Top Dupe CH 084 I'll Accompany You Part 1

After staring for a while, even the other staff members noticed and occasionally glanced at Luo Yu.

Luo Yu took two steps back and hid behind Yan Jun.

Finally… no one continued to look at him.

“You look really eye-catching in this haggard state today,” Yan Jun said.

“Really? Is it because of today’s makeup?”

Though it was three parts makeup, seven parts staying up too late.

While they were chatting, Gu Xiaowei unexpectedly walked up to them, hands in pockets, leaning in to look at Luo Yu.

Luo Yu felt his neck tilt back as he was looked at, “What are you looking at…?”

Surely, he didn’t have something on his face that he hadn’t cleaned properly.

“You don’t look like you stayed up late; you look like you’ve indulged too much,” Gu Xiaowei said, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Yan Jun actually nodded in agreement, “Hahaha! That’s right! I was actually going to ask—dude, how’s your kidney doing?”

Luo Yu’s expression cooled, and he cracked his fingers, ready to fight, “Brother Yan, try it and you’ll know if my kidney is fine!”

Yan Jun quickly shook his hands and retreated, “No need! No need! I’m a family man who upholds male virtues. I just came out to shoot some scenes to earn a bit of baby milk money! I never try what I shouldn’t!”

An arm reached around from behind, suddenly pulling Luo Yu back.

His back bumped into someone’s chest, and Luo Yu didn’t need to turn around to know it was Gu Xiaowei.

“Brother Yan can’t handle trying you.”

His voice was close, the vibration of the air making Luo Yu’s ears itch.

“No more trying! No more trying! We’re about to shoot!” Luo Yu pushed Gu Xiaowei’s arm up, pointing to the opposite side, “You should be in the art studio. Go on. Don’t interfere with my evidence collection.”

Gu Xiaowei seemed to huff, unwilling… ah no, it was leisurely as he entered the art studio.

Sheng Yunlan explained each person’s position in this group scene and what to pay attention to during the performance. The script supervisor shouted the scene number, and the scene began.

Zhao Sicheng entered the villa with relevant documents and evidence gatherers carrying toolboxes.

Uncle He was completely at a loss, having never seen such big fanfare. “Captain Zhao, what is this… what’s going on? So many people right away? Mr. Wen is here too? What is happening?”

Wen Yuchi gently calmed Uncle He’s emotions, saying, “It’s not a big deal; just a routine investigation based on the case.”

“Is… is there something wrong with Mr. Lu?” Uncle He asked cautiously.

“Just because we’re investigating in Mr. Lu’s villa doesn’t mean he did something wrong. You should show the documents Captain Zhao brought to Mr. Lu.”

Uncle He revealed a troubled expression, “Mr. Lu is in the art studio. Once he gets into the zone, he probably won’t open the door for anyone knocking.”

But just then, the door to the art studio opened, and Lu Pingfeng stood at the doorway, wearing a smock. His gaze swept across the entire living room, locking eyes with Wen Yuchi.

After a polite nod, he turned to Zhao Sicheng.

“Captain Zhao, it seems the surveillance footage you took that day revealed important clues,” Lu Pingfeng said in a calm voice.

Zhao Sicheng handed the evidence documents to Lu Pingfeng, his gaze filled with scrutiny, “Mr. Lu, do you know that you sleepwalk?”

“I know,” Lu Pingfeng replied.

“Then do you know that when you sleepwalk, you hold a knife?” Zhao Sicheng’s voice dropped an octave.

“I know.”

“Then do I still need to ask my next question?” Zhao Sicheng’s gaze scanned Lu Pingfeng inch by inch. What other secrets was this great painter hiding that they didn’t know about?

“You want to ask if I know there’s blood on the knife I’m holding.” Lu Pingfeng lowered his eyes, a hint of sarcasm appearing in his polite smile. “The red doesn’t necessarily mean it’s blood; it could also be paint.”

Zhao Sicheng nodded, “Whatever it is, we’ll find out.”

“Luminol reaction,” Lu Pingfeng said, looking at Wen Yuchi, who was standing at an angle behind Zhao Sicheng.

As long as they checked the path Lu Pingfeng took while sleepwalking for a luminol reaction, they would know if the drops on his knife were paint or something else.

Wen Yuchi nodded.

Lu Pingfeng continued, “As for the two previous murders imitating my artworks, I have alibis for both of them. So Captain Zhao, what’s the point of investigating the bloodstains in my villa? Even if there are bloodstains, according to the timestamp on the footage, they have nothing to do with those two cases, do they?”

“Case investigation, no comment.”

In fact, Lu Pingfeng had sleepwalked on two occasions just before the victims were murdered.

This coincidence was unsettling upon reflection.

Zhao Sicheng turned his head and nodded to his team, “Everyone, pay attention: any decor or items that have been touched or moved in Mr. Lu’s home must be returned to their original places.”

“Received!” the team members responded in unison.

Zhao Sicheng made a gesture to Lu Pingfeng, “Mr. Lu, please. There are still some questions that need your answers.”

“Then let’s go to the art studio. For Captain Zhao’s questions, I will be forthright and thorough.”

Before turning away, Lu Pingfeng looked at Wen Yuchi, who was squatting down, opening the toolbox.

“Dr. Wen.”

“Hmm?” Wen Yuchi looked in Lu Pingfeng’s direction.

“This villa has been renovated. If you really want to see the luminol reaction, I suggest starting with the only thing that hasn’t been replaced.”

After saying that, Luo Pingfeng left.

The only thing that hasn’t been replaced… what could it be?

But their first step was to verify whether the drops on the knife in Lu Pingfeng’s hand were paint or blood.

They checked the path from the kitchen to the living room and from the living room to the art studio, the same route captured on the surveillance video, and found no luminol reaction.

So, Lu Pingfeng’s claim that the drops from his knife were all paint… was true.

The surveillance footage showed the cleaning lady wiping away the paint. If it had been blood, she would have been terrified, but from the footage, it was clear that she was accustomed to it; her expression only showed annoyance, not fear.

So the question arises: why did Lu Pingfeng have a knife while sleepwalking, and why was there paint on the knife?

Wen Yuchi recalled Lu Pingfeng’s earlier hint that the villa had been renovated.

But it couldn’t have been recent, as such a significant operation would definitely have been captured on surveillance.

Luo Yu took out his phone and searched online for this villa, only to find out that it had been bought five years ago and was the site of a shocking murder case.

The male owner of the villa, suffering from mental issues, hallucinated and killed his wife, then cut open the victim’s back, arranging the body to resemble a fallen angel hanging on the wall.

The graphic nature of the murder scene was so impactful that the police officers who came to gather evidence were unable to handle it and required several weeks of psychological counseling.

The news reported that the male owner was a psychologist, and the first person to discover the crime scene was a patient undergoing an in-home assessment.

Wow, Lu Pingfeng actually moved into a murder house; should one say he’s fearless, or does he simply enjoy this atmosphere?

Logically, this villa must have been thoroughly investigated. If they still wanted a luminol reaction…

Wen Yuchi stood up and looked around. The villa’s decor was too simple, so simple that there was no place left to hide any traces. He smiled helplessly, he also didn’t believe in ghosts. If a murder house could be found in a good location for a cheap price, he would think he had hit a jackpot.

The crystal chandelier above… based on the interior decorations circulating online, it should originally belong to this villa.

Could it be that the victim’s blood had splattered onto the chandelier?

Impossible, unless the victim was killed on the ceiling.

But speculation isn’t reality; it must be personally verified.

Wen Yuchi had Uncle He bring a ladder. He climbed up, sprayed the reagent on the chandelier, and sure enough, there was no reaction.

Then where are the traces Lu Pingfeng mentioned?

Their main purpose this time was to prove whether Lu Pingfeng had ever killed someone in his sleepwalking state or if he had crossed a boundary into that assessed antisocial personality. The timing of his sleepwalking was too coincidental; was it related to the murder cases?

Searching for the traces Lu Pingfeng spoke of had no essential connection to this case.

But Wen Yuchi had a hunch that finding these traces would help him understand the real Lu Pingfeng better.

He climbed down the ladder, and with each step back, he turned his head to see the photographic works hanging on the wall.

He suddenly realized something and hurried over to take all those photographic works down.

The wall was covered with a layer of exquisite wallpaper, and Wen Yuchi suddenly tore this layer of wallpaper off.

“Mr. Wen! What are you doing…” Uncle He stepped forward, wanting to stop him, but Wen Yuchi was too imposing, and Uncle He could only anxiously stand behind him.

The other team members were also stunned; they wanted to stop Wen Yuchi, but they were still a step too slow.

Wen Yuchi sprayed a reagent on the wall behind the wallpaper, revealing large patches of bloodstains.

Especially in the center of the wall, the bloodstains formed the shape of wings.

Everyone was frozen in place, unable to speak.

Uncle He hurriedly explained, “This isn’t done by Sir! This bloodstain has nothing to do with him! It was left by the previous owner of the house! It’s been five years! Five years!”

Wen Yuchi took a step back, and the luminescent reaction from the luminol in front of him created a powerful visual shock that surged outward… sending chills down everyone’s spines.

The entire world seemed to freeze.

Everyone looked at the wall with horrified expressions, except for Wen Yuchi, who slowly took out his small aluminum flask from his pocket, unscrewed the lid, and took a big sip, but his gaze never left the wall.

It was as if he were the only person awake in this world.

After a full ten seconds, the sign that this scene was over was finally heard.

“Cut—”

“Very good! The atmosphere is nice! Let’s shoot a few more angles and wrap it up!”

Luo Yu took a deep breath, his heart racing violently; one hand, which had been clenched into a fist, relaxed, revealing a thin layer of sweat, while the other hand almost dropped the small aluminum flask.

What was inside the flask wasn’t sweet water, but a highly toxic substance that corroded the nerves.

At that moment, he understood not Wen Yuchi’s mindset, but the madness of Gu Xiaowei, who said he couldn’t escape from his role, wanting to leap from the heights of the city in a misunderstood frenzy.

In the script, everyone would question Lu Pingfeng’s mental state—what kind of person would live in such a murder house, eat, sleep, and create there?

Did Lu Pingfeng fall in love with the bloodstains on the wall? Did the blood of the fallen angel seem to him like a depiction of death? Did such a cruel image provide him with endless inspiration?

They all reached the same conclusion: Lu Pingfeng was just a madman.

Just like Gu Xiaowei, who couldn’t escape from his role, being watched over and restricted in his freedom. Because they all thought he was crazy.

In truth… he just had emotions that ran deeper than ordinary people and was more easily able to use his spirit to shape another illusory character.

Being treated as an outlier, judged as mentally unstable, and feeling out of place in this world was his greatest harm.