived in the Huacui apartment to be closer to his students. When she's shown some personal effects found on the body, she recognizes them as gifts she gave him, confirming the victim is indeed Yang Kaixin. Understandably, she's heartbroken and also pretty baffled as to why the university never notified her that he'd been missing for so long. Good question!
Back at the crime scene complex, a little digging by Xia Yu and Li Yugang uncovers a juicy tidbit from some departing neighbors: around Chinese New Year, a man showed up late at night looking for Yang Kaixin, and a heated argument ensued. Interesting...
The investigation then takes our detectives to the university where Yang Kaixin taught. Colleagues describe him as an expert who was pretty flexible with his students. Shockingly, he hadn't actually been to the school since last summer vacation, and everyone only found out about his murder yesterday. Talk about a communication breakdown! We learn about his students – Dong Chunni, Yang Yan, Huo Sicong, and Li Li – and a rival colleague, Qiu Chi, who has conveniently stepped in to take over Yang Kaixin's duties with the bianzhong (those ancient Chinese chime bells).
Now, here’s where it gets really messy. After a casual comment from Zhao Dali about a professor sexually assaulting a student, Xia Yu gets the bright idea to interview Yang Kaixin's female students. Liu Ziming, Xia Yu, and Li Yugang sit down with them, and boom! Huo Sicong and Yang Yan both confirm that Professor Yang Kaixin had sexually assaulted them, and they even have audio recordings as proof. Dong Chunni, upon learning about this, apparently tried to take matters into her own hands. She hired a guy named Huzi (which translates to Tiger, fittingly or ironically, we'll see) from a bar to threaten and scare Yang Kaixin. The attempt failed – Yang Kaixin was unharmed. When Dong Chunni tried to contact Huzi afterward, she found he’d blocked her. Shady!
Liu Ziming's World is Crumbling
Meanwhile, Liu Ziming’s personal life is basically a dumpster fire.
He gets a call from his sister, Liu Ziqing. Their father, Liu Jianlin, is in the hospital, and to make matters worse, Nizi (could be his niece, the context is a bit fuzzy) has a fever. Liu Ziqing is swamped and needs Liu Ziming to step up and visit their dad.
This, of course, throws a wrench in his plans with Fang Tingting. They were supposed to have dinner, but duty calls, or rather, family drama calls. He’s late, and when Fang Tingting phones him, he says he’ll rush to pick her up from work, but she curtly replies she’s already home. Ouch.
His hospital visit with Liu Jianlin doesn't go any better. The old man is anything but grateful, giving Liu Ziming an earful. Frustrated, Liu Ziming storms out.
Later, Fang Tingting has her mother pick up their son, Diandian, and then checks herself into a hotel – alone. Liu Ziming, on the other hand, pulls an all-nighter at the precinct. The next morning, another call from Liu Ziqing: her ex (or just general troublemaker) Li Wei is back, harassing Nizi for money. Liu Ziming bluntly tells his sister to cut Li Wei off.
When Fang Tingting picks up Diandian the next day, her mom gives her the side-eye, suspecting she spent the night with another man. Fang Tingting has to clarify she was alone at the hotel. The tension is palpable.
Adding to his plate, Liu Ziming gets a tip from an informant known as "Hei Wuchang" (Black Impermanence – cool name, right?) about a drug den. And who do they find there? None other than Li Wei. Liu Ziming calls in the anti-drug squad, and they bust everyone. When Fang Tingting calls Liu Ziming around this time, he just hangs up on her. Seeing Li Wei arrested again clearly weighs on him, despite everything.
The Hunt for Huzi and an Anniversary from Hell
Back on the Yang Kaixin case, Liu Ziming, Xia Yu, and Li Yugang are staking out the bar, hoping to catch Huzi. No dice. But they do get a lead from a bar girl, Wu Xiaomeng. She used to date Huzi, and surprise, surprise, he stole her money and vanished. She tips them off that Huzi is a regular at the Harley Club. The city-wide search for Huzi continues as night falls.
Just as things couldn't seem more strained, Xia Yu reminds Liu Ziming that today is his wedding anniversary with Fang Tingting. Oh, boy. Liu Ziming, bless his heart, buys flowers and heads home, only to find an empty house. He calls Fang Tingting, who claims she and Diandian are already asleep (we know that’s likely not the whole truth). He then dashes over to his mother-in-law's place, but Fang Tingting isn't there either. The mother-in-law spins a yarn about a "class reunion." Defeated, Liu Ziming returns home.
Fang Tingting eventually comes back very late. Liu Ziming, who’s been waiting up, tries to ask where she’s been, but she’s clearly not in the mood to talk and brushes him off.
Meanwhile, Liu Ziming's personal life unravels: his father Liu Jianlin is hospitalized, his relationship with his wife Fang Tingting is severely strained (leading her to stay in a hotel), and he deals with his sister Liu Ziqing's problematic ex, Li Wei, whom he helps get arrested. The episode culminates on Liu Ziming and Fang Tingting's wedding anniversary, which Liu remembers late. He finds an empty home, and Fang Tingting returns late, evasive and distant, highlighting their deep marital crisis. The search for Huzi continues, with a lead pointing to the Harley Club.
