Love Me If You Dare Episode 3 Recap
> Love Me If You Dare Recap
Following the disappearance of Xiao Jin, the son of a fish vendor, and the police's request for Bo Jinyan's assistance in a suspected human trafficking case, Bo Jinyan, a highly specialized criminal psychologist, asserted that he exclusively pursued the most heinous and evil criminals, dismissing human traffickers as "trivial" and deeming serial killers his true "specialty."
When his new assistant, Jian Yao, relayed the police's request for a briefing on the case, Bo Jinyan reacted with incredulity, scoffing at the idea of presenting a report on State Road No 108's toll station, contrasting it with his previous presentations at prestigious universities. Jian Yao, however, diplomatically assured the police that Professor Bo would provide a comprehensive explanation upon their return to the office, although Bo Jinyan cynically remarked on her "lies."
Jian Yao later tried to advise Bo Jinyan against his usual sarcasm when dealing with the police, suggesting he answer their questions patiently. Bo Jinyan, however, dismissed her concerns, claiming his sarcasm stemmed from intellectual disparity, not professional arrogance. Despite initial skepticism from some officers, Li Xunran, who had received training from America, found Bo Jinyan's theories plausible and relayed them to others.
Bo Jinyan then elaborated on the suspect's profile, describing him as intelligent and detail-oriented with specific victim preferences. He explained that the perpetrator, a single man likely living near a farmer's market, possessed strong communication skills, luring victims with meals or job offers to a prearranged location within a small, defined comfort zone.
He also noted that for disappearances over two weeks, the probability of murder exceeded ninety percent, and the killer's internal desires would ultimately be reflected in the victims' bodies. Li Xunran supported this by pointing out that all victims were adolescent boys under 160 cm tall, suggesting the suspect was not physically strong and thus chose weaker targets.
A significant breakthrough occurred when a fruit shop owner in Jiaozi Street identified Victim 3, recalling an interaction with the suspect on November 5th, her wedding anniversary, a full month before the boy was officially reported missing. Bo Jinyan had already identified these discrepancies, realizing that in rural areas, fifteen and sixteen-year-old boys are often treated as adults, leading to less stringent supervision and delayed missing person reports.
He then re-estimated the victims' actual disappearance times, confirming that Victim 3 had in fact disappeared before Victim 2, requiring their sequence to be swapped. Jian Yao initially struggled to believe it was a serial murder case, expressing her doubt about such a case happening in their city, but a police officer explained that unlike typical abduction cases targeting younger children or females, these victims were all male adolescents, with no witnesses or transportation evidence, ruling out trafficking.
The deepening investigation increasingly validated Bo Jinyan's assessments. Based on his analysis, Bo Jinyan provided three most probable burial locations, instructing the police to immediately begin their search for the bodies. As night fell, Jian Yao attempted to leave Bo Jinyan's villa, but he insisted she stay. He argued it was impractical for him to drive to pick her up in the middle of the night if a case broke, despite not offering her a bed.
Jian Yao was amused by his apparent lack of gallantry. Later that night, Jian Yao received an urgent call from Li Xunran: a body had been found. Rushing to wake Bo Jinyan, she heard him mumble "Chen Mo" in his sleep, leading her to briefly believe it was the name of his girlfriend.
At the crime scene, Li Xunran urged Jian Yao to leave due to the horrifying nature of the discovery, suggesting it was too much for her to witness. Bo Jinyan, in an uncharacteristic display of concern, also told her to return to the car, which Jian Yao perceived as a sign of his unexpected tenderness. Six bodies were eventually discovered at the site, some already badly decomposed, others more recent.
Forensic preliminary examination revealed the longest death five months prior, the shortest around a week. The cause of death was suffocation, with the weapon identified as a common nylon rope. Each victim had been severed into six pieces—limbs, head, and torso—after death, then meticulously reassembled and buried. Bo Jinyan deduced that this unusual practice wasn't for ease of disposal, but rather indicative of the killer's true enjoyment: pure massacre, not sexual gratification or pleasure from torture.
Based on the freshest victim, who died a week prior, and the shortest interval between deaths being three weeks, Bo Jinyan inferred that Xiao Jin, having been missing for less than a week, might still be alive, though likely not for long. Shortly after, Jian Yao brought new autopsy reports to Bo Jinyan's room and was startled to find him simulating the dismemberment process.
She almost stepped on a turtle, prompting Fu Ziyu to explain that the turtle's name was "Chen Mo," finally clearing Jian Yao's earlier misconception about Bo Jinyan having a girlfriend. Bo Jinyan justified his self-experimentation by explaining the urgency, stating that waiting for official forensic reports would waste precious time to save potential victims. He sought to understand the killer's tools, methods, sequence, and psychological state.
In a subsequent briefing to the police, Bo Jinyan presented his findings: while early victims showed multiple hack marks, the latest victim was severed into six pieces simultaneously. He explained that a lone individual could not perform such precise, simultaneous cuts without assistance. This led him to conclude that the killer had evolved, creating a specialized tool, a "killing machine," to perfectly realize his violent fantasies.
He suggested that the killer's desire to murder might have originated from childhood animal torture, escalating to human victims after a specific stimulus half a year prior, such as a business failure or personal loss. Bo Jinyan then unveiled a model of the crude but effective dismemberment device, confirming it was similar to what the perpetrator must have constructed. Li Xunran quickly noted that such tools were controlled items in China, making their acquisition traceable and a vital lead.
Meanwhile, Xiao Jin’s distraught father, Uncle Wang, approached Jian Yao, begging her to apologize to Bo Jinyan for his earlier rude behavior, fearing it might jeopardize his son’s rescue. Jian Yao reassured him of Bo Jinyan’s dedication. Reports of the "killing machine" spread, causing widespread fear. Soon after, another body was discovered a kilometer from the previous burial site.
This victim, also a male adolescent, was determined to be the very first, having died between January and February of the previous year. However, despite the possibility of DNA identification, a lack of a comprehensive database meant his identity remained unknown.
