Ayu Welirang

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been on a C-Drama (Chinese drama) binge. Most of them are historical dramas, with only a few modern ones. However, among them, I discovered a hidden gem that might not have been widely discussed amidst the onslaught of “Shine on Me,” starring Zhao Jinmai and Song Weilong. The title of this hidden gem drama is “The Truth Within”, where the main characters are played by Luo Yunxi (Leo Luo), Jiang Qilin, and Cya Liu. Here are a few of my opinions about The Truth Within.

1. Introduction
2. Details
3. Synopsis
4. My Review

Introduction

The Truth Within tells the story of Qi Si Zhe, a forensic medical examiner played by Luo Yunxi. Qi Si Zhe has just returned from a long leave of absence following an accident that killed his girlfriend. Upon his return, he immediately joins the He City Police Department as the youngest chief medical examiner in the Forensic Department.

Upon joining the He City Police Department, Qi Si Zhe immediately clashed with a detective named Han Feng, who was related to the late Yu Fei (Qi Si Zhe’s girlfriend). According to the detective, Qi Si Zhe was too obsessed with Yu Fei’s death and didn’t believe there was a bigger mystery behind the raw diamond case he solved. Throughout the episodes (approximately episode 1 to mid-10 and 11), we will see Luo Yunxi competing theories with Han Feng (played by Jiang Qilin).

Details

Title: The Truth Within
Native Title: 剥茧
Also Known As: Bo Jian , Suo Zheng , 剝繭 , 鎖証 , 锁证
Screenwriter & Director: David Chuang
Director: Chen Kuan Chung
Screenwriter: Wei Tian Yi
Genres: Thriller, Mystery
Format: Standard Series Drama
Country: China
Episodes: 21 (45 min. each)
Aired: Dec 29, 2025 - Jan 9, 2026
Where to watch: Youku

Synopsis

Qi Si Zhe is Licheng Police’s youngest forensic medical examiner. He discovers that there may have been a hidden figure pulling the strings that led to a car crash that killed his girlfriend, Yu Fei, and decides to join He Cheng’s major crimes unit to continue his investigations.

While there, he gets involved in mysterious and strange cases – a body wrapped in cobwebs and a missing body that ends up in the formalin sink in his lab, among others. Together with detectives Zhu Qing Yue and Han Feng, he gets closer to the truth behind Yu Fei’s death, and everything seems to be pointing to the deadly drug ‘original diamond’. (Synopsis Source: MyDramaList)

My Review

The main characters of The Truth Within consist of Qi Si Zhe as the chief forensic medical examiner, and two detectives of the violent crime division, Zhu Qing Yue and Han Feng. Despite having three main characters, Cya Liu herself is rarely highlighted. Occasionally, we get to see Zhu Qing Yue’s quick thinking and actions while chasing the perpetrator. According to her commander, she’s also the one who can defuse the heated situation between Si Zhe and Han Feng. However, Cya Liu’s character development is less noticeable.

Well, the biggest part is undoubtedly the dynamic of the bickering duo Si Zhe and Han Feng. The two constantly bicker because of their respective principles. Si Zhe believes the raw diamond case is unsolved and calmly pursues it using forensic science. Meanwhile, Han Feng, a violent crimes detective, is full of emotions but also establishes a network with underground groups to facilitate the case. These two opposing principles make this drama even more engaging. This is what makes The Truth Within a drama worth watching. When else can you see Luo Yunxi play a serious character? In fact, I prefer Luo Yunxi playing this type of logical character over seeing him in a modern romance drama, like in Love is Sweet with Bai Lu.

The Truth Within is a mix of character and case-driven drama. The volatile dynamics between Qi Si Zhe and Han Feng are tempered by the female detective Zhu Qing Yue (played by Cya Liu). Although the three appear rational in their approach to the case and investigation, each character secretly harbors trauma. This makes this detective story not only a procedural but also explores the dark side of each individual.

The drama also has a number of seemingly unrelated cases, but towards the end of the story, each of these cases is still connected to the development of a new narcotic derived from raw diamonds. A typical drama with a connected case like this reminds me of the MacGuffin plot device. An object or “something” that the detectives are chasing can unlock the entire mystery. By using various plot devices, The Truth Within is my favorite crime drama of 2025. Hopefully C-Drama will release more dramas.

And finally, I’ll give it a bonus rating because the soundtrack is great. Still, I tried searching for it on Apple Music but couldn’t find it. You can try listening to it on YouTube here.

My Rating: