Cao Yin

As a reporter who covers crime stories and focuses on the rule of law, I am interested in watching related TV programs and films, and it is also a family pastime. While viewing such shows, my husband, a math teacher at a Beijing high school, and I like to analyze the plots together, and we even have heated discussions about some of the legal issues in various series.

He asked if I had encountered dramatic cases like those in the shows in my work, and I explained the legal knowledge and practice behind the plots. For example, while we were watching Who is He?, a new TV drama that tells how the police captured a serial rapist and killer eight years after he had committed the crimes and disappeared, I shared my knowledge of how technology is increasingly being applied in criminal investigations nationwide.

The drama also illustrated a big change in police investigations in the 1990s: a call for public security departments across the country to implement the principle that "No punishment should be given in cases where there is doubt."

We discussed this principle while watching the program, and I told my husband that I had spoken with a number of police officers who always uphold it to prevent miscarriages of justice.

Our exchanges about these dramas are not only a way for my husband to learn about how judicial departments work and for me to improve my reportage, but also a good way for us to get to know each other even better. Put simply, it helps keep our marriage fresh.

After eight years of living under the same roof, the time when we were curious about each other and constantly talked has already passed. Usually, we are exhausted from work and just laze on the sofa, checking our phones in silence.

I must thank these TV dramas because they have helped break the silence and create new topics for us to talk about. They also allow us to be interested in each other during the viewing process.

No matter whether we talk about the plots, the performances or legal issues, communication is the first, vital step to maintaining our good relationship.