Drifting Away Recap, Plot, Synopsis
Drifting Away Synopsis
In the winter of 2002, Peng Zhaolin, the captain of the Snow City criminal police, received a report about a murder case in a residential building. After searching the crime scene, the police gathered information on four suspects, led by Deng Ligang, who had already fled to another province. The police tracked them across multiple provinces, but the criminal gang suddenly disappeared without a trace. In early 2004, Peng Zhaolin received a report about the kidnapping of a high school girl named Zhen Zhen.
After arguing with her mother, Zhen Zhen ran away from home and went to Luan City in the southern region, where she was kidnapped. To Peng Zhaolin's surprise, the kidnapper was the long-hidden Deng Ligang gang. The Snow City police immediately rushed to Luan City and successfully rescued Zhen Zhen, but the Deng Ligang gang once again escaped. In the winter of 2011, Peng Zhaolin discovered a clue that Deng Ligang's brother had received medical treatment in Snow City.
Following this lead, he traced their whereabouts and discovered that Deng Ligang and his gang had changed their names and were hiding in the small city of Suilu in the northwest. With the assistance of local police, Snow City police set up a tight surveillance and finally brought Deng Ligang and his gang to justice.
Drifting Away Recap
Episode 1 Recap
In 2002, in Snow City, after a hockey match, everyone relaxed in a sauna, but Peng Zhaolin was still thinking about a case from a couple of days ago. In a noisy bar bathroom, Song Ying greeted Huang Ying. The two quickly became acquainted, and Song Ying invited Huang Ying to dinner that evening, mentioning that someone else was hosting. However, it turned out to be a trap. At the Bishui Jiayuan residential area, someone reported finding dismembered body parts.
The police were dispatched immediately. Huang Ying, Deng Ligang, and Shi Bi, the perpetrators, noticed the commotion. Deng Ligang returned to the apartment to retrieve tools and a large amount of cash. Peng Zhaolin soon discovered a clue: the upstairs and downstairs apartments seemed to share the same drainage system. As he went upstairs, he happened to encounter Deng Ligang. Deng responded calmly to Peng’s questions before leaving the community and driving away.
Peng Zhaolin then entered apartment 402, where he found no one home. Cautiously, he entered the bathroom and discovered a large amount of blood and a meat grinder. The victim's dismembered body parts were scattered throughout the apartment. Peng asked the residents of apartment 401 about their neighbors and learned they hadn’t seen anyone. Realizing the long-haired man who had just claimed to be from 401 was lying, Peng identified him as a suspect.
While Deng Ligang and his accomplices were fleeing, they encountered a highway roadblock. The group began to panic but managed to slip through due to a conflict that arose behind their car. The police later conducted a thorough inspection of vehicles entering and exiting the highway but found no leads. Records showed that apartment 402 was rented under the name Li Jianfeng.
Peng Zhaolin called the listed phone number, but the person on the other end didn’t believe he was a police officer. When Peng located Li Jianfeng, Li claimed his ID had been lost a long time ago and denied any involvement. Peng revisited the crime scene and unexpectedly found Shi Bi’s driver’s license. In the car fleeing Snow City, Shi Bi, Deng Ligang, and Song Ying each harbored their own thoughts.
Shen Xia, who had witnessed the discovery of the dismembered body, was deeply disturbed. She could only prepare vegetarian meals for her family, claiming she couldn’t stomach meat for half a month. Peng Zhaolin felt the same, and when his wife, Cheng Guo, served braised pork, he gagged at the sight of it. The father of the victim, Huang Ying, was located. Upon hearing the news of his daughter’s death, he was unable to accept it.
Numerous fingerprints were found at the crime scene, many matching Deng Ligang’s. Additionally, it was discovered that Song Ying’s real name was Song Hongyu, further connecting Deng Ligang and Song Hongyu to the crime. Deng Ligang and his group used Li Jianfeng’s stolen ID to open a bank account containing a significant amount of cash. They withdrew money as they traveled, while Peng Zhaolin and his team pursued them. At this point, only 3,000 yuan remained in the account.
Deng Ligang and his group displayed strong counter-surveillance awareness. Five minutes ago, the account had been used to withdraw money in Liangxi, frustrating Peng Zhaolin. Meanwhile, Ji Dashun killed another woman, dismembering her and disposing of her bones at a bone-processing shop, by the roadside, and even in a garbage truck—his actions were extraordinarily brazen.
Episode 2 Recap
Deng Ligang discovered that Ji Dashun had killed someone, dismembered the body, and disposed of a whole piece in a garbage truck. When he got home, he immediately beat up Ji Dashun. Ji Dashun begged for mercy repeatedly, and Shi Bi and Song Hongyu intervened to stop Deng Ligang, preventing him from killing Ji Dashun. The DNA test results came back, and Peng Zhaolin confirmed the information with the victim’s father.
He planned to take his daughter’s clothes back for a proper burial. Peng Zhaolin discussed with Cheng Guo about his duty to work on New Year's Eve. Cheng Guo wasn’t happy, but knowing she couldn’t rely on him, she bought tickets and took their son to her parents' house for the New Year. However, on New Year's Eve, Cheng Guo and their child arrived at the duty room. When Peng Zhaolin saw them, he wasn’t happy; instead, he was angry.
Their presence put them at risk, as they were being watched. Cheng Guo didn’t say much, left the food behind, and walked out. Cheng Guo and Peng Zhaolin had been childhood sweethearts, growing up together. Cheng Guo’s personality was never very feminine, and she had a broad outlook on life. On New Year's Eve, Song Hongyu said she missed home and wanted to call her family. Deng Ligang refused.
Song Hongyu’s face immediately darkened, and Shi Bi quickly tried to smooth things over. There was some relationship between Deng Ligang and Song Hongyu, but it was a delicate one, and everyone feared Deng Ligang. Deng Ligang’s cousin, Huang Laoqi, came to deliver dumplings to Deng Ligang’s mother. Peng Zhaolin had been on watch all night but hadn’t seen Deng Ligang. Deng Ligang was very filial, so Peng Zhaolin bet that he would return.
Deng Ligang disappeared, saying he would be gone for two or three days. He had driven back to Snow City. Deng Ligang’s brother, Deng Lide, was released from prison and returned home. Shortly after, Huang Laoqi took Deng Ligang’s mother out, saying he would take her to meet someone. Peng Zhaolin immediately followed and arrived at the village.
Huang Laoqi and Deng’s mother happily left the house, but when Peng Zhaolin entered the house and inquired, he was told that they had just come for medical treatment and there was no sign of Deng Ligang. Deng Ligang took Huang Laoqi to the police station for questioning, asking if anyone had seen him. Huang Laoqi had already prepared an alibi. Peng Zhaolin reminded him that Huang Laoqi had a criminal record.
The team called to say they had seen someone who looked like Deng Ligang on the way back, so Peng Zhaolin rushed there. However, when Deng Ligang realized the situation was off, he sped off in a truck. The police chased after him, not stopping any vehicles, but Deng Ligang recklessly rammed into them, eventually causing a car crash. Deng Ligang managed to escape. Two police officers were rushed to the hospital, and Peng Zhaolin arrived there as well.
Yang Bo was in critical condition due to massive blood loss. Peng Zhaolin had forgotten about Huang Laoqi at the police station. The station chief personally escorted him away, and because of the injuries to the two officers, Peng Zhaolin was unable to stay calm. The station chief decided to assign the case to other colleagues. Peng Zhaolin was removed from the special investigation team, and the station chief received orders to transfer and would leave the next day.
Dejected, Peng Zhaolin was advised by Cheng Guo to take two days off to rest and spend time with their child. Deng Ligang managed to escape back home. Peng Zhaolin invited his colleagues out for a meal, but they showed little interest. Outside, Zhen Zhen passed by and bought an ice cream. At that moment, Peng Zhaolin had no idea that, three days later, Zhen Zhen’s parents would contact the police, reporting that she had gone missing.
Episode 3 Recap
Zhen Zhen's story begins with her mother using connections to get her into this prestigious high school. A new school and new classmates made Zhen Zhen think it was a fresh start, but little did she know, it was the beginning of a nightmare. A male classmate, Zhou Yue, had become friends with Zhen Zhen and offered to tutor her at home over the weekend. One day, Zhen Zhen’s mother entered her room without knocking and began scolding her.
Zhou Yue had given Zhen Zhen a keychain for her backpack, and this seemingly innocent gesture triggered unexpected emotions in Zhen Zhen’s heart. However, Zhen Zhen never expected that the keychain would spark jealousy among the other girls at school. After school, some of them cornered her in an alley and bullied her. Zhen Zhen didn’t back down; she grabbed a bottle and hit one of them on the head, causing blood to pour out.
She managed to escape their clutches. As a result, Zhen Zhen’s mother had to pay 5,000 yuan in compensation. When she returned home, she forced Zhen Zhen to kneel and began lecturing her. She even said things like, "Why do they pick on you and not others? " Zhen Zhen was frustrated—why was her own mother siding with others instead of her? At that moment, Zhou Yue arrived at the house to tutor Zhen Zhen.
When he saw her kneeling on the floor, he quickly left. Zhen Zhen had lived with her grandparents until she was ten, then moved back to live with her parents. Although she had only been with them for seven years, it felt like a lifetime. Zhen Zhen had no way to release the frustration and hurt she felt. The next day, Zhen Zhen bought an ice cream and sat by the roadside, where she met a boy who had skipped school.
Because of her mother’s behavior, Zhen Zhen had developed a lot of rebellious feelings. The two hit it off immediately. The boy took her to eat hamburgers, but a classmate saw them and spread rumors that Zhen Zhen was skipping school to go on a date. When Zhen Zhen returned home, she was once again scolded by her mother. At the dinner table, Zhen Zhen’s mother went on and on, berating Zhen Zhen and her father.
Zhen Zhen refused to go back to the tutoring class, leading to another argument. She returned to her room, listening to the sound of her mother flipping the table in anger. The next day, the girls in her class not only gossiped behind her back but also mocked Zhen Zhen to her face. Zhen Zhen’s mother wasn’t having much success at work either.
She received a call from Teacher Chang, who said he had seen Zhen Zhen with a boy at a fast-food restaurant. Zhen Zhen quickly denied it, explaining that they had only been eating hamburgers and weren’t on a date. Zhen Zhen’s mother assumed Zhou Yue was the boy in question. When she saw him, she grabbed him by the collar and warned him to stay away from her daughter, then slapped Zhen Zhen across the face.
Stunned by the slap, Zhen Zhen dazedly fled from the scene. That evening, when Zhen Zhen returned home, she discovered that her mother had sold her novel and art book. Filled with anger and resentment, with nowhere to release her emotions, Zhen Zhen tore down all her certificates on the wall and burned them. Zhen Zhen’s mother thought the house was on fire and quickly knocked on her door. Zhen Zhen said she couldn’t face going to school anymore.
Her mother, however, called her an ungrateful child, slapped her again, and then kicked her out of the house. In the middle of the night, Zhen Zhen actually left. She packed all her belongings and left home. Later that night, Zhen Zhen’s mother considered knocking on the door to apologize, but ultimately she didn’t. Unbeknownst to her, Zhen Zhen had already left Snow City, alone, and boarded a train out of town.
Deng Ligang and his group decided to relaunch their activities, and Zhen Zhen, now on her own, arrived in Licheng. She went to look for Ding Yachun but was told that Ding had gone to Shanghai for college.
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