Chapter 05: Identity Exposed

"Sit."

Officer Huang was reclining slightly in the principal's chair, legs crossed, hands clasped on his stomach. He looked relaxed, exuding an aura of quiet authority, as though he were sitting in his own interrogation room.

Gao Yang sat up straight in front of him, silent.

Officer Huang smiled, "Don't be nervous. There's no one else here, I'm just going to ask you a few questions."

"Hmm..." Gao Yang silently cursed, There's no one else, and that's exactly why I'm nervous!

"Did you get hurt on your face?"

"Oh, just a bug bite." Gao Yang casually touched his face.

"Alright, let's begin." Officer Huang pulled out a notepad. "Gao Yang, what was your relationship with the deceased Li Weiwei?"

"We've known each other since kindergarten. We've always been good friends, like childhood sweethearts." Gao Yang answered.

Officer Huang scribbled in his notebook while asking, "Were you with Li Weiwei all afternoon yesterday?"

"Yeah, we went to Dawan Mall, watched a movie, ate, and hung out until late, didn't get home until after midnight."

"When did you and Li Weiwei part ways?"

"Maybe around 11 PM." Gao Yang knew better than to remember the time too clearly, as it would raise suspicion.

"That late, and you didn't escort her home?"

"I walked her part of the way, but at the last stretch she said it wasn't necessary, so I didn't walk her the rest of the way."

Gao Yang knew that the surveillance cameras for that last stretch of road had been destroyed by Qing Ling, so he casually mentioned, "Officer Huang, you can check the surveillance footage, it should prove it."

Officer Huang paused for a moment, his eyes flickering slightly. "To be honest, the surveillance footage for that stretch of road happened to be broken."

"How could that be?" Gao Yang pretended to be surprised.

"Seems like a premeditated crime," Officer Huang said quietly, sizing Gao Yang up, trying to find a crack in his calm expression.

"It could have been someone she knew, but that's just a preliminary assumption. We don't have any solid leads yet. After all, we don't have a weapon or any eyewitnesses."

"Not even a single clue?" Gao Yang asked.

Officer Huang uncrossed his legs and leaned forward slightly. "Did Li Weiwei have any classmates she wasn't on good terms with, or anyone she might have offended?"

Gao Yang shook his head. "She was a really nice person, everyone in class liked her. I can't think of anyone who would hold a grudge against her."

"What about anyone jealous of her? Or anything else?" Officer Huang pressed.

Gao Yang thought for a moment, then shook his head again. "No, nothing comes to mind."

Officer Huang nodded, his gaze still fixed on Gao Yang's face. "Do you like Li Weiwei?"

Gao Yang hesitated for a moment. "I... I guess so."

"Because of the investigation, I checked Li Weiwei's WeChat records. You confessed your feelings to her, and she agreed..."

"Yeah, yesterday was our first date, I never expected it to be our last..." Gao Yang lowered his head, genuinely feeling down and saddened—this part wasn't an act.

Officer Huang stopped asking questions and stood up. "Alright, that'll be all for today." He patted Gao Yang on the shoulder, his tone somewhat meaningful. "Rest in peace."

...

After the interrogation, Gao Yang breathed a sigh of relief—he had narrowly escaped.

He left the office and headed toward the classroom.

"Gao Yang!" Someone called out to him.

Before Gao Yang could turn around, a powerful arm suddenly shot out and locked around his neck.

Gao Yang almost couldn't breathe: "Cough... cough..."

"Ha ha ha, weakling!"

A boy with bleached blonde hair and a lip piercing released his arm—it was Wang Zikai.

Wang Zikai was Gao Yang's high school classmate, though not for much longer. Just a week ago, after he had beaten up a boy from the next class for the Nth time, he was finally expelled.

The reason for the fight was: the other boy had looked at him.

Wang Zikai came from a wealthy family, driving a sports car to school every day. He was also good-looking, the quintessential "rich and handsome" type. But despite this, he had squandered his chances and became a feared bully in school.

For some reason, this bully had taken a particular liking to Gao Yang since their first year. Wang Zikai had repeatedly emphasized that Gao Yang was his best and only friend.

This left Gao Yang feeling both honored and perplexed. Reluctantly, he became Wang Zikai's friend. Over time, he realized that apart from his love for fighting and the occasional unpredictable behavior, Wang Zikai was actually not a bad person.

Today, Wang Zikai seemed in a good mood. He was probably here to finish his expulsion process.

"What's with the face, looking like you ate shit?" Wang Zikai asked.

"Li Weiwei's dead." Gao Yang replied.

"Huh?!" Wang Zikai was taken aback. "How did she die?"

"Robbery, she was murdered..."

"Damn! That's so unlucky." Wang Zikai clicked his tongue. "I even helped you confess to her a few days ago. So, did she accept? Of course, she must have rejected you, right? Ha ha ha, someone like you couldn't possibly get a girl to like you!"

Gao Yang rolled his eyes: This idiot never gets the point.

"Bro, stay strong," Wang Zikai patted Gao Yang's shoulder nonchalantly. "Look on the bright side, now you don't have to worry about her being stolen away by someone else."

"..."

Gao Yang could barely hold back from cursing him out.

"When school's over, I'll come pick you up in the car. Let's duo queue! Use your anger as fuel, and this season we'll make it to silver!" Wang Zikai said.

"No, tonight I'm going to Li Weiwei's memorial service," Gao Yang replied.

"What?!" Wang Zikai pretended to exaggerate, jumping back. "What, you're still holding on to her ghost love?"

"Shut up!"

Gao Yang was speechless and would've loved to kick him. But that was Wang Zikai for you—never expect a normal human response from him.

"See you!" Wang Zikai slapped his butt and waved as he ran off.

...

7:00 PM, Shanqing District. Funeral Home.

Gao Yang, along with more than a dozen classmates and their homeroom teacher, attended Li Weiwei's memorial service.

On the one hand, Gao Yang did have feelings for Li Weiwei. Even though she had turned into a monster last night, he still wanted to give her a proper send-off. On the other hand, he was also very curious why Li Weiwei hadn't been cremated immediately after her death. That didn't fit with his understanding of this world.

The mourning hall was dim and solemn. Li Weiwei's portrait was displayed on the altar, with a bright smile on her face. Her body lay in a transparent glass coffin with refrigeration, surrounded by lush white flowers.

Li Weiwei's parents, dressed in black suits and dresses, stood beside the coffin, bowing continuously to those who came to pay their respects.

The mother was crying uncontrollably, and the father supported her, his face filled with sorrow.

The homeroom teacher, along with a few students, lit incense for Li Weiwei, then went to shake hands with her parents. After that, they made a circle around the glass coffin, and the ceremony was over.

Gao Yang followed the group. As he approached the coffin, he took a closer look at Li Weiwei's body. She was dressed in a black shroud, her face made up, looking like she was just sleeping—there was no obvious difference from how she had been in life.

But remembering that it was this girl who had almost crushed his head yesterday, an overwhelming sense of fear rose from his gut, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up.

The homeroom teacher went to speak with Li Weiwei's parents. Gao Yang felt his mouth dry and thirsty. He avoided the crowd and went to the tea room to get a drink.

He pushed the door open, and Qing Ling was there.

Gao Yang didn't dare look at her, pouring himself some water. But Qing Ling took the initiative to step forward: "Did the police ask you anything?"

"Nothing much."

"Tell me everything." Qing Ling spoke in a commanding tone.

Gao Yang glanced around, confirming that no one was in the tea room. He finally laid his cards on the table: "Why didn't you keep up the act?"

Qing Ling froze for a moment. "Act?"

"All those things earlier—you were really good at it!" Gao Yang said, a little irritated.

Qing Ling's gaze flickered. "You saw her?"

"What do you mean?"

"My other personality?"

Gao Yang was stunned. Then he quickly realized: "You mean… you have... dissociative identity disorder?"

"Yes."

Gao Yang fell silent.

Qing Ling gently closed the tea room door. "To survive in this world, it's impossible without deceiving yourself. Over time, I developed an alternate personality. She's my sister, Qing Ling. Most of the time, it's me, but sometimes she doesn't listen and comes out on her own. Li Weiwei's death triggered Qing Ling quite a bit."

Gao Yang