Original subtitles

[Episode 1]

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

[Qingshui Town] Seven.

Six.

[December 31, 1999] Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One!

[Tender Light]

Dad, Fanglu is here.

Okay, come in.

I'll leave you to it.

I heard you don't want to transfer to a subordinate unit.

I didn't explicitly refuse it.

I just...

wanted to change the workplace.

Work in that town for two years,

and you'll get a promotion. That's what your superior meant.

You don't have a choice.

Besides,

what's wrong

with that Qingshui Town?

You are from that town,

aren't you?

It's a small place

with people too close to one another,

which makes it hard to carry out the work.

It's the same

in every town.

Do you have any other reasons?

No.

Do you still have family

in Qingshui Town?

No.

You got admitted to a prestigious university

after graduating from there years ago.

That was remarkable.

Then you went to graduate school.

You've done

a great job.

At this point,

just walk your path in a down-to-earth way.

At that time, Wenting will also be graduating with a PhD.

In my opinion,

[Qingshui Police Station] you will make a good family

and have a bright future.

Thanks.

See you.

Sir, look.

Here's the overall layout of the crime scene.

Here on the stairs,

there are signs of a struggle.

The pillar by the stairs

has axe marks on it.

The victim eventually fell here.

Beside him,

there's evidence of someone slipping here.

Go to the scene now and meet Chen.

You two have to collect

all the material evidence today.

Yes, sir. I'll go now.

Great.

Sorry, who are you looking for?

I'm here for Officer Xu.

Sir,

someone's here for you.

Who is that?

Greetings, Sir.

You must be that talented police officer.

Welcome.

Very glad to meet you. You're really extraordinary

What a young gentleman.

Let me help you with your luggage.

If only you could let us know you were coming,

I could have got someone to pick you up.

The station isn't far away.

It's convenient to take a tricycle to get here.

Here.

Let me introduce you.

This is Lin Fanglu,

our new deputy chief.

Greetings, Officer Lin.

You're seeing a legend here.

He was the first student

who graduated from Qingshui No. 1 High School

and got admitted to a prestigious university.

He's an expert in criminal investigation.

If only you had come a day earlier.

We were talking

about holding a welcome party for you.

That kind of thing

isn't really for me.

I just want to get to work as soon as possible.

Sure. I'll put you to work now.

We hardly had any homicide cases here,

but there is one now.

Homicide case?

When was it?

It happened on Millennium Night.

The victim, Xu Yi,

was a local entrepreneur here in Qingshui Town.

Officer Lin,

the suspect has turned herself in.

The victim was her husband.

[Nan Ya is suspected of killing Xu Yi] It happened at about 1 AM.

The murder weapon was a knife.

Two stabs in total.

One from the front,

and the other from the back.

The victim had died when we arrived.

What's your name?

Nan Ya.

Your age?

Thirty year old

Please describe the circumstances of the incident.

Xu Yi had been abusing me.

Everyone here knows.

All I wanted was a divorce,

but he threatened me with our daughter every time.

Wanwan is ill

and couldn't take that.

I had tried everything.

He just wouldn't agree to divorce me.

You want to divorce me?

You wish.

Even if I'll end up in hell,

I'm taking you with me.

Then it was the bridge case.

I got to know some truth behind it.

They secretly changed the design

and cut corners.

As a result, the half-built bridge suddenly collapsed,

and two workers even died in that accident.

I told him I had evidence

and asked for a divorce.

Are you threatening me?

I said stop!

Want to escape, huh?

No way.

No way!

Everything you've got is from me.

I've given you the best.

But you want me dead, right?

I'll let you die first.

Go to hell!

Bad woman.

Don't get any closer to me, Xu Yi.

Let's see who'll die today,

you or me!

Xu Yi!

You said after you killed Xu Yi,

you heard footsteps that night.

Do you know who that was?

No.

When I turned around,

he had run away.

We've found the witness.

It is Zhou Luo, Guixiang's son.

He came to us at 6 AM.

The case happened between 1 AM and 2 AM.

Why did he not come until 6 AM?

Seeing that horrible thing,

he was probably terrified

at the moment.

Tell me about

this Zhou Luo.

He's repeating his Grade 12 at Huashan Cram School.

How come he was there?

Seems he was sending the kid,

Wanwan, Nan Ya's daughter, home.

They live close to each other,

so Guixiang sometimes

look after the kid.

Who was on call?

Shi Leshan.

Tell Officer Lin one more time

what Zhuo Luo did that day.

He called us first,

and his parents came with him.

What he said about the scene was

basically the same as what Nan Ya said.

How did he look

when he was talking?

Relatively calm.

He asked for water first

and drank it all.

He made it pretty clear.

Then why did he run?

He said he was frightened

and ran without a second thought.

Did he go back again?

No.

Soy sauce and vinegar!

Soy sauce and vinegar!

Soy sauce and vinegar!

Soy sauce and vinegar!

Luo.

Where are you going?

School.

You've learned all that.

Why not stay at home today?

Well, let's see...

[Huashan Cram School, Xingchen Vocational School]

You can

take the day off.

Go back home and take a rest.

Actually,

I'm fine.

I'm worried about you.

I don't want you affected

by seeing all that.

[Be determined to move forward.] Zhou Luo?

[To succeed, work hard first.] How come he saw that?

[Practice more.] Well...

[Don't leave any regret.] Who knows?

Qingli.

Nan Ya killed someone.

It's true. The news is all over the town.

Who was killed by her?

Xu Yi, of course. Who else could it be?

Chen Jun's dad went to check the scene.

The man died on the spot with two stabs.

Zhuo Luo is really screwed,

seeing all that.

Did he see it?

When was that?

The day before yesterday.

On Millennium Night.

Where's my stuff?

What stuff?

You know it.

If It were me who took it,

do you think I would give it back to you?

Xu Yi is the car owner.

The car burst into flames on Millennium Night too.

We speculate it was about midnight.

The oil tank was then set on fire,

which caused the explosion.

All the people in town

were by the river watching the fireworks,

which lasted for almost 30 minutes.

The sound of the fireworks overlapped

with the explosion,

so few people

noticed it.

What caused the fire?

The New Year was coming,

and kids were playing with firecrackers

here and there.

The oil was probably leaking out of the car,

so it got set on fire.

What a coincidence.

The owner happened to be Xu Yi, the victim.

You suspect it was deliberate?

But based on our speculation,

the fire happened earlier than the killing.

And that was when Nan Ya was fighting

with Xu Yi.

So you are saying

someone else did it deliberately.

What's going on?

What happened?

Don't you know Xu Yi died the night before?

Xu Yi died?

How come?

The police are all here.

I heard it was quite terrifying.

It looked horrible.

Officer Lin,

this is Wang Yao.

That's Chen, Chen Guoying.

They're our experienced colleagues.

Yao. Chen.

This is Officer Lin, our new deputy leader.

Greetings, Officer Lin.

Careful, mind your step.

Chen.

Is there anything different

from what the suspect said?

Nothing as of now.

Is the forensics done?

We got the call.

The stab in the chest punctured his heart arteries,

which mainly led to his death.

The time of death was between midnight to 2 AM.

A detailed autopsy report

will take a bit more time.

Xu Yi!

Xu Yi!

Where are the photos?

You won't find any.

You want me dead, huh?

I'll give them to you if you sign the divorce papers.

What if I don't?

I'll call the police tomorrow.

You'll be in jail and I'll be free.

Are you threatening me?

What do you think?

What do you mean?

Do you think

it was

self-defense?

How's that possible?

A big and strong man

couldn't hurt a woman with an axe,

but got stabbed

by that woman.

Do you believe it?

Then what do you mean?

Do you think she drugged the victim?

Or

the victim was really drunk

and couldn't hurt her.

Well,

once the autopsy report is available,

we'll know about that.

What about the motive?

This woman

has a bad reputation.

The victim

was not abusing her for no reason.

Is there anything wrong with her?

Yeah, a lot.

She hooked up with guys,

and she got beaten because of that.

They came to us quite a lot

with all those fights.

You seem to have negative comments on the suspect.

I'm not well educated.

I won't

be nitpicking on words.

But everyone in Qingshui Town knows

what this woman is like.

Shouldn't I consider that?

The victim endangered her life,

and she defended herself with a knife.

A witness saw all of that.

How would you explain this?

That witness is just a kid.

He could remember it wrong

and was just totally freaked out.

Who knows what happened

that night?

How many years have you been a police officer?

Seven years.

Have you ever seen such a beautiful woman like her?

Look at her face, her boobs

and her fair skin.

What do you think those men go to her store for?

I saw it.

After the fireworks,

they were fighting on the dike.

Xu Yi slapped Nan Ya's face.

Nan Ya must be in pain.

My turn!

One character!

She deserves it.

Xu Yi was nice

to everyone.

He was a generous guy.

But he only beat her.

You know why?

Xu Yi treated her really well.

Even though she gave birth to a sick kid,

Xu Yi still

raised that child.

Xu Yi couldn't control her.

He beat her all day

and tried to please her afterward.

Think about what happened at the train station.

He could even put up with it.

He just didn't want a divorce.

See? Now he paid his life.

[The train station incident] Whoever killed whom

wouldn't surprise me.

She was after his money,

and he was after her face.

It was meant to go wrong.

It was his fate. If he lived a life with Chen Ling,

he would've been all good.

That's what I'm saying,

[Fight on Millennium Night] Stay away

[Chen Ling, Xu Yi] from beautiful women.

Xu Yi was no match for her.

He wasn't a match for her.

If they had divorced,

this couldn't have happened.

He has a high family status.

But what about her?

Who is she dressed like that for?

So poor, got beaten badly on such a good day.

She humiliated Xu Yi.

She's so cruel.

She's going to jail.

Which man could have stood it?

She got to pay her life for it.

They were different people.

[Different people!]

[Jiangwan Police Station, Qingshui Branch]

[Qingshui Police Station]

Do you know where you are?

You're at the police station!

So what?

I'm right here for you!

Evidence? What evidence are you looking for?

My son died!

What evidence do you need?

I'm telling you,

so long as I'm alive,

Nan Ya will be staying in jail.

If she gets out,

I will commit suicide right here!

Ma'am,

please don't leave, ma'am.

I know it's a great grief for you,

but Wanwan is your granddaughter.

You should bring her with you.

I won't recognize her as my granddaughter!

That woman killed my son,

and you want me to raise her kid?

Ma'am!

Wanwan.

Well,

she left this kid here.

What are we, kindergarten teachers?

We are not,

are we?

Chen, say something.

What do we do with the kid?

How would I know?

Send her to the Welfare House then.

They will take her.

I suppose her parent needs to agree to that first.

Nan Ya has such a bad relationship

with her husband's family.

And the kid is ill.

We've got to find a solution

to this.

Does Wanwan have any family on her mother's side?

I think she has a nominal grandmother.

That's Nan Ya's stepmother.

But she and Nan Ya

don't get along.

The kid probably won't end up well with her either.

Chen,

continue negotiating with them.

If it doesn't work out,

we'll send her to the Welfare House.

Hey, I haven't finished yet!

Lin,

Are you two getting along well

at work?

Yeah, it's good.

Officer Xu,

I'm off then.

Okay.

Keep up the good work.

Hu Xiu.

Hu Xiu.

Hu Xiu!

Hu Xiu!

Where are you?

Here.

What...

what are you here for?

Let me introduce you.

This is Officer Lin, the deputy chief of our team.

We're here today

to talk about something with you.

Nan Ya is now in custody,

and the case

won't be finished any time soon.

So no one can look after Wanwan.

Her father died, and her mother is in jail.

Then send her to her father's parents.

Why come to me?

You are not biologically related,

but by law,

you are her family.

Besides, Nan Ya has no siblings.

Don't even think about it.

Ungrateful woman.

Coquette.

Whichever man got close to her would get himself killed.

Want me to take care of that sick kid?

No way!

Xu's family

sent Wanwan to our office.

Your stepmother is not willing to take care of her either.

Does she have

any other family?

How about this?

We'll send her to the Welfare House.

She can stay there for a while.

Can I please ask you for a favor?

Could you ask Guixiang to look after her for me?

Wanwan is ill

and has to see the doctor every week.

She needs treatment,

and that can't be delayed.

Guixiang knows all that.

I'll try.

[Wuzhou Rural Credit Cooperative]

Wanwan,

I'll take you to Guixiang, okay?

Okay.

Good girl.

Let me hold you.

Let's go.

Why is Wanwan here with you?

If Nan Ya gets sentenced,

who's going to look after her?

The Xu Family and Hu Xiu

couldn't care less.

Guixiang,

they won't ask you to do it, will they?

It's the right amount.

Okay.

Welcome to your next visit.

Okay.

I mean,

you're busy enough and now you've got involved in this.

What a pain.

Wanwan.

Here.

Have it.

Thank you, Guixiang.

You're welcome.

Officer Lin,

I've decided it. I can take care of the kid.

Tell her not to worry.

That's great.

The money...

I don't need this. I really don't.

I just think she's such a poor kid.

The adults have created a mess,

but the kid is innocent, isn't she?

Sorry, I'm just busy talking.

Come on, get in and I'll make you tea.

I'm home now.

Officer Lin, have a seat.

Here, please have a cup of tea.

Thank you.

I think

you are the closest to Nan Ya in this town.

I get along with most people.

It's a small town.

Everyone buys daily necessities in my store,

so I get familiar with them.

What kind of person

do you think she is?

If a woman

has a beautiful face

but wants to stay unique,

then she will get into trouble.

Guixiang.

Where's Zhou Luo?

He's in his room. You're here for him?

Guixiang.

Just get in. He's in his room.

So Zhou Luo has been in his room?

Yes.

How is he these days?

Seeing all that,

he is surely scared.

He's a teenager, after all.

You really saw it?

Perjury is illegal.

Xu Yi's car got burned.

Do you know that?

Yeah.

Then what if

the things in his car...?

Do not talk about that thing.

As long as we don't say it,

no one will know.

Can I talk to you guys for a minute?

Sure.

My name is Lin Fanglu.

I've just been transferred to Yishan Police.

I also graduated from Qingshui No. 1 High School.

If you don't mind,

just take me as your senior student.

I heard you are a very good student

and got a special admission to Jinghua University.

I'll still have to take the exam.

I can't get in if I don't do well in the exam.

All right. I'm here with some questions.

At the countdown on that night,

were you all by the river?

Yeah, we were.

[Zhou Luo, All by the river] Did you see Nan Ya and Xu Yi?

Everyone in town was there.

Yes.

What about you, Zhou Luo?

Nan Ya had been in your store

that night, right?

Yes.

Did she look any different?

Not really.

Did Xu Yi quarrel with her?

When Xu Yi came,

I was playing billiards with them upstairs.

That's to say,

none of you saw Xu Yi arguing with Nan Ya.

Guixiang told me

you had a stomachache before the countdown,

so you got back home.

Yes.

When was that exactly?

The fireworks were at midnight...

About half an hour before that.

So, it was 11:30 PM.

[11:30?]

When you went back to the river,

did the fireworks finish?

Yes.

I was asleep

and got woken up by fireworks.

Do you remember what time that was?

Around 12:40 PM.

[12:40] Did you go

anywhere else in between?

No, I was at home.

Am I right to think

you arrived at Nan Ya's place

around 1 AM?

Yes.

Let's see

who'll die today, you or me?

Why didn't you call the police

as soon as you saw it?

I panicked.

I realized Wanwan was also in the house.

I didn't want her to see it.

I shouldn't have run.

So you were not sure if Xu Yi had died.

No.

Then why didn't you go find someone

to stop their fight?

I just thought

Xu Yi didn't look like

he could fight anymore.

Did you not think about going back and checking again?

I did.

Then why didn't you?

Were you trying to leave enough time for Nan Ya to turn herself in?

I wasn't sure

if she was going to do that.

Really?

Okay, I see.

If there's anything with Wanwan,

just call me at the police station.

Here's our number.

I'll keep it safe.

Thank you.

See you, Officer Lin.

[Ad: room on 2nd floor for rent] Are you renting out your room upstairs?

It has been for storage

and hasn't been cleaned until now.

Just trying

to make use of it.

Can I see it?

Of course.

It's upstairs.

This way.

Hey,

that night,

did you tell Zhou Luo?

Tell him what?

Your feelings!

Nope.

Then where did you go?

You didn't come back the whole night.

We didn't go anywhere.

I just felt it wasn't the right time,

so I didn't say anything.

Well, that's okay.

It wasn't a lucky day.

After all,

Zhou Luo ran into something like that.

I will not tell him about my feelings in the future.

Why?

Then, he will be someone's boyfriend!

What's wrong?

I forgot something at Zhou Luo's place.

What is it?

Just a book.

Then get it tomorrow.

You go first. I'll get it now.

You were not at home that night.

I waited outside your house for a long time

and didn't leave until the fireworks ended.

Why did you lie to the officer?

[Millennium Night (31 December, 1999)]

Zhou Luo!

Zhou Luo.

Zhou Luo.

Zhou Luo.

I'm taking it.

You?

There's a video store downstairs.

There will be music playing here during the day.

It could be noisy.

It's okay. I won't be here during the day.

I'll be at the police station.

I'd live close to Wanwan.

If there's an emergency,

I can help.

I see.

When I finish my work tonight, I will move in.

This evening?

Yes.

See you.

I'll show you something.

This way.

No. 3 is ready.

Thanks.

Take a seat.

I was here that night.

China is the 12th country in the world

that started the year 2000.

You know

the 180th meridian, right?

The line that is called the one

to divide today and yesterday,

which is the International Date Line.

The closest country to this line

is Kiribati.

It's the first country that started the year 2000.

[Kiribati] I was here that night

[Australia]

[North Korea, South Korea, Japan] to let people know

[People's Republic of China] there's a Qingshui Town in China

and what we did here

in 2000.

In this chat room,

someone would pop up every few minutes and say,

"Happy New Year."

So to me,

the words were brighter than the fireworks.

Look what I sent.

[Zhou Luo says: Happy New Year, it's Qingshui Town here.]

00:00 on January 1, 2000.

"Happy New Year."

Let me tell you another secret.

I actually got into the internet bar

by picking the lock.

The owner is timid.

He doesn't want others to know

he's accessing to foreign links secretly,

or he'll get into trouble.

That's why I didn't tell the officer.

Well,

I guess I was overthinking.

Sorry for that.

Nan Ya is a poor lady.

I saw what was going on that night.

I just told the police the truth.

As for Nan Ya and Xu Yi,

whoever was more to blame,

I don't think it's up to us to judge.

It's up to the law.

You're right.

Why are you so attentive?

You know nothing.

He graduated from the University of Political Science and Law,

and his father-in-law is a big shot.

Why does he come here then?

Probably just

gaining more experience and making his resume look better.

Why do we have to care?

He'll be gone

if that's the case.

He has nothing to do with you.

It can't go wrong to get along with him.

Officer Lin,

the desk is ready for you.

This one.

It's already late.

Are you not leaving?

The interrogation is ongoing.

Who's being interrogated?

Nan Ya.

Chen doesn't think it was self-defense

and was up for another round.

Nonsense!

What's the bridge collapse to do with Xu Yi?

Ridiculous.

Then tell me,

why was Xu Yi trying to kill you?

Chen, can you come out?

I need to talk to you.

Can you not interrupt

my interrogation?

Stop it immediately.

Why?

A grueling trial isn't fair to the suspect.

"Self-defense" sounds fair to the victim, huh?

You're taking it too personally.

Don't talk nonsense.

Don't ruin my reputation.

A woman got beaten badly like that.

If she was really in danger

and killed him by accident,

such a strict grueling trial

would be inhumane.

Enough.

Wang,

it's over.

Take her back.

Don't think you're better than us,

because you're transferred from the province.

Xu died,

and his family is out there watching us.

There's never been a self-defense case

over the years.

I don't want to hear people say

I can't solve crimes.

Come on.

Come in.

My mom asked me to give these to you.

She made these before the New Year.

They've been out for drying.

We haven't got an electric blanket for you.

Use the hot water bottle instead.

Thank you.

Are you free?

Can you help me move these?

Okay.

The desk is to be put here.

We've had Xu Yi's autopsy report.

Turn it around.

He died of a ruptured heart artery.

The stab in the back wasn't lethal.

The one in the chest was.

The bed is to be moved there.

Seeing that bloody scene

could traumatize you.

You may have stress responses,

like nightmares

and insomnia.

Some symptoms

don't show up immediately,

but years later,

they can cause mental issues.

I know some experts

in the provincial capital.

If you need,

I can introduce them to you.

No need. Now that it's done, I'll leave.

I read the case file.

It says Xu Yi had beat you.

Do you hate him?

Do you think I lied to you?

Did you?

Will you believe it if I say no?

[Poetry Anthology, Edited by Moyu]

[Poetry Anthology, Borrowed by Nan Ya in May 1995]

[Returned in August 1995, Qingshui Library]

♪Dear, my beloved♪

♪Believe me at least♪

♪Without you, languishes my heart♪

♪Dear, my beloved♪

♪Without you, languishes my heart♪

♪Your faithful one sighs always♪

♪Cease, cruel one♪

♪So much severity♪

♪Cease, cruel one♪

♪So much severity♪

♪So much severity♪

♪Dear, my beloved♪

♪Believe me at least♪

♪Without you, languishes my heart♪

♪Dear, my beloved♪

♪Believe me at least♪

♪Without you, languishes my heart♪