Yuan Sheng Zhi Zui or Original Sin (Chinese: 原生之罪; pinyin: Yuán Shēng Zhī Zuì) is a 2018 Chinese Police Procedural crime drama, starring Zhai Tianlin, Yin Zheng, Cherry Ngan, Bai Bing, and Li Ruoning.
Chi Zhen (Zhai Tianlin) was once a successful (though morally dubious) defense lawyer, but after being caught burning a body for one of his clients by Detective Lu Li (Yin Zheng), his longtime nemesis in court, he was disbarred for life. Now, as a part-time nightclub owner and part-time gangster, he continues to live his life skirting the law, but when one of his employees falls victim to a series of grisly murders, he and Lu Li once again find themselves crossing paths, eventually becoming reluctant partners.
Together, the pair of them, along with the other members of the Hua City Police Department, continue to solve a series of bizarre cases, unravelling along the way the mystery behind Lu Li's last partner's death, the corruption within the police department, and the truth of the connection between Chi Zhen and Lu Li's families.
The show, with 24 episodes, can be found on Viki
with English subtitles.
This show contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Wu Wenxuan's adoptive parents, who threw her aside after having a biological child of their own, and allowed her adoptive father to rape her.
- Action Girl: Wen Miaoling, the only girl in the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
- Almost Kiss: During the very last episode, Lu Li and Chi Zhen are once again having one of their rooftop conversations when Lu Li asks if Chi Zhen is into guys—and Chi Zhen, after swearing at him, suddenly makes like he's going to try to kiss Lu Li before they break apart, laughing.
- Amicable Exes: Lu Li and his ex-wife, Wu Wenxuan, seem to have a pretty good relationship, with Wenxuan having main custody of their daughter and Lu Li getting along well enough with her new husband even if he himself doesn't seem to be completely over it. Actually, both of them are still pretty in love with each other.
- Amoral Attorney: Chi Zhen's backstory, and the reason behind why he and Lu Li don't get along.
- Asshole Victim: A couple of these. Special mention goes to Wu Wenxuan's adoptive family and the three victims of the Youth Hostel case who turned out to have been murderers themselves.
- Buddy Cop Show: Self-explanatory.
- The City: Hua City, the fictional city most of the show takes place in.
- Dirty Cop: Director Dong.
- Domestic Abuse: The case that got Chi Zhen disbarred involved a woman (Chi Zhen's client) murdering her husband after having suffered abuse from him for many years.
- Fictional Country: Lanya, the country this show is set in, is fictional, as are most of all the other countries mentioned in passing during the series.
- Moral Guardians: The murderer in the Video Game case considers herself to be this, given that she thinks video games are a waste of time and hurt people.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: The end, when Chi Zhen murders Director Dong to keep the people he cares about safe.
- Pocket Protector: Chi Zhen's flask, which he keeps in his breast pocket, saves his life in the finale.
- Rabid Cop: Lu Li, to be honest, given his love in the beginning for chasing/beating people up first and asking questions later.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Chi Zhen and Lu Li, with the outwardly more friendly Chi Zhen as the Red Oni, and perpetually frowning Lu Li as the Blue Oni.
- Revenge: The motives of quite a few of the murderers, whether justified or not, and also one of the initial motives behind Chi Zhen getting close to Lu Li.
- Sins of Our Fathers: Lu Li's father was Lu Ziming, the serial killer who allegedly raped and murdered Chi Zhen's older sister (who was pregnant at the time), destroying Chi Zhen's family. When Chi Zhen learns this, he entertains the thought of killing Lu Li in revenge. Lu Li, when he learns, also offers up his own life to try and pay back some of the wrong done—but in the end, it's hinted that Lu Ziming actually wasn't the one responsible for Chi Wen's death.
- Sitting on the Roof: Chi Zhen and Lu Li like to do this, having conversations (and/or confrontations) there after cases.
- Surgical Impersonation: The key behind the Tea Plantation case.
- Sympathetic Murderer: Has a few of these, most notably the guilty parties of the Youth Hostel case, and Wu Wenxuan.
- Ten Little Murder Victims: The plot of the Youth Hostel case.
- Turn in Your Badge: Happens to Lu Li when he is suspected of helping his ex-wife cover up the fact she killed her whole adoptive family six years ago, given that he was the officer in charge of the case.
