Synopsis for
The Equation of Love and Death (2008) More at IMDbPro »Li Mi de caixiang (original title)

Kuming known as a city of spring all year around, people were leading hard lives. Hobos set foot in drug trades wishing to make a proud coming-back-home; policeman dug into crime cases while trapped in divorce; poet in old fashioned sunglass jumped off the bridge committing suicide. However in the cruel reality, there are people who believe and expect love could save them, bring hopes to their life.

Li Mi, a young taxi driver who has been waiting for her disappeared fiancé Fang Wen while receiving his letters randomly, encountered two male drug dealers, the older one named Qiu Huogui experienced and cruel, the other young man Qiu Shuitian innocent and looking for his adorable girl named Xiao Xiang. At the same time, a drug deal called Ma Bing partnered with his girlfriend Ai Feifei coming to Kuming for the last deal and anticipating a brand new life, got the suicide poet fall down on their car unexpectedly, while being witnessed by Qiu Huogui and Qiu shuitian. Connected by the death of a poet, Li Mi, Fang Wen ,Ai Feifei and these two criminals were involved in a crime and a confusing case.

The scene starts with Li Mi in a loose male style shirt, counting and reasoning the number of letters received from Fang Wen, figuring a stubborn girl. Both Li Mi and Fang Wen were ordinary people who had failed in University National Entrance Exam. Fang Wen had said the only luck thing in his life was having Li Mi by his side. However their marriage were disagreed by Li Mis parents. Leaving a promise of coming back to run a tiny shop together, Fang Wen left Li Mi to make money, while Li Mi became a taxi driver. Fang Wen had never showed up again except for sending Li Mi letters telling her every detail in his daily life and his efforts to come back to her in Kuming; Li Mi believed in him, and waited with hopes; she lived by herself, without dating any man in four years.

Life was bitter to a young female taxi driver, her car broke down on the street; she went into trouble with aggressive strangers; she was carjacked by two nervous and desperate drug dealers. They robbed Li Mi and forced Li Mi to a remote countryside. She was totally freaked out at the beginning. However when she found they took and lost her magazine filled with all the Fang Wens photos, she was enraged and gained enormous courage burst out shouting at them to find the magazine back to her. But she was just a skinny girl that she was put in worse danger. Cleverly and bravely Li Mi broke her hand by the car door on purpose and pointed at the bloody police number 110 written by her wounded finger on the out side of the car door to the man worked at the gas station. When Qiu Huogui left the car for a while, the young man Qiu Shuitian asked her to tell the girl who Li Mi described as Xiaoxiang working in a Sichuan Restaurant near Li Mis apartment, that wait for him. He walked out of the car, and let Li mi go. Qiu Huogui failed to catch her car. She escaped.

After several sleepless night, Li Mi was finally called by the policeman Ye Qingcheng one day. She was showed the drug in dead Qiu Huoguis body and forced to see the survival Qiu Shuitian who wouldnt provide any information until he talked with Li Mi. Even caught by the police, the only thing Qiu was caring was what Xiaoxiang replied after Li Mi met her. But it was the thing kept Li Mi afraid of seeing him. I have never met your Xiaoxiang. Now many girls are speaking in that tone. I just joked with you. Finally the policeman Ye Qingcheng gave Qiu Shuitian a fake address of Xiao Xiang and successfully got the information of the drug deal.

Dramatically, mentioned in the report of Qiu Shuitian, Ma Bing was called to the police where he met Li Mi who recognized him as Fang Wen at the first sight. However he strongly denied it. Li Mi followed him repeating his letters. The man she has waited and looked for 4 years was finally in front of her, how could she accept his claim of being an unknown man named Ma Bing to her? Woman won't stop until she got the answer. Soon, the police dug out the fact that Fang Wen was the real identity of the fake one Ma Bing.

On the bridge, Ai Feifei asked Fang Wen if he really likes her? He hugged her and replied, if he had not met Li Mi, he would fall in love with her. He jumped off the bridge and witnessed by Li Mi driving though coincidently.

In the end, Li Mi watched the tape cassette left by Fang Wen. It was the first time also the last time, Fang Wen, instead of Ma Bing, talked to Li Mi face to face. Then the raw video images showed Li Mis life recorded secretly by him. She smiled she cried. He had watched her with love in a distant.

Identity has become a interesting issue in the movie. AI Feifei said she just knew the present Ma Bing; Fa Wen exists in Li Mi's meomories, expectations and a cassette tape. Even though speaking in a popular tone among girls, Xiao Xiang's voice just sounds uique to Qiu Shuitian. (By Amy Loa)