My 'Healing' Game

Han Fei, under the impression that everyone was a "suspect," talked with Li Xue for quite some time before he realized that she was actually a police officer.

Standing at the doorway of the interrogation room, watching Li Xue's receding figure, he didn't feel so hopeless anymore, at least now there was a former criminal detective willing to listen to him.

"Hey! Don't be fooled by her appearance. You might just be detained here for a while, but if you end up in her hands, you won't escape without losing a layer of skin." Zhang Xiaotian gestured for Han Fei to follow him into another room.

In the small room was a middle-aged police officer, furiously yelling into a phone, the same officer who had scolded Li Xue earlier.

He had a commanding look and a robust voice, but unfortunately, Li Xue wouldn't listen to him at all.

"Captain Wang, calm down. She's been awarded first-class merits twice. She's just here to experience life; there's no need to take it up with her," Zhao Ming quickly poured a glass of water and placed it beside the middle-aged officer.

"What does two first-class merits mean? Does she look like a cop to you! If she doesn't want to work, she shouldn't bother showing up tomorrow!" The middle-aged officer was still furious.

If you really fire her, her parents will probably beat the drum and deliver a banner in gratitude. I've heard her family background is quite good, and her parents have always been against her becoming a cop," Zhao Ming realized too late that the middle-aged officer seemed even more irritated now; he quickly changed the subject: "Captain Wang, this is Han Fei, I've brought him in."

Upon hearing the name Han Fei, the middle-aged officer, known as Captain Wang, finally stopped his tirade and switched to work mode: "Young man, sorry to keep you waiting so long. We have some questions we'd like to ask you, and we hope you won't hide anything from us."

Han Fei, having led an honest life for over twenty years, was nervous about being in a police station for the first time: "Don't worry, I will definitely cooperate with you."

As technology developed rapidly, policing had become much easier than before. All citizens had their own personality profiles, and computers could even predict how likely someone was to commit a crime.

In addition, many police officers' cellphones were equipped with specialized lie detector apps and case analysis tools, which, with computer assistance, minimized the probability of wrongful convictions.

After talking for an entire hour, they finally let Han Fei go.

Whether it was computer analysis or big data personality modeling, Han Fei had no criminal suspicion, and his danger rating by the system was an extremely rare zero.

In other words, not only was it impossible for Han Fei to commit a crime, but he was also genuinely a good person.

At least, that's what the Citizen Information System believed.

"Captain Wang, are we just letting him go?"

"There's nothing we can do if we don't let him go, as the police station doesn't have the right to detain suspects," Captain Wang said, looking at Han Fei's citizen information on the table, his eyebrows furrowed: "Our district has been rated as the safest in Xinhu Old City for five consecutive years. Yet, this month, such a major case occurred, and Forensic Science still hasn't identified the cause of the fire. This isn't simple."

"Should I keep an eye on him with Zhang Xiaotian?"

"Be careful and make sure he doesn't notice," Captain Wang gathered all the information related to Han Fei: "In all my years on the force, this is the first time I've seen an adult with a danger rating of zero. I heard from a teacher before that there are generally two types of adults with a zero rating. One is those with a simple mind and a good nature, but even they can't maintain a zero rating forever."

"What about the other type?" Zhang Xiaotian and Zhao Ming gathered around.

"The other is the most dangerous, cunning type with a high IQ, skilled in hacking technology, and knows how to hypnotize themselves — a super criminal," Captain Wang took a deep breath: "These are masters of manipulating human nature, who would go to extreme lengths to suppress their criminal personality. They seem harmless and innocent on the surface, but inwardly they are as twisted and perverse as they come."

"Do you think Han Fei is that kind?"

"I'm not sure, but it's better to be careful."

...

Standing at the entrance of the police station, "super criminal" Han Fei, holding a piece of bread he just bought from a vending machine, muttered quietly, "Don't police stations provide meals after detaining someone?"

It was almost eleven in the morning, and Li Xue still hadn't replied to his message. After finishing the bread, Han Fei decided to go home.

But before he could take a few steps, his phone suddenly vibrated.

Surprised at the caller ID, Han Fei answered.

"Director Jiang, did you need something?"

"Come to the North Street of Old City District at one this afternoon. I'm preparing a new show, and you could come and try out."

Han Fei was about to explain that he had recently run into some issues and wasn't planning to audition, but the other party had already hung up.

"Hello? Director Jiang?" Han Fei listened to the dial tone on the other end and pursed his dry lips.

"I'm not in a state to smile right now; I'm not fit to be an actor anymore."

Despite saying this, Han Fei still decided to go that afternoon. When someone offered him an opportunity while he was at his most desperate, it felt disrespectful not to go.

After taking a shower and changing clothes at home, Han Fei hurriedly rushed to North Street of Old City District.

Xinhu was a cosmopolitan metropolis with a massive land area. Its core region was turned into a high-tech smart city, with towering buildings and numerous companies, housing the country's top talents.

In comparison to the core regions, the Old City District looked rather rundown, still maintaining its appearance from years ago.

"Is Director Jiang Yi available?" Han Fei arrived at North Street of Old City, surprisingly finding that there were two film crews shooting there, one was a modern urban romance comedy, and the other seemed to be a thriller with a criminal theme.

Since his previous works were all related to comedy, he first went to the urban romance crew to inquire.

"Han Fei?" A staff member checking the actors' sign-in sheet immediately recognized Han Fei: "Weren't you fired by the company? Why are you here again?"

"This is a company production?" Han Fei was also puzzled: "Director Jiang Yi asked me to come for an audition."

"Our 'Urban Secret Love' crew isn't directed by Jiang Yi. Are you sure you didn't come to the wrong place?" The staff member, just a low-level errand runner, sympathized with Han Fei's plight, so he wasn't trying to make things difficult for Han Fei.

"Not Jiang Yi?" Knowing the address was correct and realizing that the director of the urban romance comedy wasn't Jiang Yi, Han Fei concluded that Jiang must be in charge of the other production.

Slowly turning around, Han Fei looked across the street at the ominously dim residential building, where the closed apartment door sported a poster with three blood-red characters—Flower of Evil.

"Is this asking me to act in a horror film?"