DF Chapter 36
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“You…” Zhen Yi was about to say that he had drawn those, but fearing it might trigger him, she changed her approach. “Oh, did I remember it wrong? I thought I saw a lot of black comic strips.”
“That wasn’t me who drew those.”
Zhen Yi felt a slight jolt. “Who drew them?”
“Xiao Shang did.”
Her racing heart calmed down. Tang Shang knows how to draw? Zhen Yi recalled that those drawings, though just black and white, were of high quality—definitely not the work of a beginner or an amateur. “Can I take a look?”
“They’re in the cabinet.”
Zhen Yi went to check, but there were no drawings inside, only his clothes and a tablet. Remembering the movie Scream of Terror, she asked for Wu Zhe’s permission and opened the tablet. The movie’s description was still on the screen.
When she saw the movie poster, she froze: two women’s profiles, staring at each other, one with heavy makeup and the other pure and elegant. Strangely enough, at first glance, they looked somewhat similar. The actresses: Song Yi and Tang Shang.
Thinking about it, both had been models before, and their figures were quite alike.
The movie synopsis: On a stormy night, a beautiful and innocent student (played by Tang Shang) has her car break down. Following a light in the forest, she finds a secluded villa. An old hunchbacked woman opens the door. Everything in the villa is eerie. That night, as the student sleeps, she feels something touch her face. Startled awake, she finds a mirror on the ceiling, reflecting her heavily made-up face (played by Song Yi), which no longer looks like her own. Terrified, she hears a soft knock on the heavy wooden door…
Zhen Yi asked Wu Zhe, “Do you like this?”
“Mm, it was Xiao Shang’s first time acting. She did so well.”
“Really?” Zhen Yi was skeptical. Song Yi was the lead, and Tang Shang had only a small role at the beginning.
“Yes,” Wu Zhe said proudly. “She carried the whole movie by herself.”
Zhen Yi felt a chill spreading through her feet. Suddenly, Song Yi’s words, “I want to be a painter,” echoed in her mind. Pointing at the heavily made-up face on the poster, Zhen Yi slowly asked, “Wu Zhe, who is this?”
Wu Zhe looked up. “That’s Xiao Shang.”
…
Zhen Yi drove fast, one hand on the wheel, the other clutching her phone, her ear filled with the mechanical voice of the automated system: “Sorry, the user you are trying to reach is currently unavailable…”
The moment she heard Wu Zhe mistake Song Yi for Tang Shang at the hospital, Zhen Yi felt a chill down her spine. She rushed to the hospital, but no matter how many times she tried, Song Yi’s phone remained unreachable. Did she run away?
“Song Yi,” she forced down her rising anger as she left a voicemail, “If you don’t want to be hunted nationwide, you’d better get back to me immediately! Otherwise, I’ll report you. I swear, I’ll report you.”
Just as she was about to hang up, something occurred to her, and she added, “If you come back, I’ll help you with your case. Come back!”
She hung up, the sound of wind whooshing outside her car window.
Zhen Yi didn’t immediately call Si Gui to report the situation. For some reason, she didn’t want to alert the police about Song Yi’s disappearance just yet. Losing contact would have serious consequences for someone about to face criminal charges.
Why did she think Song Yi would contact her? Over the past few days, Zhen Yi could feel Song Yi slowly changing, but how could she keep lying to her? How did she pass the polygraph? How could she have the nerve to angrily declare she had been completely honest?
No matter how much she vented or opened up in front of Zhen Yi, it always felt so real. How did she manage it?
Yan Ge’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind: “Polygraphs aren’t suitable for people with unstable mental health.” An eerie thought flashed through Zhen Yi’s mind, and memories started piecing themselves together. Sweat began to form in her palms.
Why did the script at Song Yi’s place seem so familiar?
“XXX, let me pick up the bill!” (Elegant tone)
“I’ve seen your skill, I trust you, XXX. Do you think this matter will be resolved soon?” (Formal tone)
“Of course, I’m not doubting you. You’ve always stood against those who oppose us, and that moves us deeply…” (Fake sincerity)
“What are you doing here?… Thought of a solution yet? I don’t have time now, talk in two hours…” (Dismissive)
“Unprofessional, don’t like it.” (Indifferent)
“You don’t like me very much, do you?” (Listless)
“I thought we’d work well together, but you’re messing with me. How could you recommend someone so unprofessional?” (Arrogant)
“Have a seat, I’ll make tea.” (Polite)
“I’m really sorry you had to come all this way again.” (Apologetic smile)
So many lines…
Every single thing Song Yi said came from a script she’d acted in. Different scripts.
That conversation Zhen Yi overheard outside the hospital room? Now that she thought about it, if you changed the names and places, it was word for word the same as what she had said while cross-examining Lin Ziyi in court a few months ago! Song Yi had played both roles—flawlessly.
Zhen Yi broke out in a cold sweat. Could it be that she wasn’t just dealing with one version of Song Yi?
Her phone rang—it was Song Yi.
Zhen Yi immediately picked up, and the voice on the other end was as rude as ever: “Zhen Yi, are you out of your mind? Report me for what? Did I steal your money or sleep with your man?”
Zhen Yi was stunned. Since she had met Song Yi, her personality and tone had always fluctuated wildly. She should have noticed sooner. “Where are you?”
“On set, of course. How else am I gonna make money to pay my heartless lawyer?”
“Song Yi,” Zhen Yi slowed her car down, taking a deep breath, “You drew those dark comic strips, didn’t you? Don’t deny it. I asked Wu Zhe.”
“Comic strips?”
“Yes, the ones about a girl who tortures and castrates four men. That girl looks a lot like Tang Shang but also kind of like you.”
“I didn’t draw those. What nonsense are you talking about?” She denied it, then paused and added, “Maybe Tang Shang drew them.”
“Maybe you don’t remember,” Zhen Yi tried to smile through her rising anxiety, “Song Yi, you’re sick.”
“You’re the one who’s sick! Zhen Yi, are you high or something?” In the background, Zhen Yi could hear the sound of cameras rolling and the director and assistant director shouting.
“Think carefully, Song Yi. Is that black-and-white painting in your living room drawn by Wu Zhe? It’s yours. I looked into your background. Fans say you’re multi-talented. I saw your previous works. Black and white, abstract, dark… Song Yi, that’s your style.”
