By the end, I realized that this series is much more than a simple crime investigation drama. It is a story about memory, trauma, guilt, obsession, and the way the past continues to haunt people long after they believe everything has been buried.
What impressed me the most — and what, in my opinion, truly makes this drama special — is the structure of the three timelines. The transitions between 1997, 2002, and 2015 are handled with incredible precision, and instead of confusing they slowly build a complete emotional and narrative puzzle. Every timeline adds something essential to the mystery, and each revelation changes the meaning of scenes that came before it. The drama constantly forces the viewer to rethink previous assumptions, but without ever making the story feel messy.
One of the drama’s greatest strengths is its atmosphere. From the very first episode, there is this constant feeling of discomfort hanging over the entire series. The old apartment buildings, the cold lighting, the rain-soaked streets, the abandoned hallways, and the eerie soundtrack all create a suffocating sense of tension. Even quiet scenes feel unsettling, as if something terrible could happen at any moment.
I also appreciated that the drama never became overly sensationalist. Despite involving serial crimes, disappearances, and shocking revelations, the series remains emotionally grounded. The focus is always on the people affected by the tragedy rather than on violence for the sake of entertainment. That emotional restraint gives the story much more maturity.
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if you like mystery and thriller, definitely must watch
It was a very entertaining 28 episodes. Also, refreshing to see Dylan played a serious role, too far from any idol image. He needs more role like this, suits him well. I did enjoy the dynamics between Ran and Lao He. It was a real pity the faith of Ran. I wish he didnt die. At one point, I was rooting for him and Su Qing, I think they look good together! I hate Xu Meng the most. Everyone played their role really well! Very convincing! The cinematography, the twist, the story line and the casts are all superb. Hope to see Pan and Dylan in another drama.Was this review helpful to you?
Neat! Winning in its human elements.
Let's just say, the director ran with the writers and the actors went seeking their characters.Winning in its human elements - a well woven suspense drama and setup giving us a peek into the complex secret lives of the many residents of a notorious decrepit building, as our crime branch detective duo dig into the mysterious case of the missing lady and her father.
Retro look from the 90s was done very very well.
Only gripe, it often felt far too stretched specifically in the second half. I do understand the need to unravel the suspense as deliciously as the mystery was built, however it was five episodes too many.
Emotional portrayal of the leading characters- both the MLs, FLs, as well as the perfect creepiness of every single villain and villain-adjacent character is what makes this drama work. Anything less would have made this story sorely unconvincing given how long we spend exploring every new suspect, and then watch all the evidence and the associated crimes ending up being red herrings for the main case.
It took some time to get used to, but somewhere mid way you get pulled in by Dylan Wang and his many side quests rather surprisingly.
Well done! A tighter script would make it a 10 but 8.5 it is .
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Suspense, Secrets, and Emotional Depth
I really enjoyed watching this. I was hooked for almost the entire drama (disclaimer: one subplot felt unnecessary). There was suspense and mystery. Longing between people, unresolved experiences, and complex interpersonal dynamics. I thought the scriptwriting was smart and highly engaging. The storytelling felt interactive, and I spent countless episodes entertaining a million different theories.I especially loved the time shifts between the original case and the points where each timeline branched off, juxtaposing past and present investigative steps. It kept the storytelling fresh, layered, and mysterious. I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into this, but I’m really glad I spent the time watching it.
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A Masterful, Gut-Wrenching Triumph
Dylan Wang and Pan Yueming both delivered in this drama. I watched on Youku with SVIP and hosted discussions for this drama, and I think it's underrated because of the one-episode releases and the hiatus viewers had to put up with on Netflix and VIP... who makes people wait four days before they can continue with a mystery show? Anyway, while some parts of the drama felt slower paced, I think overall, the drama did masterly well portraying realities - if you're frustrated with some parts, that's because all of our characters are flawed in their own ways, and nothing goes smoothly because that's human behaviour. I found myself more invested as I kept watching, and enjoyed very much sharing theories with other viewers. I also found the transitions between the timelines smoother than I would have anticipated, and overall, was very impressed with the directing for this drama and how it draws out your emotions. Very happy to see Dylan Wang step out of his idol drama role and showcase his acting range. As a rookie watcher for cdrama crime/thriller/suspense, I highly recommend for starters, but I can't comment against other dramas.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Mediocre Drama
Mediocre drama probably watched and probably going to be saved by Dylan Wang fangirls(given the high rating here) . One of the most disappointing dramas I have seen in a long while. An utter waste of excellent actors all around.There was ZERO reason for RFX to die. ZERO. And the whole plot and mastermind is revealed in the last 2 episodes? WHAT IS THAT BS.
The drama made the Chinese police looks like Korean police in Kdrama, all because of the story. In the words of certain someone from the drama "We are all trying here" I now proclaim the director of this drama and everyone related in producing the plot as 'Watermelon Licker'.
Overall, disappointed, I was actually excited to watch Pan Yueming and Wang Hedi to work together, the whole death of RFX and slowballing of the drama completely killed the vibe, and then I was on sunken ship fallacy to see if there was anything salvageable, never got better, was also looking forward to see the FL since I watched her in Hold a court and was impressed by her acting.
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A Brilliant Masterpiece Ruined by a Messy, Ridiculous Ending
I am a big fan of chinese thrillers like i watched the classics thrillers before. When i heard this plot i was like yeah the plot is damn interesting even the trailer too. I was so excited for this to watch.But met with disappointed messy climax, till 23 episode it was brilliantly exceuted but after seeing last few episodes made me realize damn i was expecting somebody else as killer. If you are thriller fan it seriously disappoints you with the messy ending for sure.
The points irritated me personally from thriller series pov
1) 2 of them girls did this all of these things when nobody watching them moving the body parts during day time?
2) Incense sticks makes even the room full of blood to cover up the stinky iron pungent smell , while dismemberment of a body.
3) For 18 years no clue and nobody in their homes got stinky smell from her flat and even in the drainage pipes too.
4) i seriously felt ending got rushed off with messy plot twists which was hurting the series itself. The build up they created, just to make it into boredom of 2 girls backstory.
5) i seriously loved Ran and HYH chemistry more than they claiming qiao and xumeng one. Qiao fooling both HYH and her daughter for nearly 18 years it is bizarre.
6) Qiao story ok but she called xumeng just to say like ran wanted me to surrender feels like seriously? Are you sharing with that psycho and just made her kill him and then after in 2015 timeline you are angry at her for killing Ran. It is seriously bizarre plot twist i ever heard.
7) Even qiao knows that xu meng killed yao , wu in same pattern she doesn't even know xumeng killed ran too is bit odd. And they are claiming them as a crime partners and on top of that sisters ?
Seriously disappointed ending from thriller perspective, they made all these build up to just go into vain, i loved the cinematography, cast performance and chemistry between the detective leads is just amazing which saved this whole series because of them.
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10/10
Very good drama Dylan Wang is one of the best Chinese actor rn and he look very beautifulllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllleushshshshshhahshahahahahauahauahhahahsznznsjsjsjjajajajajajajajjajajajajajajajajjajajauwuwuahahhajajajajajajajjajajajajajajajajajjajajajajajajajjajajajajajjajajajajauuauwuwuHahahahajjajajajaajauuauauauauauauajjaajjajajajajajajajuwuwuquauBahahahajauauauauaujajajajajajajajauquwuauauauauauauauuaauuauauauauauauauauauuauauauauauauauauauuauauauaiaiaiaiaiiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiiaiaiaiaiauaiaiauiaiaiauaiauauauuauauauauauauauiaiaiaiiaiaiaiaiaiaiiaiaiaiaiaiiaauaiaiauauauuauajajajajajauauiaiaiaiaiaiaiauaiiaiaiauauauauauiaauuauauuauauauauauauuauàwwuauUJjajaja27272727shajauajjaajajjaWas this review helpful to you?
No big actions, but nuances that touches your hearts
This is not your typical polices investigating cases after cases. Main plot is to solve the disappearance of father and daughter duo, but along the way, it shows relationships among senior and junior in the police station, father and daughter after a divorce, neighbors and colleagues and all in the community. It’s such a touching drama yet at the same time, making us keep guessing who are the murderers.The best part for me is how good Dylan looks without make up, presenting himself bare-faced in current drama scenes where heavy make up are a norm. His micro expressions are so on point that I can’t see Dylan in Ran Fangxu. A totally new respect to this actor for his talent and skills.
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This review may contain spoilers
Creating a mystery that's both complex and realistic is hard, but a solid attempt was made
This could have flourished as a 12 ep miniseries. It was just too big of a story, so the writer kept writing themselves into a hole and then needing to break realism to get out, e.g.:1. He getting run over and the driver just sitting there allowing Ran to catch up.
2. Ran finding the palm-sized piece of evidence in a dumpsite in less than 5 minutes.
3. Ran's witnesses recalling vivid detail of a 13-year- old conversation.
I have so much more to say but MDL has space limits. 😞
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Complex puzzle making up a painfully sad picture
It’s an odd drama. Tonally, it’s all over the place. It starts as an old-school comedy where a constantly bickering rookie graduate and experienced local policeman get paired to investigate what looks like a prank, and ends up being a hard-hitting life drama with a multilayered mystery that irrevocably changes the two men's lives and continues to haunt them and their loved ones over 18 years.The story carries a heavy emotional weight that keeps growing as the mystery gets more intricate and emotional stakes deepen. The way the mystery was set up, it wasn't particularly suspenseful or engaging but rather bleak. Instead of feeling thrilled at being able to figure things out, I kept hoping my predictions wouldn’t prove true as my mind spiralled into unpleasantly dark scenarios.
What kept me watching was the story of the mutual respect and friendship that grew from the initial rivalry and blossomed into a family bond shared by He Yuanhang, his daughter Xiaohe and ‘uncle’ Ran. The community and relationships parts were very well written with touching moments of warmth and support.
It was He Yuanhang who anchored the story emotionally for me. Pan Yueming brilliantly captured the character’s transformation from a street-savvy, self-confident officer to an elderly man weighed down by life. Wang Hedi as the rookie-turned-captain-turned professor and Ren Min as the grown up Xiaohe also gave strong, heartfelt performances that helped pull me into the story.
The fragmented narrative follows the three protagonists as they investigate the same mystery in three different years - 1997, 2002 and 2015. The transitions between the timelines were handled very well, providing a fresh supply of clues, red herrings and misdirections to maintain the tension. The cinematography was excellent. Even though the story moved slowly, the shots were always interesting to look at, visually dense, with details and lighting that invited the eye and built a mysterious atmosphere, so it never felt boring. I liked the ‘haunted building’ setting, thriller undertones and all the details that kept the story grounded in the time and place, but that gritty realism also made it weigh on me more than expected.
To sum up, this drama is a dissonant mix of absurd comedy, life drama with realistic portrayals of human struggles, police procedural and human trafficking thriller, gelled together by skillful storytelling, emotionally resonant characters and great music!
Possible spoilers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m in a complaining mood, so feel free to skip this part;)
Some events in this drama stretch credibility.
Taking a small child to a dark, out-of-use parking garage was negligent (especially since they had no problem leaving her with random people or alone at other times), but I guess it was needed so she could remember certain details 18 years later.
Another example is the method of killing that was faaaar from foolproof but incredibly worked every time! Just so it could be used as a clue.
It’s hard to believe that no one knew about the culprits being best friends. Ex? Coworkers? The neighbours never saw them visiting each other?
Song Qingsong’s end made my eyes roll. Of course, he couldn’t just stay abroad and live a good life. Same with the guilty parties. Everyone conveniently stayed around to be picked up by the police. C-drama reality:)
The crime investigation process was also unconvincing at times: jumping to conclusions based on scant evidence, sloppy searches, witnesses conveniently remembering key details from more than a decade ago, which is possible of course, but the script relied on it on too many occasions.
Ran not telling anyone about solving the case before approaching the killer goes against both his training and common sense.
He Yuanhang choosing not to open a parcel with case details, just keep it at home for a decade, made me sigh loudly.
It was also frustrating that they weren't treating certain people and clues seriously or following up on some leads.
In other words, they acted professionally until the story needed them not to. However, for a case with so many suspects, red herrings and comedy parts it was still acceptable, I guess:)
Btw I never really liked the culprit - they seemed very fake to me from the start so I wasn't emotionally involved with their story, which probably also influenced my perception of the drama.
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Mystery Masterclass
I saw a clip of this on tiktok, but it was a romance scene. Surprisingly, this show leans more towards crime/mystery, and I'm not really the type who watches both genres a lot, but i gave it a go because I'm familiar with the actors, and my god! This might be the start of where i would enjoy more mystery shows.The story was very simple at first, but as you go through, it gets really messy and complicated, like that Iceberg image meme, if you know what i mean. I wasn't really hooked at first because the comedy aspect kept throwing me out of it, and yes, it leans more on that side in the beginning, so it was hard for me to take it seriously when the characters don't even take the case seriously, aside from Ran Fang Xu, who's very eager to dig deeper. Along the way, i guess this is how the comedy gets you because i was getting invested in the characters, even the suspects and other people involved.
After they established the characters, the story slowly unveiled how deep this rabbit hole can actually go. They started toning down on the comedy and were more on the serious/dramactic side. I was really amazed at how far we've come from just a supposedly simple case to such a mess of a crime. That is the time i started locking in with the story, because curiosity, am i right? hahaha
How it was laid out reminded me of Squid Game, where all the clues and suspects were actually right under your nose from the beginning, it's just a matter of "How?". I was amazed as to why i wasn't able to catch on to it quickly, but i did when i started noticing some of these characters acting weirdly. Especially that big plot twist in the middle??!? Oh my god, i sank myself into the abyss of this show because of it, and that showed you how good the acting can get. It has a very strong script, because it's character and dialogue-heavy. There's no fancy gun or fist fights. I would say it's a Crime/Mystery Masterclass. Though it had a rough start for me because of the comedy, it gets good if you stick with it. The last few episodes, i kinda clocked out a little, because it got draggy after they solved the case, because the main culprit went on a whole ass storytelling about how it was done. One of the main characters even said, "Your story is very touching, but it's not related to what i asked." HAHAHA same feeling.
All the actors delivered an impeccable performance. I'm not gonna say much because i don't wanna spoil. Dylan Wang, Ren Min, and Jiang Pei Yao showed me another side of them.
Ren Min, i already know she could deliver heavy acting, so it was already expected. She didn't disappoint.
Dylan Wang, such a versatile actor, much like Ren Min, they've been taking on a lot of different types of projects, and it shows how good they are.
Jiang Pei Yao, i already know she could do a mystery project. Her performance was really good. There's still room for growth, especially with this pairing with Heavy Actors, so it's very hard not to compare.
Pan Yue Ming, he's such a good actor. It's my first time seeing him, and I'm already amazed. I can't believe he's the art director for this drama. No wonder it's good, because you have someone veteran in the industry supervising.
Overall, very good drama, though it had some flaws for me, that's why i couldn't give it a 10, but still a must watch.
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