Simulated Crime, This Criminal Doesn't Seem to Be Acting

Chapter 54

From the very beginning, when Su Yang died, Ye Sangsang clearly felt the sense of being manipulated.

This didn't need evidence, just intuition.

From the descriptions in the case files of the mission objectives, after Lin Ying narrowly survived by grabbing onto a tree branch and Zhong Tongxin fell off a cliff, Sangsang was quickly arrested.

The key evidence, however, wasn't described in the files.

It was probably intentional, as the superintelligence would always play a little prank in this regard, increasing the difficulty for players.

Unlike Lin Ying, Ye Sangsang spent two peaceful days at school.

Isolation still existed, and even more so because those who bullied Sangsang were now dead, earning the ire of their families. No one dared to get close to her.

They feared becoming the next victim, so they chose to stay far away from Sangsang.

Zhou Qingyue, however, became more active. Some people began to gather around him, whispering.

When Ye Sangsang couldn't see him, Zhou Qingyue's gaze at her was filled with pity.

It was as if he were looking at an insect about to lose its life, one that he could crush effortlessly.

Ye Sangsang could feel his gaze, and she was all too familiar with what his every move signified.

She even speculated about what illness he might have—a sociopathic personality disorder? A histrionic personality disorder? Or perhaps he just enjoyed playing this sort of murder game.

She was a bit eager for his next move.

The next afternoon, rumors began to spread in the school that from Su Yang to Zhong Tongxin, all were killed by Sangsang on purpose, and there was no serial killer involved.

The surveillance footage of Sangsang being bullied in the basketball court, the swimming pool, and the classroom, as well as the recorded live stream from Qian Can's dark web channel, had all been censored and released.

The videos showed in clear detail the entire process of her bullying, shocking and terrifying everyone who saw them.

These videos and photos were posted on the school forum by someone claiming to be a justice seeker.

He stated that Ye Sangsang killed out of hatred.

He even described the killing process in detail, as if he had personally witnessed it.

On the third morning, when Sangsang appeared at school, she was met with countless strange gazes—some fearful, some admiring.

She quickly saw the post on her phone, and under Zhou Qingyue's watchful gaze, her face slowly turned pale.

Naturally, the police responded quickly to this news.

During the second class, Sangsang was taken away right in the middle of the lesson and brought to the interrogation room.

【Ah? Arrested?】

【Zhou Qingyue is truly malicious, he schemed against Lin Ying so much.】

【Thinking about how he didn't get away with it in real life, I feel much better!】

The viewers in the live broadcast didn't show any concern for Sangsang; they were all talking about Lin Ying's situation.

Ye Sangsang, wearing handcuffs and feeling the cold touch of them, looked up as her gaze met the interrogator's across the table.

The white fluorescent lights in the middle illuminated Sangsang's pale face.

She sat alone on one side, while the other two sat across from her.

Their eyes were fixed intently on her.

This was an official interrogation, different from an inquiry, conducted based on a certain level of evidence.

And Ye Sangsang didn't know what evidence the other side had.

She looked at Zhang Qian, her eyes filled with confusion and sorrow, as if she didn't understand why she was being arrested.

At the same time, Zhang Qian couldn't believe that the frail, fifteen-year-old girl sitting before her could be the ruthless serial killer who had taken four lives.

She looked so pitiful, but Zhang Qian knew that as a police officer, her duty was to find the truth. Before coming in, she had already adjusted her mindset.

She looked down at the various angles of the footage and photos from the forum and asked, "Did you choose to kill them in an extreme way because you were bullied and almost buried alive by this group?"

"I hope you'll tell the truth. If it really comes to trial, you won't be able to bear it."

She ended with a reminder.

Ye Sangsang looked at her, her face filled with sorrow and helplessness. "Killing them would be too difficult for me. I couldn't do it."

"On the night before Su Yang died in the swimming pool, why did you go to the rooftop, and why did you stay there longer than the usual time?" Zhang Qian asked.

Ye Sangsang looked at her and then replied after a while, "All my books were drenched, so I went up there to dry them. When it was time for them to meet me, I went, came back crying, and cried until the books were dry before I went home."

The interrogation room fell into a momentary silence. Sangsang's answer was so genuine and poignant.

"We've conducted field investigations, and according to the photos taken by other students at the time, Su Yang's death was the result of a meticulously planned murder, apart from the other victims and Zhou Qingyue. Only you were familiar with his habits. Can I assume you used that familiarity to kill him?" she asked again.

Ye Sangsang raised her eyes, still wet from her earlier story. "So, you're asking if I was familiar with Su Yang's habits, specifically his habits in the bathroom? How did I familiarize myself with them? I wasn't even allowed to use the swimming pool's bathrooms, be it the men's or the women's."

As she spoke about the unequal treatment in not being allowed to use the bathrooms, her eyes filled with grievance, and tears welled up in her eyes, though she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

She knew that the familiarity with Su Yang's bathroom habits was what Zhou Qingyue had accused her of on the forum.

But perhaps they, including Zhou Qingyue, had forgotten that she wasn't allowed to enter the swimming pool's bathrooms.

This habit might have come from Lin Ying's observation, or it could have been mentioned by them once in the classroom or the swimming pool.

Ye Sangsang had already speculated on this before.

Now, if this were to be connected to Zhou Qingyue, it would mean that Zhou Qingyue had deliberately disclosed this information.

Lin Ying, who harbored murderous intent, had taken note of it. This explanation was far more plausible than her sneaking into the men's bathroom to observe.

Ye Sangsang stated this without fear.

She could clearly feel that Zhang Qian and Yan Xiyu on the opposite side had stiffened.

Zhang Qian looked at Ye Sangsang, her expression carrying a sigh. This interrogation was undoubtedly tearing open Sangsang’s wounds.

But as a police officer, finding the truth was their duty, and they had to ask Ye Sangsang.

"Lin Ying, how do you explain that there were strands of your hair at the scene where Qin He died?" Zhang Qian held up the evidence bag and asked.

Ye Sangsang lowered her head and remained silent for a long time. "I think it was from when I was grabbed. I couldn't stand the kiss with Liu Ran and bit her, then was grabbed by the hair and beaten for a long time. It hurt so much that I went home, applied a lot of medicine, and even went to the school doctor."

"The memory is quite vivid."

Zhang Qian suddenly stood up from her chair and declared a pause in the interrogation, leaving the room.

Yan Xiyu followed her out to comfort the now-upset Zhang Qian.

Ye Sangsang, however, stopped crying. Her gaze held confusion, as if she couldn't understand the other's capacity for empathy.

If she were in their place, she would have asked some more penetrating and in-depth questions.

For example, she would have discussed the estimated time of the crime, talked about the motive for the crime, found some clues, thoroughly analyzed everything she had done, and only then would she have let herself fall apart and confess to everything.

Zhang Qian was being a bit too lenient with her, perhaps unconsciously believing she wasn't the killer, and thus only asking about information she already knew.

But this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. If a person has compassion, then that person is truly a good person.

The two calmed down outside the room for about three minutes before entering the interrogation room one after the other.

Ye Sangsang knew that this time, it would probably be Yan Xiyu questioning her.

Indeed, he began to speak.

"Lin Ying, can you tell me if you were really at home before Qin He's death? You must believe that we have evidence, which is why we brought you here." Yan Xiyu's eyes were filled with seriousness and sincerity.

Ye Sangsang looked at him. "I was always at home. I didn't go out."

"But based on our investigations, we found that the shortest route from your neighborhood to Qin He's death site can be covered in two minutes and completely bypasses the surveillance. As someone who's lived in that neighborhood for over ten years, you could have returned home and then gone back to the scene to kill Qin He."

Yan Xiyu's gaze was deep, staring straight into Ye Sangsang's eyes, as if he could see through all her thoughts.

Ye Sangsang didn't keep playing weak. For a police officer, weakness could only be used so many times. She had to convince them to clear her suspicion (suspicion).

She looked at him, took a deep breath to stay calm, and said, "If you say I had the time to commit the crime, then you need to provide evidence to accuse me."

"Be honest. According to the forensic evidence, the killer had the same height as you. Just confess, and we can still help you get a reduced sentence!" Yan Xiyu repeated sternly: "You have both motive and opportunity. Just confess!"

Ye Sangsang pursed her lips, her gaze firmly locked onto the other person. "I have nothing to admit. I didn't kill anyone."

Her fingers clasped tightly together, her eyes hiding a stubbornness.

"Alright, then let me ask you again. Did you really not go to that studio when Qian Can died, despite the other person's instructions? Weren't you afraid that if you didn't go, they would release your videos and photos online? Or perhaps you had been going before, so why didn't you go this time when he died?" Yan Xiyu slammed his hand on the table, creating a loud noise. He scrutinized Ye Sangsang through the light from a top-down angle.

Ye Sangsang trembled slightly at the sudden noise, her head lifting slightly in panic, her eyes gradually filling with pain. "No... no, there was no need to wait for them to release it. At that time, I already knew that many, many people had seen my photos and videos. He used to live-stream my humiliation, didn't he?"

Her fingers clenched tightly around her own hand, almost drawing blood. This was the kind of extreme pain Lin Ying would feel if her flesh was torn open.

She couldn't feel it herself, but she knew how such emotions would manifest.

She no longer looked at them with tear-filled eyes but instead gazed normally, with an untold sense of self-deprecation.

She understood everything, lucidly enduring the torment of pain.

"Someone said that when they arrived, the door to the private studio was locked. If someone wasn't familiar, the door wouldn't open." Yan Xiyu clenched his hand on the table, demanding an explanation from Ye Sangsang.

Ye Sangsang looked at him. "You're wrong. He never locked the door. He used to wait for me to enter and then close it himself. The intention was to make me feel uncomfortable, to make me believe that everything was voluntary."

"So, the killer wouldn't need to open the door, they would just need to walk in."

"Someone said, meaning someone must have seen it, that the door was locked, right? Maybe the killer was already inside? From what I know, the people who could go to that so-called private studio were all his close friends. Those people going at that time, perhaps they were the ones participating in the live-stream. They... should have had the key, right?"

She knew very well that this "someone" was Zhou Qingyue.

The other person had actually gone there deliberately, possibly on a whim, wanting to enjoy the feeling of murder up close.

Unfortunately, Ye Sangsang was about to drag her into the mess.

Ye Sangsang's words completely overturned Zhang Qian and Yan Xiyu's assumptions. The person providing the clues might also be involved and could have known about the distress call inside the private studio.

But they had chosen to ignore it.

Yan Xiyu sat down, calmly facing Ye Sangsang. "You have a very clear mind and a logical way of thinking. With just a little information, you can deduce so much."

"It's not difficult. I'm familiar with the trash in that studio..." Ye Sangsang said coldly.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

After a while, Yan Xiyu broke the silence, looking at Ye Sangsang. "You have to admit, this time you had the opportunity to commit the crime. We've tested it; you could have gone from your home, bypassing the surveillance, to the studio." He paused, pulling out a photo. "And you underestimated private surveillance. It captured your image."

Ye Sangsang didn't even look at it, directly saying, "I didn't leave the house, so there couldn't be such a photo. Don't misrepresent things."

Yan Xiyu's tense expression cracked. Ye Sangsang was exceptionally difficult to deal with.

He was almost certain she had done it, considering her motive, her mindset, and her strong demeanor when escaping the pit and confronting the security guard who tried to assault her.

This was enough to prove she was capable of everything.

Don't underestimate the detective; they've seen too many criminals.

He took a deep breath, pulling out a photo of a cup wrapped in an evidence bag. "Do you remember this cup?"

"Yes," Ye Sangsang said after looking at it. "It's the cup Zhong Tongxin used to drink water after she was drunk. They had me feed it to her."

Yan Xiyu asked seriously, "Do you know that this cup contained a hallucinogen? And a very strong one. That means you fed her the hallucinogen personally, causing the drunk Zhong Tongxin to do those crazy things."

【What? The cup had a hallucinogen?】

【This feels complicated. The other person must have set up a trap.】

【Damn Zhou Qingyue, trying to frame my Sangsang!】

The viewers in the live-stream knew that Zhong Tongxin's death, Ye Sangsang was only incidental, not the mastermind.

With this cup coming to light, everyone knew it was Zhou Qingyue's cunning scheme to frame her.

Ye Sangsang fell silent for a long time before asking, "Was the drug added to the lemon I sliced earlier? Using the lemon to mask the taste, then anticipating Zhong Tongxin's drunkenness to have her drink it? Or did I inadvertently add it to the water..."

"The source of the drug seems to be related to my doctor father. Otherwise, I can't think of another source."

Zhang Qian and Yan Xiyu opened their mouths but couldn't speak.

If she weren't the suspect, this case would really need Ye Sangsang to solve.

Zhang Qian left, presumably to have Lin Yu brought in for questioning.

"You're really very smart," Yan Xiyu evaluated Ye Sangsang as he sat in the interrogation room.

Ye Sangsang looked at him but didn't respond, nor did she provide any clues about the suspicious truck.

If they found out, things would get complicated.

Moreover, she guessed that the truck transporting goods at night to the mountain was probably for the people at Qiulu Manor, so they could enjoy the produce in the morning. It was a very normal transport.

If it weren't for Zhou Qingyue suggesting going to Qiulu Manor, she might have thought it was just an accident, not a deliberate arrangement.

If her guess was correct, Lin Ying was also arrested because of the hallucinogen.

But in the end, due to lack of evidence, she was released.

Seeing that Ye Sangsang didn't answer, Yan Xiyu stood up and left.

What followed was a patient wait, which was very difficult for many people. As time passed, the invisible pressure would bear down on these people.

Some couldn't take it and would spill everything.

Ye Sangsang stayed until later, eventually leaning on the table and falling asleep.

When she woke up again, they still hadn't returned. Ye Sangsang sat up, staring blankly, her expression calm.

At this moment, Lin Ying was probably feeling unprecedentedly relaxed, because the mountain of pressure on her head had finally died.

Just like in the blind girl copy, the source of the pain was because the root cause had always existed. Now that it no longer existed, everything was easy.

After some time, the interrogation room door finally opened, and Ye Sangsang looked at the unfamiliar police officer who entered.

She guessed they wanted to interrogate her again.

As she expected, they re-interrogated Ye Sangsang.

Details about her school life, where she was at home during the incident, and some linguistic traps.

Ye Sangsang answered each of their questions based on the details she imagined.

As for the linguistic traps, as long as she noticed them, she could respond.

She knew that behind the glass, Zhang Qian and Yan Xiyu were observing her.

Since it was impossible to detain a minor without sufficient evidence, especially given that Lin Ying was only fifteen years old, they were required to release her within 24 hours if there was no conclusive evidence, such as fingerprints, on the weapon.

So during this time, they must have interrogated many people.

Lin Yu, the maid, the bodyguard.

Although she didn't know why Lin Yu would get the hallucinogen, she knew it definitely wouldn't involve Zhou Qingyue. Lin Yu must have been doing this for a long time.

Zhou Qingyue knew about it, which was why she used the hallucinogen on Zhong Tongxin.

She and Lin Yu were father and daughter, so she knew that when she left, the drug wasn't in her bag. It must have been added to her bag silently after arriving at the villa.

By associating it with something, then having someone add it to the lemon,

This would complete a frame-up.

Why the lemon? Because the lemon was sliced by Ye Sangsang.

Now, the final point: how did Lin Ying prove herself.

This detail wasn't mentioned in the information; this was something Ye Sangsang, the player, needed to figure out herself.

So, when the detective in front of her asked why the powder of her powder compact appeared near the refrigerator, Ye Sangsang knew the key point had come.

She was full of doubt, incomprehension, and anger.

"Your previous speculation was correct. Your father, Lin Yu, is involved with the source of the hallucinogenic drugs. He has been long involved in trafficking hospital medications. These drugs, before being sold, he liked to store in your family's garage. Just the day before Zhong Tongxin consumed the drug, a bottle of hallucinogen went missing from the garage." The forensic expert clasped his hands together and leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Ye Sangsang. "Combined with the small amount of powder found on the refrigerator, it forms a complete chain of criminal evidence."

【Zhou Qingyue was only fifteen, yet he knew so much.】

How terrifying. Thankfully, our Lin Ying took action in reality. If such a powerful and wealthy person grew up, he would no doubt harm countless people.

【So, how should Sister Sang prove her innocence?】

Ye Sangsang looked at the forensic expert and said, "I had no idea Lin Yu was involved in drug trafficking. My earlier statement was just a guess."

"You must understand, you cannot prove you were unaware," he replied.

Ye Sangsang's expression became panicked as she asked, "You must have also investigated the garage. I've never been there; there are no fingerprints of mine there, and I don't even have the key."

"The garage door was forced open," the forensic expert stated, gazing at her.

Ye Sangsang lowered her eyes, then suddenly her gaze sharpened. "The powder—was it the powder Qin He threw to me to cover my facial scars? My scars have healed; why would I bring powder to the Qiulu Mountain Villa? I didn't bring it!"

This was indeed true; Ye Sangsang wouldn't have brought such a thing to Qiulu Mountain Villa.

"The fact is, there was indeed powder in your bag, and your fingerprints were found on the container," the forensic expert said.

Ye Sangsang frowned, recalling the events. "Fingerprints can be planted. I remember distinctly disliking the item and directly threw it into the bottom drawer of my desk."

"We

Ye Sangsang opened her eyes again, choosing to appear at the school gate.

This was her second day out.

The strange gazes from the surroundings never ceased.

What puzzled these people was why, after offending the Su, Qin, Qian, and Zhong families, she hadn't been forced to transfer schools and leave the city.

Logically speaking, a mere wave of their hands should have been enough to make her disappear from this city.

But they hadn't taken any action, even after she was arrested and then released.

Ye Sangsang ignored these looks, lowering her head and walking into the school, entering her classroom, and taking her seat.

The murmuring and gossip grew louder, but Ye Sangsang quietly waited for Zhou Qingyue's arrival.

This time, he didn't ignore her but walked up to her side and looked down at her.

Ye Sangsang looked up, meeting Zhou Qingyue's cold, distant eyes.

"I know it must have been you behind everything. I won't let you get away with it. I will gather evidence to send you to prison," he said, delivering the longest speech he'd ever given to Ye Sangsang, his expression full of righteous indignation.

Ye Sangsang gazed at his expression, almost wanting to praise his commendable acting skills.

That is, how could a ringleader of bullying have the face to say such things?

Didn't he think that only she was the villain?

Evidently, his performance was quite successful, as many in the class now shot Ye Sangsang hostile looks.

Ye Sangsang felt the stares and quietly lowered her head.

Zhou Qingyue moved away, turning and sitting back in his own seat.

Ye Sangsang's gaze followed him, but she was nudged by someone next to her, nearly losing her balance and falling.

"You think you can just stare at Zhou Qingyue?" the girl said with a fierce look, her tone full of malice.

Behind her, Liu Ran, who normally occupied the seat, was now replaced by someone else. He directly stabbed Ye Sangsang with the pointed tip of a compass, saying, "You'd better pray it wasn't you. Otherwise, we'll show you what real torment is!"

The compass needle was extremely painful, and Ye Sangsang couldn't help but hiss.

Following that, four or five paper balls were thrown at her head and body, landing on her desk and around her.

She picked one up and opened it, revealing the same insulting words she had seen before, now supplemented with the scarlet phrase "murderer."

The red ink was as glaring as fresh blood.

After class, three or four people quietly took seats around Zhou Qingyue. They glanced at Ye Sangsang from time to time, their eyes full of disdain and contempt, conversing about something.

Ye Sangsang clutched the note in her hand and suddenly understood why Lin Ying, without Zhou Qingyue making any moves or revealing any flaws, chose to kill him.

Because she clearly realized that as long as he existed, the bullying would never stop.

So she chose to take matters into her own hands.