Chapter 22: Regaining Freedom

The studio relied entirely on Qi Fei’s earnings. Zhou Ying had assumed that taking half the profits included the repayment of her own contract termination fee; she felt that if Qi Fei provided the talent and she provided the capital, such a ratio was acceptable. In truth, even then, Zhou Ying felt she was getting the better end of the deal. Were it not for her relationship with Qi Fei and the current circumstances, she would never have had the chance to open a studio with her. After all, she lacked both resources and connections.

Seeing Qi Fei still nodding, Zhou Ying suddenly grew anxious. What kind of person would that make her? "Consider the money I lent you as my investment," she insisted. "Otherwise, I’ll just work for you, and you can pay me back once you start making money." Having grown up surrounded by business, Zhou Ying knew this was a foolproof investment, but if they stuck to the original arrangement, a rift would inevitably form between them.

Qi Fei knew Zhou Ying’s mind was made up and could only agree for now. At worst, she would buy back the two properties and return them to Zhou Ying once she was wealthy. It was easy to add flowers to a brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow; for the sake of this kindness, she could not simply accept Zhou Ying’s help without gratitude.

"Then I have one condition." Seeing Qi Fei agree, Zhou Ying sat up straight, waiting for the rest. "I won't concern myself with any studio matters; I am only responsible for acting." Zhou Ying, thinking that was all, readily agreed, patting her chest. "No problem! You just focus on acting, and I won't let you worry about a single thing."

Relieved but still anxious, Zhou Ying asked, "Are you sure you can get the termination contract back in the next two days?"

"Go find an office space." Seeing Qi Fei so certain, Zhou Ying had no choice but to trust her. *Qi Fei has been in the entertainment industry for so long; she must have connections I don't know about to help resolve this.*

Qi Fei: "..." She wasn't sure if the original owner of her body had them, but she certainly didn't.

"Alright, I'll go talk to them now." Before the words were finished, Zhou Ying had already rushed to the entryway. "I'll have someone look for an office space on the way." She was gone before Qi Fei could even reply. Zhou Ying’s swift and decisive manner was, she had to admit, quite to her liking. Only then did Qi Fei notice the takeout Zhou Ying had packed for her, and forgetting everything else, she rushed to the dining table.

"Black Swan?" Qi Fei’s eyes lit up the moment she saw the cake. She ignored her meal and reached straight for the dessert. Among all the delicacies she had tasted, sweets were her favorite, and Black Swan cakes were definitely among the best.

She didn't have to wait long. The next day, she received a call from Wang Zhiqiang: the termination contract was secured. Just as she finished thanking him, she heard the next sentence: "Guo Qiang is still biting his tongue and refusing to say anything."

Now, they were certain: this Guo Qiang really was hiding something. If things were as Qi Fei had suspected, forcing a confession from him was crucial.

Great, the trouble had arrived. No sooner had Qi Fei put on her hat and mask than she received a call from Zhao Shan: "Fifteen minutes." Zhao Shan knew the higher-ups had already contacted Qi Fei, and he hung up with a chuckle. Hearing that devious laugh, Qi Fei felt like rolling her eyes.

Before heading out, Qi Fei called Zhou Ying to share the good news. She hadn't misjudged her; after settling things with the endorsers yesterday, Zhou Ying had already started looking at office buildings for the studio. She had been out since early morning today. Zhou Ying was both shocked and delighted by the news; despite Qi Fei’s earlier confidence, she had been worried, but now things were looking up.

"I've found a place. It was a design studio before. I’ll have all the paperwork done in two days." The design firm had moved out just half a month ago, and the renovation was still fresh; they could use it as is and just add some furniture to open.

"Don't forget the live stream at six tonight."

"Got it."

When Qi Fei arrived at the police station, Zhao Shan was already waiting at the entrance. The interrogation was being handled by an investigative team sent from above, as everyone there were former colleagues and needed to avoid conflicts of interest. Seeing Qi Fei pull up on her motorcycle reminded him of the first time they met. Sometimes Zhao Shan found Qi Fei contradictory—at times gentle and soft-spoken, at others, full of a rogue's swagger. Like now, holding her helmet with one hand tucked in her pocket, she looked anything but a glamorous celebrity.

"Consultant Qi."

Qi Fei: "..." She found the title awkward. In the apocalypse, she had been used to living without constraints; becoming a person of the state felt like having her hands and feet bound. Yet, she knew clearly that this was not the apocalypse, and even if her secrets remained hidden, she had to abide by the law in this world.

"The interrogation has already begun. Shall we go in or listen from the outside?" She wasn't an interrogator; if they let her in, she’d probably just beat the man up.

"How should I cooperate?"

Qi Fei thought for a moment. "Just ask about the drug dealers and his parents."

Zhao Shan handed Qi Fei an earpiece. "I’ve requested an observation session. Tell me if you notice anything." It was Qi Fei’s first time realizing one could see so clearly into the interrogation room from the outside. Looking at Guo Qiang in the interrogation chair, she had to admit that without her special abilities, she would never have believed this man was a drug dealer.

The interrogation continued. "We have reasonable suspicion that you murdered your parents."

"It doesn't matter if you don't admit it; the case has been reopened, and the truth will come out sooner or later."

*[My parents? Ha, I don't even know who they are. They were the ones who found out I was an imposter. Even after I got plastic surgery to look like this, they still realized I wasn't their son—that’s really not my fault. Besides, I was quite thoughtful to send their whole family for a reunion.]*

Guo Qiang was too familiar with these interrogations. Regardless of his inner thoughts, he showed no emotional change, not even blinking an eye.

"How many times do you need to ask? I’ve already said, I was at school when my parents had their accident."

"At the time, I suspected their deaths weren't an accident, but the investigators told me they were. Now you suddenly claim it wasn't an accident and suspect me?"

"Then why did you kill your wife?"

"I've told you so many times, I didn't! I have no idea what happened."

*[When they found something suspicious before, I just made up a sleepwalking excuse. I didn't expect it to come in handy now.]*

Guo Qiang’s performance was flawless. Regardless of how active his psychological state was, his face remained unmasked and full of feigned agony.

Qi Fei frowned, pressed her earpiece, and asked in a low voice, "What’s going on?" Didn't Zhao Shan say they had caught him red-handed? What was this about sleepwalking?

"I’ll tell you in a bit." Hearing this, Qi Fei knew she was being impatient; now was not the time.

Zhao Shan produced the evidence he had just obtained. "Although your parents are gone, we compared your blood sample with those of your close relatives. You have no biological relation to them whatsoever."

"I don't know about that. My parents never told me I wasn't their biological child."

Zhao Shan knew Guo Qiang wouldn't crack that easily. "We have verified that you underwent plastic surgery on your face. How do you explain that?"

"I was injured in a house fire during the summer of my senior year. You can check the medical records for the reconstructive surgery."

*[If they couldn't even think of that, he wouldn't have been able to keep up the identity of Guo Qiang for so many years. Some imperfections had been smoothed out over time.]*

"In your first year of high school, you got into a fight with a classmate and broke his head. What was his name?"

"He Kun. It wasn't his head, it was his right hand. My parents compensated his family 600 yuan at the time."

*[He could answer these things with his eyes closed; he had memorized everything when he took on this identity in his senior year. He just never expected these people to guess he might be a replacement. They can't keep digging, or he might actually be doomed this time.]*

"Team Leader Zhao, he's panicking."

"I strongly suspect he is a plant sent by the drug dealers." Why would someone take over another person's identity for no reason and tip off drug dealers? She wouldn't believe he wasn't one of them.