Pei Qingyu

Biodata

Background / History

Pei Qingyu attended formal banquets with his older brother from childhood. He met Zhou Yang through these social gatherings and once punished him for bullying others, beginning a grudge that persisted into adulthood. Pei Qingyu avoids explaining his family background when Song Ranran asks about it 48 50.

He met Xun Yin at the public security university during the Special Case Team’s recruitment process. Xun Yin remembers finding Pei Qingyu watching him after his tracking and investigation test. Pei Qingyu later emphasizes that meeting Xun Yin there was his own choice 25 50.

Six months before the opening chapter, Pei Qingyu was shot through the chest while protecting his withdrawing teammates and fell into a river. He survived after extensive emergency treatment but spent the following six months hospitalized. The injury permanently damaged his heart, leaving him with lasting complications when he returned to work 1.

Appearance

• Features: Exquisite, delicate features, with gentle eyes and brows that are explicitly described as not feminine 1.
• Build and complexion: Thin and very fair-skinned; illness leaves him conspicuously pale 1 10.
• Hair: Medium-length hair falling to his eyes 34.
• Relative height: Despite standing 180 cm tall, he is about half a head shorter than Xun Yin 18.
• Notable outfit: During his solo approach to the underground bars, he wears suit trousers and a white shirt beneath Xun Yin’s oversized black coat, draped over his shoulders 34.

Personality

Pei Qingyu frequently uses teasing to reassure people or defuse tension. When Xun Yin becomes distressed by his diagnosis, he repeats Xun Yin’s own comforting words back to him. He also ruffles Xun Yin’s hair, jokes about his protectiveness, and openly enjoys making him flustered 1 5 24 31.

He is protective of both colleagues and vulnerable suspects. He takes an attack rather than dodge into Su Xiaochen’s path, orders the team not to shoot the disoriented attacker, and patiently comforts Song Xiao during a traumatic recollection despite her painful grip on his wrist 18 22.

His determination to continue investigating repeatedly overrides concern for his health. He conceals symptoms, bargains for discharge, and seeks medication to keep working despite dangerous weakness. Privately, he resents that his heart prevents him from using fighting skills he still possesses 7 9 10 12.

His willingness to suffer for evidence and other people becomes a source of conflict with Xun Yin. Pei Qingyu hides his PTSD and initially tries to soothe Xun Yin’s anger without understanding its cause. Later, Xun Yin’s unfamiliar emotional distance leaves him unsettled and considering whether to move out of his home 33 41 45.

Abilities & Skills

Forensic Medicine

Pei Qingyu is an experienced forensic examiner and Su Xiaochen’s teacher 1.

• Estimates time of death using corneal changes, ambient temperature, and the behavior of lividity under pressure 2.
• Recognizes that cold conditions can delay corneal clouding, correcting another examiner’s assessment 2.
• Examines wound direction to identify likely self-inflicted cuts 19.
• Performs postmortem suturing 21.

Observation and Deduction

He reconstructs crimes from physical traces, inconsistencies, and suspects’ behavior.

• Finds ice and pooled water behind a thick curtain at Lin Zhou’s crime scene 3.
• Challenges Shi Qian’s claimed identity by examining his clothing, nicotine stains, and smoking habits 7.
• Infers that Shi Qian returned to the kitchen to check something hidden there, then discovers a hollow section of wall 7.
• Deduces that Lin Zhou was killed with a melting ice bullet fired from a concealed, low-powered gun, explaining both the missing projectile and the importance of the early-morning temperature 13.
• Has taught Xun Yin about microexpressions, which Xun Yin later applies while questioning Song Xiao 24.

Combat and Weapons

Pei Qingyu retains agility and combat proficiency after his injury, but sudden heart pain can interrupt otherwise effective movements 7 11.

• Uses kicks, joint control, and evasive movements in close combat 7 11 18.
• Shoots a knife out of an attacker’s hand to protect Xun Yin 12.
• Throws a scalpel accurately enough to kill an armed attacker 37.
• Catches Xun Yin’s thrown handgun and shoots two gunmen while holding their escape route open 37.
• Acknowledges that Xun Yin is the better marksman 40.

Command and Field Coordination

• Directs evidence collection and assigns investigative follow-up even while awaiting medical transport 7 8.
• Uses himself as bait while arranging for Xun Yin to circle behind and track his position 13.
• Orders Wang Yu to withdraw from a suspected drug den and alert the narcotics unit without alarming its occupants 33.
• Plans remote technical support and sniper coverage for the Zhu family banquet operation 50.

Limitations

• Tracking and navigation: Repeatedly loses the trail or heads in the wrong direction; Xun Yin guides him through the factory grounds 25.
• Carsickness: Reading an autopsy report during a long drive worsens his nausea 5.
• Physical endurance: Prolonged standing, exertion, cold, and respiratory irritants can make continued fieldwork unsafe 3 6 9 23.

Health

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Heart medication — Carries emergency tablets, sometimes administered beneath his tongue. After an early attack, Xun Yin begins carrying an additional supply 7 21 32.
• Scalpel — A familiar tool and combat weapon. Xun Yin brings one into the underground bar because Pei Qingyu generally dislikes carrying a gun unless the situation is serious 36 37.
• Handgun — Uses one during armed confrontations, including the shipping-container pursuit and the underground bar escape 12 37.
• Xun Yin’s black coat — Left in the car for him to use as a warm blanket; he later wears it over his shoulders while approaching the bars 34.

Relationships

• Xun Yin — Deputy captain, close investigative partner, and primary caregiver. Pei Qingyu calls him “A-Xun” and initially treats him as a younger teammate to look after. Their closeness develops romantic undertones, while concealment of Pei Qingyu’s illness and self-endangerment repeatedly strain their relationship 1 2 31 33 45 50.
• Pei Qingyan — Older brother and narcotics officer. He monitors Pei Qingyu’s recovery, challenges his attempts to obtain risky medication, and arranges for Song Xuanmo to call him when Pei Qingyu asks to borrow a phone 1 16 45.
• Song Xuanmo — Attending physician and longtime family acquaintance, addressed as “Brother Song.” He treats Pei Qingyu’s recurring crises and tries to stop him from leaving the hospital before he is fit 9 10 29.
• Su Xiaochen — Apprentice in forensic medicine. Pei Qingyu defends his qualifications, guides his work, and reassures him after shielding him from an attack 1 3 18 19.
• Song Ranran — Technical specialist under his command. She supports his investigations through tracking, research, surveillance access, and backend operations 9 13 41 50.
• Lin Shichu and Wang Yu — Teammates entrusted with field investigation, arrests, and operational support 12 18 33 50.
• Zhuo Wumian — Recurring adversary whose attacks connect current investigations to the operation in which Pei Qingyu was shot. He exploits Pei Qingyu’s injuries and willingness to sacrifice himself 13 14 15 41.
• Zhou Yang — Childhood acquaintance who resents Pei Qingyu for stopping his bullying. Their adult confrontation includes an assault and accusations about Pei Qingyu’s relationship with Xun Yin 47 50.

Story Role / Major Arcs

“Who Pulled the Trigger”

Immediately after discharge, Pei Qingyu joins the investigation into Lin Zhou’s apparent gunshot death. Evidence from the scene leads to Shi Qian, who traps him in a burning kitchen. Pei Qingyu survives and preserves a cigarette butt that helps identify Shi Qian, whose activities point toward a larger organization 1 3 7 8.

The investigation’s tracker leads Pei Qingyu and Xun Yin to shipping containers associated with his earlier trauma. Pei Qingyu exposes Zhuo Wumian’s ice-bullet method, but Zhuo escapes into the water. Xun Yin subsequently links the investigation to the case from six months earlier 13 14 15.

“Who Broke the Glass”

The team investigates a blood-soaked apartment, poisoning, and Song Sheng’s disappearance. The pursuit leads to a factory confrontation involving chloroform and a reservoir rescue. Pei Qingyu and Xun Yin later expose Song Xiao’s use of her sister’s identity and press both sisters about Zhang Zhao’s death and two missing syringes 18 19 25 27 29 31.

The stolen syringes lead to an underground bar controlled by Zhuo Wumian. Pei Qingyu and Xun Yin survive staged roulette games and armed attacks, but Zhuo forces a choice between evidence and escape. Pei Qingyu retrieves both syringes through an electric current and gives up his medicine in exchange for Xun Yin’s survival. He ultimately survives cardiac arrest and emergency surgery 33 36 37 39 40 41 44.

“Who Lost Their Property”

Following another discharge, Pei Qingyu intervenes when Zhou Yang causes trouble at the Special Case Team. Their confrontation exposes their childhood hostility and prompts Xun Yin to defend him. Pei Qingyu then helps organize an investigation at the Zhu family’s lavish banquet celebrating Zhu Qi’s company going public 47 48 50.

Notable Quotes

“It’s all right, A-Xun. Your captain’s here. Don’t be afraid.” 1

“The case from six months ago isn’t over yet, and innocent people are still being implicated. So, I won’t kill you, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let you go.” 14

“Sure. Just don’t lose your captain.” 25

Trivia

• He keeps a cactus because it can survive without regular watering 18.
• A video of him reciting the Criminal Law as a student becomes study material for Xun Yin. Pei Qingyu cannot remember when the recording was made 47.