Episode Summary
A fire breaks out at a restaurant illegally connected to the Ducheng Processing Plant's power. Investigators Shen Ye and Xu Tongsheng find evidence of tampering and face pressure from the factory manager, Gao, to quickly close the case. The restaurant owners struggle with mounting medical bills. Shen Ye's personal life with his father is also interwoven into the investigation.
Spoiler Alert
The episode opens on a dark and stormy night. Shen Ye, careful not to wake his sleeping father, Shen Yi, tiptoes into his home. A sudden flash of lightning reveals Shen Yi sitting by the bed, muttering to himself about how his child no longer listens to him. He's staring blankly at expired milk. Shen Yi gets up to clean a food container, but Shen Ye insists he already washed it at work. Clearly distressed, Shen Yi laments that he's becoming increasingly useless and slumps onto the sofa, turning on the TV. Worried about his father's state of mind, Shen Ye grabs a carton of milk from the fridge and drinks it, hoping to ease his father's concerns. This seems to work, and Shen Yi finally goes to bed.
Meanwhile, the torrential rain continues. At a small restaurant near the Ducheng Processing Plant, a group of workers are still eating. Suddenly, a fire erupts in the restaurant's kitchen. The owner, Wang Yuxi, escapes, but realizes her phone is still inside. Her husband, Chen Quanyou, stops her from going back in and rushes into the fiery kitchen himself. He manages to grab the phone, but an explosion knocks him unconscious, trapping him in the blaze.
The next day, Shen Ye arrives at the hospital to investigate. Wang Yuxi explains what happened and describes the area around the restaurant. She becomes too emotional to continue, so Shen Ye asks Bai Zhi to stay with her while he and Li Dangui head to the scene. Xu Tongsheng has already arrived. When he learns that the restaurant's electrical cabinet was connected to the Ducheng Processing Plant's outer wall, he orders Jiang Li to use a drone to survey the surrounding area, including the adjacent factory. Shen Ye questions some of the restaurant's regular customers, but he can't understand their dialect, so he has a colleague take over.
Xu Tongsheng and Shen Ye meet and briefly exchange information before continuing their separate investigations. Chen Quanyou, now conscious, asks his wife what she told the police. Wang Yuxi assures him she didn't reveal the whole truth and then breaks down crying. Xu Tongsheng and Shen Ye discover that the restaurant was illegally drawing power from the Ducheng Processing Plant. They also find glove marks on the electrical box, indicating that the scene has been tampered with. The two investigators enter the Ducheng Processing Plant, where they are greeted by the factory manager, Gao, and another man, all smiles.
Shen Ye accuses Manager Gao of tampering with the scene. Gao explains that the fire in the restaurant's electrical box caused a power outage in his factory, so he immediately called in an expert to diagnose the problem. He points to the man beside him, Wu Yu, who presents a report that confirms the investigators' findings. Wu Yu urges Xu Tongsheng to quickly issue an investigation report. However, Xu Tongsheng lists several suspicious points that still need to be clarified. After they leave, Wu Yu remarks that Xu Tongsheng will likely be difficult to deal with. Manager Gao instructs Wu Yu to find a way to "handle" him, no matter what.
Wang Yuxi is pressured to pay the hospital bills. A nurse informs her that a full recovery will cost 100,000 yuan, a sum the couple doesn't have. Wang Yuxi cries privately outside, then wipes away her tears before returning to the ward. Zhang Quanyou urges her not to waste money on him, but Wang Yuxi assures him she'll find a way to pay for his treatment.
As Shen Ye is about to go home for dinner, he sees Xu Tongsheng still collecting evidence at the scene and offers to help. Xu Tongsheng explains his methods, and Shen Ye follows his instructions, successfully finding a melted bead and noticing unusual burn marks on the wall. After working for a while, Xu Tongsheng offers to treat Shen Ye to dinner, but Shen Ye receives a call from Shen Yi and has to go home. Meanwhile, Manager Gao visits the fire investigation department, urging them to quickly conclude the case. Xu Tongsheng refuses, citing insufficient evidence.
