Chapter 315: Identity and Suspicion

As I crossed the street, a low-profile black sedan pulled up behind me. "Gao Jian, get in. I'll give you a ride."

Du Yu poked his head out of the car. "I'm not a fan of crowds, and it looks like you aren't either."

The media was out in full force looking for me. To avoid them, I didn't refuse; I opened the door and got in. "Pinnacle of Happiness Adult Shop on Ting Tang Road. Step on it, please."

"You really don't hold back, do you? By the way, the Black Leather Suitcase where you store your streaming gear is under the back seat. Check inside. Other than the Jiangjin Real Estate account records, I haven't touched a thing."

"No need. I trust you." I pulled out the Black Leather Suitcase and dusted it off. In the rearview mirror, I caught sight of Du Yu's expression. No matter when I looked at him, he always wore that same gentle smile.

Seeing it once or twice was fine, but maintaining that smile constantly made me slightly uncomfortable. It reminded me of someone else who always smiled out of habit.

During the eighth broadcast, when I went to the bank to exchange items, the lobby manager who received me had been exactly like this. She kept a smile on her face—which hadn't seemed like much during the day, but felt absolutely terrifying at night.

"Du Yu, before you saw my stream, had you ever watched anyone else do a similar live broadcast?" I asked slowly, turning the thought over in my mind.

"I have."

Du Yu's casual response from the driver's seat made me narrow my eyes. "When? What did they stream?"

"On the Chayu Live Broadcast Platform. They streamed ghost explorations, but the channel was permanently banned later for promoting superstition."

"It wasn't a murder broadcast? Nobody died?"

"Boss, do you think everyone is like you, stumbling into a murder scene in every single stream? Stop trying to feel me out. Before I saw your broadcast, I was abroad studying criminal psychology. I only stayed here indefinitely because I happened to catch your stream after returning to the country."

"Just got back?" Du Yu's tone hadn't wavered once from the very beginning, leaving me unable to tell which parts were true and which were false. This man had managed to rescue me from a certain-death situation; his capabilities were far beyond mine. "Do you remember if anything strange happened around you the first time you watched my stream?"

"Something strange? I was living in the Xinhu University Faculty Dormitory at the time. A male student jumped off the building in the middle of the night. Curious, I took a stroll around the crime scene, and when I got back and turned on my phone, I inexplicably saw your broadcast." Du Yu looked relaxed. "Can't just anyone watch your streams? Do they need to meet some specific condition?"

He meant it as a joke, but I gave a solemn nod. "It's highly likely. Based on the information I've gathered, there are roughly three types of people who can see my broadcasts. The first type are those with heavy Yin energy. The second are those who will die a violent death in the coming days. The third are those haunted by ghosts."

Du Yu didn't take it seriously. "Which one do I look like to you?"

"You should be the third type." I began to analyze with total sincerity. "A student commits suicide by jumping off a building, and you run over to look at the scene in the middle of the night because you have nothing better to do. As a result, that boy's ghost follows you all the way home. When you lock the door, it's actually inside your room. It might be standing by your bed watching you, or it might still be hiding under it right now."

"Streamer, your professional ethics are commendable. You effortlessly slipped me into a ghost story."

"Don't brush it off. You should be careful lately. I'll draw a couple of talismans for you to carry." I spoke casually, but that was just on the surface. I had already shifted my body into a blind spot in the back seat. Unless Du Yu turned his head, he wouldn't be able to see my facial expression through the rearview or side mirrors.

As I spoke, I kept my eyes fixed on him, hoping to find some answers.

Du Yu had indeed helped me this time, but what was his actual goal? Just to do live broadcasts with me? That excuse was a massive stretch, and I hadn't fully believed it from the start.

With eight broadcasts finished, I had passed the Underworld Live Show's evaluation. I had no idea what the next streams would look like.

But one thing was certain: just the evaluation broadcasts had already been too much for me to handle. Once the official broadcasts began, I figured I wouldn't last many rounds.

To leave myself an out, I needed a deeper understanding of the Underworld Live Show. I couldn't just blindly obey; I had to be ready to fight back at any moment.

My own strength was severely limited. Blind Liu and Mr. Gu were too stuck in their ways, and Er Gou was young and impulsive. None of them were suitable candidates.

Du Yu's appearance brought me a glimmer of hope. He was highly interested in the Underworld Live Show live broadcasts, and his mature, calm, and unfazed demeanor perfectly matched what I needed.

The only thing that kept me from feeling at ease was the incomprehensible smile constantly plastered across this man's face. I had seen something similar on that bank lobby manager.

The bank manager was very likely affiliated with the Underworld Live Show, so could Du Yu be connected to it as well?

I weighed these thoughts but didn't lay them out for Du Yu. There was still time. Everything could be taken slowly.

Back on Ting Tang Road, I grabbed the Black Leather Suitcase and got out of the car.

"Whenever it's convenient, remember to call and take me along on a broadcast," Du Yu said, then drove away.

I tore the police seal off the roll-up door of the Adult Shop. Staring at the locked entrance, I realized I didn't have anything on me. In my rush to leave earlier, I had completely forgotten about my keys.

Feeling a bit awkward, I sat by the door and was just about to go borrow a phone when a police car pulled up. "You slipped away pretty fast, kid. Did you think you could just walk out because the court declared you innocent? The paperwork isn't done yet. Come back to the Municipal Sub-bureau with me."

Wu Meng patted the car door. Left with no choice, I hugged the suitcase and headed back to the Municipal Sub-bureau.

"Where did you get that black box? I didn't see you carrying it when you left the courthouse."

"My defense lawyer gave it to me. It's some case files."

I answered casually, not expecting Wu Meng to take it seriously. "You really need to be careful. There's an issue with your defense lawyer's identity. When he came to us asking for our cooperation, Captain Tie took a good look at his business card. No domestic law firm has ever heard of such a person. As for the heap of titles on his card, Captain Tie looked them up one by one, only to find that the credentials were entirely fabricated. Athens University does have a Chinese lecturer in criminal psychology, but he's an old man in his fifties. The number of honorary visiting professors at Columbia University can be counted on one hand, and Captain Tie compared their photos one by one without finding him."

"His identity is forged?"

"Not just his identity. Even the letters of entrustment and the proxy documents are fake. The only real thing about this man is his lawyer's practice certificate, but that's also the most contradictory part. The Du Yu registered in the system and the Du Yu who defended you are almost two entirely different people. Aside from sharing the same appearance, their personalities, behaviors, and ways of speaking are vastly different."

The more I listened, the more alarmed I felt. "What kind of person is the Du Yu you investigated?"

Wu Meng shook his head. "His past records are useless. There's a disconnect in this man's life."

"A disconnect?"

"Exactly. When he turned thirty, he cut ties with everyone in the outside world. Rumor has it he went abroad alone. Today is his first appearance in five years. No one knows what he experienced during those five years. It's a complete blank slate with no way to trace it."

I slowly frowned. Thank god I hadn't revealed anything to Du Yu earlier. 'He only wants to broadcast with me. Could he be searching for the Underworld Live Show too?'

Time flew by as we talked. Before I could come to any conclusions, the car had already arrived at the Municipal Sub-bureau.

I accompanied Wu Meng into the criminal investigation department and greeted the surrounding detectives before being dragged into an office by Tie Ningxiang.

"Senior, what else do you need me to record?"

I sat obediently in the chair and watched Tie Ningxiang pull an item out of her drawer. "This phone must be very important to you, right?"

Preserved inside the evidence bag was none other than the Underworld Live Show Phone. Tie Ningxiang held it in her hand, her expression complicated.

During the broadcast at the New Century Amusement Park, she knew I was doing online streams part-time and hadn't thought much of it. However, the last text message from the Underworld Live Show hadn't been deleted this time. After reading it, she must have grown suspicious of me.