Love Me If You Dare Episode 4 Recap
> Love Me If You Dare Recap
Li Xunran informed Bo Jinyan about the discovery of a child's corpse in the suburbs, believed to be the killer's first victim. Bo Jinyan expressed deep interest in this initial victim, explaining that understanding the first one could reveal the perpetrator's motives and psychological needs.
He theorized that such a killer, lacking experience in abduction, would likely choose a victim they knew, someone familiar and easy to target, suggesting the victim and murderer had a pre-existing connection, such as being neighbors, acquaintances, friends, or even relatives. The identity of this child remained unknown.
At the burial site, only a severely rusted pencil case was found, along with a pair of pants that were too long for the victim, suggesting the pants did not belong to the victim. Autopsy results indicated the victim was around 154cm tall. Jian Yao photographed the rusted pencil case, and later, her sister Jian Xuan recognized it as a prize issued by a local school.
Jian Yao visited the school, where Uncle Guo, a school staff member, confirmed the pencil case was a third-place prize from the previous year's autumn sports festival, awarded to only fourteen students. Jian Yao interviewed these students, who variously reported giving the pencil case to relatives, still using it, or having lost it. Jian Yao felt disheartened, believing the lead was unhelpful, but Bo Jinyan insisted it was crucial.
He pointed out that the victim possessed a school-issued pencil case and ill-fitting uniform pants, indicating a definite connection to one of the fourteen students. He instructed Jian Yao to gather the current and past addresses of all fourteen students.
Using a digital map of the suspect's daily activities, combined with records from hardware stores regarding the purchase of materials for a "killing machine," Bo Jinyan deduced that the serial killer was likely the owner or an employee of a specific hardware store located within the Dong Zhang Road Farmer's Market, after cross-referencing with a student's address near that area. Bo Jinyan drove directly to the hardware store.
Upon Bo Jinyan's arrival, a middle-aged man named Sun Yong, who was working at the hardware store, dropped the bag he was holding and immediately fled upon seeing strangers outside his shop. Bo Jinyan pursued him, and just then, Jian Yao arrived from the other end of the street. Witnessing the chase, she grabbed a nearby wooden stick and struck Sun Yong, attempting to incapacitate him.
Due to her limited strength, Sun Yong was only stunned and quickly snatched the stick to retaliate. Fortunately, Bo Jinyan reached them in time, subdued Sun Yong, and knocked him unconscious. The police arrived at the hardware store shortly after and located Xiao Jin, hidden inside a box in the back warehouse. They had arrived just in time, and Xiao Jin was found alive.
Inside the warehouse, Bo Jinyan lay down on the makeshift "killing machine" crafted by Sun Yong, stating he wanted to personally experience and understand the killer's criminal psychology. Jian Yao watched in astonishment, finding Bo Jinyan's boldness incredible. Bo Jinyan then questioned a man, Uncle Wang, who was the relative of the first victim and whose son attended City First Middle School.
Uncle Wang revealed that about a year prior, he had taken in a distant relative named Xiao Gan, who was roughly the same age as his son and was the first missing victim. Xiao Gan, having lost his parents, helped out at the store, and Uncle Wang had given him his son's old clothes and even the school-issued pencil case.
Uncle Wang explained he hadn't reported Xiao Gan missing because he believed Xiao Gan had simply left to work elsewhere, not realizing he had been kidnapped and killed by Sun Yong. In the killer's warehouse, police discovered several groups of red numbers painted with oil paint. During interrogation, Sun Yong confessed to a total of nine murders, including Xiao Jin's, but claimed complete ignorance regarding the painted numbers.
Li Xunran insisted the numbers must contain vital information and pressed for further investigation. Meanwhile, Jian Yao informed Bo Jinyan that her translation work was concluding and she intended to proceed with her pre-arranged internship in Jiang Zhou. Bo Jinyan then offered Jian Yao a three-year contract to become his long-term assistant, suggesting she break her current contract and offering to cover any breach fees.
Jian Yao respectfully declined, stating she could not violate a contract, as it was a matter of personal integrity. She added that she also liked her chosen profession. Despite turning down Bo Jinyan's offer, Jian Yao felt a sense of loss and confided in her sister, Jian Xuan, that the past few days had been a profoundly meaningful period in her life.
Jian Xuan, while supporting Jian Yao's decision not to work for him, suggested Bo Jinyan was too "high-end" and perhaps lonely, describing him as a "playboy" whose inner world might be "passionate and corrupt," and advising caution. Jian Yao, however, disagreed, stating that human interactions should be simpler and one should trust their instincts. She described Bo Jinyan as a unique individual with a "halo" around him, not because of his appearance but his thought process.
She acknowledged his eccentricities but emphasized his inherent kindness and simplicity, cherishing their shared experience of saving a child's life, an experience she felt might never happen again. She implicitly admitted that a calm, ordinary life might not suit her. As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, Director Li, a close friend and former colleague of Jian Yao's deceased father, planned for him and Li Xunran to celebrate at Jian Yao's home.
Director Li, who had looked after Jian Yao and her mother since her father's passing, encouraged Li Xunran to actively pursue Jian Yao, warning that she might otherwise find someone else. Later, Uncle Wang and Xiao Jin arrived at Bo Jinyan's place, bearing a box of fireworks as a thank-you gift for his help. Unsure what to do with them, Bo Jinyan called Jian Yao, asking her to drive over and take the fireworks away.
