"Me?"
Luo Weiwei froze, glancing around to confirm it was just the two of them in the evidence room.
Her cheeks flushed a sudden pink. "This isn't… appropriate. What if your wife finds out—"
"What are you even thinking? This is serious business!"
Alex's expression was dead serious. Luo Weiwei instinctively took a step back.
Everyone said Detective Song was upright and selfless, but right now he looked like he was brewing some massive prank—maybe payback for her earlier jab about him being "henpecked."
Seeing her still rooted in place, Alex raised his voice: "Call Captain Lane. Bring the Lolita dress. Meet at the station entrance in two hours."
"And you? Aren't you coming with us?" Luo Weiwei asked.
Alex gave a cold chuckle. "A certain 'henpecked husband' needs to call his wife and ask her to bring something. Last night I only packed autopsy tools—I forgot a few critical items."
Two hours later, outside Riverside Police Headquarters.
Sophia Huang—wearing a soft pink jacket—was downstairs saying a reluctant goodbye to Alex.
Through the glass doors, Luo Weiwei waved enthusiastically, but Sophia didn't even notice—her eyes were fixed only on her husband.
"You didn't come home last night. I had nightmares!"
Her fair face carried a playful pout, every inch the spoiled young wife.
This was a sight no one at the station had ever witnessed. Phones came out instantly—snapping photos for friend circles and group chats.
Alex's voice softened to an almost unrecognizable gentleness as he stroked her now-long hair and leaned in to inhale its scent.
"How about you come with me on this one?"
Sophia shook her head. "No—too conspicuous. I'll stay home. Call me if you need anything."
"Okay."
Even after the conversation ended, she still couldn't bear to leave.
When Luo Weiwei and the others pushed through the glass doors, Sophia suddenly darted to her black Range Rover, floored the gas, and disappeared from the station lot.
"Detective S—hey! Why'd you let Sophia leave?"
Luo Weiwei waved after the departing car, but it was long gone.
Captain Lane had no time for sentiment. He looked straight at Alex: "Where to next?"
"Back to the underground shelter on Fairy Tale Lane—where Emma's body was first found. I need to confirm something." Alex's answer was short and sharp.
Lane didn't waste words. He headed straight for the police cruiser.
Alex took shotgun. Luo Weiwei climbed in the back, clutching the carefully folded Lolita dress.
On the drive, she couldn't hold back: "So what exactly are you planning?"
Alex smiled faintly. "Remember what case brought us together the first time?"
"Lucky Cat."
Luo Weiwei answered without hesitation.
"Exactly. The technique I'm about to use is connected to that case."
He shifted slightly in his seat, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
"This is going to be tough on you."
Luo Weiwei had been thrilled at the mention of a Song family secret art—but now a chill ran through her. A bad feeling bloomed.
Her gaze locked on the black bag in Alex's hands. What exactly was inside?
An hour later, they arrived at Fairy Tale Lane, Building 3.
Lane helped Luo Weiwei carry the dress. The three of them ducked under the police tape and stepped into the dark, derelict bomb shelter.
The ice machine had long been shut off, but the place still radiated bone-deep cold and gloom.
They tore open the new seal and pushed through the door. Luo Weiwei shivered instantly.
"Brr—freezing in here."
Alex set the black bag down. "Luo Weiwei—change into that dress. Stand exactly where Emma was discovered."
"Me?"
"Who else? You're the only woman here."
Luo Weiwei swallowed hard. Fear crept in. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Alex unzipped the black bag. Inside lay a carved wooden mask—grotesque and eerie—a small sack of dark liquid, and a fine brush.
Luo Weiwei's eyes widened in sudden recognition.
"I remember! During the Lucky Cat case, you had Bai Yidao prepare a mask and herbal concoction… Are you about to use the Song family's forbidden technique—the Reenactment Art?"
Alex nodded.
Luo Weiwei understood instantly—but that understanding brought dread.
"Back then, during that reenactment, you and Sophia nearly lost control and killed each other. Are we sure this is safe?"
The Reenactment Art was another secret technique recorded in the Song family's hidden manual *Divine Adjudication*, separate from Song Ci's famous *Washing Away of Wrongs*.
It drew inspiration from ancient Nuo exorcism theater—where masked performers danced to commune with the spirit world. A Song ancestor wondered: could a similar method recreate a crime scene and reveal the killer's mind?
After a decade of experimentation, he created the Reenactment Art: participants take on roles from the murder, reenacting the sequence at the actual site to uncover overlooked clues and enter the criminal's psychology.
On the surface it seemed mystical, but modern science explains much of it through extreme psychological suggestion and crime-scene simulation—though some elements still defy rational explanation.
Alex reassured her: "We won't lose control this time. It's only you acting. Captain Lane and I will observe. No violence."
"But… why does it have to be me?"
Luo Weiwei hesitated, voice small.