Cast & Character List
Wang Ziqi as Liao Siyuan
Liao Siyuan (廖思远) cuts the figure of a fresh-faced student with his striking looks and lean build, often seen in crisp button-down shirts that amplify his boyish charm. His effortless style radiates an approachable, "guy-next-door" magnetism—but don’t let the wholesome exterior fool you.
Backstory:
At age 10, Siyuan survived a tragic house fire that killed his family, leaving him orphaned and scarred by unresolved trauma. The psychological shock fractured his mind, birthing two distinct personalities by adolescence:
1️⃣ Primary Personality: "The Gentle Survivor"
This Siyuan is a tender-hearted soul who clings to kindness despite life’s cruelty. Optimistic and principled, he rejects bitterness, choosing empathy over vengeance. Think atlas holding up the weight of his past without buckling—an everyday hero fighting to preserve his humanity.
2️⃣ Alter Ego: Liao Zhibai (廖知白), "The Genius Detective"
Zhibai emerges as Siyuan’s sharp-tongued, hyper-analytical counterpart. A prodigy who once aided police in solving cold cases, he’s all icy logic and Sherlockian deduction. With a knack for spotting patterns others miss, Zhibai thrives in chaos—cool under pressure, ruthless in pursuit of justice, and unafraid to bend rules.
TL;DR: A man split between light and shadow, serving equal parts heartache and genius-level sleuthing.
Sun Yang as Liao Zhibai
The Genius Who Refuses to Stay Dead
Zhibai Liao isn't your typical cold-case ghost. Once hailed as Century City's prodigy teen detective (solving his first homicide at 14!), this razor-sharp mind allegedly perished in a dockside firestorm five years ago. But here's the twist: he's been alive the whole time... as the dormant alternate personality of his brother, Siyuan Liao.
Mind Games & Moral Gray Zones
When homicide detective Siyuan blacks out during investigations, Zhibai emerges like smoke from embers - calculating, ruthless, and armed with Sherlock-level deduction skills. While Siyuan fights to uphold justice, Zhibai operates in ethical shadows, deploying blackmail, psychological warfare, and even criminal alliances to punish those who orchestrated their family's destruction.
Key Traits That'll Keep You Hooked:
- Human Lie Detector: Spots micro-expressions even interrogation room cameras miss
- Master Strategist: Plays 4D chess with suspects' darkest secrets
- Morally Unstable: Will protect Siyuan at all costs... even if it means burning down their world
- Fashionably Menacing: Rocks charcoal trench coats and a signature smirk that says "I know what you did last lifetime"
Zhibai's chilling charisma channels Hannibal Lecter's intellect crossed with Joe Goldberg's obsessive intensity. His toxic-yet-symbiotic relationship with Siyuan sparks endless Reddit debates: Is he a vengeful protector or the villain this story needs? Every time Sun Yang's eyes flash from warm brown to ice-cold in the mirror (their genius visual cue for personality switches), viewers know chaos - and Emmy-worthy acting - is coming.
Sun Yi as Qi Xia
At first glance, Qi Xia embodies icy elegance and surgical precision. Clad in a lab coat and wielding a scalpel, Buhe City's star forensic expert dissects truths from the dead with chilling rationality. Yet beneath her cool professionalism lies a surprising duality: Off-duty, she swaps her glasses for a disarming smile, revealing a playful charm that betrays her youthful spirit. It's this razor-sharp contrast—between the methodical scientist and the quick-witted woman—that makes her indispensable in cracking cases like the infamous "Evil Male Pregnancy Murders," where her microscopic attention to bodily clues reshaped the investigation.
But Qi Xia's scalpel can't cut through the ghosts of her past. As the fiancée of the missing Liao Zhibai and sworn elder sister to his adopted brother Liao Siyuan, she's haunted by the decade-old Liao family massacre. For nine years, she's secretly clutched a crumpled photo of Zhibai, only to see his ghost staring back through Siyuan's eyes. When Siyuan's split personality emerges and Zhibai resurfaces as a vengeance-driven specter, Qi Xia becomes the unstable nucleus of a deadly equation: Can she guide Siyuan through his darkness while stopping the man she loved from becoming a monster?
Liu Mintao as Qi Meihua
As the adoptive mother of protagonist Liao Siyuan , Qi Meihua runs a bustling traditional apothecary that doubles as the neighborhood gossip hub. But don’t let her herbal teas fool you—this lady’s got edge. Think "cool wine aunt meets mama bear," with a dash of Sandra Oh in Killing Eve energy.
Larger-than-life personality: She’s the first to crack open a baijiu bottle at parties and the last to leave mahjong nights. Her motto? "Work hard, play harder."Fiercely protective: Though not Siyuan’s biological mom, she treats him as her own. When shady politicians threaten her son’s engineering career? Let’s just say her "persuasion tactics" involve more than just medicinal herbs.
Zhang Yujian as Shu He
As Homicide Captain of a fictional coastal city, Shu He embodies that classic "by-the-book badass" archetype we love. His defining trait? An almost robotic adherence to logic and protocol. While other cops might chase hunches or let personal biases creep in, Shu He treats every case like a chess match—cold, calculated, and laser-focused on forensic evidence.
But here's where it gets juicy: When a brutal murder rocks a prestigious university campus (think Elite meets How to Get Away With Murder), Shu He is forced to team up with hotshot lawyer Liao Siyuan. It's the ultimate "fire and ice" partnership—Shu He's rule-bound methodology constantly clashes with Liao's more... creative interpretation of justice.
Ding Xiaoying as Li Zhi
The radiant, quick-to-blush heiress who's winning over The Embers fandom! Portrayed by breakout actress Ding Xiaoying, this driven businesswoman defies the "spoiled rich girl" stereotype with her golden-retriever energy, sharp wit, and fearless pursuit of love.
Human Sunshine Alert: Li Zhi’s warmth could melt Arctic ice. Whether she’s nervously adjusting her designer blazer mid-blush or charging into boardroom battles, her genuine kindness makes you want to be her BFF.
Romance Warrior: Watch her launch the most adorable "Operation Melt Liao Siyuan" campaign. This isn’t some damsel waiting around — she plans museum "accidental" meetups, memorizes his coffee order (dark roast, no sugar), and literally runs into burning buildings to protect him.
Boss Energy: Her family’s luxury fashion empire? She’s rebranding it with eco-friendly fabrics while schooling old-money executives. That blush? It’s weaponized cuteness masking a strategic genius.
