The Criminal Records Archivist's Rebirth

Jiang Ling, a veteran police archivist who spent thirty years documenting crimes from 1993 to 2025, dies during a prison riot in an earthquake. She awakens in her younger body on September 10, 1993, in the archives room of the Jinwu Road Police Station. Having witnessed the limitations of her previous life spent behind desks and files, she resolves to leave the archives and work on the front lines to prevent tragedies before they occur. Her first test comes immediately when she encounters a dispute between two fifteen-year-old boys: Liang Jiushan and Qian Darong. Qian Darong, the spoiled son of a textile factory deputy director, has been systematically bullying Liang Jiushan and sexually harassing his older sister, Liang Qiqiao. In Jiang Ling’s original timeline, this unchecked bullying led to Qian Darong raping Liang Qiqiao, her subsequent suicide, and Liang Jiushan’s six-year quest for vengeance that ended in a murder conviction.

At the police station, the case officers, led by the experienced but resigned Wei Changfeng, attempt to mediate the conflict through financial compensation and vague promises from the Qian family. Qian Jianshe and his wife, Zhao Yanhong, use their influence and money to silence the Liang siblings, offering false promises of tuition reductions while hiding the fact that they have been embezzling the orphaned children’s state hardship allowance. Liang Jiushan, feeling powerless and humiliated, is forced to accept the settlement, a moment that Jiang Ling recognizes as the critical juncture where his path toward violence begins. Refusing to let history repeat itself, Jiang Ling intervenes, stopping Liang Qiqiao from signing the mediation agreement and demanding that the case be handled with strict legal and psychological scrutiny.

Jiang Ling takes charge of the interrogation, utilizing her background in criminal psychology to dismantle the Qian family’s defenses. She exposes Qian Jianshe’s empty promises regarding school fees and reveals the embezzlement of the 1,200 yuan hardship allowance, forcing Zhao Yanhong to return the stolen money plus compensation. Through rigorous questioning, she uncovers Qian Darong’s exposure to violent and pornographic materials, his neglectful home life, and his history of sexual harassment against Liang Qiqiao, which had previously been dismissed as teenage joking. Jiang Ling presents a formal criminal psychology assessment to Wei Changfeng, predicting with high certainty that Qian Darong will escalate to sexual assault within six months if not intervened upon immediately.

The intervention shifts the dynamic of the case. Jiang Ling establishes a supervision team at the school and mandates community service for Qian Darong, ensuring that the bullying stops and the siblings receive the financial support they are owed. Liang Qiqiao, empowered by the police’s support, begins to heal from her trauma, while Liang Jiushan finds a new sense of hope and direction, vowing to focus on his studies rather than revenge. Jiang Ling is officially assigned to the case unit, partnering with Li Zhenliang to monitor Qian Darong’s behavior. By altering the course of these two teenagers’ lives, Jiang Ling aims to prevent the tragic chain of events that defined her past, proving that early intervention can break the cycle of crime and despair.