Chapter 23

After that, Fang Lingying was a bit surprised to find that after entering the hometown city, the two of them actually lived in a relatively close area.

It hadn't been too long since he left, and the familiar city layout didn't make Bak feel lost. However, from a distance, the atmosphere here was completely different from what he had experienced in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. A vibrant vitality was contained in the rapidly expanding city, a feeling that had grown stronger since he entered the country. Everywhere was developing at a high speed, in stark contrast to the sluggish and lazy impression of the country he had previously lived in.

He had just driven into the inner ring road when Fang Lingying, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "Where do you live?"

Bak didn't hide anything: "Railway Workers' Fifth Village." It was a relatively backward area in the western suburbs of the city.

Fang Lingying's eyebrows shot up, and she leaned forward to look at Bak's face: "You... are a railway worker?" Bak's face, now dark and somewhat mottled, looked almost as old as forty!

Bak nodded indifferently and prepared to pull over, considering the ride to be over.

Fang Lingying felt the car slowing down and patted her hands: "Just keep going, I'm not far from there either."

Bak continued driving. Unlike on the national highway, although Bak knew most of the routes in the city, a few one-way streets were pointed out by Fang Lingying. This also showed that both of them were familiar with the area, especially women, who are often directionally challenged.

Fang Lingying's attention, as before, was deliberately focused on observing Bak's face, but she was ultimately a bit disappointed. When the Jeep stopped by a residential area, Bak briefly said, "I'm here, thanks," and opened the door to get out. His face showed no particular excitement.

It seemed that the difficult return to his hometown, or the few days of carpooling, didn't evoke any emotion on that somewhat stern face. After all, she considered herself a frequently admired beauty. This journey could be considered a romantic encounter, but it was so casual. If the other party were a handsome, wealthy, and refined young man, it would be one thing, but in this situation, Fang Lingying felt a bit superior. How could she be ignored like this?

Watching the gradually receding figure still wearing the sportswear she bought, Fang Lingying, who had switched to the driver's seat, suddenly felt a bit indignant and stuck her head out: "Aren't you going to thank me more?"

Her voice was truly unladylike. Bak, who was already walking on the roadside, was taken aback. Really, even the underwear was bought by her. He couldn't think of anything else to thank her for, so he turned around and bowed sincerely before leaving.

Fang Lingying blinked a few times, stunned for a moment, then huffed and took off her sunglasses, started the car, and drove away. In fact, after turning two streets, she drove into the Art Academy...

Of course, Bak's sincere gratitude to Fang Lingying came from here.

But what about Fang Lingying?

Too many question marks!

Picking cotton now seemed like a joke. In the northern region, grilling meat was more reliable. The strong ultraviolet rays there could easily tan someone like this.

Of course, driving well was a bit special, but it was still within the norm. Moreover, Bak had been silent all along, showing no abnormality.

Living in the same area, if that could be considered a bit of fate.

Not being uncomfortable with the things she dealt with in her work meant a lot of fate.

Of course, the rough and rugged northern grilled meat and the completely bourgeois homemade Tiramisu cake, both coming from this man's hands, seemed quite mismatched, which was why she felt a bit surprised.

From Fang Lingying's heart, she felt this was the difference between Bak and herself.

Self-proclaimed as a bourgeois, she wouldn't reject grilled meat, but in most cases, grilled meat and Tiramisu wouldn't be served together, right?

It was a matter of pairing.

People with some knowledge of art often fuss over this, a bit obsessive-compulsive. If the pairing isn't good, it's better not to have it at all.

So now, seeing Bak's reaction was a bit awkward: "Most people are shocked when they come in, even the others from the Art Academy."

Bak watched with interest: "No problem, no problem. Is this white... and yellow due to different races? I remember skulls are all white, right?" He had blown open many skulls and was very familiar with the color of bone fragments. The color difference between these skulls was too great.

Fang Lingying swallowed a small mouthful, probably the only two oddballs standing there who could swallow rather than vomit: "The white ones are bleached, making it easier to see the bone points... Some are soaked in preservatives, which makes them darker, and some are soaked in formaldehyde by the police, which makes them even darker."

Bak's attention was on the skulls, almost eye-to-eye with the black holes of the skull's eye sockets: "Oh, I see. I thought you were a police officer, hanging out with those two cops."

Fang Lingying finally explained herself: "I'm on the police payroll, but I'm a doctoral student. I also help teach students in the sculpture department, but I'm not an art student. I'm in forensic medicine, sent here to study for a professional doctorate. My main topic is skull reconstruction, restoring the appearance of skulls from crime scenes, along with other forensic identifications." No wonder she had some say in the police system; such a specialized field was easily respected.

Bak actually whistled loudly, feeling quite comfortable for the first time in a long while. He was originally a lively and mischievous young man: "Not bad, not bad..." He turned to look at Fang Lingying: "Aren't you hungry? Eat something, don't mind me. No wonder you're so brave."

Fang Lingying felt a bit embarrassed: "I didn't mean to tease you, just to explain." She really started eating, the projector still showing exploded skulls and severed limbs, and she could still eat sweetly!

Bak waved his hand without turning around: "No problem, this mask can be worn on the face, right? Did you make this?" He curiously picked one up and tried it on his head like a hood.

Fang Lingying slurped a fried enoki mushroom into her mouth before speaking: "Theoretically, yes, but I make them to fit over the bones, replacing the skin and muscle layer. Wearing it on the face would be too bulky and thick." When it came to her specialty, she was clearly serious.

Bak nodded in understanding: "That makes sense. So, if you were to make a fake face mask, it would be easy to spot?"

Fang Lingying was truly professional: "Making a whole fake face is exaggerated in movies. The bone points are the same, so it looks fake. To really change, you'd have to work on the hair and muscle layer, maybe some local patches... Why are you interested in this?"

Bak bluffed: "I often cut meat from cattle and sheep, and I often skin their heads, just thinking to myself."

Fang Lingying still had doubts: "No, I've never seen you talk this much!"

Bak was surprised at his sudden enthusiasm and fell silent, preparing to leave. Fang Lingying regretted: "Oh, if you want to look, just look. It's rare to find someone willing to look." This profession was mysterious and noble in theory, but in practice... 99% of people would find it terrifying. Even her colleagues, like Xiao Shao, had hinted that she should stop playing with skulls after a promotion.

Bak said less, just looking, occasionally touching. He was really familiar and fond of these things. After looking at a few rows of skulls, he focused on the nauseating projection slides, studying each one carefully.

After all, none of the non-bone photos sent to Fang Lingying were complete. Some were even extremely terrifying, with faces blown apart. Fang Lingying knew them all: "These are from car accidents, a few unidentified, requiring facial reconstruction to find the families, not too detailed. These are from assault cases, requiring more precision. Oh, these are internal secrets, don't look." Probably no one liked to look, she almost forgot her confidentiality rules.

Bak really stopped looking, just touching the skull on the middle rack, with some wet clay attached, clearly what Fang Lingying was working on. No wonder her blue coat was often dirty: "Is this what you're working on? You've been quite busy these days, many cases?" Didn't think there were so many unsolved murder cases in the country?

Fang Lingying was proud: "I'm one of the best in the country. Several provinces come to me, and I went on a business trip to the northern region last time..." She laughed: "The boxes in my trunk are all skulls. Anyone would be scared, right? You really know your limits, not sleeping in the car."

Bak felt this girl was a bit mischievous, wanting to laugh but holding back. He touched the skull again, feeling a sense of familiarity.

Fang Lingying was a bit talkative: "Actually... these days, I've been busy with just one, too damaged, very troublesome to repair."

Bak, using the dim room light to hide his hesitation, eventually focused on the skull. The entire left lower jaw was shattered, missing a large piece. Clearly, Fang Lingying was using wire and clay to repair the left side, but the right temple to the eye socket was missing, and some blunt force trauma had damaged the connection point of the right lower jaw to the skull. Without symmetrical points, it was impossible to reference what the lower jaw looked like, which would greatly affect the final appearance. Bak saw several sketches of the lower jaw on the white paper on the rack, probably trying to find the most suitable one.

Bak didn't understand the anatomy of bone points. He knew bones for killing, so he preferred to touch. He subconsciously touched the left lower jaw a few times but resisted, finding it difficult to move away from the skull, like pulling a gambler away from the table.

Fang Lingying's mood was clearly better: "Many people think I'm a freak!" She didn't say that relatives who knew her work never wanted to shake her hand or touch her.

Bak didn't think so: "In the future, I can deliver food to you. I see your eating schedule is quite irregular." The corner of the room was piled with instant noodles and snack wrappers.

Fang Lingying was actually proud: "It's good for weight loss. I even dance with the skeletons to lose weight!" At this moment, she felt no barriers or defenses towards Bak. For someone in her special field, it was rare to meet someone without any reservations. In the sculpture department, no one was like her, specifically dealing with bones, especially skulls. Even if her human head sculptures were the most realistic, they weren't recognized in the sculpture department. So, she had few people to talk to in the sculpture department. Meeting someone like this and becoming friends, Fang Lingying felt lucky.

There were almost a hundred skull-like objects, and only two full skeletons, clearly one male and one female, which made Bak feel a bit uneasy: "Alright, any time, morning, noon, or night. If you need food, call... um, this is my home phone." At this moment, Bak felt he really needed to buy a phone.

After writing the number on a piece of white paper, Bak hurriedly said goodbye, afraid he couldn't control his mouth.

Besides, Fang Lingying's phone rang, and she waved goodbye and left.

This was different from her expectation that he would stay a bit longer, feeling a bit puzzled as she answered the phone.

PS: Always bothering everyone for recommendations, really, it's important~~

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