The male supporting character was actually myself.

He glanced at the signal reception level in the app, then pressed play to continue the nightmare loop.

Just as Jiang Yulu was sitting in the downstairs hall, pondering how to get the other party to speak, the butler came over and whispered, "Young Madam, Young Master's childhood friend Wu Hongbo has arrived. He says he has something very important to discuss with you."

Childhood friend?

Jiang Yulu tried hard to recall and then remembered that she seemed to have met him once at a wedding. Her eyes lit up immediately!

Since they've been good friends since childhood, Wu Hongbo must know a lot of things that the imposter doesn't. Maybe he can give them a helping hand?

Wu Hongbo drove in with a serious expression; he had been having nightmares for the past two days.

Although he couldn't remember clearly after waking up, he vaguely felt that something had happened to his best friend, Murong Jiangchen. The blood all over the ground gave him a bad feeling. Thinking about the changes in his friend after meeting Jiang Yulu, he wanted to meet this extraordinary woman alone, at least to get some information out of her.

"Why did he suddenly come here?" Jiang Chen couldn't help but sigh when he saw this childhood friend of the original owner.

I initially thought this guy was a pro, but because he sleeps so well, his dreams never really came true, and he ended up being just a nobody in the bronze rank...

Wu Hongbo had been racking his brains for an opening line, trying to figure out how to get a hint, but Jiang Yulu immediately unleashed her trump card upon meeting him: "You and Murong Jiangchen have been best friends since childhood. Did you know he has a twin brother? Don't you feel like he's become a different person since last year?"

Wu Hongbo: ∑('△｀)? !

What twins?

Isn't the fact that Murong Jiangchen has changed something you wanted to elicit by using conversation to test the waters?

“Uh… he is indeed a bit…” Wu Hongbo didn’t know how to describe it, and he had no idea what the other party was up to. He stammered and shook his head, “I don’t know anything about twins. What? Jiang Chen has an older brother?”

Jiang Yulu nodded and dropped an even bigger bombshell, "That's right, not only does he have a twin brother, Murong Liangchen, but he also killed his parents and then Murong Jiangchen before he arranged to meet me. He then erased all traces of his existence and transformed himself into Murong Jiangchen. The imposter is sleeping upstairs right now. If you really know Murong Jiangchen, you should be able to tell the difference, right?"

Wu Hongbo: Σ(°△°|||)︴

what? !

Am I dreaming? What kind of melodramatic, high-society family feud is this?

After a few seconds of stunned silence, he suddenly turned pale and stammered, "My uncle and aunt were murdered? I... I suspected it at the time, but the traffic department classified it as a traffic accident, and I didn't have any concrete evidence..."

Jiang Yulu immediately seized on the key point, "How could you doubt that it wasn't an accident?"

“I own a car repair company, and my relatives and friends all have their cars maintained and repaired by me.”

Wu Hongbo swallowed and explained, "I had just personally supervised the maintenance of my uncle's car two days before the incident. How could it have lost control due to a brake problem?"

However, after I submitted the written evidence, the traffic investigation department said that my uncle's misjudgment and incorrect operation while driving under the influence of alcohol led to brake failure. After all, the car was badly damaged, and the police had specifically investigated everyone who had access to the car, finding no suspicious behavior, so they determined it was an accident.

"The investigation into the Murong couple's car accident has been reopened, and I hope you can help with it!" Jiang Yulu lowered her voice and pointed upstairs. "I've invited a spirit medium to bring up the real soul of Murong Jiangchen and learn the truth. You can go up and sound him out; I believe you'll notice something amiss."

Now I need to ask you for a favor…

She leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear, and Wu Hongbo thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Putting aside whether it's melodramatic or not, from my own perspective, my friend's repeated unusual behavior is worth investigating! If it really is an imposter who has impersonated Murong Jiangchen, I must help him avenge himself, clear his name, and exonerate him. I absolutely cannot let the imposter die a peaceful death!

"Jiang Chen, you really are sick and didn't even tell me. If you hadn't happened to come over today, I wouldn't have known!" Wu Hongbo greeted him familiarly as soon as he entered the room. Murong Liangchen, who was lying on the bed having a nightmare and experiencing "sleep paralysis," groaned twice, opened his eyes, glanced at the person who came in, and was immediately startled.

Why is this kid here? Murong Jiangchen is closest to him, so I can't talk to him too much or I'll give myself away.

Just as he was about to dismiss him by saying he was really unwell, Wu Hongbo, without any politeness, sat on his bed with a serious expression and preemptively said, "I have something to tell you. I've been having nightmares these past few days. I dream that my uncle and aunt are still standing on that highway, their bodies on fire and their faces covered in blood, shouting at me that they died too tragically... I'm really heartbroken... Have you dreamed about them?"

The brief description made Murong Liangchen, who was already feeling guilty, shudder. In his hazy dream just now, he seemed to have seen his parents being burned alive after a car accident. He shook his head weakly and said, "No, no, it's probably because of the Qingming Festival."

"I came here to discuss something with you. It's only been a few days since the Qingming Festival, and they're probably still resentful because they died such a tragic death. How about we go to that road tonight and burn some paper money for them?"

Murong Liangchen, who had already been tormented by evil spirits, felt guilty and scared and waved his hands, "I can't right now. Look how sick I am, I can't even get out of bed. Why don't you help me burn some paper money? They love me the most, they definitely won't mind."

The more Wu Hongbo talked, the colder his heart became.

Jiang Yulu is right, the guy lying in bed is definitely not my friend!

"Oh, by the way, I ran into our high school homeroom teacher the other day. That old lady is getting fatter and fatter now. When we were talking about the old days, she brought up how you mischievously hid the cactus we kept on the south balcony of our Class 1, Grade 11 classroom in her desk pocket, which pricked her hands all over! She still holds a grudge, hahaha..."

Murong Liangchen smiled and nodded, saying, "I was just young back then. Everyone has their mischievous moments. Is Grandma in good health? I should go see her when I'm feeling better."

Wu Hongbo nodded with a smile, but his heart was cold.

The high school homeroom teacher was always a male teacher in his thirties, so where did this old lady come from? From the first year of high school to the third year, it was always Class 3, and there was never any cactus on the south-facing balcony!

Since it's a fake, I need to find a way to make him slip up.

"Jiang Chen, do you think your uncle and aunt's deaths might not have been an accident?" He said with a serious face, "You know I'm always very careful, especially with your uncle's car. I try to personally supervise every maintenance. How could the brakes fail? I dreamt that they seemed to have something to say to each other. Could it be that they offended someone in business and were deliberately killed?"

Or, let's ask a professional spirit medium.

"The new law was just revised and promulgated after the New Year, so can we apply for case filing at our own expense? What if there really are hidden circumstances surrounding their deaths? We can open a case and reinvestigate to get justice for them. Otherwise, my uncle and aunt won't be able to rest in peace, and we won't be able to rest easy either!"

Please summon a Taoist master?

Wouldn't that expose us?

By the way, why didn't Murong Jiangchen mention his parents last time? Did they not go to the underworld after they died?

He was immediately alarmed at this thought. Oh no!

That couple is rich and a bit superstitious, could they have already accumulated enough good karma? Murong Jiangchen is young and hasn't accumulated enough data, which is why he stayed in the underworld to take over the family business. So where did they go?

Recalling all the misfortunes and Duan Tianshi's words about the mutual influence between the Yin and Yang realms, Murong Liangchen felt even more guilty. He worried that his parents, whom he had killed, were causing the trouble...

"What am I going to do? They died with their eyes open and are still holding a grudge against me. What am I going to do?" He finally managed to get rid of Wu Hongbo and lay on the bed, worried.

What if we finally manage to get everything arranged, but then we run into those two wronged ghosts and we're doomed?

Just as Murong Liangchen was sighing and feeling anxious, he suddenly felt something moving outside the window. He glanced in the direction and froze as if struck by lightning—his father's bloodied face, only half of it remaining, slowly emerged!

Upon seeing himself, he even grinned, revealing his teeth stained with blood and blackened by fire!

"Ah! A ghost!" Almost instinctively, Murong Liangchen didn't even realize that a terrified scream had echoed throughout the entire villa.

Jiang Yulu, who was downstairs, was startled and hurriedly ran upstairs to see what had happened.

The little white cat then quietly lit the curtains with a lighter. A strong smell of smoke and burning filled the air, scaring Murong Liangchen so much that he screamed for help while scrambling to crawl outside, his body going limp and his pants slick with fear.

Jiang Chen's illusionary arts were a piece of cake. He immediately conjured up the horrific image of his mother being burned alive, mimicking the original owner's memory of seeing his parents for the last time. Standing at the doorway, he stretched out his hand and moved forward step by step, muttering, "You wicked son, you made me die such a terrible death... Come with me to the Underworld to confront me..."

"Mom! Mom! I know I was wrong, I shouldn't have killed you!" The smoke made him dizzy, and Murong Liangchen pleaded in a low voice, "I hated you for being biased and not loving me, so I did something wrong out of love. Please forgive me! I... I will definitely perform the best rituals to help you pass on to the afterlife, please spare me!"

"Mother" limped up to him, grabbed his neck with both hands, and said viciously, "You unfilial son, you plotted to kill your parents and your own brother, now pay with your life..."

Murong Liangchen screamed a few times, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

The fluffy little ball bounced over cautiously and asked, "Host, did you record what he said just now? Can it be used as evidence?"

"Uh... I think I overdid it a bit." Jiang Chen leaned against the wall, rubbing his forehead and laughing. "It's mainly because Wu Hongbo's assists and those words made me change my mind at the last minute. I dealt him a blow and failed to get anything out of him. It's okay, we have a second plan, so it'll definitely be fine."

When Jiang Yulu rushed into the room, she saw that half of the curtains were burned. The room smelled strongly of fire, and there was also the stench of Murong Liangchen's incontinence due to extreme fear. She couldn't help but cover her nose in disgust and hurriedly asked someone to put out the fire.

After showing the video surveillance footage to the evidence collection staff, the other party shook his head and said, "Judging from this video alone, although he indirectly admitted to murder, his overall mental state does not seem very stable. This cannot be assessed, and even if it is used as evidence, it is easy for the opposing lawyer to seize upon it and launch a counterattack. I suggest that you do not rush and wait to see if there is more concrete evidence."

"Then we can only wait." Jiang Yulu sighed. She originally thought that Wu Hongbo's series of questions would throw the imposter into a panic and she would get something out of him. She didn't expect that the guy would faint as if he had seen a ghost, perhaps because he was too guilty.

As for the curtains catching fire, the housekeeper found flammable materials under the curtains and deduced that it was simply caused by the curtains spontaneously combusting due to the excessive heat from being exposed to the sun.

"Huh? How come there are flammable items under the curtains?" Murong Liangchen, who had been unconscious for a long time, trembled uncontrollably. He was sure that he was not hallucinating or crazy.

Wu Hongbo said he had been dreaming about his parents for the past few days, thinking it was because he was in the hospital with lots of people coming and going and the yang energy was strong enough that they didn't dare to appear; and sure enough, as soon as he got home, the two ghosts appeared!

Could it be that the house has bad feng shui?

No, I have to find a way to move out of here right away, or I'll be driven crazy by the ghosts if I stay any longer!

He struggled to sit up to discuss it with his wife, but then he suddenly remembered what had happened in that hidden house. If he was haunted by a ghost, there was probably no point in running away. What if the ghost chased after him?

Those two ghosts died in a car accident. The forensic doctor said they didn't die on the spot after the crash, but were burned alive by the raging fire!

What if... they come out and cause trouble while I'm on my way to relocate?

He didn't want to be hit by a car and then burned alive!

"Hello? Master Duan, are you still in Dujiang?" Murong Liangchen called Duan Tang tremblingly as if he had grasped at the last straw. When he learned that the other party had just finished dealing with the commission and was about to leave, he was so excited that he almost burst into tears. "Master Duan, please see this through to the end! My house is haunted again!"

After making the contact, he immediately instructed the housekeeper to pick up the person and then made up an excuse to fool his wife, waiting anxiously for Master Duan to come and exorcise the ghost.

"But it's our turn now. Anything else you need to tell me?" Duan Tang stretched his muscular frame and looked at Jiang Chen confidently, asking, "Besides getting him to tell the truth, should we scare him a little or nothing?"

Jiang Chen hurriedly waved his hand, "It's best to take it easy. I overdid it just now and scared him to death. If you scare him again and he has mental problems, you'll probably be in big trouble if you kill someone and pay with your life."

"Alright, leave it to me!" Duan Tang patted his chest and chuckled, "First, calm him down, then give him a little something strong and I guarantee he'll spill the beans!"

Jiang Yulu looked at the slowly approaching car with a serious expression and felt a little nervous.

This is the fake Murong Liangchen's own network of connections. Moreover, the steward said that he had previously asked this Master Duan to exorcise ghosts and the effect was very good. What if he is like Wang Baoyi?

"Sigh, now I almost hope these people are just con artists trying to scam money, then I can bribe them..." She couldn't forcefully stop the imposters from calling for backup, and since she didn't know their background, she could only wait in the monitoring room to see what was happening firsthand and then consider countermeasures based on the specific developments.

As soon as Duan Tang and the others got out of the car, expressions of "something terrible happened" appeared on their faces, and they stared at the compass in their hands and shook their heads.

The butler had witnessed the master's remarkable skills, and seeing his appearance, he was apprehensive but dared not ask any questions. He hurriedly invited him upstairs.

"Mr. Murong, I'm a straightforward person, so please don't mind me." Duan Tang got straight to the point. "To be honest, there's no yin energy in the villa, but your soul is being entangled by two ghosts and a strong yin energy! I can vaguely make out that a man and a woman, both around fifty years old, and the man is missing half his face..."

He embellished the description of the appearance Jiang Chen had instructed him to give, which terrified Murong Liangchen so much that he blurted out, "They really are haunting me? They are... my parents... They died in a car accident. Is it because they're upset that I didn't visit their graves during the Qingming Festival? Please ask Master Duan to talk to them. I'll go burn paper money for them as soon as I feel better..."

“Mr. Murong, if you are not willing to tell the truth, I will take my leave. There is a saying in our line of work: help the truth, not the falsehood. Although I do not know what exactly happened between you and your parents, judging from the situation, they died tragically and are willing to be annihilated to seek revenge. Think carefully about how you want to handle this.”

Without saying a word, Duan Tang made a move to leave, and Murong Liangchen immediately panicked.

He'd rather die than risk his soul's annihilation? Damn it, the fire just inexplicably started; Master Duan probably wasn't lying...

He touched his neck, which was still throbbing from being pinched, and after glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, he lowered his voice and said, "Master Duan, I only trust you! I'll tell you the truth and won't hide anything anymore, but you have to..."

"The living and the dead are separated. We Celestial Masters only solve problems and do not involve others' karma. Please rest assured that this is a matter of confidentiality." Duan Tang moved forward to get the recording device closer so that his voice would be too soft to be recorded.

Reassured somewhat, Murong Liangchen then made a large sum of money as a promise before revealing the whole truth about how he killed his parents and twin brother.

“I found out their itinerary from my younger brother Jiang Chen, and then I disguised myself as Jiang Chen and drove around, tampering with the brake pads. We look almost identical, so no one suspected anything. I originally thought that if they found out, I would make him take the blame, but I didn’t expect that after I tampered with the brakes, it went very smoothly. Their car brakes failed, crashed, and caught fire, burning both of them alive.”

When the relevant departments investigated, because my father had been drinking and was driving under the influence, they attributed the car accident to improper operation...

As for my younger brother, Murong Jiangchen, he's even more despicable. I'm so angry that he embezzled the family fortune..."

Desperate to rid himself of the evil spirit, Murong Liangchen recounted his entire experience, attributing his resentment towards his parents and brothers to their favoritism and greed for the family fortune. His logical and coherent account perfectly corroborated the accident investigation results.

Right after he finished speaking, the investigators in the monitoring room immediately uploaded the evidence video. Five minutes later, the security personnel who had obtained the electronic arrest warrant rushed into the bedroom and arrested Murong Liangchen for murder.

...................................................

postscript.

Two months later, a sickly and lifeless Murong Liangchen stood in the dock.