Chapter 18

At 6:50 PM, Qin Lang had hurriedly rushed to the biological specimen laboratory.

"Qin Lang, you're here—oh!"

Tao Ruoxiang was standing on a stepladder, organizing specimens. Hearing Qin Lang's footsteps, she turned to greet him, but unexpectedly, the stepladder slipped as she turned, causing her to fall sideways along with the ladder, and she let out a scream in fright.

"What a great opportunity!"

Qin Lang, who had just entered the laboratory, was overjoyed at the sight. He couldn't believe his luck; a scene that only happened in movies was now unfolding right in front of him. This was clearly a perfect chance for him to be a hero and save the beauty!

Without a moment's hesitation, Qin Lang darted forward, agile like a leopard. Just before Tao Ruoxiang hit the ground, he lay down on the floor, allowing her to land safely on him.

Qin Lang could have moved even faster and caught her around the waist in a dramatic fashion, but he didn't. He didn't want to overdo it and scare Tao Ruoxiang. Besides, lying on the ground and serving as a cushion for her was a delightful task. Even through their clothes, the full-body contact made Qin Lang feel incredibly euphoric, and he wished he could lie there forever, never getting up.

However, Tao Ruoxiang had excellent self-control and didn't give Qin Lang any time to create an intimate atmosphere. She immediately got up and apologized, "Sorry! The ladder didn't hit you, did it?"

"No problem at all," Qin Lang replied with a concerned look. "Aunt Tao, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks to your quick reflexes. Thank you," Tao Ruoxiang said, then quickly shifted the topic. "The school has acquired a new batch of insect and butterfly specimens to enrich the biological specimen laboratory. I know you have a lot of knowledge in this area, so I asked you to come and help with the organization, classification, and display."

"Enrich the laboratory, what a nice way to put it. It's just to应付上级检查、做做样子嘛," Qin Lang said with a smile. "I didn't expect our Teacher Tao to be so pretentious."

"Regardless, it's a good thing for the students."

"I don't know about others, but for me, it's definitely a good thing!" Qin Lang said earnestly. "If it weren't for these specimens, I wouldn't have the chance to assist Aunt Tao."

"Stop being a smart aleck! Get to work! There are hundreds of specimens here." Tao Ruoxiang handed a box of specimens to Qin Lang. "Pay attention to the labels on each specimen. Don't make any mistakes, or people might say I'm incompetent."

"Don't worry, I won't make any mistakes!"

Qin Lang's performance in other subjects was abysmal, but his knowledge of biology was even better than the class representative's. He could identify various specimens without even looking at the labels. For those with missing labels, he could correctly find and reattach them. Tao Ruoxiang watched as Qin Lang systematically organized and placed the specimens, and she couldn't help but nod in approval, thinking that he truly had a specialized skill in biology.

Not only was Qin Lang knowledgeable in biology, but he was also very efficient. Soon, the specimens were neatly arranged on the display shelves.

"Teacher Tao, this butterfly specimen is labeled incorrectly," Qin Lang said, holding up a beautiful butterfly specimen.

"Come down and tell me, be careful," Tao Ruoxiang instructed, not wanting him to repeat her earlier mishap.

No matter how thick-skinned Qin Lang was, he couldn't bring himself to fall and tackle Teacher Tao. He nimbly slid down the ladder and handed the specimen to her. "Teacher Tao, the label says this butterfly is called 'Damo Swallowtail,' but it should actually be called 'Jade Spot Swallowtail.'"

"Are you sure?" Tao Ruoxiang asked skeptically. "There are about 14,000 species of butterflies worldwide, and both of these butterflies belong to the Swallowtail family. How can you be certain it's the Jade Spot Swallowtail and not the Damo Swallowtail? Don't tell me it's just because this butterfly doesn't have a picture of Damo on it!"

Qin Lang couldn't help but laugh at Tao Ruoxiang's sudden wit. "Heh... The Damo Swallowtail has nothing to do with the monk Damo. As for the Jade Spot Swallowtail, it does have a connection to monks—"

Qin Lang deliberately paused, creating suspense.

Tao Ruoxiang was intrigued and couldn't help but ask, "What connection? Don't joke with your teacher."

"The Damo Swallowtail has more spots and more vibrant colors. The Jade Spot Swallowtail, on the other hand, has fewer spots and less vibrant colors. The most obvious difference is that the Jade Spot Swallowtail has two white spots on its hind wings, which look like two monks sitting back-to-back in meditation. They even resemble the Japanese monk Ikkyu, so it's also called the 'Ikkyu Butterfly.' Look, don't these two white spots look like two little monks playing 'Brokeback Mountain'?"

Tao Ruoxiang examined the specimen carefully and nodded with a smile. "They do look like little monks. Qin Lang, I really admire your ability to distinguish butterflies this way—though your thoughts are a bit dirty. Saying that little monks play 'Brokeback Mountain' is really mean."

"That's normal. If Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, a pair of star-crossed lovers, can turn into butterflies, then the little monks from 'Brokeback Mountain' can certainly turn into butterflies too. We shouldn't discriminate against homosexuals. Even if they can't be a pair, they can at least sit back-to-back."

"You, you—do you have any other interesting stories to share?"

"..."

As they worked and chatted, Qin Lang felt the distance between him and Tao Ruoxiang narrowing. This made him realize he still had a chance, and everything seemed to be moving in the right direction.

One by one, the specimens were placed on the display shelves, and the distance between them seemed to be closing.

"This is the last box of specimens. You handle it. I have something to take care of outside. Is that okay?" Tao Ruoxiang received a call and was about to leave.

"No problem." Qin Lang took the last box of insect specimens from Tao Ruoxiang.

"Remember to lock the door when you leave," Tao Ruoxiang reminded him before turning to leave.

With Tao Ruoxiang gone, Qin Lang quickly finished placing the specimens. However, he didn't rush to leave. He decided to wait a bit longer, just in case Tao Ruoxiang returned early. As he had said before, he wasn't one to do things without expecting anything in return.

Qin Lang wandered around the specimen laboratory and was drawn to a seemingly unremarkable specimen.

This specimen appeared to have been recently completed. Inside the transparent box was a dried "love mosquito"!

Qin Lang's observation skills were sharp, and he was almost certain that this was the love mosquito he had poisoned. He never expected it to end up in Tao Ruoxiang's hands and become a specimen.

"Has Tao Ruoxiang noticed something?" Qin Lang suddenly felt uneasy.

Qin Lang wasn't afraid of Tao Ruoxiang discovering his secret, but he was worried that her curiosity might lead to her getting hurt or even killed. The old poisoner was ruthless and decisive. If the old poisoner realized Tao Ruoxiang knew Qin Lang's secret, Tao Ruoxiang would be in grave danger!

"Maybe it's just a coincidence?"

After a while, Qin Lang calmed down. He thought he might be overthinking it. After all, he and Tao Ruoxiang hadn't known each other for long. The "love mosquito" was from his first class with her, and at that time, she probably didn't have much of an impression of him.

"It must be a coincidence!" After some thought, Qin Lang was confident in his conclusion.

Next to the specimen preparation table, the desktop computer's indicator light was still on. It seemed Tao Ruoxiang had forgotten to turn it off. Qin Lang moved the mouse, and the computer came out of sleep mode. He was about to shut it down when he remembered Andesheng. He opened the browser and typed in "Xiaoyang City," "Andesheng," and "Pure Beauty Bay."

Soon, Qin Lang found some useful information.

But at that moment, Qin Lang received a call from Han Sanqiang. After a brief conversation, Qin Lang said, "I'll be right there."

{Piaotian Literature}