I Asked You To Simulate A Crime, And You Pulled Off The Perfect Crime? - Chapter 14

9:30 PM.

The live stream of Actor: Inescapable Justice had finally reached a peak of ten million viewers. Tonight was a festival for the drama-loving audience. Those who had previously abandoned the show because of Chen Shu, a complete nobody, had all returned.

They wanted to see, with their own eyes, how this disgusting man, who had tried to take advantage of Su Xiaoxiao, would slip up under the relentless questioning of the investigation team.

Of course, no one expected Chen Shu to say anything in his defense. After all, in the past few days, he had done absolutely nothing.

They just wanted to witness his humiliation, his speechlessness, his utter embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Wang Zheng had already obtained an arrest warrant. Five police cars sped out of the city bureau, racing toward the western suburbs. The piercing sound of sirens echoed through the night.

“Switch the screen. Show both Chen Shu’s current scene and the investigation team’s scene side by side for contrast,” Zhang Sheng commanded into his microphone from the director’s room.

He knew the showdown was nearing its end, but at this final moment, the atmosphere needed to be pushed to the extreme. After all, this was a high-budget production. With an actor issue like this, the post-production team had to step up.

“Music, now!”

A heavy, suspenseful score filled the live stream. The police cars raced forward…

Meanwhile, Chen Shu was still sitting in the hall, slowly eating grilled lamb from the table. He ate meticulously, stripping the meat as if he was dissecting it.

Across the hall, Su Xiaoxiao sat in silence. She stared at Chen Shu, a strange feeling stirring inside her. After spending days together, she knew he had done nothing. He had been in a state of utter disregard.

Yet, for some reason, when she looked into his eyes, she saw a firm determination to clear his own name.

It wasn’t an act!

As a professional actress, she could tell good acting from reality. “What is he planning?” At that moment, Su Xiaoxiao gazed at Chen Shu’s profile, and under the stark white light, his expression became unreadable.

“Little sister, don’t worry. I told you, I won’t let anything happen to you,” Chen Shu said with a faint smile, as if sensing her gaze.

Su Xiaoxiao slipped into her role. She could feel the deep bond of family, the unshakable connection of blood. “Brother, I believe you.”

Outside, sirens blared, followed by a rush of hurried footsteps as the house was completely surrounded. The split-screen on the live stream began to merge as the approaching footsteps neared the door.

Finally, when the door creaked open and the live feed became one. For the first time, the investigation team and Chen Shu were shown together in a single frame.

One stood at the doorway and the other sat inside.

Wang Zheng’s commanding voice echoed, “Chen Shu, we’re from the City Criminal Investigation Team.”

“We suspect you are connected to a missing persons case. You need to come with us!”

The cameras hidden around the house focused on Wang Zheng, his righteous and unwavering presence magnified.

“He’s so badass! Captain Wang is a real-life hero!”

“I was about to steal my neighbor’s Wi-Fi to watch this, but the second I heard his voice, I got scared and ran. I ain’t messing with anything illegal!”

“Can’t imagine being interrogated by Captain Wang. I’d probably pee my pants from fear.”

“Not gonna lie, hearing his voice makes me feel like even ghosts would be scared. Pure justice!”

“Chen Shu, just confess already and save yourself the pain.”

Chen Shu calmly wiped the oil from his hands with a tissue.

He stood up, walking toward Wang Zheng. A smile played on his lips, though it didn’t seem entirely at ease. He rubbed the tissue between his fingers and asked, “Officer, what’s going on?”

“A missing person? I… I don’t know anything… I’m just an ordinary citizen. I’ve never broken the law…”

Wang Zheng remained motionless. Internally, he had to admit, this amateur’s acting was quite impressive. No wonder the show let him continue playing the role.

“Enough questions. You’ll find out everything at the station.”

“Take them both!”

A few officers stepped forward, restraining Chen Shu and Su Xiaoxiao.

“Little sister, don’t worry. There must be a misunderstanding. The police will prove our innocence,” Chen Shu reassured her.

Su Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together and nodded heavily.

Even though she had just claimed to believe him, the moment the police arrived, her last sliver of hope crumbled.

It was over.

Completely over.

The police cars had left the western suburbs and arrived at the station. Chen Shu was escorted out of the vehicle. The towering building loomed over him like a lion staring down its prey, suffocating him with its presence. 

He and Su Xiaoxiao were separated into different interrogation rooms. A harsh white light beamed onto his face. He squinted, taking a moment to adjust to the brightness. Then, the iron door clanked open, and Wang Zheng stepped inside, taking a seat across from him.

For several minutes, Wang Zheng said nothing, simply sorting through the documents on the table. It was a psychological tactic, breaking down a suspect’s mental defenses.

From a criminal psychology standpoint, no matter how calm a suspect appeared, deep down, they were always restless. Even the faintest noise like the rustling of documents would be amplified in their ears, gnawing away at their composure until they eventually cracked.

Of course, from the audience’s perspective, this was unnecessary. They already knew everything Chen Shu had done. But from Wang Zheng’s point of view, as the head of criminal investigations, it didn’t matter how clever the suspect was.

Even if it was their first crime, they deserved his full attention. Not out of respect for the person, but for the method. Every method of murder deserved to be taken seriously.

Smack!

Wang Zheng slapped the documents onto the table. For the first time since entering the room, his eyes locked onto Chen Shu. His voice was cold and measured, “Do you know a man named Liu Liang?”

Chen Shu’s voice rose in agitation, “Officer, I don’t know him! I didn’t kill him! You’ve got the wrong person!”

“Oh?” In the suffocating silence, Wang Zheng, who was always serious during interrogations, suddenly smirked.

“When did I say he was dead? Are you admitting it yourself?”

Beside him, Qin Min, one of the investigators, chuckled, “Game over.”

The live chat exploded.

“Wait, that’s it?”

“I thought he’d last at least a few minutes. He didn’t even make it past twenty seconds!”

“Case closed! Pop the confetti!”

Chen Shu quickly defended himself, “Officer, didn’t you go to my sister’s school and question her? She came home terrified and told me everything you asked her.”

“That’s how I knew something happened to Liu Liang.”

“You’re interrogating me right now because you think I killed him, right?”

Chen Shu’s words were clear and deliberate. Hearing his response, Wang Zheng didn’t press further. It was just a scare tactic, one that surprisingly failed.

This guy’s mental fortitude was stronger than expected. If psychological pressure wouldn’t work, then they needed to take a different approach. Find the loopholes in his story.

The key to this case was simple. Liu Liang went missing on the night of April 2nd. So, on April 2nd, where were Chen Shu and Su Xiaoxiao?