The Long Night (沉默的真相)

Adapted from Zijin Chen's novel The Long Night Is Hard to See, this 12-episode drama opens with a seemingly straightforward case: a renowned lawyer, Zhang Chao, is caught at a subway station with a suitcase containing a corpse. He confesses to the murder, but abruptly retracts his confession in court, providing a solid alibi. The victim is identified as Jiang Yang (Bai Yu), a former promising prosecutor who was once imprisoned for bribery. Assigned to investigate is the seasoned detective Yan Liang (Liao Fan). As Yan Liang digs deeper, he uncovers a conspiracy spanning a decade. The series uses three parallel timelines to reveal how Jiang Yang, along with a forensic doctor and a policeman, sacrificed their careers, reputations, and families over ten years to uncover the truth behind the death of Hou Guiping, a young teacher. Unwilling to let the truth die with him, a dying Jiang Yang orchestrates his own "murder" to force a national investigation into the case, finally bringing the long night to an end.

The 12-episode series (approx. 45 min each) is structured around three intertwined timelines:

• Act 1: The Unjust Death of Hou Guiping (Episodes 1-4 approx.): In the year 2000, a young teacher, Hou Guiping, is framed for rape and found dead in a river. The case is quickly closed.
• Act 2: The Decade-Long Quest for Justice (Episodes 1-8 approx.): In 2003, prosecutor Jiang Yang is asked by his classmate to investigate Hou Guiping's case. Joined by policeman Zhu Wei and forensic doctor Chen Mingzhang, they dig deeper, only to be thwarted by a powerful conspiracy. Jiang Yang is framed for bribery and imprisoned.
• Act 3: The Final Gambit (Episodes 1-12 approx.): In 2010, a dying Jiang Yang, along with his allies, stages his own murder to draw national attention to the case. Detective Yan Liang's investigation ultimately unravels the entire conspiracy, forcing the truth to come to light.