Controlled Experiment Chapter 12

Controlled Experiment – 12

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Twins are one of the most fascinating things in the world.

Especially identical twins.

They can look so alike that even their biological parents can't tell them apart. It's like looking into a natural mirror; when one smiles, the other smiles too; when one cries, the other cries too. Sometimes, unless they speak, no one can tell them apart. Their personalities, however, can vary vastly, one might be outgoing, the other introverted; one calm and composed, the other frivolous; one exceptional, the other... inferior. Perhaps the way they spoke and acted, even their inner worlds, might differ. But that can't change the fact that they look the same. And when people like that deliberately imitate each other's way of speaking, behaviour, even clothing, there is no way for a bystander to tell them apart.

Jing Mo looked at his own face in the rearview mirror. Unable to resist, he leaned closer to the window, wanting to get a better look.

Then he touched his chin and suddenly smiled.

"Are you cold?" Du Yusheng took advantage of the red light to turn his head and smiled at the person he thought was Li Yao. "I've turned the warm air on. The weather's turned cold just like that, it's so sudden."

Jing Mo said nothing as he watched Du Yusheng's profile.

"Shall I take you straight home?"

Jing Mo still kept the same posture, looking at him silently.

Du Yusheng felt a little awkward and asked again, "... Or do you have something else to do?"

His flustered expression amused Jing Mo slightly, and he curled his lips into a smile.

"Do you know where I live?"

There was a bit of congestion ahead, and Du Yusheng couldn't help but honk the horn.

"Of course, aren't we neighbours?"

This man's smile was radiant, as though he never had a care in the world.

Jing Mo watched the way his ears flushed red and stood upright, it was amusing. He wanted to reach out and touch them.

Such a fun thing, how did it end up by Li Yao's side? Jing Mo wondered.

Du Yusheng held the steering wheel, waiting for the car in front to move. The mention of this neighbour left him in a sour mood. Last time, because he had broken into Li Yao's place in the night, he had no choice but to buy the apartment opposite. Aside from the deed being in his name, there was absolutely nothing in that place. No renovations, no furniture, just a bare concrete floor and white walls. A completely unfinished apartment. Du Yusheng thought to himself, Surely I can't spend the night on a concrete floor? There probably isn't even running water or electricity in there.

Glancing at Jing Mo's profile, Du Yusheng had the strong urge to ask, Do you have a bed at your place?

But he let the thought go, it was too impulsive. At worst, he'd just sit in the bare apartment for a few minutes and then walk back home.

Unexpectedly, the Li Yao in his eyes seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. Looking him in the eye, Jing Mo leaned over and asked, "Why don't you come up to my place for a bit? I can't just let you treat me to a meal for nothing. Come up for a cup of tea?"

There was a faint scent of cologne on Jing Mo, very light, but Du Yusheng found it rather pleasant. Strangely, despite seeing him so many times before, he had never noticed it.

"Sure, sure, sure."

Du Yusheng said it three times in quick succession.

=========

The last time Du Yusheng came to Li Yao's place, he hadn't had the chance to take a proper look, he'd been far too busy panicking about being caught and trying to explain himself. Now, standing in the entranceway, he kept glancing around Li Yao's apartment. The place looked like something straight out of a renovation showroom catalogue, same style, same furniture layout.

There was nothing to see.

Du Yusheng sighed.

He watched as Jing Mo stood by the entrance cabinet, opening and closing compartments, shifting shelves around. Finally, he found a pair of slippers in the second slot from the bottom and tossed them over.

"Change into these."

He smiled.

It was the same pair Li Yao had worn on his feet last time. They looked warm and cosy.

Jing Mo scratched his face, then walked into the living room, shrugging off his coat and tossing it onto the sofa. The fabric bunched up and crumpled into a mess, but he didn't seem to care. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pants pocket and threw it onto the table.

Du Yusheng was stunned.

He hadn't expected Li Yao to smoke. After all, Li Yao gave off an air of elegance through and through.

With practised ease, Jing Mo lit a cigarette. He looked around for an ashtray, but he knew Li Yao never smoked, so there wouldn't be one in the house. He pulled a glass from under the coffee table and set it on top, then tapped the ash into it. Watching the cigarette tip flicker with glowing embers, he crossed one leg over the other.

"Sit down," he said to Du Yusheng. "What's the matter?"

Du Yusheng shook his head. "I didn't expect Dr Li to smoke."

Jing Mo looked at the cigarette in his hand and exhaled the smoke slowly through his nose with practised ease.

"There's quite a lot you didn't expect..."

Du Yusheng was taken aback and asked, "Such as?"

Jing Mo stared at his own reflection in the glass.

"Such as Dr Li being able to afford a villa and drive a luxury car. Such as money being deposited into your bank account every month. Such as you being separated from your parents and never contacting them again?"

Du Yusheng rubbed his chin, gazing at Jing Mo. He felt that something about Li Yao was off today, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Usually, Li Yao made him feel at ease, even his very breath felt soothing, but now, back in this apartment, even when Li Yao didn't speak, Du Yusheng felt chilled from his toes right up to his chest.

He couldn't explain it.

It just felt wrong.

"How are you so clever?"

Jing Mo smiled, lifting the corners of his mouth and looking at him with raised eyebrows, unabashedly expressing his admiration.

"I thought the two of us were no longer a suspect and a police officer." Jing Mo tapped the ash from his cigarette, looked Du Yusheng straight in the eyes, and raised a finger. "To be honest, whether Luo Daheng is dead or alive has nothing to do with me. Him being alive didn't affect me in any way, and now that he's dead, my life hasn't changed either. The relationship between Luo Daheng and me was always just two parallel lines, private doctor and client. The person who tied us together was you, Du Yusheng."

As far as he could recall, this was the first time Li Yao had called him by his full name.

And yet, it sent a chill straight down Du Yusheng's spine.

"Luo Daheng had a son."

Jing Mo let out a long, drawn-out oh. "You mean Luo Yang?" He smiled. "Luo Yang's a good kid, very obedient. I quite liked him, actually, he's just not very bright." Jing Mo looked at Du Yusheng and added, "Not as clever as you."

"You didn't say that last time."

Jing Mo suddenly laughed, tilting his head and asking, "Really? I've forgotten. What else did I say to you?"

Du Yusheng's ears suddenly turned red.

He had never realised Li Yao spoke so much, or how much he liked to watch him.

After they returned home, his eyes hadn't left him once.

Du Yusheng felt uncomfortable.

He had felt uncomfortable ever since the cigarette.

"You doctors smoke too?" Du Yusheng gestured at the nearly burnt-out cigarette.

Jing Mo smiled, "Someone doesn't smoke, so I'm doing it on his behalf."

Du Yusheng didn't understand what he meant by that. He watched as Jing Mo stubbed out the cigarette, walked into the centre of the living room, went to one of the bedrooms and switched on the light, then came out again shortly after. He did the same with the other bedroom. After the second time, Du Yusheng realised he was looking for the kitchen.

From the kitchen, he opened the fridge and took out a bottle of juice, pouring it into a glass.

His kitchen was spacious, fitted with modern appliances. But from how immaculate everything looked, it was clear the owner hardly used it.

Du Yusheng leaned against the doorway, watching Jing Mo's back. From this angle, with him facing away, that pleasant feeling seemed to return once more.

His physique was striking, neither overly muscular nor too lean, just perfectly balanced.

"Did you know Luo Daheng made a will?"  Du Yusheng said. "He left most of his assets to Luo Yang."

Jing Mo paused what he was doing.

He turned to look at Du Yusheng and smiled.

"Do you think that means Luo Yang had absolutely no reason to kill his own father?"

Jing Mo handed the freshly poured juice to Du Yusheng.

"But what if that will is fake?"

The juice had just come out of the fridge. It was cold to the touch, so cold it sent a chill all the way to the top of Du Yusheng's head.

He never even considered that there might be something wrong with the distribution of the inheritance.

The phone in Du Yusheng's pocket vibrated. He looked into Jing Mo's eyes as he slowly pulled it out and raised it to his ear.

It was Xiao Bai calling.

"Brother Yu, Luo Yang's back."

There was a short pause on Xiao Bai's end.

"But on the way back from the airport... he was in a car accident."

=========

Du Yusheng left. Jing Mo was a little disappointed, he hadn't had enough fun yet, why had he left already?

He looked down at the untouched juice in his hand, downed it in one go, and then wiped the corner of his mouth.

Li Yao's home, like him, was very conventional. That kind of layout was something Jing Mo would never consider using in his lifetime.

Lounging comfortably on the living room sofa with one leg crossed over the other, Jing Mo was in no hurry to leave. He was waiting for someone, only once he saw him would he go.

Ten minutes later, the front door lock clicked.

Jing Mo's lips curled slightly into a smile.

And right before his eyes, someone who looked exactly like him appeared in the doorway.

Jing Mo slowly rose to his feet and walked up to Li Yao, eyes wide as he asked, "Heard you were looking for me?" Then added after a brief pause, "I was worried you wouldn't be able to find me, so I came myself."

Li Yao tossed his keys down at the entrance and reached into the cupboard for a pair of slippers.

"You let him in?"

Jing Mo naturally knew exactly who he meant. The lit cigarette dangled between his fingers as he smiled and replied, "This Du Yusheng, he's quite an interesting person."

Leaning in, Jing Mo got close to Li Yao's ear.

"Tell me, don't we look like a mirror image of each other?"

Li Yao ignored him. He changed into his slippers, then hung his coat neatly in the wardrobe.

"What did you do that night when you went to see Luo Daheng?"

Jing Mo scratched his chin.

"Brother, sometimes I really want to turn you into me. Other than looking the same, there's nothing alike about us."

Jing Mo slowly blew out a ring of smoke.

"Tell me, which one of us do you think will survive to the end?" he suddenly smiled. "The game of death is about to begin, want to place a bet?"

Li Yao stared at him without saying a word.

As though long accustomed to his silence, Jing Mo carried on speaking to himself without thinking.

"Luo Yang was in a car accident. You're a doctor, shouldn't you be at the hospital?" Jing Mo smiled. "If he dies, then the only person left who could have killed Luo Daheng is you."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: May 18, 2025 by Angel

Edited: June 5, 2025 by Angel