Chapter 115: Neither Flower Nor Mist

“Neither flower nor fog—no one expected that you would stage such a drama yourselves.” When these words slipped out, Chen Fan was shocked. He pointed at Z and asked me if what I said was true. I didn’t answer him but told him to ask Z.

Z lowered her head and finally nodded, confirming my words.

She wasn’t really Z. I didn’t know her name, so I could only continue calling her Z. Moreover, her face made it difficult to distinguish her from the real Z. At this moment, Z finally mustered her courage; she knew she couldn’t escape. She asked me how I found out.

“If I’m not mistaken, the photos of Charlie and the real Z worshipping gods were deliberately staged by Charlie for the media,” I said.

The reason the last photo conflicted with the earlier ones was that in the latest photo, Z was heavily wrapped up, wearing a mask and a knitted hat. That Z was the one before us—she didn’t look gaunt, and it wasn’t due to disguise but because she was a person of normal weight and appearance.

The earlier pictures captured by the media were of the real Z. At that time, she hadn’t tried to conceal herself. She was at her lowest point in life and wouldn’t have bothered to dress up deliberately when going out. Charlie took her out in that state intentionally so the media would capture Z looking wretched.

Back then, Charlie was already plotting an audacious scheme of deception.

What confirmed everything for me was the information uncovered by Mr. Zhou’s father. I had Chen Fan, Luo Feng, and Mr. Zhou’s father help me investigate where Charlie and Z went abroad two years ago. The media rumors said they went to a Southeast Asian country, the birthplace of the Kumantong doll.

However, I didn’t believe it. If they really went there and were so devout, they would have surely obtained a Kumantong doll by now. In that country, getting a Kumantong doll isn’t difficult, so there would be no reason to seek out Wu Qingshan.

Therefore, I was certain they never went to that country. Charlie and Z left the Hong Kong area two years ago. Since the airport had been redeveloped and renamed, much previous information was hard to trace. Chen Fan, just a junior officer, found it difficult to uncover the truth.

Fortunately, Mr. Zhou’s father used his influence to find out.

Just as I suspected, Charlie and Z never traveled to that Southeast Asian country. After leaving Hong Kong, they stopped at a transit airport and then headed to an eastern country known for its world-leading cosmetic surgery technology.

In the late 1990s, cosmetic surgery was just beginning worldwide, but that country was ahead of others.

Chen Fan was surprised. Cosmetic surgery was no longer a novelty.

“Can surgery make her look exactly like Z?” he asked.

I shook my head. “With current technology, creating two identical faces is impossible.”

“So what’s going on?” I smiled faintly. “In the entertainment world, there’s a term called ‘celebrity look-alike.’”

A celebrity look-alike refers to someone who resembles a famous star very closely. Many people imitate popular celebrities—some mimic their voices, some their appearance. Those who mimic looks rely on natural resemblance and use makeup and other techniques to enhance similarity.

The most skilled often leave others unable to tell truth from imitation.

The Z before us was one in a million, naturally resembling the real Z to an extraordinary degree. On top of that, going to that country for cosmetic surgery to make the resemblance even closer was entirely feasible given modern technology.

“The reason Charlie is so clever is that he created a prior image for the media,” I continued.

Charlie deliberately paraded the emaciated, unrecognizable Z before the media, ensuring that everyone’s impression of Z remained rooted in that miserable state. When Z reappeared publicly looking completely transformed, most people compared her to the disheveled image from before.

Z was young—a teenager in earlier years. If someone compared the rejuvenated Z with the past one, a little explanation would allay suspicion. People naturally change as they grow, and most of Z’s public appearances involved makeup. The difference between a woman’s face with and without makeup is vast, and few had seen Z bare-faced.

This was why Z often wore heavy makeup.

The only ones who might expose the truth were Z’s close friends and family.

Using Hong Kong media, I found several news reports about Z. After her comeback, she severed ties with all her old friends. Though some defended her, saying that when she fell on hard times no one helped, so breaking off relationships was understandable, the real reason was likely that Z feared exposure in front of those who truly knew her.

Furthermore, after her resurgence, she claimed to focus on acting and quit singing to “be responsible to her fans.” This was because the Z before us could not imitate the real Z’s singing voice. While speaking voices can change, singing techniques are harder to alter. Afraid of being exposed, she simply stopped singing.

The people who knew Z best were her mother.

When Z fell from grace, her mother stayed by her side. But now, Z refused to associate with her mother. The reason was simple: her mother was the most likely to see through their deception. Charlie and Z preferred to endure negative rumors about Z’s unfilial behavior rather than let her mother get close.

Charlie also deliberately stirred up rumors about Z worshipping the Kumantong doll, preparing the ground for his switcheroo scheme and boosting Z’s publicity.

Because she wasn’t the same person, it was easy to explain why Z recovered her normal figure so quickly. To confirm my suspicion, I tested Z multiple times. At first, I acted very flirtatiously, and eventually, I even stripped her completely and lay beside her.

I didn’t touch her—I just wanted to test her.

When Z woke up, she was extremely agitated.

The real Z had had multiple boyfriends. Photos of her leaked to the public showed a sultry expression, one of enjoyment. To put it bluntly, Z had been promiscuous. Such a person, upon discovering someone had slept with her, would first show anger. But when Z woke, she screamed and then cried.

She seemed more like an innocent girl, utterly different from the Z portrayed in the media.

“The real Z was already abandoned by Charlie. Given her state, depression and death were only a matter of time. Maybe intentionally or by chance, Charlie found someone who could replace Z. Together, they killed the real Z. The address I told you is where Z was buried,” I said to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan was completely stunned, speechless. Such a case was unprecedented to him. Indeed, this case required so many conditions—it could only be a one-off; otherwise, the world would have descended into chaos.

This case was complex. After killing the real Z, Charlie and the impostor spent two years staging Z’s comeback. But the Z before us wasn’t the culprit in the Kumantong case; she was unaware that the case was fabricated by Charlie, that the murders were his doing. In fact, Z fully believed the lie that the Kumantong doll had backfired.

The Z before us truly believed what Wu Qingshan said. However, her reason for worshipping the Kumantong doll was not for her career.

As I said this, Chen Fan couldn’t hold back: “What exactly happened? And Zhou Sheng—why did he die? Why did Charlie kill him?”

I thought for a moment, then fixed my gaze on Charlie, who was now bleeding heavily: “Before that, I want to ask you—why is my photo in the Kumantong doll?”