Chapter 83
The crowd dispersed, and the studio returned to its empty state, leaving only the overly clean air after the cleaning and the silent, flashing red lights of the surveillance cameras. Qi Jin didn't leave the control room; on the screen in front of her, the video of Su Xiao calmly narrating while displaying the feather bookmark was playing repeatedly. Over and over again.
Her fingertip hovered over the pause button, the image frozen on Su Xiao's slightly lowered eyelashes and the faded metallic feather in her palm. It was too perfect. Perfectly understated, perfectly safe, perfectly…flawless. Like a test-taker who precisely answered every pre-set question on the exam paper, without exceeding the scope, without making mistakes, even the intensity of the emotional expression was just right.
The more perfect it was, the deeper the thorn pierced Qi Jin's heart. This wasn't the demeanor a twenty-three-year-old should have when sharing old objects with even a modicum of meaning. Even the most introverted and taciturn person, when mentioning old gifts that carried the expectation of "possibilities," should at least have a slight ripple in their eyes or tone—whether it be nostalgia, self-deprecation, or a faint regret. What did Su Xiao have? Only a precisely calculated, gentle calm.
She was covering up. Or rather, she was acting. Acting out the reaction expected of an art history student named "Su Xiao".
But what about Su Xiao stroking a cat on the street corner at dusk, Su Xiao deftly catching a pencil on her toes in the surveillance footage, and those subtle habits that naturally flow out and fit perfectly with the memories of Shi Ye?
Two completely different "Su Xiao" clashed fiercely in her mind. One was a meticulously constructed character, the other a mystery that occasionally revealed its true nature.
The encrypted internal communicator on the table vibrated, and a green light flashed. It was her trusted confidant, whom she had sent to handle the biological samples.
Qi Jin answered the call immediately and said without any preamble, "Speak."
"Mr. Qi, we've received the items." The other person's voice was very low. "After her event today, Su Xiao bought an Americano at the coffee shop downstairs, using one of their ceramic mugs. After she left, our people, posing as employees, retrieved the mug, which hadn't been cleaned promptly, and extracted residual oral mucosal cells and fingerprints from the rim. It's already been sent to our partner private lab for expedited processing. We should have preliminary DNA and fingerprint analysis reports within 24 hours at the earliest."
"Create a separate file for the fingerprints and conduct a preliminary comparison with the existing database," Qi Jin instructed. "DNA sample..." She paused, reaching for a small, locked metal safe beside her. She entered the password, opened it, and inside was a vacuum-sealed bag containing the moon necklace and the safety amulet. After the explosion, she had her most trusted experts meticulously clean them, but theoretically, extremely minute traces of the original owner's biological remains—such as DNA from skin flakes or sweat—could still remain in the extremely subtle bends of the necklace clasp and the hole through which the jade clasp was threaded. This was originally a last resort she had kept for unforeseen circumstances.
She stared at the two items in the sealed bag, their surface gleaming faintly yet stubbornly under the light. Should she use them for comparison? Compare them to Su Xiao, who might be an enemy, or perhaps harboring a shocking secret?
The risk is extremely high. If Su Xiao is Qin Ming's person, then this comparison operation itself could expose her focus and the "trump cards" she possesses. If any "anomalies" appear in the comparison results... then what is being opened might be a Pandora's box that even she might not be able to control.
But a strong, mixed feeling of doubt, inquiry, and a slight unease she herself didn't want to delve into drove her. She needed an answer. A definitive, scientific answer to anchor her reason, which was almost being torn apart by those "familiarities" and "perfect performances."
"DNA sample, use Plan B," Qi Jin finally said in a deep voice, her tone cold and resolute. "Ensure absolute secrecy in the lab, complete process isolation, and only be responsible for the final data report. I need to know whether Su Xiao's DNA, and... archived sample K, has any connection beyond random probability." She didn't directly say "Shi Ye," but used the internal code name. Archived sample K refers to those trace biological samples carefully extracted and sealed from the necklace and jade clasp.
"Understood. The entire process is encrypted and will only be reported to you." The other party replied crisply and then ended the communication.
Qi Jin leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Her temples throbbed. She was taking a huge gamble. The stakes were the embers of emotions she had buried deep in her heart for five years, her unwavering pursuit of the truth behind the explosion, and the final test of her judgment.
If the comparison results are completely unrelated, then Su Xiao is Qin Ming's meticulously crafted pawn, a terrifyingly well-imitated imitation. She will spare no effort to remove this poisonous nail and, through Su Xiao, tear apart Qin Ming's disguise.
If there is a connection... even a weak one, one that cannot be explained by common sense...
Qi Jin suddenly opened his eyes, stopping himself from thinking any further. He couldn't make assumptions, he couldn't expect anything; he could only wait for the cold, hard scientific data.
She needed to do something else to distract herself from the anxiety that was almost overwhelming her.
Her gaze returned to the monitor screen, fixed on Su Xiao's calm face in the still frame. Perhaps... while waiting for the results, she could test this "perfect" assistant Su from another angle.
She recalled Su Xiao mentioning during her sharing that she "stumbled into studying art history" and that "at least I was once expected to succeed." An idea quietly took shape.
She sat up straight again and began drafting an email, sending it to the person in charge of "Tracing the Light Space," with copies to Teacher Wang and Su Xiao. The email was formally worded, written in the name of the project supervisor, expressing the hope that the next activity could be more "professional" and "inspiring." It suggested that, in conjunction with "Assistant Su's background in art history," participants (mainly Shi Ye) be guided to engage with some "reproductions or high-definition images of classic artworks related to memory and emotion," and to provide simple descriptions or associative feedback. She even "casually" listed a few directions: for example, Munch's "The Scream" (expressing inner anxiety), Van Gogh's "Starry Night" (emotional vortex), or certain surrealist paintings (exploring the subconscious).
The core of the email was a seemingly casual suggestion: "As the person with the most relevant professional background, Assistant Su can prepare some simple background information and open-ended questions in advance to better guide the conversation."
This is a reasonable suggestion for project optimization, and also a new "showcase" tailor-made for Su Xiao. Qi Jin wanted to see how Su Xiao would react when the topic shifted from safe personal belongings to more abstract artworks that were more likely to touch upon deep emotions and memories. What would her professional competence be like? More importantly, what subtle tendencies, which she herself might not be able to fully control, would she reveal when guiding the original owner (the original owner) to confront these intense emotional images?
Email sent successfully.
Qi Jin turned off the monitor screen, plunging the control room into darkness. Only the faint glow of the instrument indicator lights illuminated her sharply defined profile and the unfathomable pool of determination and confusion in her eyes.
24 hours.
A silent gene comparison was conducted in a sophisticated laboratory.
A psychological test is about to unfold beneath the surface of art and emotion.
Meanwhile, Su Xiao, at the eye of the storm, had just returned to her rented apartment and was taking the feather bookmark out of her canvas bag, her fingertips unconsciously tracing its worn edges. She was completely unaware that her DNA was being sent to a laboratory to be compared with the residual traces of another "self"; nor did she know that the next, seemingly professional but actually perilous test revolving around art had already been quietly arranged.
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