Episode Summary
Yang Mo confesses to killing his father, Yang Kaixin, after seeing his mother's suicide note intending to take the blame. Liu Ziming's investigation, prompted by suspicions about Yang's wife, leads to the confession and recovery of the murder weapon. While Ziming earns praise professionally, his personal life unravels: his father-in-law is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and his wife, Fang Tingting, is avoiding him and considering divorce. Ziming struggles to care for their son, Diandian, amidst these crises. Meanwhile, Ziming's colleagues Xia Yu and Li Yugang are reassigned to help Zhao Dali investigate a train station robbery. They quickly make arrests, including the ringleaders Chen Tao and Li Na, whose loyal underlings initially protect them. Li Na's jealousy over Chen Tao's other relationship with Liu Liping becomes a leverage point. The episode culminates with Liu Ziming finding Fang Tingting at a hotel and tearfully apologizing for his neglect, begging for a second chance.
Spoiler Alert
The episode kicks off with Yang Mo finally cracking. After seeing his mother's heartbreaking suicide note – where she planned to take the rap for him – his defenses crumbled. Our man Liu Ziming, ever the opportunist in an interrogation, swooped in and got the full confession.
It turns out Yang Mo went to his father, Yang Kaixin, demanding the house. When Yang Kaixin refused and laid into him, Yang Mo snapped. He grabbed a fruit knife from the table and fatally stabbed his father in the throat. In a panic, he bolted and tossed the knife into the river by their house. Liu Ziming, putting the pieces together, had Li Yugang call in the dive team, and voilà, they recovered the murder weapon. Props to Ziming, whose instincts about Yang's wife being suspicious led him to tail her, ultimately leading to Yang Mo. Xia Yu and Li Yugang are definitely impressed, and frankly, so are we!
Thanks to Ziming's stellar work, Huang Dui Zhang went to bat for him with Liu Fu Zhuren, who agreed to let Ziming off the hook for whatever previous transgressions he was in trouble for. Phew!
When It Rains, It Pours for Liu Ziming
Just when you think things might be looking up for Ziming professionally, his personal life throws him a curveball. He went to pick up his son, Diandian, from his mother-in-law's place and noticed his father-in-law walking with a limp. He offered to take him to the hospital, and his father-in-law, bless his heart, just urged Ziming not to be angry with Fang Tingting. Diandian, meanwhile, really wanted his mom, Fang Tingting, to come to his kindergarten performance, but Ziming had to lie and say she was away on a business trip. Ouch.
The hospital visit brings devastating news: Ziming's father-in-law has lung cancer that has already spread to his bones. Ziming, trying to shield everyone, keeps the diagnosis to himself for now and arranges for Diandian to stay with his own father for a few days. However, Ziming's dad, Liu Jianlin, promptly kicked him out, keeping only Diandian. Turns out, Liu Jianlin heard Fang Tingting wants to divorce Ziming and is playing hardball, hoping his actions will force the couple to reconcile. Good intentions, questionable methods!
So, Liu Ziming and Diandian end up seeking refuge with Ziming's sister, Liu Ziqing. She wasn't home from work yet, so Ziming was about to whip up some food for Diandian and Ziqing's daughter, Nizi, when Ziqing called, explaining their dad's scheme.
Later, the father-in-law's condition deteriorates, and he's hospitalized. The mother-in-law finally learns the truth about the late-stage cancer. Liu Ziming does his best to comfort her. Fang Tingting rushes to the hospital and thanks Ziming for looking after her parents. He wants to have a serious talk with her, but the timing is just awful. The father-in-law also expresses a wish to see Diandian, and Ziming promises to bring him.
New Case, Old Frustrations
Back at the station, Ziming gets another blow: Huang Dui Zhang has reassigned Xia Yu and Li Yugang to assist Zhao Dali with a train station robbery case. Ziming is, understandably, furious and wants to confront Zhao Dali. Huang Dui Zhang, aware of Ziming's marital mess, tries to sideline him further by assigning him to an executive protection detail at the city bureau. Ziming protests, but Huang Dui Zhang advises him to take the time to cool his head. Reluctantly, Ziming complies.
Meanwhile, Fang Tingting's mother encourages her to talk things out with Liu Ziming instead of avoiding him.
The Train Station Robbery Heats Up
Xia Yu and Li Yugang, now on Zhao Dali's team, hit the ground running. Xia Yu meticulously reviews CCTV footage from around the train station and quickly identifies several individuals on motorcycles. Li Yugang, already on the ball, had started checking traffic cameras along their routes and tracked down two suspects.
Zhao Dali leads the team to ambush and arrest the two suspects, Cheng Liang and Zhou Yang. They quickly give up five accomplices. Zhao Dali reports to Huang Dui Zhang, who mobilizes a team and nabs three more robbers. With two main culprits still at large, Zhao Dali and Huang Dui Zhang personally join the effort and successfully arrest Chen Tao and Li Na.
However, Chen Tao, even knowing his crew is caught, refuses to admit he masterminded the robberies, claiming he was just a good Samaritan offering shelter to these individuals. Cheng Liang and Zhou Yang, both just nineteen and from troubled backgrounds, feel a deep sense of loyalty to Chen Tao, who apparently showed them the kindness they'd never experienced from family. They vehemently defend him. Li Na is also fiercely protective of Chen Tao, resisting the female officer's attempts to persuade her to talk.
Cracking the Ringleader's Circle
Li Yugang uncovers that Chen Tao has a close relationship with a woman named Liu Liping. This is news to Li Na, who, it turns out, has been in a relationship with Chen Tao for four or five years. Chen Tao, however, never fully committed to her because she was divorced and had a child. Learning that Chen Tao was not only seeing Liu Liping but also giving her money sends Li Na into a jealous rage. The female officer seizes this opportunity to press Li Na.
The Confrontation We've Been Waiting For
While all this is happening, Fang Tingting visits Diandian. Liu Ziqing, not one to beat around the bush, asks about her whereabouts. Fang Tingting confesses she never went abroad; she's been hiding in a hotel, unwilling to face Liu Ziming. She's lost all hope for their marriage but wants to remain friends with Liu Ziqing.
Liu Ziming, after learning from his mother-in-law that Fang Tingting plans to take her father abroad for medical treatment, gets Fang Tingting's hotel information from Liu Ziqing and goes straight there.
In a raw and honest moment, Liu Ziming admits his selfishness. He confesses that his dedication to his job made him neglect his family, his child, and most importantly, Fang Tingting's feelings. He sincerely apologizes and swears he'll change, begging her for another chance.
