Plot Synopsis
The drama is set in the Republican era and depicts a story of friendshipthrough thick and thin, where two women support each other and face life and death together. It showcases the awakening of femalepower in the Republican era, fearlessly defyingpublic opinion and daring to fight against destiny.
The story revolves around a washed-upmovie star in old Shanghai who becomes entangled in a mysterious murder case. Together with herpersonal female assistant, they join forces to uncover the truth andprove their innocence.
The drama focuses onportraying the extreme contrast inpersonalities and backgrounds between the two femaleprotagonists. Hu Xiaodie, who comes from a humble background, was once a glamorous movie star excessivelypackaged by the commercial industry. Hua Xiaoqing, from an upper-class background, is a independent new young woman who returned from studying abroad and experienced a decline in her family's fortunes.
The appearance of the murder case turns their lives upside down overnight, and in order to clear their names, they begin to self-study investigative knowledge and deductive skills. With the assistance of the CentralPatrol House, they ultimately grow into true crime solvers.
Character Introduction:
Hu Xiaodie
Female, claiming to be 25 years oldpublicly, actual age unknown, a washed-upmovie star. Hu Xiaodie, with her stunning appearance, super narcissism, and eccentric thinking, used to be apopular movie star in Shanghai. Now shepresents herself as a faded star but still carries herself with the airs of a big celebrity. Despite having many flaws, Hu Xiaodie is inherently kind, straightforward, and adorable. She has a simple sense of justice. After being inexplicably involved in a murder case, she is fortunate to receive helpfrom Hua Xiaoqing. Hu Xiaodie gradually transforms from a "clumsy beauty" who often creates jokes into a "star detective" with great ambitions.
Hua Xiaoqing
Female, 25 years old, Hu Xiaodie'spersonal female secretary. She has a cold appearance, a rationalpersonality, and a bit of a tsundere and sharptongue, but she is extremely loyal to her employer. After her boss is involved in a mysterious murder case and she becomes entangled in an old case, Hua Xiaoqing, who has returned to China, is forced to take on the responsibility of helping her boss, Hu Xiaodie, clear her name and capture the real culprit. She is officially a "little assistant," but in reality, Hua Xiaoqing is the mastermind behind the scenes, the "great detective."
Bai Langning
Male, 32 years old, a Chinese inspector at the CentralPatrol House. He has a somewhat handsome appearance and cares a lot about his appearance. He is ostentatious, narcissistic, slick, unreliable, and fearless. Although he considers himself extraordinary, his actual abilities are mediocre, and he often makes ridiculous deductions. His rapidpromotion is solely due to his family background. He heavily relies on Duan Hongsheng's investigative ability but is often criticized by him. He claims to be a die-hard fan of Hu Xiaodie and often takes advantage of her during theprocess of solving cases. He serves her diligently, even though he often ends upbeing humiliated but doesn't mind.
Duan Hongsheng
Male, 40 years old, a seniorpolice officer at the CentralPatrol House. He has a tall and rough appearance and is somewhat unkempt. He is decisive in his actions and upright in character, representing a clean stream in thepolice force of the concession. However, he is stubboand overly believes in his own intuition. Although he is White Langning's subordinate, he has moreprestige among thepolice officers and is apillar of thePatrol House. He becomes acquainted with Hu Xiaodie and Hua Xiaoqing due to the murder case. Initially, he has biases against the two of them, considering them as hindrances, and even regards Hua Xiaoqing as a suspect. However, through their interactions, hisperception of the two gradually changes.
Wang Lili
Female, 23 years old, a female star of the Silver Star Company. She has a beautiful and sexy appearance and often actspitifully, but she is actually greedy, materialistic, arrogant, and scheming, willing to do anything to achieve her goals. In thepast year, she has received strong support from the film company and oftenprovokes Hu Xiaodie. The relationshipbetween the two is like water and fire. Using her identity as a star as a cover, she secretly seduces wealthy and influentialpeople in the entertainment industry. Liu Feifan is one of her targets. Recently, she has also become involved with Qin Sanye, involved in opium trafficking, and holds Manager Wu's handle, using it to blackmail him.
Liu Feifan
Male, 28 years old, a wealthy young master. Liu Mansion's well-knownplayboy, he is a small jewelry business owner and aplayboy. He appears glamorous on the surface but is weak and irresponsible on the inside. He loves to evade responsibilities like an ostrich and can become extreme whenpushed to the limit. He was originally engaged to Hu Xiaodie but became entangled with Wang Lili. During their engagement banquet, Hu Xiaodie slapped him in anger, leading to their breakup. Although it seems like he still has feelings for Hu Xiaodie, he continues to associate with Wang Lili. As a result, he becomes deeply involved in the murder case and is secretly blackmailed because of it.
Wu Bingchang
Male, in his 40s, the general manager of the Silver Star Film Company. He is slightly overweight, well-dressed, and exudes the demeanor of an entertainment tycoon. He is smooth and ingratiating to influential figures like Qin Sanye. Internally, he is strict and often engages inPUA (pick-upartist) behavior towards his subordinates. He is extremely obsessed with making money and lacks artistic ideals and taste. Although he oftenpaints a rosypicture for his employees, he is actually stingy andpenny-pinching, and verypragmatic. It seems that he has an improperrelationshipwith Wang Lili and is being blackmailed by her.
Qin Sanye
Male, in his 50s, a wealthy and influential figure in Shanghai. He is well-dressed and refined, with an air of elegance. Qin Sanye is the owner of several opium dens and has connections with various criminal organizations. He often acts as aphilanthropist inpublic and has a good reputation. However, behind the scenes, he is involved in illegal activities such as drug trafficking and gambling. He has a secret relationshipwith Wang Lili and is one of her targets for blackmail. Qin Sanye is apowerful figure who has control over various aspects of Shanghai's underworld.
These characters are allpart of a murder mystery story set in 1930s Shanghai. Hu Xiaodie, the former movie star, finds herself embroiled in a murder case and, with the helpof herpersonal secretary Hua Xiaoqing, sets out to solve the crime and clear her name. Along the way, they encounter Inspector Bai Langning and SeniorPolice Officer Duan Hongsheng, who initially have their doubts about Hu Xiaodie and Hua Xiaoqing but eventually join forces to uncover the truth. The investigation leads them to Wang Lili, Liu Feifan, Wu Bingchang, and Qin Sanye, all of whom have their own secrets and motives. As the story unfolds, the characters' relationships deepen, and their true nature is revealed, adding complexity and intrigue to theplot.
Episodes Recap
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- 21-24
I used to watch it as a light and entertaining drama, but today it really touched me. After a female celebrity's death, the boss only wants to squeeze out her last bit of value, shamelessly devouring the bread of human blood. Onlookers are also spreading rumors and riding on the hype.
When it comes to the passing of life, people are more concerned about what clothes she was wearing when she died and whether it involved scandalous news.
I didn't expect to see the tragedy of women being objectified even in a short drama. Zhao Yue's lines in this episode were particularly relatable, gentle, and helpless.
Among the many melodramatic short dramas, this one stands out with its portrayal of female power and its attention to the fate of women in the context of the era. It's truly a rare and excellent drama.
Episode 13: I found a crucial point. The premise for blaming Xiaqing is that the person must disappear and not appear in public. In this situation, the person who can influence Xiaqing and prevent her from appearing is Zhou.
Zhou lied about being sick and asked Xiaqing to take care of him, and then someone else framed her.
Now, the number of suspects can be narrowed down. I suspect Inspector Bai is playing dumb. Hua Xiaoqing joined this company to get close to Wang Lili because she suspects that Wang Lili has a significant connection to the kidnapping case involving Zhou Lingling.
She was present at several coincidences, and the similarities between Ling and Li's case are too high. Therefore, the suspicions are focused on her. She has always believed that Ling is still alive, so Lili, who is alive and can provide more clues, is more important to her.
Lili feels like she's blocking Qin Sanye's path to wealth, but he hasn't had a chance to take action yet because the important account books are not clear. He may be the mastermind behind the scenes, but the person who killed Lili is not associated with him.
Ah Zhong is Lili's business partner, and luckily he's good at gambling. Lili alive is more profitable than her being dead. Inspector Duan and Inspector Bai, on the other hand, have the biggest suspicions because they know too much about Hua Xiaoqing, especially the engraved pen.
No one would boast about having such a pen. However, Inspector Duan is unusually stubborn and easily influenced. Several clues were discovered because of reminders from others. That's why I suspect Inspector Bai is another business partner of Wang Lili or one of the blackmailers, which led to the sudden decision to take drastic measures.
Manager Wu is in a similar situation as Ah Zhong. Lili being alive can bring more benefits.
I like the character Hua Xiaoqing. Hua Xiaoqing is a character filled with struggle and pain. She is determined but filled with doubt, not some confident and sunny sunflower.
In reality, aren't people constantly breaking apart and reassembling themselves in pain?
Hua Xiaoqing's determination is a lifeline to hold onto survival, not some idealistic fantasy.
After doing some research, during the Republican era, Shanghai was rampant with gangsters and frequent kidnapping cases. For example, between 1909 and 1928, the concession police had arrested 1,598 kidnappers.
Moreover, in some high-profile cases involving industrialists, there were instances of kidnappers impersonating the police or collusion between the police and gangs (such as the famous Rong Desheng kidnapping case).
Therefore, there are likely multiple forces behind the Zhou Lingling case... and Hua Xiaoqing is bravely fighting against such a dangerous environment all by herself.