Episode Summary
In 1989, Hua Jie and Li Hongqi crack an aluminum theft case but grapple with a messy breakup mid-chase. By 2004, Li Hongqi quits policing for get-rich schemes, while Guo Pengfei investigates a pigeon-fueled robbery linked to medic Li Xiaolian—and a suspicious clock shop owner with birdseed.
Spoiler Alert
Ah, 1989 Licheng—where crime is messy, relationships are messier, and your local cops are just trying not to face-plant off a balcony. Let’s unpack this drama.
PART 1: "Breaking Up (and Bones?) in the ‘80s"
Detective duo Hua Jie and Li Hongqi finally track down the aluminum thieves… only to find their boss (Shifu) mid-meltdown over his wife’s school-related tantrum. Awkward. The pair push to arrest the thieves, but Shifu’s too busy dodging domestic shrapnel to greenlight the op.
Meanwhile, Li Hongqi’s got bigger problems. He’s been dating divorced badass Hua Jie but suddenly gets cold feet. Instead of… y’know, talking to her, he begs Shifu to dump her for him. Shifu, channeling every rom-com audience ever, tells him to grow a spine.
Cue the chaos: While chasing a fake ginseng scammer, Hua Jie slips off a second-floor railing. Li Hongqi pulls her up (hero points!), then immediately torpedoes their relationship mid-adrenaline crash. Hua Jie’s response? A chill “k, bye.” Ouch.
PART 2: 2004 Time Jump – Midlife Crises & Pigeon Crimes
Fast-forward 15 years. Li Hongqi’s now a back-pained anti-theft cop dreaming of a “get rich quick” scheme with his cousin. He quits on Hua Jie (still his boss, awkward), telling her to quit smoking. She’s unimpressed.
Meanwhile, cop Guo Pengfei’s hunting missing sisters Fang Hui, hitting dead ends everywhere—even their old factory dorm. Cue sad trombone. But wait! During a routine patrol, he and partner Li Tang chase a necklace thief into an archives building. The perp tries a Scooby-Doo costume change, but Guo’s got eagle eyes. Gotcha!
PART 3: Birdbrained Heists & Suspicious Veterinarians
At the train station, chaos erupts when pigeons swarm the square (???), triggering a guy’s feather allergy. Foreign tourists get robbed during the distraction. Hua Jie calls Guo, who notices birdseed at the scene. Ding ding ding!
Turns out medic Li Xiaolian (angelic face, shady vibes?) orchestrated the pigeon ambush to enable the theft. But Guo’s too busy nearly passing out from pill overuse to connect the dots. Li Xiaolian saves him, earning praise he’ll regret later.
Final Clues & That One Sketchy Bird Store
Guo stumbles upon a clock shop owned by “Fo Ye”—a dude with a lot of birdseed and a parrot sidekick. Suspicious? Absolutely. Flashback: Fo Ye appeared earlier during Guo’s sister-search. Coincidence? Doubt it.
Episode ends with Guo and Li Tang tailing Li Xiaolian onto a subway, where three shady characters (He Xiaozhu, Dachun, and Four-Eyes) lurk. All six end up in the same train car. Cue ominous music.
TL;DR: Breakups, backaches, and birds—this episode’s got everything except emotional stability. Also, never trust someone with a pet parrot.
Next Episode: Will Guo survive his mystery meds? Will Li Hongqi’s pyramid scheme involve selling stolen aluminum? And why does Licheng have so many pigeons?! Stay tuned.
