Plainclothes police officer

Author: Haiyan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: This book is the masterpiece and debut work of the author Haiyan. The same-named TV series adapted from this book once caused a sensation across China. The protagonist Zhou Zhiming represents an era, an era that has long passed us by, an era where blood and iron could forge a true police officer. It is evident that in his debut work, Haiyan exudes the belief and integrity of Zhou Zhiming. The story takes place in 1976, before the overthrow of the "Gang of Four." Following a tip-off from the public, the Nanzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau arrested a Taiwanese spy named Xu Bangcheng. At the time, it was unclear why the spy had infiltrated Nanzhou, but under the of Deputy Director Gan from the military representative, Xu Bangcheng falsely claimed he was to rendezvous with an enemy detachment at the border to disrupt China's campaign against Lin Biao and Confucius. Deputy Director Gan personally led the escort team to the border, intending to capture the enemy detachment in one sweep. However, Xu Bangcheng seized the opportunity to escape and was shot dead by the escorting investigator Zhou Zhiming. The arrest operation failed, the also, and the spy's true purpose for infiltrating Nanzhou remained a mystery.
Zhou Zhiming met a girl named Shi Xiaomeng in an, and the two developed mutual affection. Soon after, Nanzhou was filled with pamphlets mourning Premier Zhou Enlai, some of which criticized the Central Cultural Revolution at the time. The military representative labeled this as a counter-revolutionary incident and demanded the Investigation Department pursue those distributing the pamphlets. During a patrol, Zhou Zhiming's colleague Lu Zhenyu, following the military representative's instructions, took photos of two people mailing the pamphlets. Zhou Zhiming discovered that one of them was Shi Xiaomeng's sister, Shi Jihong, and the other was his classmate An Cheng. Just as the military representative was about to arrest the individuals based on the photos, Zhou Zhiming, to protect Shi Jihong and An Cheng, exposed the film in the camera. Later, to avoid implicating Lu Zhenyu, Zhou Zhiming confessed to exposing the film to his superiors. As a result, Zhou Zhiming was branded an active counter-revolutionary and suspected of being a spy due to Xu Bangcheng's escape, leading to a 15-year prison sentence. Shortly after, his only family member, his father, passed away in anger. This sudden turn of events completely altered Zhou Zhiming's fate.
After being imprisoned, only Shi Xiaomeng firmly believed he was not a bad person. Despite her family's worries and objections, Shi Xiaomeng persistently visited Zhou Zhiming in prison. To protect Shi Xiaomeng, Zhou Zhiming painfully severed their relationship. Meanwhile, in prison, Zhou Zhiming endured humiliation from certain guards and fellow inmates, nearly losing faith in life. With the overthrow of the "Gang of Four" and the nationwide rectification of false and wrongful cases, Zhou Zhiming was also exonerated and returned to the police force. However, due to lingering left-wing influences, a small flaw remained in his official record. By then, Shi Xiaomeng had been admitted to university. After their reunion, misunderstandings and rifts soon arose in their relationship. Zhou Zhiming's female colleague, Yan Jun, who had secretly harbored feelings for him, subtly expressed her sincere love. Zhou Zhiming and Yan Jun became close colleagues but he still longed for Shi Xiaomeng. A thief named Du Weidong, having been helped and educated by Zhou Zhiming in prison, planned to reform and start anew upon release. However, when the home of the Nanzhou Municipal People's Political Consultative Committee member and chief engineer of the 941 Factory, Jiang Yiming, was burglarized, Du Weidong was arrested as a suspect. Zhou Zhiming noticed inconsistencies and, after further investigation, confirmed that Du Weidong was not the perpetrator. At the same time, the 941 Factory suffered severe losses in a large-scale project, indicating that confidential documents from Jiang Yiming's home had been stolen. Shi Jihong suddenly reported her ex-boyfriend, Lu Yuanchao, to the police for stealing from Jiang Yiming's home. Lu Yuanchao was arrested and prosecuted by the procuratorate. Shi Xiaomeng, deeply dissatisfied with her sister's actions, insisted on defending Lu Yuanchao in court and secured his acquittal.
During the investigation of Shi Jihong, it was discovered that she had sold intelligence, having been lured by a spy who had infiltrated from abroad and had become a criminal. Just as the police were about to arrest the spy surnamed Feng Hanzhang, who posed as a Hong Kong businessman, someone for him. Zhou Zhiming never forgot the clues left unresolved in the Xu Bangcheng case years ago, suspecting that a spy had infiltrated Nanzhou. Determined to investigate, he launched a pursuit. Meanwhile, while Zhou Zhiming's colleagues continued their investigation, Du Weidong was suddenly murdered. Several interconnected events remained shrouded in mystery, but after thorough investigation, the police uncovered the truth behind Du Weidong's death and also exposed the long-term spy, Lu Yuanchao, who had infiltrated Nanzhou, as well as the real thief of the 941 Factory's secrets. It turned out that Shi Jihong's accusation of Lu Yuanchao was a deliberately set trap by the overseas spy agency, aiming to sacrifice Feng Hanzhang and Shi Jihong to protect Lu Yuanchao.
Through a series of trials and challenges, Zhou Zhiming grew into a true police officer. Shi Xiaomeng and Zhou Zhiming eventually resolved their misunderstandings and reunited. Yan Jun was transferred out of Nanzhou after solving the case but continued to love Zhou Zhiming. This is a story of a young police officer's growth and a hymn to beautiful love.