Chapter Forty-Seven: Win or Lose

As she spoke, she felt a faint surge of emotion, though she seemed unaware of it herself.

Yan Xue observed everything quietly, understanding that the inexplicable hostility Stone Guanqu had shown toward Tong Jingfei at the company—his frequent sarcastic remarks and verbal humiliations—likely stemmed from the very reason Tong Jingfei had just mentioned.

“So, are you saying Stone Guanqu was among those who benefited from the victim in our case and were therefore pleased, or was he the type who, unable to gain any advantage, was left frustrated and angry?” Yan Xue asked Tong Jingfei.

“How would I know? I wasn’t watching them the whole time,” Tong Jingfei replied, feigning ignorance.

“So you’re certain that on that night, you saw Stone Guanqu at the masquerade ball, and he seemed quite friendly with the deceased, correct?” Kang Ge sought confirmation from Tong Jingfei.

Tong Jingfei nodded, affirming that was exactly what she meant.

“That is rather interesting. Did you go with Stone Guanqu? Are you sure you didn’t mistake him for someone else?”

“No, I went with my friend and her acquaintances. When I got there, I realized Stone Guanqu was also present. He even greeted me, but we didn’t talk much; we’re not that close.” Tong Jingfei seemed almost desperate for Kang Ge to believe her and added, “If you don’t believe me, you can ask the friends who went with me if anyone named Stone Guanqu was there.”

“If that’s the case, I have another question,” Kang Ge said, scrutinizing Tong Jingfei, including the way she sat at the dressing table. “Do you believe in ghosts?”

“I don’t.” Tong Jingfei looked at Kang Ge with a mixture of confusion and incredulity, baffled that a police officer would ask such a question. “If ghosts existed, they’d seek revenge for every grievance. There’d be no bad guys roaming free, and you wouldn’t have to deal with any of this!”

“So you’re a materialist. Then let’s approach this scientifically.” Kang Ge was not surprised by her response; if Tong Jingfei already knew about Stone Guanqu’s death, she wouldn’t have used his fingerprint mold for this case. “If there are no ghosts, how do you explain the fingerprints of someone dead for a long time found at the crime scene? Can you help us analyze that?”

“That’s impossible!” Tong Jingfei was stunned, a flicker of shock crossing her otherwise impassive face. Her eyes betrayed growing panic. “Who did you say died? Stone Guanqu? That can’t be! If he’s dead, why are his fingerprints inside that house? Even if ghosts existed, would they leave behind fingerprints and footprints? That’s absurd!”

“Yes, from a professional standpoint, we can’t accept the ridiculous idea of a ghost leaving fingerprints at the scene. But the facts here are baffling; there’s no reasonable explanation yet,” Yan Xue said.

“Then maybe there’s another possibility: Stone Guanqu faked his death! Maybe he got into serious trouble and decided to fake it. That night was a masquerade ball, everyone’s faces were covered. Who could tell who was human or ghost? It’s a mix of people and ghosts—no one recognized anyone! It would be easy to sneak in!” Tong Jingfei’s panic made her words ramble, exposing flaws she didn’t realize.

“No one could recognize anyone? Then how can you be so sure it was Stone Guanqu?” Yan Xue seized the opportunity to question her.

“What’s that got to do with anything? Even if he turned to ashes, I’d recognize him!” Tong Jingfei blurted out instinctively.

“Oh? But you just said you weren’t close to him, so you weren’t very familiar. How can you claim to recognize someone so well for a person you barely know?” Yan Xue pressed on relentlessly.

“But... didn’t you say you found a lot of Stone Guanqu’s fingerprints at the scene? A dead person can’t leave fingerprints!” Tong Jingfei stammered.

“Dead people can’t, but there is something that allows fingerprints to be left behind without the person’s presence,” Kang Ge explained, watching Tong Jingfei’s reaction closely.

Tong Jingfei appeared even more nervous. Her face was well-turned but stiff, a bit unnatural even on a normal day, and now with her growing anxiety, the unsettling stillness seemed eerie.

“There’s something called a fingerprint mold. You’re probably familiar with it, or should be,” Yan Xue said firmly, stepping closer.

Tong Jingfei recoiled and shifted her body slightly to the right.

Kang Ge noticed this movement and glanced past Tong Jingfei’s shoulder at an acrylic drawer cabinet covered with a silk scarf. Clearly, she was trying to shield whatever was there that made her uneasy.

Kang Ge smiled faintly, a soundless, subtle smile that Tong Jingfei immediately noticed. She anxiously looked over her shoulder at the drawer and then back again, trembling as if ready to cling to it.

“Well, are we getting into familiar territory?” Kang Ge said with genuine interest. “I’d actually like to discuss the technical side. How did you manage to lift such clear fingerprints? Was it practice, or did you have some secret technique others don’t know?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t understand.” Tong Jingfei’s panic deepened; she nearly bit her tongue speaking.

“Don’t understand? That’s fine. We can talk about something else.” Kang Ge was accommodating, promptly shifting the subject. “Let’s talk about your motive.”

“What motive? Stop saying things I don’t understand!” Tong Jingfei no longer dared meet Kang Ge’s eyes. Her eyelids drooped, and if one looked closely, they’d notice her trembling.

“What motive is there?” Yan Xue shot a sharp glance at her. “Do you know whose party you were attending? Did you dress up beautifully and decide on the spur of the moment to kill that Ms. Lin, or was it premeditated, and you dressed up just for effect? When did you meet Ms. Lin, and what grudge do you have against her?”

“What Ms. Lin? Her name’s Bai...” Tong Jingfei, irritated by Yan Xue’s relentless mention of “Ms. Lin,” blurted out the name without thinking. Though quiet, the room was small enough for Yan Xue and Kang Ge to hear clearly.

Realizing what she said, Tong Jingfei shuddered violently. Her eyes widened, and her pupils trembled rapidly, her mind racing.

“Oh? She’s Bai? Bai what?” Kang Ge asked.

Tong Jingfei tried to steady herself. “Are you really doing this? You know her name is Bai Yueni. You’re just setting a trap for me!”

“No, you misunderstand. We’re not trying to trap you; just discussing things.” Kang Ge waved dismissively. “We’re curious—did you know the house belongs to someone named Lin Zhen?”

At this point, Yan Xue clearly anticipated Kang Ge’s intent. She pulled out her phone, showing Tong Jingfei a photo and personal details of Lin Zhen. “Look at the photo. What’s the name?”

Tong Jingfei hesitated, her hand trembling as she reached for the phone. When her fingers touched Yan Xue’s hand, the coldness made Yan Xue wonder if she was facing a human or a serpent spirit.

Seeing the photo and information, Tong Jingfei’s trembling worsened, almost convulsing. If Yan Xue hadn’t quickly taken back the phone, it might have been dropped and shattered.

“Did... did I mistake someone?” she whispered, despair etched across her face. “How can two people look so alike?”

“Well, judging by your reaction, it seems you have no grudge and don’t even know that Ms. Lin, right?” Kang Ge asked.

Tong Jingfei nodded shakily, clutching her knees to steady herself.

“So your target was Bai Yueni from the start. I can tell you, you didn’t kill the wrong person. The victim really was Bai Yueni. But that house doesn’t belong to her—it belongs to Ms. Lin.”

“The house isn’t Bai Yueni’s?” Tong Jingfei suddenly lifted her head, swaying. The string of surprises pushed her closer to breaking point. “If it’s not her house, why did she dress so beautifully and live there? Why was she organizing a masquerade ball inside? Who would lend such an expensive, fine house to someone to mess it up?”

“Exactly. If I hadn’t handled this case directly, I might have wondered the same,” Kang Ge nodded. “But it’s true: a bored, wealthy socialite named Lin Zhen happened to meet Bai Yueni, who looks just like her. The two hit it off and decided to switch identities for a while.”

“How could that be?” Tong Jingfei looked incredulous. “What about Bai Yueni’s situation?”

“Before swapping identities, she had just lost her job and hadn’t found a new one. Her life was difficult, so she eagerly exchanged identities to live a few days of luxury and dream the dream of a wealthy socialite.” At this point, Yan Xue saw no reason to withhold the truth.

Tong Jingfei’s background showed her as someone lacking resolve and confidence, easily broken by others’ disapproval. Her composure during the case stemmed from her confidence in the method she used, believing it could mislead the police. Undermining that confidence—exposing her method and motive—would break her from within.

Sure enough, as Yan Xue spoke, Tong Jingfei swayed, nearly collapsing from her chair. Yan Xue rushed forward to catch her.

“How can this be... how can this be?” Yan Xue supported her as Tong Jingfei clung tightly and broke down sobbing. “All these years, I’ve lived in Bai Yueni’s shadow! I worked so hard to let people see my strengths, to prove I was outstanding! But Bai Yueni thought I took a place she didn’t cherish and mocked me from head to toe! She tormented me every day; I even tried to kill myself!”

She raised her hand to reveal several scars on her wrist.

“After dropping out, I saw a psychologist for over six months. I tried everything, but I couldn’t let go of my hatred for Bai Yueni! I went back to school, studied hard, earned money for plastic surgery—to one day stand tall in front of her! But then, I was burdened with so much debt from surgery, scrimping and saving to pay it off. When I finally looked beautiful, people called me a ‘silicone face’—all because of Bai Yueni!

“My job was tough, and I was mocked and gossiped about. But Bai Yueni became so rich, living in a huge house. How could I ever compete?

“Finally, I put my plan into action after years of scheming. And now you’re telling me Bai Yueni’s life was actually miserable?”

She let out a pitiful, almost animal-like cry, then sobbed softly, shoulders collapsing as she murmured, “If I hadn’t attacked Bai Yueni, could I have laughed at how she treated me, now that she’s worse off than me? If I hadn’t acted against her... would I have won?”