Episode Summary
A'Lai's storybook strangely mirrors a real-life murder case, revealing a love story between sailor Jia Hua and doctor Chun Ying. Jia Hua returns after a year, secretly protecting Chun Ying from danger, including a murderous chauffeur. A confrontation leads to Jia Hua's death, but A'Lai uses the story's clues to help the police solve the case, attributing it to an anonymous informant.
Spoiler Alert
The police are grappling with a gruesome series of midnight murders. The killer, exceptionally cruel, targets intoxicated women, binding them, slowly draining their blood, and then dumping their bodies. Chief Inspector Ben initially assigns the case to Alai, but A'Jia snatches it up. Alai, unfazed, continues reading stories to Lu Na at the hospital. This time, the book he's reading takes a strange turn, introducing new elements that eerily mirror the ongoing midnight murder investigation. The story within the story features Jia Hua, a sailor, and Chun Ying, a doctor, who are deeply in love.
Jia Hua has been missing for over a year, leaving Chun Ying heartbroken but still hopeful. One night, after finishing her shift at the hospital, Chun Ying misses the last bus and walks home with a colleague. Unbeknownst to them, they are being followed. A patrolling police officer spots a suspicious individual and gives chase. Chun Ying, aware of the recent midnight murders, hurries her colleague along, feeling the danger of the night.
A few days later, Chun Ying and her colleague visit a dance hall. Chun Ying, not much of a dancer, sits at the bar alone. A former classmate, who once had a crush on her, approaches, but she rebuffs his advances. He leaves, seemingly dejected, but secretly drugs her drink. Jia Hua, who has been secretly following Chun Ying, witnesses this. After the classmate departs, Chun Ying prepares to drink. Jia Hua, disguised as a drunkard, bumps into her, spilling the drugged drink. Chun Ying, unaware of Jia Hua's identity, orders another drink. This encounter, however, exposes Jia Hua to the Cao Gang, a group that has been hunting him. Jia Hua fights them off, sustaining injuries in the process, but manages to escape.
Later, a heavily intoxicated Chun Ying leaves the dance hall and encounters the same classmate, who attempts to assault her. Jia Hua intervenes and rescues Chun Ying. They get into a chauffeured car, and Jia Hua instructs the driver to take them to a hotel. After settling Chun Ying in, Jia Hua tends to his wounds in the bathroom. Chun Ying wakes up disoriented, unable to clearly see in the dimly lit room. When Jia Hua turns on the light, she recognizes her long-lost lover. Overwhelmed with emotion, she embraces him, accidentally touching his wounds. As she's about to tend to his injuries, the driver knocks, claiming to return a bag they left in the car. Chun Ying opens the door without hesitation, and the driver attacks her.
Jia Hua, despite his injuries, fights the driver but is quickly overpowered. The attacker, wielding a knife, prepares to slit Chun Ying's carotid artery. Jia Hua, using a hidden knife, swiftly cuts the ropes binding his hands. Before the attacker can strike, members of the Cao Gang, a bearded man (Big Beard) and a skinny man (Slim Monkey), arrive. These two are low-level thugs who have been pursuing Jia Hua, mistakenly believing he stole opium. Jia Hua was unknowingly tricked into transporting goods that were supposed to be red wine but were actually opium. When it came time to deliver, the goods had been switched back to red wine. His colleague was killed by Slim Monkey and his gang, but Jia Hua escaped by jumping into the water. He has been on the run ever since, avoiding contact with Chun Ying to protect her.
A chaotic fight ensues between Slim Monkey, Big Beard, and the attacker. The attacker kills Slim Monkey. Jia Hua, in a desperate attempt to save Chun Ying, kills both Big Beard and the attacker. However, Jia Hua is severely wounded. Knowing he's dying, he pleads with Chun Ying to take him to their favorite sunrise spot on a mountaintop. There, as the sun rises, Jia Hua dies in Chun Ying's arms, finally free from his ordeal.
Back in the present, Alai connects the dots between the midnight murders and the "clues" in the comic book. He realizes the chauffeured car driver from the dance hall is likely the killer. He immediately contacts his colleagues at the police station. A'Jia arrives at the dance hall just in time, discovering the murder weapon in the trunk of a chauffeured car. The case is solved. The Chief Inspector is impressed with Alai, who credits a beautiful, anonymous informant for the tip, protecting the "informant's" identity.
