It's more beautiful than any butterfly I've ever dissected.
The smell of the chemistry lab made Fan Jinci wrinkle his nose. Disinfectant, acid, and some kind of sweet organic solvent mixed together, stimulating his olfactory nerves. He stood in front of the lab bench, wearing latex gloves, examining Shen Mo's personal belongings—beakers, notebooks, and a box of insect specimens labeled "teaching samples."
"Found it." Situ Jin took out a small glass bottle from deep inside the locker. "pH test strips, and this..." He carefully held up a brown reagent bottle. "Bitter almond extract."
Fan Jinci took the reagent bottle, unscrewed the cap, sniffed it lightly, and immediately frowned: "The concentration is wrong. This isn't ordinary amygdalin." He turned to the young teaching assistant standing in the corner, "Professor Shen, could you explain?"
Shen Mo slowly emerged from the shadows. He was even more handsome than in the photos, wearing a light blue shirt under a white lab coat, his black hair slightly curled, looking like a well-behaved college student. But when he looked up, Fan Jinci unconsciously took a half step back—his eyes were excessively dark, like two starless night skies.
"Those are my graduation thesis materials," Shen Mo's voice was unusually gentle, "about the application of amygdalin in anticancer drugs." He took a step forward, his white coat rustling as it swept across the lab bench. "You must be Dr. Fan Jinci? Qi Lin often mentions you."
Situ Jin warily stepped between the two: "Stand back."
Shen Mo laughed, his gaze passing over Situ Jin and fixed directly on Fan Jinci: "You're really handsome." His voice carried a morbid intoxication, "More beautiful than any butterfly I've ever dissected."
The laboratory suddenly became eerily quiet. Fan Jinci felt a chill creep up his spine—Shen Mo used the word "anatomy" as if he were discussing a meticulously prepared artistic performance.
"What's your relationship with Qi Lin?" Fan Jinci forcefully steered the conversation back on track.
"Lovers, colleagues, accomplices... whichever you prefer." Shen Mo tilted his head, his dark eyes unblinking. "He handles the theory, I handle the experiments. Like..." A strange smile curved his lips, "...like you and Zhou Lin back then?"
The glass bottle shattered dangerously in Fan Jinci's hands. Situ Jin immediately stepped forward: "Dr. Fan, your hand—"
"It's nothing." Fan Jinci loosened his grip, a few drops of blood falling onto his white coat. "Shen Mo, where were you the night of the incident?"
"Dormitory. Alone." Shen Mo's gaze was fixed on Fan Jinci's bleeding hand. "Your hands are so beautiful, with well-defined knuckles, perfect for holding a scalpel... or something else sharp."
Situ Jin couldn't hold back any longer: "Be serious! We're investigating a murder case!"
"Lin Wei?" Shen Mo finally looked away. "She deserved it. Always bothering Qi Lin with questions and even peeking at his notes." He shrugged. "But I didn't kill her. I prefer... slow and steady wins the race."
Fan Jinci suddenly realized something: "You study toxicology."
"My doctoral research topic." Shen Mo smiled. "By the way, you guessed wrong. Qi Lin doesn't know about me and that guy from the physical education department." His smile widened. "Because there's no such thing as a guy from the physical education department, right? You lied to him."
A bead of cold sweat slid down Fan Jinci's nape. Shen Mo was smarter and more dangerous than he had imagined.
"Take him away," Fan Jinci said to the police officer guarding the door. "Test for chemical residues on his fingernails and clothing."
As Shen Mo was being led away, he turned back and mouthed to Fan Jinci, "We'll meet again."
Butterfly.
specimen.
Shen Mo was released due to insufficient evidence.
Yu Yan slammed his fist on the office wall: "Damn it! That guy is definitely suspicious!"
"Of course there's a problem." Fan Jinci stood by the window, the setting sun casting a rosy hue on his pale skin. "But he's too clever; he won't leave any direct evidence."
"The way he looked at you..." Yu Yan's voice choked for a moment, "like he was considering where to make his move."
Fan Jinci did not respond. He recalled the obsessive tone in Shen Mo's voice when he talked about "dissecting butterflies," and the deliberate stare at the scars on his wrists—as if he knew the origin of those butterfly marks.
"I've had someone keep an eye on him," Yu Yan said, walking up to Fan Jinci. "At least until the case is closed—"
"No need." Fan Jinci turned and picked up his coat. "He wants me."
"That's exactly what I was worried about!" Yu Yan grabbed his arm. "That pervert clearly has feelings for you—"
There was a knock on the office door, and Jiang Zhaoyan poked his head in: "Uh... excuse me? Mr. Shen downstairs wants to see Dr. Fan."
Fan Jinci and Yu Yan rushed to the window simultaneously. At the entrance of the police station, Shen Mo was leaning against a sycamore tree, toying with a glass bottle in his hand. Sunlight shone through the bottle, casting eerie blue spots of light on the ground.
"I'm going down," Fan Jinci said.
"No way!" Yu Yan and Jiang Zhaoyan said in unison.
Fan Jinci had already pressed the elevator button: "If that bottle in his hand contains the neurotoxin he's researching, and he breaks it in a crowded place..."
He didn't finish speaking, but Yu Yan already understood. Shen Mo wasn't waiting; he was threatening.
"I'll go with you." Yu Yan followed the elevator.
Under the sycamore tree, Shen Mo's eyes lit up with an alarming gleam when he saw Fan Jinci emerge. He was wearing the same blue shirt as during the day, but now sported a silver butterfly brooch at the collar.
"I knew you'd come." Shen Mo's voice was sickeningly sweet. "To 'protect innocent civilians'?" He shook the bottle in his hand, the blue liquid inside shimmering. "Don't worry, it's just ordinary methylene blue. I'd like to speak with you privately."
Yu Yan stood in front of Fan Jinci: "Speak quickly if you have something to say."
Shen Mo didn't even glance at Yu Yan, his gaze fixed on Fan Jinci's face: "Qi Lin isn't the murderer. I know who killed Lin Wei." He took a step forward, close enough to smell the bitter orange scent emanating from Fan Jinci, "But I want to tell you this privately. Just the two of us... like true colleagues."
Fan Jinci gestured for Yu Yan to step back: "Three minutes."
"No!" Yu Yan growled.
"Time it." Fan Jinci had already walked to the bench next to him. Shen Mo followed him with the joy of a child who had received candy.
On the bench, Shen Mo's knee brushed against Fan Jinci's, seemingly unintentionally: "The butterfly on your wrist... is Zhou Lin's work?" His voice suddenly became professional and calm, "The electrode implantation points are poorly treated, with obvious scar tissue hyperplasia. If it were me—"
"Who is the murderer?" Fan Jinci interrupted him.
Shen Mo laughed: "That guy from the Physical Education Department really exists. His name is Chen Rui, from the school swimming team." He pulled a photo out of his pocket, "It's a record of him and Lin Wei checking into a hotel last month. Interestingly..." His finger traced the blurry figure of a third person in the photo, "...the hotel manager on duty that day was Zhou Lin's sister."
Fan Jinci suddenly looked up: "Zhou Lin has a younger sister?"
"My adopted sister, Zhou Xue. She was in charge of logistics for 'Project Butterfly' when we were at the military medical university." Shen Mo's dark eyes were unfathomable. "She hates you, Dr. Fan. She believes you killed her brother."
In the distance, Yu Yan began to walk towards them. Shen Mo quickly slipped a note to Fan Jinci: "My phone number. You're welcome anytime... to discuss the case." He stood up and whispered in Fan Jinci's ear, "You really should look at your expression right now; it's so beautiful it makes one want to examine every inch of it under a microscope."
Yu Yan pulled Shen Mo away abruptly: "Time's up."
Shen Mo obediently stepped back, but his gaze remained fixed on Fan Jinci: "By the way, did you know that a butterfly's tongue is actually a straw?" He made an unsettling lip-licking motion, "It can extend very long... very deep..."
"Get out!" Yu Yan almost hit him.
Shen Mo laughed as he left, but after a few steps he turned back: "Dr. Fan, be careful of those butterflies that can't fly... they're the easiest to pin to specimen boards."
As the sun set, Fan Jinci stood watching Shen Mo's departing figure, his fingers unconsciously tracing the scar on his wrist. The note was crumpled in his palm, but he had already memorized the number—a certain intuition told him that this case was far from over, and Shen Mo would be the key to the truth... or perhaps the most dangerous trap.
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