I thought to myself, Why can't Wang Dali keep his mouth shut? He promised Huang Xiaotao to keep everything confidential, but now he's blabbing everywhere.
Frowning, I explained, "What serial murder case? Don't listen to Dali's nonsense. It's just an ordinary homicide."
The youngest sibling smirked slyly. "Ha, keep secrets from me? Do you even have any privacy in front of me?"
"Can you stop bringing that up? By the way, can you delete those photos you took secretly? They're ruining my reputation," I said.
"No way! Those photos are perfect for my phone wallpaper. Hey Song Yang, why's your butt so white? Born like that?" The youngest teased, winking.
I almost spat out my drink. That guy hadn't had a girlfriend in four years and seemed completely uninterested in girls. Instead, he often acted touchy with guys—especially the 'slightly good-looking' ones. Everyone suspected he had… other preferences.
Sexual orientation is a personal matter, and I'm not here to judge. But the thought of a guy drooling over my nude photos gave me goosebumps.
Then Wang Dali reminded him, "Hey, your 'qinnv' just got taken down by Garen with his big sword."
"Damn it! You just stand there watching? Help me out!" the youngest shouted.
...
Wang Dali shot me a helpless glance and obediently sat down to play for him.
The youngest scratched his head, dandruff falling like snowflakes. I took a step back. He said, "Alright, enough teasing. What do you want?"
"Dali told you, right? I need you to unlock a phone for me."
"No problem!"
The phone lay on the desk. The youngest picked it up and glanced at it. "Easy. Just factory reset it…"
"No way. I need to see what's inside. That's why I'm asking you."
"Where did this phone come from?"
"From the deceased."
"The dead person's phone?!" The youngest gasped, dropping the phone but catching it quickly, then smirked again. "Gotcha! Just kidding."
I was sweating bullets. "Stop fooling around. This phone is evidence for the police."
"Alright, alright, I'll help you."
He grabbed a laptop from the cabinet, connected the phone with a data cable, launched a few programs, and quickly unlocked it.
Browsing the files, he said, "There's too much stuff. Can you handle it all?"
"You don't have to worry about that. Check if there are deleted files and restore everything for me."
"Got it!"
He opened a new program, lit a cigarette, and by the time he finished it, most files were restored. Scanning the screen, he said, "Over forty files. Your turn."
He stood up and let me sit.
Most deleted files were bad photos and downloaded apps, but there was something valuable—a document filled with numbers and letters, like an online order number.
"Hey, help me check this order. What was bought?" I pointed at the document.
"Get up!" The youngest said.
Within five minutes, he found the order details: buyer Deng Chao purchased "pet probiotics, human skin mask, dry ice machine, piano strings, and razors."
I sneered. This order was Deng Chao's smoking gun!
Wang Dali leaned over, asking, "Yangzi, what's pet probiotics for?"
The youngest looked up, "Done?"
"No, your 'qinnv' just got taken down again by Garen."
"Damn it! You're useless. I'm coming!" The youngest rushed off.
I explained to Wang Dali, "The killer used the probiotics to speed up the decay of the skull."
Wang Dali looked confused. "It actually works?"
I hinted, "What do probiotics in the gut do?"
"They break down food into poop."
"And what do cats and dogs eat?"
"Cat food, dog food… meat? Oh, I get it!"
Probiotics in intestines are symbiotic bacteria, but essentially they're decomposers. When a person dies, decay happens because probiotics have no food and start consuming body tissue.
I really had to admire Deng Chao's twisted intelligence—he turned powerful pet probiotics into a potion, applying it to the skull. After just one night, the skull was so rotten even the forensic examiner couldn't detect anything.
Another key clue from the order was the piano strings. I'd been wondering how strings flew around the room, and now I had a lead.
"Damn, just won!" The youngest finally finished and asked, "So, Song Song, was it helpful?"
"Definitely! By the way, how's your Photoshop?"
"How's it?" The youngest laughed arrogantly. "I even Photoshopped Jay Chou's concert tickets to sell. That was my high school masterpiece."
"Impressive!" I said, handing him photocopies of class notes. "Now, I need two favors. Use this handwriting to Photoshop a letter that looks genuine. I'll dictate the content later."
"Two favors? What's the other one?"
"Help me promote this morning's homicide on school forums, WeChat groups, and so on. Highlight how cleverly I helped the police. Make me the campus internet celebrity today!"
The youngest smirked. "Didn't expect you to be so low-key yet ambitious. Why rely on looks when you're going full pro?"
"Don't ask. Can you do it?"
"Piece of cake!" He blew out a smoke ring.
Wang Dali said, "Hey, isn't that breaking Xiaotao's rule about keeping things confidential?"
"No worries. I'm only revealing a little, and it's for the investigation. She'll understand."
The youngest said, "Song Song, you hardly visit me, and now you want me to do three favors at once. How do you plan to thank me?"
"Uh…" I hesitated. "Anything but 'offering yourself.' How about I treat you to a meal?"
"Boring. No deal. No benefit, no help," he shook his head.
"Then how about payment?" I tried again.
"How much?"
"Three thousand yuan?"
His eyes lit up. "Deal! I was about to buy a new graphics card."
Wang Dali laughed, "Spending big, yet always complains about being broke, splitting bills with me, and hesitating over meat dishes."
I sighed. "You know how much my allowance is, right?"
Though my family was well-off, my aunt once read some silly article claiming boys should be raised poor and girls rich. So I only get 1,500 yuan a month for living expenses. Life's tight.
I'd have to shamelessly ask my family for that payment.
While busy, the youngest said, "No money? How about something else? Like letting me take more nude pics? I'm tired of the same ones."
I broke out in cold sweat. "Are you really gay?"
"No! You're all wrong. I'm not gay…" He turned, gave me a sly eyebrow raise. "I'm just interested in you."
I suddenly wanted to smash my head against a tofu block. Wang Dali awkwardly said, "Uh… you two stay here. I'm leaving!"
I glared at him. So unloyal!
I grabbed him. "Don't go. Stay with me!"