At three in the morning, a body with a peaceful expression but completely dissolved internal organs is found in an abandoned factory, drawing forensic pathologist Su Mu into a series of connected mysteries spanning three years. The rare plant toxin beneath the victim’s fingernails is identical to one in an unsolved case file handled by her father, former forensic pathologist Su Mingyuan, before his death.
The arrival of criminal investigation captain Lu Ting disrupts Su Mu’s solitary routine. He is sharp as a blade, yet remembers that she only drinks black coffee. She is cool as ice, yet when he steps in front of her to shield her, she experiences a racing heartbeat for the first time.
As mysterious invitations from the Qinglan Tea House keep appearing, the victims and the “Qinglan Project” from twenty years ago come to light. Su Mu discovers that her father’s “car accident” was no accident at all. The scalpel in her hand must do more than cut through the lies surrounding the bodies: it must also open up a past she has never dared to face.
As toxins and conspiracies weave a web, and trust and love take root amid danger, can they piece together the truth from the “language” of the dead in a city swallowed by secrets, bringing both slumbering evil and buried love into the light?
