Series / Killer and Healer

"I hate that I am not like the moon above the riverside pavilion, staying with you always and following you wherever you go."

— Chen Yuzhi

Killer and Healer (Chinese: 恨君不似江楼月; pinyin: Hen Jun Bu Si Jiang Lou Yue) is a 2021 Chinese historical crime drama starring Mao Zi Jun and Ian Yi.

Set in the Chinese Republic era, the story is about two men with different personalities. Jiang Yuelou (Mao Zi Jun) is the chief of police in Jingchen City who hates drugs and wants to bring peace and order to the city. During a drug bust operation, he meets Dr. Chen Yuzhi (Ian Yi), who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time because he is busy tending several of the injured gang members. Though Yuelou lets the doctor go after discovering he's innocent, Yuzhi learns that his younger sister is missing and heads to Hong Kong to find her. Meanwhile, Yuelou learns about an opium trade in Hong Kong which acts as a route to the drug business in Jing city. Yuelou travels there to stop it and crosses paths with Yuzhi once again.

The series is adapted into a novel followed by an audio drama which both expand Yuelou and Yuzhi's relationship.

The show is available on Mango TV YouTube channel (with English subs).

The show provides examples of:

• A Father to His Men:
  • Yuelou cares so much for his loyal subordinates, Sun Yongren and Song Rong. He's completely heartbroken when they die.
  • Commissioner Bai also cares about his men, particularly Yuelou whom he adopted. He's very dismayed with the rampant corruption going on in the department.
• Abandonment-Induced Animosity: Yuelou refuses to forgive his mother not only because she became a drug lord, but because she abandoned him when he was a child, living on the streets while being hounded by his father's debtors.
• Adaptation Expansion: The novel expands Yuzhi's backstory when he was adopted as a baby and then, met Yuelou when he was a kid while Yuelou was still living on the streets.
• Adoptive Name Change: Jiang Yuelou's real name is Kang Sheng'an. When he got adopted by Bai Jinbo who was chief back then, he had his name changed to forget his troubled past. He chose his mother's maiden name, Jiang, as his surname.
• All Just a Dream: The alternate ending shows that the original ending when Zhan Junbai kills Yuzhi is Yuelou's nightmare. He wakes up and finds that Yuzhi is still alive and Zhan is arrested instead..
• Ambiguously Gay: Jiang Yuelou has no interest in women as he regards Chu Ran as a friend and Zhao Moqing as an annoyance. This goes the same with Chen Yuzhi. It's clear that both men have a strong attachment to each other given that they would do anything to help one another when one of them is in trouble.
• Ambiguous Time Period: Though it is set in the Chinese Republic era, the year wasn't established in the show. However, various clues hinted that it was set during the Warlord Era. It's mentioned Commander Zhan used to be under a warlord until he splintered away with his own troops and took Mayor Cai's offer to defend the city from various warlords.
• Anyone Can Die: Given this type of story where drugs, gangs, and warlords are involved, some of the main characters end up dying such as Sun Yongren, Song Rong, Yu Tangchun, Comissioner Bai, Chu Ran, Zhan Junbai and Chen Yuzhi.
• Arranged Marriage: Chu Ran is forced by her father and stepmother to marry Chief Jin Dancheng but she rejects it, causing her to leave her home. When she meets Chief Jin at the police station, she tells him that she has already turned down the marriage.
• Being Evil Sucks:
  • After getting shot by one of San Ye's men, Wang Meng collapses into Yuzhi's arms and confesses he wants to be a good man and be friends with him in another life, showing his regret for joining the drug business that got his mother killed.
  • After realizing that Yuelou is her son, Jiang Shangnan regrets what she had done realizing the irony of being a drug trafficker who destroyed families despite that opium destroyed her family. Yuelou understandably calls her out on this.
• Berserk Button: Yuelou gets easily angry when domestic violence is involved and when he sees Yuzhi get hurt.
• Big Bad: San Ye, who is responsible for the opium trade in Jing City. His true identity is Zhan Junbai who is also responsible for kidnapping Chen Keying and killing Yu Tangchun's family.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: Commander Zhan and his nephew Zhan Junbai plan to take over the city by controlling several of the city departments such as the police force. The one person who is stopping them is Jiang Yuelou.
• Big Brother Instinct:
  • Yuzhi cares for his little sister, Keying, very much given that she's the only family member he has left. When she got kidnapped, Yuzhi would do anything to find her. After she's believed to be dead, Yuzhi vows to avenge her death by helping Yuelou bring down the drug syndicate that kidnapped her. Zhan Junbai sees this as his weakness. So he has Keying hostage and forces Yuzhi to make a choice where he must betray Yuelou to reunite with Keying.
  • While he has done terrible things, Zhao Jingming cares for his little sister, Moqing, very much. When he gets arrested, he begs Yuelou not to hurt his sister.
  • Chu Ran cares for her little half-brother, Chu Min, as she tries to support him away from her stepmother's influence. She becomes concerned when Chu Min works with Zhan Junbai as his secretary. And when she accidentally kills her brother in the last episode, she's devasted and blames Zhan Junbai for his machinations.
• Big Brother Worship:
  • Zhao Moqing adores her brother very much despite the bickering. When he gets arrested, Moqing believes he was framed and begs Zhan and Yuelou to save him.
  • Despite having different mothers, Chu Min supports his older half-sister, Chu Ran, and looks up to her, wanting to be successful as her.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Zhan Junbai is always shown to be a trusted friend to Yuelou, Yuzhi, Chu Ran, and most especially, Yu Tangchun. However, he turns out to be a sociopath who likes to bring suffering to others for the sake of his goals.
• Bittersweet Ending: The show ends with Zhan Junbai killing Chen Yuzhi in front of Jiang Yuelou before committing suicide. Yuzhi entrusts Yuelou to take care of Keying as he passes away. Regardless, the Zhan family and their cohorts are dead and peace in Jing City is restored...at the cost of those who helped Yuelou in his fight for justice and peace.
• Break His Heart to Save Him: In order for his undercover mission not to get blown and to protect Yuzhi from danger, Yuelou pretends that he went mad and joined San Ye as an act of rebellion. When he meets Yuzhi at the opera house after escaping from the mental hospital, he beats the crap out of him to keep the charade. Then, Yuelou is forced to kill Yuzhi so he can meet San Ye. Though he didn't actually kill him in the heart, Yuelou shoots him, much to Yuzhi's surprise. Afterward, Yuelou completely breaks down in his hotel room.
• Broken Pedestal:
  • Zhao Moqing has a huge crush on Yuelou and flirts with him. When her brother gets arrested, she begs Yuelou to save him, claiming he's innocent but Yuelou pushes her aside and ignores her pleas. By then, Moqing despises him and blames him for her brother's execution.
  • Yu Tangchun is enamored with Zhan Junbai due to his kindness and appreciation of his singing. But when he learns The Awful Truth that Zhan Junbai is the one who massacred his family, Yu is disgusted that he wants nothing to do with him and prefers to die than be his prisoner.
• But Not Too Gay: The story clarifies that Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi's relationship is more than friends and brotherhood which goes the same with Zhan and Yu's relationship. But because of censorship in China, the relationships are watered down and most of the intimate moments are cut from broadcast to pass Chinese censorship.
• Calling the Old Man Out:
  • Yuelou understandably calls out his mother for abandoning him 13 years ago and being an opium trader despite that opium tore their family apart.
  • Yuelou also calls out his adopted father, Bai Jinbo, for siding with Zhan Junbai which put him, his own adopted son, in mortal danger.
• Cannot Kill Their Loved Ones:
  • In order to personally meet San Ye, Yuelou is forced to kill Yuzhi which he didn't. Instead, Yuelou shoots Yuzhi near the heart and has him go into hiding while secretly giving his apology to him.
  • When Zhan Junbai learns about the truth that Yuelou didn't kill Yuzhi, he forces Yuzhi out of hiding by holding Keying hostage. He proposes a deal where he has to kill Yuelou to free his sister. When Yuzhi meets Yuelou at the docks, Yuzhi chooses not to do so he attempts to kill himself while entrusting Yuelou to take care of Keying. Yuelou stops him from shooting himself until he gets hit by one of Zhan Junbai's men.
• Characters Dropping Like Flies: The second half of the show starts killing off the majority of the main cast starting with Sun Yongren's death. By the end of the show, Jiang Yuelou, Jin Dancheng, Zhong Yiren (who is Put on a Bus), and Chen Keying are the only main characters left. Though the backlash with regards to Chen Yuzhi's death made the staff to create an alternate ending where he survives.
• Chekhov's Gun: In the early part of the show, Yuelou asks Yuzhi to draw a triangle with a circle inside to let Sun Yongren and Song Rong know that he's alive and safe. Later on in the show, Yuzhi requests Chu Ran to put the symbol in the newspaper to let Yuelou know that he survived the gunshot.
• Chick Magnet: Jiang Yuelou earns several admirers such as Chu Ran and Zhao Moqing. However, he doesn't return any feelings to them. Strangely enough, none of the female characters seem to be attracted to Chen Yuzhi despite being as handsome as Yuelou.
• Corrupt Politician: As Yuelou discovered, several members of the city government are involved in the opium trade such as Zhao Jingming, the chief of customs and Zhan Junbai, the executive director of the city's finance department.
• Cowboy Cop: Yuelou is known to be reckless and prone to anger, nearly going against protocol which got him in a lot of trouble.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Yuelou's father was a drug addict who is very abusive towards his mother which explains Yuelou's hatred towards drugs. After his father died and his mother disappeared, Yuelou was forced to fend himself from his father's debtors and live on the street as a peddler until Bai Jinbo adopted him. His troubled childhood also contributed to his mental issues where he gets easily angry.
• Death Faked for You: Yuelou fakes Yuzhi's death by shooting him near the heart so he can recover and hide from Zhan Junbai.
• Deliberate Values Dissonance: Concubinage was still a practice during the Republican Era which explains Chu Ran's parents' attempt to push their daughter into marrying Jin Dancheng as a concubine and Zhao Moqing's offer to be Commander Zhan's concubine in exchange with her brother's release. Likewise, Chu Ran abhors being a concubine because not only does it limit her independence as a woman but concubines are seen as inferior.
• Defective Detective: Jiang Yuelou has anger management issues which tend to give him trouble due to his unresolved childhood trauma. Chen Yuzhi takes the task of providing him with his psychological needs.
• Determined Doctor: Dr. Chen Yuzhi takes his profession very seriously regardless of whether the patient is a good or bad person. While Yuelou admires him for doing his duty, he admonishes him for giving aid to criminals which could make him look like an accomplice.
• Dies Differently In The Adaptation:
  • In the show, Zhan Junbai is shot by Yuelou after killing Yuzhi. In the novel adaptation, he was killed by the police while attempting to escape after shooting Yuzhi.
  • Chu Ran is shot by Zhao Moqing during the wedding and dies in Yuzhi's arms. In the novel, she's Killed Offscreen, presumably by one of Zhao Tianqing's men after attempting to contact Bai Jinbo and Mayor Cai about Zhan Junbai's betrayal. Because of this, she's not the bride that Zhan Junbai is going to marry.
• Dirty Cop: Several members of the Jing City police force are connected to the crime syndicate and would leak information to San Ye. This proves to be a challenge to Yuelou because it makes him paranoid about who he should trust within the police force.
• Distressed Dude: Yuzhi always gets kidnapped and tied up whenever he gets in danger and Yuelou has to save him. He's a doctor with minimal combat skills.
• Driven to Suicide: Some of San Ye's moles in the police force kill themselves whenever they're caught either out of loyalty, fear, or shame.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
  • Wang Meng loves his mother who is very sick and it is implied that he joins the drug syndicate to earn a living.
  • Zhao Jingming loves his sister very much and doesn't want her to get involved in his crimes.
  • Despite being a sociopath, Zhan Junbai did care for Yu and was devastated when he died. In the show's ending, it's implied that he killed himself so he could be with Yu in the afterlife as he was holding his Buddhist prayer beads.
• Everyone Has Standards: Bai Yanli doesn't care that leaking confidential information caused the deaths of several police officers all because she wants to get even on Bai Jinbo. However, when she overhears Zhan Junbai plotting with Bai Jinbo about conquering the city, she's horrified and tries to leave except that she gets killed for her troubles.
• Family Extermination: In the past, Yu Tangchun's family was massacred when a warlord's army took over their place, leaving him as the Sole Survivor. Yu suspects that Commander Zhan is responsible for it. However, it's actually Zhan Junbai, much to Yu Tangchun's horror.
• Fake Defector: The second half of the series has Yuelou going undercover to meet San Ye and destroy his organization from within by pretending he went insane and getting in contact with Sun Heying, one of San Ye's lieutenants. And to keep his cover from being blown, he had to put up the facade of being an asshole to everyone such as Yuzhi and Chu Ran. However the latter were able to figure out his plan after his shooting incident with Yuzhi. Unfortunately, Yuelou's cover is blown when Zhan Junbai drugs Bai Jinbo who tells him about the undercover mission and Yuzhi's whereabouts.
• Fire-Forged Friends:
  • At the start, Yuelou and Yuzhi are at odds with each other due to a misunderstanding. When they meet again in Hong Kong, both men become amicable to each other until they build a very strong bond with each other.
  • Yuelou and Jin Dancheng are rivals due to their clashing personalities. However, towards the end of the story, Jin Dancheng slowly becomes Yuelou's most reliable ally within the police force as he aids him in stopping the coup from happening.
• Forced into Evil: Zhan Junbai threatens Bai Jinbo with his life after drugging him which leads to the latter making a deal to help the former on his coup to conquer Jing City. Because of this, Junbai eventually learns of Yuelou's undercover mission and Yuzhi's whereabouts. When Yuelou confronts him, Bai Jinbo regrets it and tells him to be the one to save the city as he kills himself.
• Forgotten Fallen Friend: Despite being one of Yuelou's most loyal subordinates and a good friend to Yuzhi, Chu Ran and Yiren, Song Rong was never mentioned after his death. This is averted in the novel where Yuelou and Yuzhi mourn for him.
• Good Is Not Nice: Yuelou is indeed a good cop who wants to end the drug trade and bring peace to the city. But he's more willing to use questionable methods to get the results done.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Yuelou tends to get angry to the point of becoming violent. Yuzhi seems to notice this and tries to find a way to temper his anger. It is suspected that Yuelou has manic depression.
• Heel–Face Turn: When Wang Ming learns that his superiors poisoned his mother, he aids Yuzhi in delivering a secret message to Yuelou. Later, he gives Yuzhi his testimony that Zhao Jingming is San Ye and helps him expose him to the public during the charity event.
• The Hero Dies: The show ends with Chen Yuzhi dying which made Jiang Yuelou heartbroken.
• Hero Killer:
  • Jiang Shangnan is one of the show's dangerous antagonists where she's indirectly responsible for Sun Yongren's death and kills Song Rong. She nearly kills Jiang Yuelou if it weren't for his birthmark on the back which would make her realize that he's her long-lost son.
  • In the end, Zhan Junbai kills Chen Yuzhi while aiming to shoot Jiang Yuelou.
• Hero with Bad Publicity: Jiang Yuelou is reputed to be a hotheaded man who easily loses his temper and the public sees him either as reckless or dangerous. Many of his enemies try to use this to destroy his career.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: As the story goes on, Yuelou and Yuzhi form a very close and trusting bond where they always rely on each other.
• Hidden Depths: Aside from being a doctor, Yuzhi is shown to have good investigative skills which proves useful in Yuelou's cause. Yuelou mentions that if Yuzhi hadn't chosen to become a doctor, he could be a great detective.
• Homoerotic Subtext: Yuelou is very touchy-feely towards Yuzhi such as wrapping his arm around his shoulders and stroking the back of his neck. While some characters such as Bai Jinbo think they're like brothers, Jin Dancheng assumes that their relationship is not so innocent.
• I Have Your Wife: It's revealed that one of Zhan Junbai's men kidnapped Keying in an attempt to traffick her. Zhan Junbai is not pleased with this and has the man eliminated for his insubordination. He was able to track Keying who was found in Malacca; however, as part of his plan to keep Yuelou and Yuzhi separated after learning of their close relationship, he keeps Keying as a hostage instead and sends a girl who looked like her to trick Yuelou and get her killed to sow discord between Yuelou and Yuzhi. When he learns that Yuelou didn't kill Yuzhi as intended, he lures Yuzhi out from hiding by revealing that he has Keying. As part of the deal, Zhan Junbai forces Yuzhi to kill Yuelou to reunite his sister.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Chu Ran has unrequited feelings for Yuelou but she's aware Yuelou would not fall in love with her as he sees her as a friend and he's more attracted to Yuzhi. Nonetheless, she would support the two men and give both of them a picture of them together as mementos.
• If You're So Evil, Eat This Kitten!: As part of his initiation to join the group and to show loyalty, San Ye orders Yuelou to kill Yuzhi. Yuelou does the deed in public particularly in front of Chu Ran. However, it's a ploy by both Yuelou and Yuzhi where the former tells the latter that he will shoot him near the heart to make it look like it's a clean shot. By then, Yuzhi would pretend that he was dead and go into hiding until Yuelou defeats San Ye and saves the city.
• In Medias Res: The show opens with Jiang Yuelou pointing a gun at Chen Yuzhi while both men are sitting down. The scene in question is a plan for Yuzhi to go into hiding where he has to pretend that Yuelou killed him.
• Internal Reveal:
  • Yu learns from Commander Zhan that his nephew, Zhan Junbai, is responsible for the massacre of his family, much to Yu's horror.
  • Yuzhi can figure out that Yuelou is on an undercover mission to infiltrate San Ye's organization after remembering Yuelou's plan to shoot him near the heart to fake his death and lay low for a while as he faces San Ye.
  • In episodes 32 and 33, Zhan Junbai learns from Bai Jinbo that Yuelou's purpose for joining his organization was an undercover mission and that he faked Yuzhi's death.
  • Yuelou learns that Chu Ran has harbored feelings for him after seeing his photo inside her wallet.
• Intrepid Reporter: Chu Ran. She takes her profession very seriously despite that it would go against her bosses. This makes her as one of Yuelou's most trusted allies in his fight to bring down the opium trade.
• It's All My Fault: Yuelou blames himself for Keying's kidnapping because if he hadn't imprisoned Yuzhi for being in the drug den, then Keying would still be safe. What's worse is that he passed by Yuzhi's house that night where Keying was waiting for her brother at the gate and witnessed a car driving away with Keying struggling against her captors. This guilt is what led Zhan Junbai to learn that Yuzhi is Yuelou's weakness.
• Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Yuelou and his subordinates tend to torture suspects connected to their cases which is something Yuzhi abhors.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Chief Jin Dancheng is quite an asshole to Yuelou but he's doing his job and like Yuelou, wants to bring peace and order to Jing City.
• Killer Finale: The last episode killed off three of the main characters: Chu Ran, Zhan Junbai, and Chen Yuzhi.
• Kindhearted Cat Lover: Despite his anger issues, Yuelou has a grey and white ragdoll named Xiao Bao who comforts him. Yuzhi and Keying also adore Xiao Bao who usually visits their home.
• Like a Son to Me: Bai Jinbo adopted Yuelou after saving him from his father's debtors. Yuelou grows to love his adopted parents and becomes a policeman just like his adopted father. This becomes very painful for Yuelou when he learns that Bai Jinbo betrayed after siding with Zhan Junbai.
• Locked Out of the Loop: In order to discover the true identity of the real San Ye, Yuelou has to go undercover where he pretends to go insane and kill his father's debtor which would put him into a mental facility. There he would meet one member of Jinma Tang who would help meet San Ye. However, Yuelou tells Commissioner Bai not to tell the others particularly Yuzhi about the plan just for his safety. Because of this, Yuzhi truly believes that Yuelou has changed. Fortunately, Yuzhi does learn about Yuelou's mission when the latter visits him and tells him about his plan to fake his death.
• Major Injury Underreaction: Yuelou shoots himself in the left arm to prevent himself from shooting Jin Dancheng who wants a proper apology from him for shooting his ear. As he and Yuzhi, who was injured from the torture, walked out of the prison, his left arm was bleeding but Yuelou didn't mind the pain.
• Man Hug: When Yuzhi meets Yuelou again after he survived the sniper shot from one of Zhan Junbai's men, he embraces him. In the deleted scene, Yuelou embraces him back while stroking his neck.
• Master of Disguise: Yuelou is adept at using disguises when he goes undercover. Yuzhi can also disguise himself to observe events.
• Missing Mom: Yuelou's mother is said to have killed herself after she had enough of her husband's abuse. Turns out that she's alive and is one of San Ye's lieutenants in the opium trade.
• Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Bai Yinli dislikes how Bai Jinbo treats her because she looks like his late wife. Because of this, she accepts Jiang Shangnan's offer to leak secret police information which led to the deaths of Sun Yongren and Song Rong. Later on, Zhan Junbai has her drug Bai Jinbo so he can interrogate him about the location of the city's arsenal and Yuelou's true intention of joining his organization.
• Morality Chain: Yuzhi acts like this to Yuelou because he is the only one who can help him with his anger issues and make sure he doesn't hurt innocent people.
• Near-Villain Victory: Jiang Shangnan nearly kills Yuelou only to see the birthmark on his mark, realizing that he is her long-lost son.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Sometimes, Yuzhi's kindness tends to have a price such as his medical aid to the gangsters led to one of them kidnapping his sister.
• Nice Guy: Chen Yuzhi is the nicest character in the story who is always concerned with his patients and his friends.
• Not Afraid to Die: Yu Tangchun is aware that he can no longer sing and his health is failing. When Yuzhi informs him that he may not last longer, Yu Tangchun accepts it. This is why when Zhan Junbai imprisons him after his true identity is exposed, Yu Tangchun prefers to die instead and has no fear that his time is near.
• The Not-Love Interest: Chu Ran seems to be a potential love interest for Yuelou but she's nothing more than a loyal friend to him and Yuzhi.
• Odd Couple: Yuelou and Yuzhi. The former is a hot-blooded cop with emotional issues while the latter is a kindhearted doctor.
• Once More, with Clarity:
  • Wang Meng escapes police custody after knocking out Sun Yongren and kidnapping Yuzhi. A flashback revealed that Yuelou requests Yuzhi to go with Wang Meng so they can find Jinma Tang's headquarters. He gives Yuzhi a string of beads which would help the police find the trail leading to Jinma Tang.
  • Yuelou is sent to the mental hospital after killing four people in response to his mother's death. A flashback showed that it's part of his undercover mission to meet San Ye personally.
  • And as his final test to meet San Ye,Yuelou kills Yuzhi by shooting him straight in the chest. A flashback revealed that he didn't actually kill him but he told Yuzhi that he would shoot him near the heart so he could survive and go into hiding once Yuelou meets San Ye and defeats him.
• Opium Den: Yuelou would shut down opium dens in the entire city as part of his mission to end the opium trade.
• Please Wake Up: The ending has Yuelou trying to wake up Yuzhi who dies from Zhan Junbai's shot while calling his name repeatedly.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Sun Yongren and Chief Jin Danching. When Yongren dies in Episode 21, it signals a sober tone for the rest of the episodes.
• Police Brutality: The police are willing to torture prisoners and suspects to get information. Yuzhi finds this out the hard way after Jin falsely accuses him of possessing opium.
• Pragmatic Adaptation: The novels streamlined most storylines and added more intimate scenes between Yuelou and Yuzhi which the show cannot do due to strict censorship in China regarding same-sex relationships.
• Precious Photo: Yuzhi has a photo of him and Yuelou which he keeps in his wallet while Yuelou also has a copy of the photo which he framed. Chu Ran has a photo of Yuelou which she also keeps in her wallter.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Commissioner Bai may come across as an Obstructive Bureaucrat but he's very supportive of Yuelou's mission by guiding him to do the legal proceedings. When Yuelou shoots Chief Jin's ear when he imprisoned Yuzhi for having opium which was planted, Bai scolds Yuelou by reminding him that if he gets arrested for what he did, both he and Yuzhi would end up suffering.
• Red Herring: Zhao Jingming is shown to be San Ye but after his arrest, it's revealed that Zhan Junbai is the real San Ye.
• Sacrificial Lion: Sun Yongren's death changes the tone of the show where the stakes become higher with a possibility that none of the main characters are safe.
• Searching for the Lost Relative: In the first four episodes, Yuzhi goes to Hong Kong to find Keying. It turns out whoever kidnapped her is far more dangerous than he could ever imagine.
• Sherlock Scan: Jiang Yuelou has good observational skills such as figuring out that Chu Ran actually lives alone in her apartment because she only has one bed.
• Spared by the Adaptation:
  • In the novel, Wang Meng didn't get shot by one of San Ye's men unlike in the show where he took the bullet meant for Yuelou.
  • The alternate ending shows that Yuzhi is alive because the original ending is Yuelou's nightmare. Likewise, instead of committing suicide, Zhan Junbai is arrested.
  • The novel ending also has Yuzhi surviving where he was shot on the shoulder instead and the epilogue shows him and Yuelou bringing Keying to school.
• Spit Take: When Chief Jin asks Yuelou if he has something from Chu Ran, the latter lies by telling him they have a close relationship, causing Yuelou to spit out his tea.
• Spoiler Opening: The ending credits contain several spoilers such as Keying being alive with Zhan Junbai being the mastermind behind her kidnapping, Commissioner Bai being tortured by Zhan Junbai, Yuzhi recovering in the hospital after getting shot by Yuelou.
• Taking the Bullet: At the end of the show, Yuzhi pushes Yuelou away and takes the shot meant for him when Zhan shoots him. It turns out Zhan is aware of this because he wants Yuelou to be in pain of losing someone.
• Targeted to Hurt the Hero: In the end, Zhan kills Yuzhi to hurt Yuelou. Before he kills himself, Zhan tells Yuelou that they both lost meaning he wants Yuelou to suffer losing someone he loved just like he lost Yu.
• Those Two Guys: Song Yongren a.k.a. Fatty and Song Rong are Yuelou's most loyal and trusted subordinates who would do anything they can to help him and by extension, Dr. Chen.
• Tragic Bromance:
  • Zhan Junbai and Yu Tangchun's relationship ends badly after the latter helps Yuzhi destroy the Zhan family's arsenal by doing a Heroic Sacrifice. It doesn't help that Yu Tangchun still remains angry at Zhan Junbai for the death of his family and the torture he endured.
  • Yuelou and Yuzhi's relationship ends in tragedy when Yuzhi gets killed by Zhan Junbai in retaliation against Yuelou.
• Unrelated in the Adaptation: In the novel, Yuzhi and Keying are not blood-related since Yuzhi was adopted.
• Unrequited Love: Chu Ran develops romantic feelings for Yuelou which was noticed by Yiren. Unfortunately for her, Yuelou sees her as a close friend and is more attracted to Yuzhi. Despite that, Chu Ran is willing to do everything for Yuelou.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Bai Jinbo's treatment of his second wife, Bai Yinli, led the latter to aid Jiang Shangnan by leaking confidential information. This leads to the deaths of many of his officers such as Sun Yongren and Song Rong and Yuelou's undercover mission being compromised which in turn forces Chu Ran to marry Zhan Junbai in an attempt to expose his wrongdoings but leads to her death. Had Bai Jinbo treated Bai Yinli fairly, then so many deaths would have been avoided. What's worse is that neither Yuelou and Bai Jinbo knew that Yinli is the leaker.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Zhan Junbai is known to be a benevolent public official. Once Yuelou, Yuzhi, and Chu Ran learn that he's San Ye, they're aware that they can't expose him outright.
• Weaponized Allergy: Boss Yu is allergic to crabs and eating its roe could cause an allergic reaction that could kill him. When Zhan Junbai learns about this after suspecting his true identity, he uses this to torture him.
• Wham Episode:
  • Episode 19 reveals that San Ye is Zhan Junbai who is also responsible for the poisoning of Chief Wu and the assassination attempt on Yuelou that got Keying killed in order to sow discord between Yuelou and Yuzhi. The subsequent episode also reveals that he and his uncle are planning to take over the city.
  • Episode 24 reveals that Jiang Shengnan is Yuelou's missing mother and Zhan Junbai set the mother and son against each other for his own amusement.
  • Episodes 30 and 31: Yuelou shoots Yuzhi in the chest as part of his final test to meet San Ye. However, Yuelou shoots him near the heart as part of his undercover mission and to help Yuzhi lay low. Later on, Yuelou learns that Zhan Junbai is San Ye and deduces his true plan of conquering the city with his uncle.
  • Episodes 32 and 33: Zhan Junbai forces Bai Jinbo to betray Yuelou by exposing his undercover mission and Yuzhi's status. To get Yuzhi to cooperate, Junbai reveals that Keying is alive as his hostage.
• What Happened to the Mouse?:
  • Zhong Yiren is Put on a Bus when Chu Ran begins her plan to expose Zhan Junbai at her wedding. It's never shown how she reacted to her friend's death.
  • Chu Ran's parents as well. Given that their two children are dead and the bridegroom is outed to be a monster who planned to conquer the city and kill the politicians, God knows how they feel about this.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: Sun Yongren wants to get into a relationship with Zhong Yiren, Chu Ran's coworker and roommate. Unfortunately, he ends up dead when he inhales poisoned gas meant for Yuelou. Yiren is saddened by the news and with help from Song Rong, she visits Yongren's grave.
• You Monster!: In the final episode, Chu Ran calls Zhan Junbai a brute for forcing her to accidentally kill her brother.
• Your Days Are Numbered: Yuzhi reveals to Yu Tangchun that his health is at its limit and he may die around winter. Yu Tangchun accepts this and informs the doctor about his funeral arrangements when the time comes.