Disillusionment

This film (drama)Also known as幻灭，is aMainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At2003Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin Chinese，Current Douban rating0.0(For reference only)。

The story takes place around the Spring Festival at the end of the 20th century in Nanzhuang City, a coastal area of a province in southern China. Just as the Joint Office for Cigarette Counterfeiting in the city is celebrating its initial success and announcing a holiday, the Director of the Municipal Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, Zhao Cheng, suddenly dies in a car accident. This shocking news leaves Lin Miaozhuo, the head of the Consumer Protection Department, who has just been transferred back to the industrial and commercial bureau from the counterfeiting office, feeling bewildered: because just an hour before the incident, Zhao had called someone for an urgent meeting. The public security department has filed a case regarding Zhao Cheng's death as a hit-and-run accident. As the deputy director of the Joint Counterfeiting Office, Lin Miaozhuo, drawing on her experience of working with Director Zhao over the past year, believes that this is not a simple hit-and-run accident, and that the cigarette counterfeiting gang, in order to protect their immediate profits, is likely involved in this "accident." However, Lin Miaozhuo's viewpoint did not receive support from Mayor Zhang Ling. At 27 years old, Lin Miaozhuo is strikingly beautiful and has an extraordinary temperament. At the age of 7, she lost her biological father, Lin Xingshui, who was killed by a hand tractor while "sent-down" in Shizhai Village, Yang County. Shortly thereafter, her mother mysteriously disappeared and was adopted by He Baoshan. Five years ago, she graduated from Beijing University of Economics and Trade and, after returning to work in Nanzhuang City, due to her intelligence and ability, and with strong recommendations from her adoptive father He Baoshan, who was then the director of the county party office, she was promoted by Mayor Zhang Ling and her career went smoothly. Just a few days before Director Zhao was killed, she met insurance broker Chen Dawei during a major crackdown on counterfeit cigarettes. Due to the gratitude and respect for her adoptive father He Baoshan, who is now the county mayor, Lin Miaozhuo has always failed to realize that He Baoshan, while publicly a government official, has been acting as a shield for a counterfeit gang managed by the overseas Chinese businessman Xiang Ming. This laid the groundwork for a disaster in her fate. Xiang Ming was once a close friend of Lin Xingshui and He Baoshan, having sworn brotherhood with them during their "sent-down" days in the same village. At that time, Lin Xingshui was a tractor driver while Xiang and He were responsible for loading and unloading. Due to He Baoshan's reckless driving, an accident occurred that flipped the vehicle, crushed Lin Xingshui, and caused his death because Xiang Ming, with ulterior motives towards Lin’s wife, A Xiu, incited her to ignore her husband’s plight under the pretext of helping He Baoshan escape responsibility. Later, Xiang Ming successfully enticed A Xiu to leave behind her young daughter Lin Miaozhuo and flee abroad with him. After twenty years of hard work, Xiang Ming, who made a fortune in Thailand, was unable to escape the Asian financial crisis and nearly went bankrupt, forcing him to sell his assets and return to Nanzhuang City, where, with the support of He Baoshan, he openly established the "Green Sunshine" Biotechnology Group while colluding with He Baoshan's nephews, Fang Guodong and Fang Guoliang, to engage in illegal counterfeiting activities. The death of Director Zhao Cheng was an extreme emergency measure taken by Fang Guoliang after discovering that Zhao had uncovered his counterfeiting operation. After taking over the Joint Counterfeiting Office, Lin Miaozhuo insisted on uncovering the truth behind Zhao Cheng's death, disregarding the admonishments from her adoptive father and her boyfriend, Chen Dawei, which angered Mayor Zhang Ling. When Lin Miaozhuo, with the support of the head of the criminal police team, Wang Yong, breaks through layers of resistance and prepares to upgrade Zhao Cheng's death case to a criminal investigation, the cunning Xiang Ming hires a professional "scapegoat" to come forward and meticulously fabricates a false narrative of a hit-and-run, causing the investigation to fall back into a quagmire. Lin Miaozhuo continues her investigation into the case, which worries Mayor Zhang Ling that her actions may tarnish the city's work achievements. Thus, under the pretext of sending a documentary on the city’s anti-counterfeiting efforts, "Memorandum of March 15," she is dispatched to Beijing. On the first day of the lunar new year, she departs from her work, family, and friends on an empty train, truly realizing the complexity of anti-counterfeiting work. In Beijing, Lin Miaozhuo, through a mentor from her university, Dai Yingjie, unexpectedly meets Mr. Zhou, who had been involved in cigarette smuggling activities in Nanzhuang City years ago. Mr. Zhou, now the chief representative of a major American company in China, takes an interest in Lin Miaozhuo and promises to assist her with the cigarette counterfeiting work she is responsible for. After returning to Nanzhuang City, to facilitate her work, Lin Miaozhuo immediately competes for the position of deputy director of the municipal tobacco monopoly bureau, which meets with strong opposition from Mayor Zhang Ling. Subsequently, due to the special relationship between counterfeiting office member Li Bin and Xiang Ming’s daughter Xiang Ruyun, Xiang Ming learns of the news and sets a trap, leading Lin Miaozhuo and others to mistakenly raid the "Zhang Family Ancestral Hall" in Guanghua County, Nanzhuang City, resulting in public outrage that creates a significant incident. As a result, Lin Miaozhuo not only misses the opportunity to enter a leadership position in the tobacco monopoly bureau but is also ordered to be suspended. While suspended at home, Lin Miaozhuo does not cease her investigation into the counterfeiting gang. However, what she cannot accept is that the underground cigarette factory she discovers is directly related to her affectionate cousin Fang Guodong, who has taken care of her since childhood! Wang Yong, the head of the municipal criminal police team, after analysis and investigation, especially a re-evaluation of Zhao Cheng’s dying words, also points suspicion at Fang Guodong. Lin Miaozhuo faces a test of emotion and morality. Wang Yong and Lin Miaozhuo were childhood classmates; Wang Yong had once caused Lin Miaozhuo’s punishment due to his youthful recklessness, which left them with a grudge, only to awkwardly confront each other after the death of Zhao Cheng. The public security bureau has obtained conclusive evidence of Fang Guodong's connections with the counterfeiting group and decides to take action; however, Xiang Ming's group also reacts with urgency, deciding to actively dispose of some counterfeiting equipment in order to protect Fang Guodong. This process further exposes Fang Guodong. He can only arrange to be smuggled out of the country. Lin Miaozhuo, in pursuit of the counterfeiting gang's backing, and driven by her memories of Fang Guodong’s care since childhood, disregards her personal safety and heads to the border, intending to convince Fang Guodong to turn himself in. Xiang Ming dispatches bodyguard Bai Yulong to monitor Lin and Fang, so that on Wanwei Island, Fang Guodong, feeling like a trapped beast, finally breaks down before Lin Miaozhuo, with whom he has grown up like siblings. Just as he is awakening to his conscience, Bai Yulong, hiding in the shadows, shoots him with a fatal bullet. Fang Guodong's death suddenly puts Lin Miaozhuo in a perilous situation; on one hand, Xiang Ming arranges for Bai Yulong to abduct Lin Miaozhuo, who has become a key witness controlled by the police, to prevent her from leaking information about Fang Guodong’s escape; at the same time, Xiang Ming contacts Chen Dawei, enticing him to persuade Lin Miaozhuo to stay away from the investigation. Chen Dawei seizes the opportunity to extort evidence against Xiang Ming's group for bribing a scapegoat, compelling Xiang Ming to assist him in investing to establish an insurance website, and both parties ultimately reach a deal for their respective interests. At this time, Wang Yong also tracks down to Wanwei Island, and understanding Lin Miaozhuo's character, he cannot believe that this idealistic, beautiful woman is involved in crime. Li Bin, who has always harbored feelings for Lin Miaozhuo, anxiously searches for her. On a dark and windy night, while being held captive in a dock, Lin Miaozhuo unexpectedly meets her boyfriend Chen Dawei, which brings her immense joy…but after a long conversation that night, she is left in deep anguish as if awakening from a nightmare! She refuses to leave with Chen Dawei, determined to endure her captivity rather than negotiate any conditions with the enemy. Xiang Ming's daughter, Xiang Ruyun—a character with a unique profile—becomes enamored with Li Bin’s coolness and vitality after their chance encounter, subsequently pursuing him relentlessly. Upon learning that Li Bin went to rescue Lin Miaozhuo, she follows him and unexpectedly finds her father's employee in an embrace with Zhao Cheng's daughter, Ping Ping! Given her strong bond with Lin Miaozhuo, whom she sees as a sister, this naturally raises her suspicions. In her clever investigation, she unexpectedly discovers the trapped Lin Miaozhuo and rescues her. Lin Miaozhuo returns to Nanzhuang City, facing an even more unfavorable situation, being under double surveillance by both the political and legal organs and Xiang Ming's counterfeiting gang… As her investigation deepens, internal conflicts arise within the counterfeiting gang due to profit disputes. He Baoshan, in order to maintain the position he has struggled for all his life, decides to push all the blame onto his nephews, the Fang brothers. Meanwhile, Fang Guoliang, still resentful over his brother’s death, is determined to find the murderer. His extreme personality is exploited by Xiang Ming, and he mistakenly directs his vengeance towards Lin Miaozhuo, whom he believes has always been against him as well as his uncle. Taking advantage of Lin Miaozhuo's visit home to see her elderly parents, he detonates a remote-controlled bomb… At the crime scene, the police find He Baoshan's corpse and his wife severely injured, discovering four bankbooks totaling over ten million yuan, all registered under Lin Miaozhuo's name! This turns Lin Miaozhuo into a suspect for having unidentified sources of huge assets. Wang Yong, as the head of the criminal police, faces the perplexing case and finds himself torn between emotions and reason, deciding he must clear Lin Miaozhuo's name and seek justice for her. Severely burned and disfigured, Lin Miaozhuo is rescued by Li Bin and Xiang Ruyun and is forced to hide temporarily; fortunately, she receives treatment from the "Double-Faced Man," Shang Jiusi, whom she met during her adversity, allowing her to settle temporarily. Under the careful care and encouragement of Li Bin and others, she bravely overcomes the life-and-death crisis… Despite the pain of her disfigurement, Lin Miaozhuo insists on returning to Beijing to search for clues about the counterfeiting gang's crimes, accompanied by Shang Jiusi. To ensure safety, Li Bin and Xiang Ruyun return to Nanzhuang City to provide cover for Lin Miaozhuo and Shang Jiusi as they head north. Although Wang Yong is worried about Lin Miaozhuo heading north, he knows that to clarify the situation, it is crucial to find the true culprit and expose the truth. Thus, he intensifies his efforts to capture "Little Brother Ma," encircle Bai Yulong, and dismantle Xiang Ming's faction through counterintelligence, achieving a significant breakthrough in the investigation. At this moment, he learns that a major client, claiming to be Mr. Zhou, has ordered counterfeit cigarettes worth over ten million yuan from Xiang Ming, and soon Mr. Zhou appears in Nanzhuang City accompanied by two bodyguards… All of this comes into Wang Yong's view, casting doubt on Xiang Ming. On one hand, Wang Yong seizes the opportunity to play mind games; on the other hand, Mr. Zhou's group, failing to see the real deal, forces Xiang Ming, who feels cornered, to make a desperate move to secure cash before leaving mainland China. Since returning to Nanzhuang City with Li Bin, Xiang Ruyun not only deeply admires this "hero" but is also highly respectful of Lin Miaozhuo. When she discovers that this female hero in her heart is actually her biological sister, she is determined to secretly aid her sister in clearing her name… yet she remains unaware that the dark hand fighting her sister for her life is indeed the father who loves her dearly. The cunning Xiang Ming sets the meeting place for the payment with Mr. Zhou at an abandoned mountain god temple hiding a secret passage and first sends a seasoned person from the smuggling channel, Lao Qu, to scout the route. When Mr. Zhou sees through this ruse, Xiang Ming, under the immense profitable temptation necessary for his survival, agrees to attend the meeting personally. At this critical moment, Wang Yong receives an anonymous call, obtaining accurate intelligence; facing this exceptionally well-designed internal and external collaboration, Wang Yong is even more pleased to sense Lin Miaozhuo's presence. …In a contest of wits and courage, an intense fight intertwined with love and hatred ends with the destruction of the counterfeiting gang. Throughout this thrilling process, Lin Miaozhuo painfully witnesses that the very person who assisted Xiang Ming in escaping was none other than her boyfriend, Chen Dawei! In the hospital's intensive care unit, He Baoshan's wife, Lin Miaozhuo's adoptive mother, finally awakens. Although she clears Lin Miaozhuo of the accusations surrounding the four hefty bankbooks, she says nothing about her deceased husband He Baoshan's sins during his life… On Tomb-Sweeping Day in 2001, Lin Miaozhuo, whose appearance has been restored through surgery, visits the grave of Zhao Cheng, the former director of the municipal tobacco monopoly bureau, who lost his life in the fight against cigarette counterfeiting, accompanied by Wang Yong, Li Bin, and Xiang Ruyun. The four young people, having been tempered by the fight against counterfeiting, step into the future of their lives with more mature strides.