The Truth Seekers

Bai Qingxiong (Chen Hanwei) has been with the police force for more than 20 years. He has come across many unsolved cases and witnessed the pain and suffering of victims’ families unable to find closure. To address this, he opens a detective agency, CCI, to investigate unsolved cases. Two others join him: Huang Yuyang (Rebecca Lim), who used to be his subordinate in the police force, and Hong Junyan (Desmond Tan), who has no experience in criminal investigations. Qingxiong does not receive any cases in CCI’s first year. He helps out in the restaurant run by his wife, Yamamoto Atsuki (Lynn Poh). Lan Haifeng (Yusuke Fukuchi) hires CCI to nab the murderer of his girlfriend, Li Xiaoqing, who was found dead in the bushes in a park; she was raped. It happened eight years ago, in 2008. At the time, the three suspects were Tang Zhenguo (Louis Wu), Adam Teo (Ryan Lian), and Lan Haifeng. Lan Haifeng was the prime suspect. He was acquitted one year after detention. Qingxiong was one of the investigating officers then. Xiaoqing's parents believed the murderer was Haifeng as he had threatened to kill Xiaoqing after she initiated a break up. Yuyang and Junyan tail Adam, who has become a pimp. To get close to him, Junyan pretends to want to hire a prostitute. Instead, he is stripped naked and chased out of the brothel by Adam and the prostitutes. After much probing, the three of them clear the suspicions surrounding Zhenguo and Adam. Haifeng remains the major suspect. Qingxiong finds out Haifeng is leading a normal life. He does not have a girlfriend, but has a domestic helper named Liang Meiyun (Tin Wai Wai), who cleans his house regularly. From the evidence gathered, Chen Jieming is found to be connected to the case. Xiaoqing was a volunteer at Rainbow Charity. She had counselled Jieming, who is slightly autistic. Junyan and Yuyang follow Jieming to the crime scene. Jieming is seen mumbling to himself and behaving strangely. It turns out that Jieming had a crush on Xiaoqing

Jieming has photos of Haifeng and Xiaoqing quarrelling in the park. He is certain Haifeng is the murderer. Yuyang is doubtful, while Junyan is convinced Haifeng is the murderer. They quarrel over it. It turns out that Yuyang had met Haifeng three years ago and they were involved in a brief relationship. They broke up because he couldn't forget Xiaoqing. Judging that Yuyang will not be able to make rational assessments due to her past with Haifeng, Qingxiong forbids her to tail Haifeng. She refuses to comply. Meiyun takes good care of Haifeng and makes soup for him frequently. She believes he is innocent and encourages him to find a new girlfriend. He is grateful for her trust. Haifeng is drinking alone in a pub. He gets into a dispute with a patron and punches the man. Yuyang and Junyan cannot believe what they witness when Haifeng turns violent. Haifeng is unfazed by being viewed as a suspect and being followed. He challenges them to produce evidence to prove he is the murderer. Meiyun is outraged that Haifeng is being followed. Yuyang feels Meiyun knows something, so she and Junyan tail her. In tears, Meiyun confesses her sins at the columbarium, asking for Xiaoqing's forgiveness. She pulls out a knife, wanting to end her life. She apologises for not being able to cover up for Haifeng anymore. She would kill herself to accept responsibility for the murder. Qingxiong and his team stop Meiyun from killing herself. She divulges that she had witnessed Haifeng killing Xiaoqing. Haifeng is dumbfounded. Qingxiong suddenly points out that Meiyun is the murderer. Unable to hide her crime anymore, she seizes Junyan as hostage and wields her knife.

Meiyun holds a knife to Junyan’s neck and cuts him. He screams in pain. Thinking she has heard Haowen’s voice calling out to her, however, she becomes distracted. Yuyang grabs the opportunity to subdue her. Meiyun hated Xiaoqing for causing her son, Haowen, to commit suicide. To avenge her son, she murdered Xiaoqing and set Haifeng up, using Jieming to create the impression that Haifeng was the murderer. Haifeng calls Meiyun a lunatic. She reveals he is soon going to be like her, as she has been adding poison to his food. He is stunned. Meiyun is sent to a psychiatric hospital. Jieming tends to her. Haifeng discloses that Meiyun has killed the wrong person, because Haowen liked Xu Qingqing, not Xiaoqing. Psychiatrist Zheng Pinghe informs Haifeng that his food contained a mild antidepressant, which is not harmful. Pinghe reminds his mother, Song Lizhu (Lina Ng), about their excursion the next day. She refuses to go, making the excuse that she is not feeling well. Lizhu is in her room alone. She mourns the loss of her husband, Zheng Caifa (Zhang Wen Xiang), and their three children, who were murdered 28 years ago. Pinghe watches her with a heavy heart. Qingxiong announces that Haifeng has joined CCI and has agreed to let them use his house as a CCI office. He also discloses that Pinghe has hired them to investigate a 28-year-old murder. Qingxiong goes to Pinghe’s house to learn more about the case. However, Lizhu becomes agitated and demands Pinghe halt the investigation. Qingxiong seeks out Caifa’s brother, Zheng Caishun (Wang Yuqing). He, too, hopes CCI will respect Lizhu’s wishes and end their investigations. The CCI team re-enacts the crime scene. Qingxiong and Yuyang deduce that the murderer was someone close to the victims. Junyan and Haifeng are baffled.

Lizhu takes out a knife and attempts to cut her wrist. Pinghe and Shuncai show up in time to stop her. Growing hysterical, Lizhu becomes hysterical and forbids Pinghe to investigate the case. It pains Pinghe to see Lizhu becoming mentally unstable. Everyone is disappointed when Pinghe drops the case. Wu Yalong had revealed to Junyan and Haifeng that Caifa frequently abused Lizhu; still, she vowed to perish with him. Junyan suspects Lizhu is the murderer. Since Yalong was also one of the suspects, Yuyang points out that he could have misled them, leading them to believe Lizhu is the murderer. Junyan laments that there is no point discussing the case. Qingxiong senses the team’s unwillingness to close the case, and asks them to respect Pinghe’s decision. Qingxiong learns from his previous superior, Yang, that Lizhu was rumoured to have been in an affair at the time. The father of her eldest son was definitely not Caifa. Looking through the files, Haifeng comes across information on two suspicious blood stains at the crime scene. After doing some tests with Junyan, he confirms his deduction. Junyan believes Caifa killed Wenkai and Tingting over Lizhu’s infidelity. She then killed Caifa and Wenkang in a fit of anger. Haifeng and Junyan follow Lizhu to a nursing home. They realise the alibi, Chen Zhihan, is suffering from dementia. Watching as Lizhu shows him tender care, they suspect he was her lover. Haifeng views the video clip he recorded at the nursing home. He notices Zhihan stopping by a sleeping old man and putting the old man’s hands one on top of the other. He suddenly figures something out.

Haifeng deduces that Zhihan is the murderer. It could be that Caifa found out Wenkang was Zhihan and Lizhu’s child, and confronted Zhihan. Losing his senses, perhaps, Zhihan then killed Caifa, Tingting and Wenkai in one fell swoop. Lizhu could have been present at the crime scene. Qingxiong announces that Pinghe has changed his mind and given the go-ahead on the investigations, on condition Caishun and Lizhu are not told. Yuyang approaches Lizhu without telling the others. She finds out about the ambiguous relationship between Ah Jiao and Caishun. The tattoo on Zhihan’s arm leads Qingxiong to locate the former leader of a secret society. Qingxiong was told that Zhihan was with the gang at the time of the murder. It is impossible that Zhihan was Lizhu’s alibi as he had claimed. It also negates the possibility that Zhihan was the murderer. Haifeng looks through the file again. He notices that the broken fish tank found at the crime scene was far from its original position. CCI realises the fish tank was smashed on purpose. Under a special arrangement by Rongtao (Guo Liang), Yuyang and Haifeng examine the evidence collected from the crime scene. They find three ambiguities: a broken lens was found amongst the broken glass from the fish tank; Tingting’s hairclip was stained with blood; and cotton fibre was found between Tingting’s teeth. Haifeng finds an old photo of Caishun wearing glasses. He figures out that Caishun was the murderer, based on his height. He could have broken his glasses when he committed the crime and smashed the fish tank to cover it up. Later on, Ah Jiao discloses that Wenkang was her son, fathered by Caifa. Haifeng suspects Wenkai and Tingting died of suffocation after being pinned under Caishun’s body. This explains why cotton fibre was found in Tingting’s mouth. Yuyang informs Pinghe that Caishun is most likely the murderer. It only takes a DNA test to prove it. Pinghe is unable to accept the outcome of the investigation.

Caishun admits he is the murderer. He slashes his throat to end his life. Lizhu and Pinghe are shocked. In a previously recorded video clip, the truth is revealed by Caishun. He relates that Caifa had forced him to bear a debt owed to Wu Yalong. Caishun’s advice to settle it was ignored; instead, he was humiliated. Going berserk, he killed Caifa and the three kids. Lizhu cries bitterly, and Pinghe blames himself for causing her more pain. Momoko (Hong Ling) and friends are at a haunted house filming paranormal activities. Suddenly, she is possessed, and divulges that Anthony and Julie were murdered. Her friends record the whole occurrence and upload the video clip to the Internet. The police ask Momoko to assist in their investigations as she is aware of certain details not made known to public. Qingxiong and Atsuki are stunned. Everyone wonders how to locate Momoko’s alibi for the crime, which was committed three years ago. Qingxiong rummages through her wardrobe and finds a name card. He remembers that she had attended a Halloween party at a hotel, and believes the name card was that of a hotel staff, Susan Ng, who could be Momoko’s alibi. However, they find out Susan has returned to Malaysia. Yuyang wants to look for Susan in Malaysia. Qingxiong does not agree to her going alone. Haifeng lies that his passport has expired, leaving Yuyang no choice but to let Junyan accompany her. Qingxiong and Atsuki go to the SPA club to probe into Momoko’s psychic episode at the haunted house. It turns out that Anthony and Julie were SPA members. Another member, Mandy, feels uneasy when Qingxiong asks about them. Qingxiong tricks Mandy into entering an apartment near the crime scene. He interrogates her about Momoko’s psychic abilities. She panics, and claims she has nothing to do with it all. At the police station, Momoko insists she is unaware of her psychic abilities and does not know anything about the crime. All of a sudden, she has intuition and blurts out that

Mandy admits that she had told Momoko the crime details but denies knowing about her so-called psychic abilities. Yuyang and Junyan arrive in Malaysia. When she develops gastritis, he takes good care of her. She is touched, and her perception of him changes. They find the alibi for Momoko and she is released from police custody. Zhou Donghai hires CCI to re-investigate Anthony’s case. Junyan joins the SPA club. Mandy is a fan of paranormal phenomena, so Junyan and Momoko pretend to share the same interest. They take her to CCI, which is decorated as a psychic haven. Junyan and Momoko pretend to be possessed by Anthony and Julie and demand Mandy reveal the truth. Terrified, she confesses that she had planned to ruin Anthony’s proposal to Julie at the apartment. Instead, she found them dead on the bed. Julie had told Mandy previously that if she found her dead in a certain posture, it meant that Julie wanted Mandy to avenge her. That was the posture Mandy found Julie in. Mandy regrets not informing the police; she did not want any trouble. Guilt-stricken, she has not been able to sleep peacefully for years. She confides in Momoko, in the hope of luring the murderer out. After much probing, it is found that Anthony had lost $30,000 on a soccer bet one week before he was murdered. A few days later, he had miraculously settled the debt. Qingxiong learns from Donghai that he had objected to Anthony and Julie being together. Anthony went against his father’s wishes. Donghai had no choice but to cut off his financial support. It is a puzzle how Anthony managed to pay off his debt. Junyan and Haifeng return to the apartment where the bodies were found. The only way to get in and out of the apartment is through the front door. Derrick (Ian Fang) watches the video clip of Momoko’s second psychic occurrence. She wants retribution for the murderer.

Momoko is being followed. The stalker turns out to be Gary. He begs her to let Julie possess her so that he can talk to her. Momoko refuses. Little does she realise her every move is being monitored by Derrick. Momoko hints to Haifeng that she likes him. He becomes uneasy. Yuyang wants to see her mother, Xiulian (Pan Lingling). However, she finds Xiulian in the midst of dance practice and leaves. Yuyang buys supper back to the CCI office. Haifeng is reviewing the video recordings; he thinks Gary is lying. The interaction between Yuyang and Junyan leaves him feeling uncomfortable. Qingxiong reproaches Momoko for uploading onto the Internet the second psychic occurrence video. Gary is afraid Momoko might reveal his secret through Julie when she possesses Momoko’s body. Derrick hints to Gary to get rid of Momoko. Gary forces Momoko to eat a poisoned cupcake. She loses consciousness and is hospitalised. After the police investigation, Gary is cleared with regard to the murder case. CCI reaches a deadlock in their investigation. They decide to check up on the occupants of the units on levels two and three. The level three residents were out at a movie on the day of the murder. Their tickets were a gift from Ah Hui. The level two occupant happens to be Derrick’s cousin. He reveals that Derrick is a proficient rock climber. Derrick proves he was not present at the scene at the time of the murder. He was at a costume party. Digital analysis of a photo confirms Derrick had attended the 2012 Halloween costume party. Qingxiong recalls another murder that had taken place around the same time. He suspects Derrick was involved. Junyan is observing Derrick at a shopping mall. Yuyang shows up and insists on going onstage during Derrick’s magic show. Derrick makes her disappear right before Junyan’s eyes.

Derrick ushers Yuyang into a small room in the shopping mall. He returns her phone and gives her a small teddy bear as a token of appreciation. Meantime, Junyan worries about the missing Yuyang. It is Julie’s mother who has allowed Haifeng to have Julie’s handphone. Qingxiong remarks that the teddy bear might have been tampered with. Close inspection turns up nothing. It does not occur to them that Yuyang’s handphone is now bugged. At a hawker centre, Qingxiong notices the decorations on the ceiling. It dawns on him that the murderer could have used a fishing line to pull a rope to the rooftop. Indeed, Junyan finds evidence suggesting this. Haifeng downloads the video clip in Julie’s handphone. It leads them to the murderer. Pacai (Li Wenhai)’s gestures reminds Xiulian of Musen, her late husband's friend. Musen was a good friend of Deliang’s. Xiulian recalls the last phone call she had with Deliang before he died. One night, while Xiulian is closing up the dance school, a mystery person looks out for an opportunity to harm her. At this moment, Yuyang is walking to the dance school. She receives a phone call, and makes it seem as if she is about to turn around and leave.

The mystery person’s plan is thwarted. A representative from An Ning Insurance approaches CCI about re-investigating a case from 18 years before. One of the hostages was kidnapped and killed. The body of the victim was never found. An anonymous tip-off claims Pacai’s real name is Musen. Qingxiong is still undecided if he should take on the case. However, Yuyang accepts it without hesitation. Xiulian is not keen about the investigation. She decides to stick to her plans to travel with her dance group to India. When Xiulian leaves Singapore, the mystery person, who receives orders from Pacai, aborts the plan to harm her. Yuyang is unhappy about Xiulian’s decision. Junyan cheers her up by keeping her company. Vague feelings develop between them. Meanwhile, Haifeng is still in love with Yuyang. Told Pacai loves bak kut teh, Haifeng disguises himself as the stall helper to get close to him. After the meal, Haifeng takes the pork bones and utensils for DNA analysis. Unfortunately, CCI does not have Musen’s DNA record. The insurance company’s records are finally studied. It turns out Musen had an accident and had surgery to get an artificial knee implanted. Through observation and computer analysis, it is verified that Pacai and Musen have identical artificial knee joints. An old photo portrays the good friendship between Deliang, Musen and a youngster. Qingxiong decides to check it out. Kunxing calls a mystery person to report Pacai leaving Singapore at the end of the month. Yuyang and Junyan are tailing Pacai. Out of the blue, a motorcycle races towards Pacai.

Pacai is hit. He loses consciousness. Yuyang worries for his life. Qingxiong takes Yuyang to see Yinghua. On the way, she admits she knows Haifeng and Junyan’s feelings for her. But right now, her priority is to find out the truth behind the murders. Yinghua shows Qingxiong and Yuyang to Uncle Xiang’s inn. It turns out that the person in the old photo is Dr Wang Antai. Yinghua lets slip that Qingxiong was a former policeman. Shiyun is clearly uneasy about this. Observing that Shiyun’s behaviour is unusual, Yuyang decides to tail her. She loses track of her after a while, and happens to witness a little girl falling off a bicycle. Qingxiong arrives and tends to the girl’s injuries. Yuyang is reminded of her father, Deliang. The next day, Antai and Shiyun confess to Qingxiong and Yuyang that Deliang had asked them to help him and Musen draw blood and fake death. A woman visits Pacai at the hospital. By reading her lips, Junyan is able to perceive that she calls Pacai, “Musen”. Later, it is confirmed that she is Musen’s wife, Huixin. Yuyang confronts Pacai after he regains consciousness. He admits he is Musen but denies killing Deliang. Haifeng analyses the last phone call made by Deliang and discovers two other male voices. One of the voices is identified as Panda Cheng’s. Haifeng figures Panda Cheng is the boatman who had helped ferry Deliang and Musen back into the country. Qingxiong and Junyan interrogate Panda Cheng, who tells them the location of the boat’s drop-off point. CCI follows the lead and comes to a deserted forest. Junyan founded a human bone.

CCI believes the skeleton is Deliang’s. Because of the incomplete DNA samples turned up, Yuyang decides to do a reverse paternity test to identify the deceased. Qingxiong takes Yuyang home. He recognises her mother. Pacai confesses his crime and is brought to the forest for crime scene reconstruction. Suddenly, he tries to escape by taking the reporter hostage. He is run over and killed by Kunxing’s car. The reverse paternity test results show Yuyang is not related to Deliang. Xiulian has no choice but to admit that Yuyang’s father is her first love. However, she does not reveal her first love was Qingxiong. When Qingxiong calls on Xiulian, she confesses his relationship with Yuyang. She requests he keep the information from Yuyang, and he agrees. Yuyang is grateful to Haifeng for staying up at night to do the audio tests. He declares his feelings for her, and she decides to give him another chance. Junyan also professes his feelings for Yuyang. She rejects him, saying he is not serious and that she has already entered into a relationship with Haifeng. Junyan then pretends he is joking, but hints to Haifeng that he will not give up. Dr Lin Dawei hires CCI to investigate the death of his wife, Feng Xinmei, who drowned five years ago. He wants to know if she committed suicide. Qingxiong and Yuyang are discussing the case. Aunt Wang appears to be listening in on their conversation. When Qingxiong leaves the restaurant, he is tailed by someone who seems to be looking for a chance to attack him.

Dragon Fruit beats Qingxiong up with a baseball bat, and warns him not to see Yinghua again. Yuyang and Atsuki witness the beating. Later, when Atsuki attends to Qingxiong’s wounds, he does not reveal what really happened. Secretly, Yuyang allows Atsuki to view the photos of Qingxiong meeting Yinghua. Yuyang disapproves, but Atsuki chooses to close one eye. CCI tails Jiang Ying, who is Dawei’s soulmate and his capable clinic assistant. Although, they are not married, she loves him deeply. The former editor of a magazine discloses that Xinmei had intended to go away for a second honeymoon with Dawei before her death. After stumbling upon her husband’s love affair, she wanted to end her life. Yuyang comments that the possibility of suicide is high. Junyan disagrees. He checks out Xinmei’s favourite cafe and figures she would never kill herself. Jiang Ying is heartbroken when Dawei refuses to marry her. Junyan and Yuyang discuss whether Xinmei’s death was a suicide or homicide, and make a bet with each other. The person who loses will have to do something for the other. Qingxiong finally gets to meet Uncle Wang, who is acting strangely. Yinghua leaves without a word. Atsuki is injured. Qingxiong does not suspect anything amiss. Later, CCI receives a package containing Xinmei’s earrings and a man’s handkerchief. At the restaurant, Qingxiong discusses with his team that the murderer could be a man. Aunt Wang drops a plate suddenly. Qingxiong becomes suspicious and tails Uncle Wang. He concludes that Uncle Wang is the murderer.

Uncle Wang denies the accusation. Qingxiong asks how long he is going to remain in hiding. His disappearance has affected the lives of his wife and son. Aunt Wang has become the sole breadwinner, and his son lied at school that his father is a pilot and is frequently not at home. Persuaded by Qingxiong, Uncle Wang confesses the murderer is Jiang Ying. It turns out that Uncle Wang was a criminal wanted for assault. Jiang Ying had threatened to expose him unless he helped her. Acting under Jiang Ying’s instructions, Uncle Wang had tailed Xinmei and drugged her. He took her to a secluded hut and waited for Jiang Ying, who did not show up but put money in Uncle Wang’s letter box. Since then, Uncle Wang has lived in seclusion and has never seen Jiang Ying again. Xinmei’s death had nothing to do with him. CCI look for clues in the hut. They find a credit card receipt and Xinmei’s watch. The snack bar assistant who had worked that day provides some leads, and, with Haifeng’s video, they deduce that Jiang Ying is the murderer. Dawei confronts Jiang Ying. Knowing she can no longer keep it under wraps, she admits she had strangled Xinmei, disposed of the body in a suitcase, and dumped it into the sea. Jiang Ying is arrested, and Uncle Wang turns himself in. Yuyang is torn between Junyan and Haifeng. Qingxiong analyses the situation and advises her not to choose either of them.

Haifeng feels Qingxiong treats Yuyang differently. Yuyang feels the same, but would rather believe she is just being sensitive about it. Dawei’s mother-in-law learns the truth and decides to amend her will. She plans to leave all her assets to him. Junyan and Haifeng rush to the lawyer’s office and stop her, revealing that Dawei already knew Jiang Ying was the murderer and had used CCI to accomplish his motives. Momoko takes Bao Lemin to CCI. He wants them to investigate a robbery at Bao Rui Xiang Jewellery that happened 42 years ago. The family heirloom, Peacock, was stolen. At the time, Bao Rui Xiang Jewellery was run by the third-generation successors, Bao Jianbang, Bao Jianye and Bao Ruzhen. The then-13-year-old Lemin saw Lin Dayong and his two cronies, Wild Boar and Snail, committing the robbery. His father was shot while trying to get Peacock back. Dayong was shot by the police, and he died. Wild Boar and Snail were arrested. After a 42-year disappearance, Peacock has reappeared in the exhibition hall where Momoko works. To his immense frustration, Junyan is unable to identify Peacock’s current owner. Momoko is sacked while trying to help him. He rejects her confession of love and reveals that he is in love with Yuyang. Junyan takes Yuyang home and declares his feelings for her. He wants her to fulfil her lost bet, which is to allow him to kiss her. Wild Boar is found. He reveals that someone from Bao Rui Xiang Jewellery had leaked the information about Peacock. He and Snail were arrested, and knew nothing of what became of the heirloom. When the case is discussed, Jianye’s daughter, Bao Lexuan, accuses Lemin of trying to wrest control of Bao Rui Xiang Jewellery by finding the family heirloom. Lexuan’s late father had told him that he saw with his own eyes that Jianbang was in cahoots with Dayong. Lemin insists his father is innocent and that the real betrayer was Ruzhen.

Lemin, Lexuan and Ruzhen each present their own version of the story. Jianbang, Jianye and Ruzhen had motives. Junyan and Haifeng do not feel compelled to investigate the case as the Baos’ main concern is to compete for control of Bao Rui Xiang Jewellery. Qingxiong reserves comment. Yuyang is still affected by the kiss with Junyan. She cannot concentrate on her dinner with Haifeng. To prove she has feelings for Haifeng, she kisses him. Still, she continues to think of Junyan. Yuyang knows Qingxiong will not give up the investigation. They find Yang, the policeman who had fired the shot at Dayong, and he tells them Dayong had a lover, Xu Yanhong, who now lives in Malaysia. Atsuki feels uneasy about Qingxiong going to Malaysia. She knows he has been relying on Yinghua to find a person. The aged Yanhong is found interpreting The Book of Three Lives. She confirms Dayong had smashed the stolen Peacock when he discovered it was swapped. From The Book of Three Lives, Yanhong foretells that Qingxiong and Yuyang could be father and daughter in this life. Yuyang is incredulous that Qingxiong thinks it’s an accurate prediction. He goes to Yanhong again by himself and asks around for the whereabouts of a person who has been missing for years. Yanhong is unable to help. After some investigation, Jianye and Ruzhen are confirmed to be innocent. Lemin keeps insisting his father was also innocent. Momoko learns from the art collector, Lin Siqian, that Peacock was bought by her grandfather 30 years ago in Hong Kong. Haifeng and Junyan deduce that the only person who could have swapped Peacock was Snail, and he cannot be found. Yuyang is strolling alone in the Rose Garden. She loses her way and unexpectedly encounters a man.

Concerned about Yuyang, the team looks high and low for her. She comes back in a dishevelled state. Qingxiong is so happy that he hugs her. Everyone is astonished by his behaviour. Junyan and Haifeng question Qingxiong about his ambiguous attitude towards Yuyang. Yuyang, too, has the misconception that Qingxiong wants something more from her. He does not have an answer for them. Disillusioned, Yuyang decides to quit. Haifeng and Junyang stand by her decision and quit as well. Qingxiong has no choice but to reveal that Yuyang is his daughter. Qingxiong’s meeting with Xiulian was the first in his 30 years at CCI. As he already had a family, they decided to keep their relationship from Yuyang. Yuyang understands Qingxiong’s predicament and decides to maintain their teacher-student relationship. Haifeng proposes to Yuyang. Mentally unprepared, she rejects him, saying she no longer feels the same for him. He is disappointed. Wild Boar’s street performance is uploaded onto the internet. He receives a large amount of money from a philanthropist. CCI suspects the donor is Snail. The philanthropist is a rich businessman named Guo Zhenshan. To confirm his identity, Haifeng and Junyan disguise themselves as kitchen helpers and sneak into his house when the preparations for his 75th birthday celebration are being made. They snap a photo of him. From the photo, Wild Boar confirms Zhenshan is Snail. Infuriated, he storms to Zhenshan’s house and confronts him. Zhenshan admits he had swopped Peacock after the robbery and handed the real item to his wife. He sold it after he was released from prison. He changed his name and his family’s, and went to Malaysia to start a business. Zhenshan regrets his act has caused the Bao family’s dispute. He has been doing good to alleviate his guilt. He wants to buy Peacock back and return it to the Baos. Xiulian and May plan to travel to a Malaysia resort to check out a dance facility. Yuyang is asked to join them. She is happy her r

Believing Junyan and Yuyang are in a relationship, Haifeng drinks in misery. Junyan tries to comfort him, but Haifeng hits him and flings alcohol at his face. Suddenly, Junyan loses his hearing. Yuyang is upset Haifeng has injured Junyan. However, Junyan reveals his long-standing hearing problem and says he had learnt to lip read just in case his condition worsened. Xie Meigui hires CCI to look for her son, Xie Qicong, who has been missing for 10 years. Qingxiong is clearly uneasy in her presence. Suspicious when Meigui decides to abandon the search, Yuyang and Junyan call on the father of the girl who went missing with Qicong. Wu Hanwen firmly states that he still has hope of finding his daughter, Meiwei. Yuyang is authorised by Hanwen to retrieve the case files from Rongtao. She asks Rongtao not to inform Qingxiong. It turns out that Qicong was under the care of a nanny. Meiwei’s biological mother, Zhao Caixia, who was Hanwen’s ex-wife, works at Xiulian’s dance school. To find some clues, Junyan and Yuyang go to the primary school Qicong and Meiwei had attended before they disappeared. Xiao Dong (Aloysius Pang), the autistic child of the janitor, reveals the missing children were abducted by aliens and gives them some drawings. Qicong’s former nanny cannot be found. Her neighbour discloses that Qicong’s parents hardly visited him. Qicong hated his father. Thinking he is being followed, Junyan’s stepfather, Jiaqiang, has a dispute with a man and injures him. He is afraid the man will press charges against him, and asks Junyan to join him at the hospital. The injured man happens to be Haifeng, who claims he was drunk and unaware of what happened. The janitor informs Junyan and Yuyang that Xiao Dong has been drawing the same picture day and night since meeting them. Yuyang feels a sense of familiarity about the man in the picture. When Xiao Dong hums a tune and bends down to tie his shoelaces, something dawns on her.

Yuyang reveals that Qicong is Qingxiong’s illegitimate son. She berates him for rejecting the case to avoid exposing his affair. Unable to accept his infidelity to Atsuki, she storms off. CCI investigates Caixia to get some leads. Yuyang and Junyan find out Caixia and Yanyan had become good friends through a cooking class. Qingxiong looks at the photos and notices that Atsuki was in the same class. He starts to have doubts about her. Qingxiong suddenly remembers reading Qicong’s composition about an auntie. He quickly looks for it. Reading it, he suspects Atsuki had known even then about Qicong’s existence. Qingxiong and Yuyang interrogate Atsuki, and she admits taking Qicong away. Shocked, Qingxiong asks where he is. Meigui says Atsuki is a scheming person. Atsuki had once threatened Yinghua and insisted that the ties with Qingxiong be severed. Atsuki confesses that she had accidentally found out about Qicong 10 years ago. Distressed about Qingxiong’s unfaithfulness, she had looked for Qicong without anyone knowing and befriended him. She was fond of him, but was unable to accept him as part of the family. Thereafter, Atsuki got to know Caixia through cooking class. Caixia had just lost custody of her daughter, Meiwei, at the time. Both women shared the same bitterness at their husbands’ betrayal, and decided to send Qicong and Meiwei away. The two children were drugged, and through Caixia’s manoeuvrings, were transported to Malaysia. Qingxiong condemns Atsuki for using Qicong to get back at him. She maintains that Qicong himself had refused to stay with his father and requested to leave Singapore. Meigui did not believe her. Atsuki claims she has been in contact with Qicong. No amount of persuasion has ever convinced him to acknowledge his father. Junyan returns and reveals Qicong has passed away.

Everyone is shocked to learn of Qicong’s passing. Atsuki takes Qingxiong to meet Caixia, and they rush to Malaysia. Meiwei shares that Qicong had cancer. She gives Qingxiong a letter from him. In it, Qicong declares that he has hated Qingxiong since he was young. He left willingly with Atsuki to start a new life with Meiwei. He did not want to acknowledge Qingxiong due to his illness. His wish is that they will be able to be father and son again in their next life. He also hopes Qingxiong will forgive Atsuki. Knowing she has to bear legal responsibilities for abducting Qicong, Atsuki decides to turn herself in. Momoko blames Qingxiong and loses her temper at him. Atsuki intervenes. Sensing she is still hiding something, Yuyang and Junyan probe for the truth. It turns out that Atsuki had sent Qicong away to protect Qingxiong, knowing the scandal could cost him his career. Disappointed in Qingxiong, Yuyang decides to leave CCI. Qingxiong and Junyan try to dissuade her but to no avail. Haifeng lets slip that Qingxiong had asked him to investigate Xu Jiaqiang and Qiu Liren. Junyan recalls his ugly past. His father, Guiquan, and mother, Shujuan, had a heated argument because Guiquan was involved in a bribery case. Guiquan died suddenly. Shujuan and Jiaqiang had an affair, and Jiaqiang became Junyan’s stepfather. Junyan locks himself in the house and refuses to see anyone. When Yuyang finally gets to see him, she insists he should find out the truth. He relents. Kunxing continues to pester Xiulian, who becomes irritated. When he witnesses the intimate behaviour between Xiulian and Qingxiong, he is outraged.

Yuyang obtains the case files from Rongtao on Guiquan’s sudden death. Rongtao teases her, saying she is going to take over Qingxiong’s leadership position soon. She hands the case files to Qingxiong, who views them without comment. Haifeng tells Yuyang that he and Liren are friends, and he has learnt that Jiaqiang was indeed involved in a bribery 16 years ago. Yuyang notices that Haifeng is addicted to alcohol. She scolds him to knock some sense into him. Qingxiong talks to Haifeng in private. He suspects the case files have been altered and believes Rongtao is the culprit. He wants Haifeng to investigate this secretly. Junyan is drunk when he goes to Jiaqiang’s house. He demands to know if he had caused the death of Guiquan. Jiaqiang denies this. Junyan had feigned being drunk to be able to secretly film Jiaqiang. Viewing the video, Junyan and Yuyang become certain Jiaqiang was putting up an act. Someone must have tipped him off. CCI has a discussion. Qingxiong asserts that someone is manipulating Jiaqiang; that person is Kunxing. He adds that he had found a disposable syringe where Guiquan was found dead. However, the evidence was not recorded in the case files. Qingxiong suggests they focus their investigation on the laboratory technicians, Liren, and his wife, Yujiao. They were in charge of processing the evidence at the time. Xiulian invites Qingxiong for a meal at home. For the sake of her mother, Yuyang pretends to get along with Qingxiong. Kunxing calls Xiulian but she brushes him off. Kunxing watches as Yuyang walks Qingxiong downstairs. Qingxiong tells her that he has always desired to have a meal with them as a family. Later, Kunxing calls on Qingxiong and reminds him not to let Atsuki down. Yuyang and Haifeng act as a couple and join Liren and Yujiao on a yacht. They find out how the duo had supplied drugs to poison Guiquan. Liren and Yujiao are arrested. Jiaqiang’s son realises his father is missing. Junyan receives a call from Jiaqiang and qui

Qingxiong and Junyan force the door open. Suddenly, there is an explosion. Qingxiong runs out. Haifeng shields Junyan with his body. Jiaqiang is severely injured. Yuyang is at the hospital looking after Xiulian. She asks the latter how her injuries had come about. Xiulian describes a fall, but Yuyang does not believe her. Yuyang is informed that Qingxiong, Junyan and Haifeng have been hospitalised. She worries when she learns Haifeng is in a serious condition. Qingxiong is not sure who planted the explosives but confirms that it was Kunxing who was holding Jiaqiang captive. The police want Qingxiong, Junyan and Yuyang to head to the police station to record their statements. Junyan admits visiting Jiaqiang but insists he did not kidnap him. Yuyang says she had gone with Junyan because he was drunk. Kunxing accuses Qingxiong of withholding an important piece of evidence related to Guiquan’s death. Qingxiong denies abducting Jiaqiang. Both Qingxiong and Kunxing claim they are Yuyang’s father. Upon DNA tests, the police confirm Qingxiong and Yuyang are not related. Yuyang is released because she has an alibi; while Qingxiong and Junyan remain under police custody. At the hospital, Kunxing pesters Xiulian again. They start to pick on each other, and he tries to strangle her. Fortunately, Yuyang arrives. Kunxing escapes. However, Xiulian loses consciousness. At her wits’ end, Yuyang turns to Rongtao for help. He maintains that there is nothing he can do. Yuyang goes to Kunxing’s house. She tries to stop him from escaping but to no avail. She finds photos of him and her mother holidaying overseas, as well as Guiquan and Musen’s case information.

CCI decides not to let Yuyang know the DNA test results. Xiulian goes missing. The hospital CCTV shows her leaving of her own accord. Qingxiong receives a package from a Huixin. She reveals that Deliang, Musen and Guiquan had worked in Ye Tianfu’s hotel 30 years ago, and won some money together. Qingxiong remembers Xiulian’s mother had worked in a hotel as well. He suspects Tianfu is involved in the case. He goes to Tianfu’s house and retrieves an orange seed that Tianfu spits out. DNA analysis proves Yuyang’s father is Rongtao. Incredulous, Yuyang interrogates Rongtao. He alleges that he was tricked by Deliang, Musen and Guiquan into sleeping with Xiulian. When she got pregnant, Deliang married her, but on condition Tianfu give them money. Xiulian attests that the account is true. Yuyang probes into her relationship with Kunxing and asks if she was involved in Deliang and Guiquan’s case. Xiulian does not reply. Kunxing shows up and forces her to leave with him. Qingxiong tries to save Xiulian by himself and is beaten up by Kunxing. He criticises Kunxing for disgracing the police force. Kunxing defends himself by saying he did everything for Xiulian. Kunxing met Xiulian 18 years ago. He killed Deliang and Pacai, and made use of Jiaqiang to get rid of Guiquan all for her. Xiulian admits she hated them after discovering that Deliang had deceived her. Kunxing points a gun at Xiulian. Qingxiong protects her and is shot instead. Yuyang, Junyan and Haifeng rush in and attempt to subdue Kunxing, who manages to escape. He dies after being shot by Rongtao. Yuyang would never have imagined that Xiulian would abet a murder. Ashamed, Xiulian rejects visitors at the police detention centre. Rongtao expresses his wish to make amends and offers to plead for leniency on Xiulian’s behalf. CCI is to be disbanded. Haifeng wants to seek treatment in the US for the complications arising from the explosion. Yuyang plans to join him and take care of him. Junyan remains with t