As soon as Qin Zhao greeted the officer, the room seemed to come back to life.

“Detective Luo?” 

The officer, who had skillfully restrained Lang Zhe, stood up, a bright smile on his face as he greeted Qin Zhao. “Hey, Qin Lao San! Long time no see.”

After this, he scanned Ji Fei with sharp, hawk-like eyes, giving her only a brief nod.

Ji Fei, who had been admiring the attractive police officer, noted his unfriendly demeanor. The man had the look of someone destined for the cover of a police recruitment campaign: rugged, intense, the type who could make screens across the country light up with admiration. But upon recognizing his familiarity with Qin Zhao, she squinted and remembered something.

**"Oh, that’s Luo Fei! He’s one of Qin Xian’s good friends and college buddies, along with Yu Zhi. They were close and even supported Qin Xian and Yu Zhi's relationship. Apparently, he’s still bitter about what he sees as the Qin family’s pressure on Qin Xian to marry."**

Hearing her thoughts, Qin Zhao felt a twinge of awkwardness. He hadn’t realized Ji Fei knew so much about Luo Fei’s grudge against the family. But even he hadn’t expected to see Luo Fei here today.

“What brings you here?” Qin Zhao asked.

“Didn’t you report this?” Luo Fei replied, holding up his phone.

Confused, Qin Zhao quickly checked his own device. Earlier, he had shared with his family the information Ji Fei had uncovered about Lang Zhe’s phone and how all the evidence was stored there. Qin Xian had then devised a plan. Taking advantage of Lang Zhe’s obliviousness, they’d quietly filed a report to catch him off guard and secure the evidence before it could be tampered with.

Since Luo Fei was already working a case in the area, Qin Xian had called him in as backup.

Qin Xian had hinted that Lang Zhe might be behind the scheme, framing someone else, and asked Luo Fei to investigate. His only request was to secure Lang Zhe’s phone upon arrest to prevent any further harm to the victim.

Having a trusted officer on the case made everything easier. Luo Fei had immediately identified Lang Zhe as a suspect. Qin Zhao and Ji Fei’s worries about preserving the evidence had just been resolved.

Who would have thought Lang Zhe would react so foolishly, nearly incriminating himself with his attempted escape?

With things now in place, Qin Zhao improvised seamlessly.

“Oops, sorry! I had been listening earlier and heard you all talking about calling the police, so I drafted a message to get Sun Man some help,” Qin Zhao explained, “and it looks like I accidentally hit ‘send.’”

**"Bravo, Lao San! Perfectly timed. Since it’s a friend, we can be subtle with our hints."**

Qin Zhao accepted the mental praise, feeling slightly guilty for stealing the spotlight from Qin Xian.

Turning to the group, he said, “Well, since they’re already here, should we continue with the report?”

Sun Man, still processing everything, faced the police with a respectful fear. She brought out her phone and gave a full account of the events leading up to this point.

“So, you’re saying the photos were distributed from your phone?” Luo Fei looked directly at Lang Zhe.

Lang Zhe, finally realizing the gravity of the situation, struggled against his restraints. “It was an accident! You can’t arrest me for that!”

Lu Fei, feeling torn, stepped forward. Watching her son being handcuffed was heartbreaking.

“You’ve misunderstood. From now on, you’re the prime suspect.” Luo Fei didn’t waste any time and took Lang Zhe’s phone from his pocket as evidence.

“What are you doing?” Lang Zhe nearly shrieked, unable to believe how things had spiraled.

“Prime suspect?” Lu Fei repeated in shock.

“That’s correct. In these cases, it’s often an insider. Since the claim that his phone was lost is just his word, we’ll look for signs he may have needed a large amount of cash recently. This could show a motive for staging a blackmail scam. For example, if he has certain bad habits or financial troubles…”

“Does gambling count?” Pei Mingxuan chimed in.

The revelation dropped like a bomb, exposing a secret Lang Zhe thought well-hidden.

“You… what are you saying?” Lang Zhe stammered, glaring at Sun Man in shock.

Sun Man was equally surprised.

Pei Mingxuan shrugged. “Don’t blame me; I’m just cooperating with the police, and it’s true. And it’s not like I got it from her. Word travels, even if you think you’re being discreet.”

It was a reminder that the information didn’t come from Sun Man, preempting any future retaliation if Lang Zhe was released without charges.

“I… I didn’t!” Lang Zhe muttered, lowering his head, but he could feel his mother’s scorching gaze on him.

“I can confirm his gambling,” Sun Man added.

With everyone helping her, she couldn’t back down now.

Lang Zhe stared at her in disbelief. He had thought her too gentle to reveal his secrets, even after they’d broken up.

But Sun Man met his gaze with a numb sadness. They had been in love once, and sometimes you know the people you trust all too well.

“He once borrowed ten million yuan from me to cover his gambling debts. That was why we broke up.”

She hadn’t known that some people would do anything for a game.

Once she accepted this, everything made sense.

Before anyone could react, Lu Fei slapped Lang Zhe across the face. Luo Fei tactfully stepped back, giving her room, pretending to restrain her while letting her vent her anger.

“Is it true? Did you do this? You vile child! What have you done? How could you do this to Sun Man, to me, to your father—”

“I didn’t! I didn’t!”

In the end, Lang Zhe, bloodied and crying, was escorted out by the officers who arrived later.

“Miss Sun, rest assured that we’ll have experts trace and handle the images and videos. We’ll protect every citizen’s dignity and security,” Luo Fei assured.

Sun Man’s face crumpled, and she finally broke down, crying. She had steeled herself for the worst, but this outcome felt like a miracle. She was deeply grateful that someone had given her hope.

Once her statement was recorded, Luo Fei asked, “Miss Sun, is there anything else you’d like to pursue, such as retrieving the ten million yuan?”

Before Sun Man could respond, Lu Fei quietly said, “We’ll pay it back.”

Lu Fei looked at Sun Man, who seemed overwhelmed. Kind-hearted people always felt guilty, even when they shouldn’t.

Lu Fei gently reassured her, “Don’t feel that way. We wronged you, and you shouldn’t carry any guilt. You’re a good person, and it was my failure as a mother that allowed him to hurt you.”

She wouldn’t fault Sun Man for not disclosing the loan earlier. After all, Sun Man wasn’t obligated to manage her son’s life.

Lu Fei was clear about the fault. She knew her son was beyond her ability to rehabilitate.

“You don’t need to worry about anything with this case. Let the investigation proceed as it will. I won’t interfere or plead on his behalf. It’s time he learned his lesson,” she said firmly, showing the resolve of a “tiger mother.”

“Miss Sun, could you come to the police station tomorrow?” Luo Fei asked.

Sun Man hesitated, her gaze faltering, but Ji Fei interjected, “So does that mean tomorrow’s performance is off?”

**"Looks like the director and producer are in for a shock."**

Qin Zhao cleared his throat as Luo Fei frowned, adding, “This might be too much for Sun Man right now.”

Sun Man seemed unsure, but Lu Fei spoke up. “I’ll be there with you every step of the way, and I won’t let him ruin this for you. Do you want to give up this chance?”

Sun Man’s eyes sparkled with renewed determination, and she nodded. “I still want to perform.”

With Luo Fei agreeing to make an exception, Sun Man resolved to press charges against her mother and uncle, reporting them alongside Lang Zhe.

Looking at the stunned faces of her mother and uncle, Luo Fei smirked. “Looks like I’ll need to call in extra help tonight.”

At that, Sun’s mother and uncle grew frantic, screaming at Sun Man.

But Luo Fei cut them off with a stern warning. “Enough! One more word, and you’ll be charged with harassing a victim.”

Silenced, they fell quiet.

As Luo Fei left, Pei Mingxuan eagerly escorted him out.

**"What’s Pei Mingxuan up to? Trying to recruit him for the entertainment industry?"**

Qin Zhao nearly tripped. The beginning of her thought suggested an interest in him personally, while the end seemed to imply she wanted him as talent.

They were both wrong.

It seemed Pei Mingxuan was simply hoping he’d make a guest appearance in their upcoming production.