Episode Summary
Liu Ziming gets his wound stitched by Dr. Wang, with his ex and current girlfriend Fang Tingting present. He suspects Wang Xuanzi is Wei Jie's illegitimate daughter due to Wei Jie's financial support, a suspicion Wei Jie denies. Liu Ziming learns Wang Xuanzi's tragic past: her father killed her mother and lover, and Wei Jie, who handled the case, has cared for her since. Meanwhile, Liu Ziming and Fang Tingting's relationship progresses, with plans to meet her parents. A new case arises when Bai Xiaoju reports her 16-year-old daughter, Tang Xiaoru, was assaulted and is pregnant. Liu Ziming and officer Yalin investigate, eventually gaining Tang Xiaoru's trust. She reveals her attacker is Tang Xiaoqiu, a man known to the family, who is subsequently arrested. Bai Xiaoju, initially wanting Tang Xiaoru to have an abortion, decides to keep the baby, filled with regret and rage towards Tang Xiaoqiu. The episode ends on New Year's Eve 2003, with Liu Ziming celebrating with Fang Tingting and his family, while Ma Suozhang remains on duty.
Spoiler Alert
"Into the Heat" Episode 6 Recap: Stitches, Suspicions, and a Shocking New Case
The episode kicks off with our guy, Liu Ziming, getting stitched up by Dr. Wang. Apparently, the anesthesia decided to peace out early, because Liu Ziming is in a world of hurt, making quite a racket. To add a little salt to the wound, Dr. Wang has his ex-girlfriend help with the bandaging. You can just imagine the awkward tension and her not-so-subtle digs at Liu Ziming. Thankfully, his current flame, Fang Tingting, is there to swoop in and play peacemaker.
Meanwhile, Liu Ziming's detective senses are tingling about Wang Xuanzi and Wei Jie. Wei Jie seems to be bankrolling Wang Xuanzi and looking out for her a bit too much, leading Liu Ziming to suspect she might be Wei Jie's secret daughter. Wei Jie flat-out denies it but offers no other explanation, which, you know, isn't suspicious at all. It’s Wang Xuanzi's birthday, and Liu Ziming, ever the charmer (or maybe just nosy), gets her a cake and tries to casually bring up the whole "what's the deal with you and Wei Jie?" thing. This does not go over well. Wang Xuanzi storms off, cake untouched. So, Liu Ziming ends up sharing the birthday cake with Fang Tingting. Things are getting serious between them; Fang Tingting’s parents want to meet him, and she’s eager to get married. Liu Ziming is all for it, naturally.
In a classic "need to impress the future in-laws" move, Liu Ziming swings by his brother-in-law's office and "borrows" some fancy liquor and cigarettes he finds stashed away – perfect gifts, right? He also does some digging with colleagues and finally gets the scoop on Wang Xuanzi. It turns out her father murdered his wife and her lover. Wei Jie was the officer on that case. With her father arrested, Wang Xuanzi was left alone, and Wei Jie, out of pity, started looking out for her. Mystery (mostly) solved.
Just as things seem to be settling on one front, a new, deeply disturbing case lands on their doorstep. Bai Xiaoju arrives at the Donghu Police Station to report that her sixteen-year-old daughter, Tang Xiaoru, was sexually assaulted six months ago and is now pregnant. Ma Suozhang (the station chief) immediately calls in Liu Ziming. Since it's a sensitive case, Liu Ziming and Liu Yang bring along a female officer, Yalin. We learn that Tang Xiaoru's father died in a truck accident, and Bai Xiaoju has been raising her alone, working the fields. Bai Xiaoju mentions that Tang Xiaoru was close to someone named Zhao Yingchun.
The team, including Ma Suozhang, Liu Ziming, Cao Lei, and Yalin, heads to the crime scene with Bai Xiaoju and Tang Xiaoru. Bai Xiaoju is understandably distraught and keeps blaming her daughter, which is heartbreaking. Liu Ziming gently suggests she take Tang Xiaoru home. Yalin and Liu Ziming then talk to Zhao Yingchun, who had no idea about the pregnancy and just thought Tang Xiaoru had gained weight. Zhao Yingchun also mentions Tang Xiaoru is into books about aliens. Meanwhile, Ma Suozhang and Cao Lei interview school teachers and neighbors but come up empty.
Back at the station, Liu Ziming looks into Bai Xiaoju's background. She's originally from Cang County. He wonders if something happened when Bai Xiaoju took Tang Xiaoru back to her hometown, but it turns out Bai Xiaoju hasn't been back since her parents died. He does learn, however, that a "laoxiang" (someone from her old hometown) came to help Bai Xiaoju with farm work during the busy season.
In a slightly lighter moment, Liu Ziming gets his pants dirty in the fields. Ma Suozhang, ever practical, has Officer Lao Wu give him a spare pair. This leads to Liu Ziming discovering a chicken in the dorms! Turns out, the chicken was causing a ruckus in the hallway, so Ma Suozhang bought it. Liu Ziming also notices Ma Suozhang is always in full gear. Lao Wu explains that there's a mentally ill person in their jurisdiction who can get violent. Ma Suozhang’s mentor once got seriously injured by this person when he approached them in plainclothes after previously being able to de-escalate situations while in uniform. Since then, Ma Suozhang doesn't take any chances. Before Liu Ziming leaves, Ma Suozhang gives him the chicken – another "gift" for the future in-laws, perhaps?
Liu Ziming gets to Fang Tingting’s place super late, and her parents are already asleep, so he heads back to the station. He and Yalin pore over old case files looking for similar incidents but find nothing helpful. Yalin believes the priority is to help Tang Xiaoru come to terms with what happened.
Bai Xiaoju only mentions that a man named Tang Xiaoqiu used to drive trucks with her late husband and helped them with farming for a few days one summer before going off to do business. When Bai Xiaoju told Tang Xiaoqiu about her daughter's pregnancy, he just told her to have Tang Xiaoru get an abortion.
Yalin and Liu Ziming have a heart-to-heart with Tang Xiaoru. They reassure her that what happened wasn't her fault and even bring her some books about aliens. Liu Ziming shares his own painful childhood experiences with an alcoholic and abusive father, encouraging Tang Xiaoru not to feel burdened. Finally, Tang Xiaoru bravely reveals that the person who assaulted her was Tang Xiaoqiu.
Liu Ziming and Cao Lei track down Tang Xiaoqiu and arrest him. When Bai Xiaoju finds out, she's furious, understandably wanting to tear him apart. Liu Ziming gives Bai Xiaoju some money to help with an abortion. However, Bai Xiaoju, filled with regret for focusing so much on work that she neglected her daughter, decides she wants to keep the baby. Her hatred for Tang Xiaoqiu is immense.
The episode fast-forwards to New Year's Eve, 2003. Ma Suozhang visits Bai Xiaoju and Tang Xiaoru, bringing them some holiday comforts. Liu Ziming brings Fang Tingting home to celebrate with his family, and they all happily welcome the New Year together. Cao Lei gets to go home and spend the holiday with his wife and child. Ma Suozhang, ever the dedicated officer, is on duty, but his wife comes to the station to keep him company.
And that’s a wrap on a pretty heavy, but also somewhat hopeful, episode of "Into the Heat"! Lots of emotional threads and one big case seemingly closed, though the fallout will surely continue.
