#vengo-gao — Public Fediverse posts

A special team, including prosecutors Lin Zhi Tao and Bai En Yu, fights for justice for vulnerable children amid challenging cases. The drama, "Endless Protection," features unpredictable storylines and strong performances, particularly from Vengo Gao. While some episodes are slow and the crimes hard to watch, it ultimately delivers a fulfilling conclusion.

#VengoGao #EndlessProtection #CDrama #CDramas #Crime #Justice #TV

https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2026/04/30/endless-protection-2025-review/

This CDrama received an 8.3 score at Douban the last time I checked. This is a quality procedural drama about juvenile crime and worth following.

Starring Vengo Gao (Eternal Love of Dream fame), and available on WeTV.

#CDrama #ChineseDrama #VengoGao #EndlessProtection

https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2025/05/25/endless-protection-recap-and-analysis-currently-watching/

Endless protection recap and analysis (currently watching)

Prosecutor Lin Zhi Tao and assistant prosecutor Bai En Yu are members of a special juvenile prosecution team that focuses on the judicial protection of minors. They come across crimes that test their emotional strength, but despite the horrifying cases, they have to fight for justice of one of society’s most vulnerable: The children.

ℹ️ This post is currently being updated as I watch the show. Do return to the page as I will be updating it.

1. Episodes 1-3: Bullies
2. Episodes 4-5: Thieves
3. Episodes 6-9: Boat Trip
4. Episodes 10-14: The past
5. Episodes 15-16: Hoodie girl

Episodes 1-3: Bullies

The crime

A young student is bullied so much that he jumps off a building to escape his tormentors.

We meet our justice warriors

In these episodes, we get to meet our main protagonists, Lin Zhi Tao, a no-nonsense prosecutor, and Bai En Yu, a corrections officer at a juvenile corrections facility.

Originally, I watched this without subs, and since my Chinese reading is shit, I couldn’t quite get most of Vengo’s dialogue. (I love ya, Vengo, but please remove those marbles from your mouth lol).
The crimes are so… difficult to watch (sobs).

But anyway, I really, really hurt when I see young people suffer in any way, even on TV, which is why after the ferocious bullying in the first few minutes of episode 1, I wondered if I could continue. It was heartbreaking, and I was actually quite surprised at how graphic the bullying was.

But I believe it served a purpose. The head bully was hardly remorseful, and when Lin passed a relatively light sentence, I was also as incensed as the mom.

However, the drama shifted to Bai’s perspective, where we see that while he’s tough on his young charges, he is also caring in his own way. He wants the head bully to be reformed—we can see that—but he’s proving to be a tough nut to crack.

Hilariously, Lin and Bai butt heads in episode 3, and since we know they’ll end up in that special Juvenile Crime division that Lin has been transferred to, this is going to be SO FUN.

I can understand Bai’s perspective. In his mind, Lin is just a pencil pusher who doesn’t get to see the young criminals daily. She only knows how to execute the law. While Lin can execute the law according to rigid parameters, Bai doesn’t have that luxury. Kids are already hard to deal with—delinquent kids?? It’ll be interesting to see both of them exasperate each other.

The limits of the law

I wonder if Lin regrets executing the law so rigidly in the bullying case. I can’t decide if what she did was right or wrong because I’m with the mom—8 years is a slap on the wrist for someone who caused another child to jump off a building in desperation to get away.

Lin’s childhood was not a cakewalk

While the cases are so tough to watch, at the start of episode 3, we see siblings who live under the tyranny of their abusive father. I believe that’s Lin, as we later see the child talk to Lin’s superior.

But I wonder if her actions were the reason why she was ostracized by her community—because she dared to sue her dad, and somehow… her mom still defended her dad despite it all… and chose to oust her daughter instead? Oof.

I really love the characters so far, and I especially like the gregarious Bai, who adores his wife. What a refreshing character to take on, and I’m glad Vengo Gao got a chance to play him. I’m so used to seeing him in idol dramas; I hope that he truly makes the leap to the “Uncle Circle” soon, though I’d miss his white-haired Emperors ;D. He’s so far from the usual suave characters he plays that I’m delighting in the chance.

I also like how multi-faceted the drama is. They don’t portray the juvenile delinquents as irredeemable but show that they’re probably the result of their environment. I find myself unexpectedly rooting for them. 🙂

Yes, even the head bully!

Episodes 4-5: Thieves

The crime

Children are being used to rob people. I definitely cried a little (inside, anyway) when I saw how they were “trained” and “punished.” And if that isn’t bad enough, they’re later stuffed in suitcases and sold. I really am wincing at the fact that these are based on real cases. The poor kids :((

Bai’s human touch

Poor Bai—his favourite charge, Lu Sheng, is back in detention. It appears that he’s been forced back into the criminal ring that uses children to steal, and he’s probably not telling the truth because he wants to protect his siblings, family, and the kids in that ring.

Bai has his heart in the right place: he not only cares for the kids but also knows how to read them and get them to reform. However, his hot-headed ways and rough, in-your-face interrogation methods do not work outside the detention centre, methinks. Still, he has street smarts and instincts that the prosecution team doesn’t have.

Like the director said later, she hopes Bai will give the team the “human touch.”

Lin’s methodical way of prying the truth out of criminals can really complement Bai’s out-of-the-box ways.

(I LOLed at Bai’s method to get into Lu Sheng’s family flat after Lin failed. He pretends to be on Lu Sheng’s dad’s side and drinks with him, which incenses Lin’s assistant, who thinks that he’s breaking the law and “drinking on the job.”)

Notes

• Don’t you think the opening sequence is creepy? The crimes that we’ll see in this drama are hinted at in a series of ‘playful’ dioramas. Cute on the surface, but upon closer look, they hint at darker stories.
• I love how Bai dotes on his wife! We all want a hubby like Bai.
• Lin’s request to revoke Lu Sheng’s father’s guardianship—is this another clue that the kid who wanted to sue her father was Lin? I wonder if she’ll succeed.
• Not gonna lie, I thought Lu Sheng would get a harsh sentence. Thank goodness he didn’t, or else I’d wonder what the hell is wrong with the prosecutors (like I wondered in the first ep).
• What in the world was Bai doing on that roof with the drum? Was he beating the drums to give Lu Sheng a soundtrack while he’s testifying before the prosecutors?? ;D

I noticed not only were they using cash but also those old “boring” hand phones! I wonder why I never noticed before, but this drama must’ve been set before 2010.

Looks like Lin’s troubles with the first case aren’t over??

Episodes 6-9: Boat Trip

The crime

A family boat trip ends in tragedy as a child is killed. The culprit appears to be a young girl, but our prosecutors are not that sure.

I kinda like the office

Our heroes have a rough start to the latest arc. First, Lin had to save the mother of the dead bullied kid from swan diving off the same ledge her son did. Then Bai realised his dream job is a dream – the kind you can only appreciate when you are asleep! He’s flabbergasted that the prestigious job he had fought so hard for has an office in a janitor’s store room. But at least it’s roomy and has an ensuite toilet!

The criminal isn’t as obvious as I thought

This arc got me thinking that some people just shouldn’t be allowed to procreate. Honestly, I really disliked the little girl bully so much that I was convinced the arc was all about how to convict a child psychopath and the ethics of doing so.

But it turned out that the true psychopath was the father of the kids, who made my skin crawl with his selfishness.

His mistress wasn’t any better, her having colluded and even pressured the father to kill the kids. Her begging to be let off from the death penalty towards the end made me shudder a little at her selfishness.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the little girl bully is going to grow up normal. Pretty sure she’s going to be a full-blown narcissist when she grows up and do something criminal.

And thus I go on a philosophical bent thinking how society’s ills often stem from shitty parents, and if only we had an AI for that to anticipate or predict bad/evil parenting …

Some other notable stuff

• I have to say this is such a creative way to interrogate kids.

• We get a clue what the diorama opening scenes are for! As the psychologist explains, it gives children a safe way to talk about the harrowing things they’ve gone through. As I mentioned in the last recap, each toy in the opening scene signifies a crime, and this time, it’s a boat and two empty life vests. (oof)
• We get confirmation that Lin is indeed that girl who sued her father and sent him to prison.
• We also find out that her family ain’t that grateful for her actions.
• So, in that sense, this case is really meaningful to Lin. That scene where she flinched at the sight of the wire coat hanger. Phew.
• Bai continues to demonstrate that his bad temper is not an asset in the interrogation room (I wonder if he’ll be dinged for that in future episodes). However, his out-of-the-box detective work, instincts and deft ability to handle young juvenile kids is definitely an asset to his more by-the-book teammates.
• Narcissists are often paired with Enablers and the father’s mother is an Enabler with a capital E. Lin and Bai got extremely frustrated by her not doing anything to prevent her grandkids from being abused. I got wanted to throw something at her when she said her son was a “good man, it’s just that he loses his temper”. Eurgh (screams into pillow). I think Lin is especially upset about this because, and I’m guessing, it reminds her too much of her mother who begged the police to release her husband.

Who is the mysterious kid in the hoodie?

By the way, there is this mysterious kid who spoke to the bullied kid’s mum, and I wondered if she somehow goaded her to jump off the building?

Even Lin remarked that the woman was probably being manipulated into doing so.

Are we dealing with a genius kid psychopath or something?

Episodes 10-14: The past

The crimes:

A teenager is about to be prosecuted … for running a porn distribution ring.

Teen biker gangs are causing havoc and Bai Enyu wants to solve this problem without the law stepping in.

Don’t do porn, ‘mkay?

These episodes are relatively placid and less intense than the earlie episodes. (You know what this means—intense, heart-wrenching cases are coming soon!)

I have to say, my main reaction to the porn ring story was, wait, omg you can go to jail for this in China? Half the world would be in prison if this was a law in their countries!

But the distinction to be made here is that prosecution only happens if you profit from it, and this teenager has been earning money from his chat porn distribution ring.

Meanwhile, we’re introduced to his rather unstable tiger mum who screams at him the moment he shows interest in a friend who happens to be a girl? Geez, no wonder he’s turning to porn, mum.

Anyway, our prosecutors are pleading for leniency from the government as he seems to be a good and smart kid. Prosecution could mean that his life is ruined forever, after all.

Our second case is a little more serious but not intense either. Instead the case offers an insight on Bai. Well, our cheerful detective/prosecutor was a delinquent himself!

However, he turned into a new leaf when, during one of his fights, a friend was killed and another was maimed. And it was kinda sweet that his wife was a part of the gang, which meant that she was his childhood sweetheart.

On the whole, I found the biker arc predictable, but it’s nice to see Bai talking to a modern, younger version of his teen self, and being able to stop him from ending up hurting someone (and possibly derail his life).

Bai tries to play therapist to Lin (spoiler alert: not working well)

We also find out that Prosecutor Lin has a problem with her brain. Like, a physical one, in case you’re wondering.

Bai also finds out that the shop he’s been patronising and where Lu Sheng, his reformed delinquent progete works – the owner is Prosecutor Lin’s brother.

This becomes a rather awkward moment for Prosecutor Lin when she comes face to face with a brother she’s been estranged from for 16 years. Little brother has a big heap of resentment against his sister for leaving the family.

These episodes were slow, and it took me a while to get through them. But I did like the character moments in episode 14, especially with Lin and her brother. Bai in his bull-headed way tries to force a reconciliation which goes as well as you can imagine.

I suspect that Lin feels immensely guilty for what happened after reporting her father and putting him in jail. It didn’t help, from what I can see, that the family didn’t support her decision but turned against her instead. It was the right thing, but it resulted in ostracisation from the community and the very people she tried to protect. After a betrayal like that, can you blame her for staying away?

My thoughts so far
This arc was rather boring, to be honest, but maybe it’s due to my short-attention span brain being distracted by prettier fare like Feud and The Princess’ Gambit.

Still, it’s again, delightful to watch Vengo Gao in such a good role. I’ve only seen him as an aloof heavily emperor, an aloof kinda-vampire and aloof swordsman – you get the idea. So, to see him just let loose as the brash, hot-tempered but good-hearted corrections officer is such a delight.

I’m also liking how each case isn’t predictable. I always think that I have pinned down the culprit, only to be surprised each time.

And after watching the chaos that is The Princess’ Gambit and other idol dramas, I really appreciate the plain ol, logical and good scriptwriting. You do wonder why idol dramas just can’t do this while dramas like these can?

Episodes 15-16: Hoodie girl

The crime
Prosecutor Lin is lured to the KTV lounge where she had caught the business hired under-aged girls. There, she ends up being trapped in a burning building.

No guesses who the culprit is: Hoodie girl, Ning Kaitong (Li Xi Yuan).

She’s young, not even of legal age, but frighteningly smart.

So smart, in fact, that her psychopathic, serial-killer-like behaviour is deeply concerning.

We’ve seen her from the very beginning of the series, appearing near people connected to Prosecutor Lin’s cases. She goads the victims into doing terrible things, even attempting to convince a woman to commit suicide. These actions are undeniably scary.

Yet, what I love about this show is that they could still make me care for a character like Kaitong.

She’s not acting this way purely because she’s psychotic, but because she’s extremely bitter.

Prosecutor Lin sent her mother to prison, and she blames Lin for destroying her family.

This resentment comes to a head in these episodes when she lures Prosecutor Lin to a KTV building and sets it on fire.

Lin nearly dies but is saved by his brother. The only silver lining is that this incident finally forces Lin and her brother to reconcile. (I found it hilarious that Bai’s earnest efforts through food and meet-ups failed but a burning building succeeded.)

Meanwhile, Kaitong’s malicious ability to frame others for murder and manipulate people into deadly situations is something our prosecutors cannot ignore.

I’ll admit it now, I’ve never hated a minor character so much. Kaitong shows no remorse, fully believing that Prosecutor Lin deserved it and smugly smiling when the rest interrogate her, revelling in the fact that her youth protects her from tougher actions.

She smirked when they were forced to let her go. And, honestly, I thought this was the route the drama would take – we would see her going through counselling and “education”, and by the end of her arc she’ll be remorseful and sorry. Urgh.

(Fortunately, the prosecutors were as hard-assed as I was and tried to find a way to rein her in. I mean, seriously, having a kid who nearly killed someone grow up to adulthood and become god knows what is a scary thought.)

At that moment, I thought, “This girl belongs behind bars. She’s a danger to society. And this whole arc is about tossing her in jail. Bring it on!”

But Show surprised me again by giving me a twist that made me feel sad for psycho hoodie girl.

Throughout the series, we get hints that Prosecutor Lin is keeping a secret for the girl’s mother—one that the girl probably should know.

However, the prosecutors eventually find a way to hold her accountable. They discover she’s not the biological child of her parents—she was adopted and is actually older than she appears. This means she can be prosecuted.

When she’s brought in, she’s still smug, believing that she’s already accomplished her primary goal of hurting Prosecutor Lin.

But then, the secret comes out: her mother had assisted her father in committing suicide to secure insurance money for her education. Her mother went to jail for this, and before dying, she urged her daughter to live a good life and asked Lin to keep her true intentions a secret.

The tragedy hits hard when the girl realizes she has wasted her parents’ sacrifice.

As she stood in the dock, hearing her sentence, she broke down, understanding that everything she did was for the wrong reasons.

Worse, her mother’s sacrifices and suffering were in vain. All her mother and father wanted was for her to have a good university education so that her smart brain could be used to build a better life. Instead, Kaitong used her intelligence to destroy the lives of others, and ultimately, her own. She wasted not just her life but her parents’ lives.

For Kaitong, there’s no worse punishment than realising that her actions rendered her mother’s suffering useless.

Will she get to be a productive member of society once she’s released? The stain of “attempted murder” isn’t something you can rub off easily, especially in a strict society like China’s. I doubt she can be a leader in the government, or even in corporations … what a waste of talent.

This storytelling is what I love about Endless Protection – it’s never straightforward. There are red herrings, surprises, and layers to every mystery.

This arc wasn’t violent, fortunately, nor was it action-packed, but the final scene at the courtroom delivered such a punch: Don’t waste your life. Don’t waste your intelligence on revenge and evil.

And can I say that I’m amazed by the young actress’ performance? In fact, all the young actors in this show were absolutely brilliant. If there’s one reason to watch Endless Protection (among many) it’ll be this.

#bookReview #CDrama #CDramas #China #ChineseDrama #ChineseDramas #Crime #entertainment #ModernCdrama #novel #Recaps #review #romance #VengoGao