Episode 17 recap: Cheng Bing found a clue.
Previously, Wang Da Yong also came here to take a bath. The masseur who gives body scrub noticed that he looked unfamiliar and wondered if he was new. The masseur started chatting with Wang Da Yong and felt that people should accept their fate, but Wang Da Yong believed that one should defy fate and change their destiny.
There was a dispute among everyone, claiming that something was lost and the bathhouse owner should take responsibility. However, the bathhouse owner disagreed, stating that he was not responsible for keeping an eye on belongings. Initially, Wang Da Yong didn't pay much attention to it, but when he opened the locker, he discovered that his belongings were missing. Cheng Bing and Pan Da Hai were also bathing there. Cheng Bing mentioned Wang Da Yong, suspecting that he must be involved with this place. Moreover, they had found Liu Danan earlier, who mentioned that someone came with Wang Da Yong's photo, claiming that her man had gone missing here.
Pan Da Hai believed that Cheng Bing was searching for a needle in a haystack, but Cheng Bing didn't mind and said that even if it took a year, finding this place would be enough. Pan Da Hai talked about his father, who passed away from cancer. Initially, Pan Da Hai believed that many people die from the fear of illness, but after his father's death, he realized that his father couldn't have ignored the disease. It's similar to Cheng Bing; even if he takes off his police uniform, deep down, he is still a policeman.
Pan Da Hai told Cheng Bing that the person who killed Gu Erqiang was captured in Xi'an. He had found Gu Erqiang's ID card and threw it into the trash bin when he returned. It was then picked up by a guy from the northeast, who found the contact information of Zhang Shuqiao's brother inside, leading to the contact being made.
Pan Da Hai felt that Cheng Bing's approach in searching for people was too slow and made a phone call to have them look for a woman with the name "Xia" and aged between 30 and 35. Pan Da Hai was about to leave, and Cheng Bing told them not to mention that they saw him here and wished them a happy new year.
Pan Da Hai acknowledged and left some money for Cheng Bing before he departed.
Everyone here was discussing the current situation. Shi Tou planned to marry Jia Jia next year and thought that if he got married, Cheng Bing would likely appear.
Xiao Xu told him not to say such things and not to treat Jia Jia lightly. Shi Tou said he was just speaking casually. Cheng Bing went out searching for people and returned with a little girl, which surprised the boss greatly. Cheng Bing explained that he found her outside and she wouldn't say anything, so he was afraid she would freeze outside and brought her back.
In the evening, the little girl's mother came looking for her and scolded her. Cheng Bing overheard the girl's name as Shao Xiao Yun, which reminded him of Wang Da Yong's fake ID named Shao Gang. Cheng Bing went to find her and learned that the woman's name was Li Hong Xia. She had initially brought a man with her, claiming they were going to get married, but the man disappeared without a word.
Cheng Bing found Li Hong Xia and she initially didn't want to talk to him, but when Cheng Bing mentioned Shao Gang, she didn't say anything. Cheng Bing informed Pan Da Hai about the situation. Pan Da Hai initially thought of going to the police station to contact them, but Cheng Bing felt that if they frequently approached Li Hong Xia, she might not say anything, so it would be better for Cheng Bing to go alone.
Cheng Bing talked to Li Hong Xia about these matters. Li Hong Xia initially thought that Wang Da Yong ran away because of the land issue concerning the village chief's leg being broken. Li Hong Xia mentioned that her previous husband, Shi Tou, was addicted to gambling and lost all their money, leaving them with a pile of debt. She ran away with her child and happened to meet Shao Gang, who later worked as a technician in her foot massage parlor and treated her well. However, he never returned after going to the town to take a bath.
Li Hong Xia later discovered that she was pregnant. Cheng Bing secretly gave her some money.
But to put it plainly, Pan Da Hai's character is fundamentally someone who "stands high" at the bottom of the hierarchy. He was initially the captain, and no one could challenge him. Later, Cheng Bing joined and then got released, continuing to search for people on his own and being spot on with his findings.
To be honest, it's just like Cheng Bing said: "I'm not breaking the law, and even if you, Pan Da Hai, are the chief of the world now, you have no right to control me." But Pan Da Hai just can't accept it.
Unfortunately, in reality, he is the police officer while Cheng Bing is not. So Pan Da Hai can use the rhetoric of "You're no longer a police officer, I am. Stop what you're doing and let me handle the case" to lecture from a position of superiority.