Fang Sheng had been arrested on charges of song theft and intentional injury.
Fang Sheng hadn't had a good life since he was kicked out of Neon Culture. Because he didn't have much of a creative talent, he turned to music school students.
Qi'an City had the best music schools. Other than the Qi'an Academy of Music, there were two other decent music schools. Many of the music students at these schools didn't have the best living conditions. Some took up part-time jobs, but the competition for music-related jobs was just as fierce. So some people chose other ways to earn money for their tuition and living expenses — not registering copyrights, but posting excerpts of their songs on certain platforms. After attracting buyers, they sold the copyrights to the complete songs. That was how some small-time stars got their "original works." It was an open secret in the industry.
Fang Sheng planned to buy some good works from students who were struggling but had some talent. He couldn't make a name for himself in Qi'an anymore, so he went somewhere further away and used the works he bought to make a profit.
He specifically targeted students who seemed to be engrossed in composing but didn't know how to run a business. He swindled them out of their work at a low price. After collecting a little more, he took the work with him to another city.
His targets all had personalities similar to the original owner of Fang Zhao's body.
He was really addicted to "robbing."
Actually, it was because the shortcut was too fast. Just like when he had stolen three songs from the original owner of his body, he had a house and a car the moment he turned around. The feeling of getting rich overnight was too tempting. If Fang Zhao hadn't interfered, Fang Sheng wouldn't be doing so badly.
Unfortunately, Fang Sheng's plan didn't pan out this time. The original composer turned the tables on him for stealing someone else's work. He was caught red-handed stealing someone else's work. The plaintiff even applied for a lie detector.
Under the pressure of the lie detector and interrogation, Fang Sheng couldn't handle the pressure and confessed to stealing three songs from Fang Zhao.
Fang Zhao arrived at the police station. After his identity was verified, he was taken to an interrogation room. This wasn't a place where suspects were interrogated, so it wasn't as stifling. The walls were transparent, so people walking around could be seen. There were also some relaxing snacks and tea on the side of the room.
"Fang Zhao?" A square-faced man in his forties sitting there raised his head and asked.
"I am." Fang Zhao sat down at the table, facing the man.
"Did you bring the materials I told you to bring?" the man asked.
"I brought it." Fang Zhao took out the notebook from his bag and handed it over.
This notebook was used by the original owner of this body to compose music, and all the scores were recorded in it. The call Fang Zhao had received at the company had been for him to produce materials that could prove that he was the composer of the three pieces.
The person in charge of the investigation and evidence collection took the notebook for verification. Current technology was able to determine the approximate date of the writing and whether it was composed at that time. Although Fang Sheng had admitted to stealing three songs from Fang Zhao, according to the rules, further proof was required. Of course, having the actual thing would be better.
The person in charge of taking notes in the interrogation room noticed Fang Zhao looking outside. He turned his head and smiled. "Do you know who that guy in the blue checkered shirt and the two beside him are?"
Fang Zhao looked across the table and asked, "Who?"
"The crying girl is Wei Qian, a student at a music academy in the city. Her song was almost stolen by Fang Sheng. If it weren't for the secret code she used on the score to prove her identity as the original composer, her song would have been copyrighted.
The guy in the blue checkered shirt in the middle is her brother, Yuchi. He's from Qi 'an University of Science and Technology. When he found out his sister's song had been stolen, he went looking for Fang Sheng. He happened to see Fang Sheng secretly taking photos of someone else's complete draft. Yuchi kicked Fang Sheng there and called the police. This time, he borrowed money to hire a good lawyer. Multiple thefts, intentional assault, et cetera. I'm guessing Fang Sheng will be in jail for at least 10 years … You have to thank them. If they hadn't applied for a lie detector, we might not have been able to get you involved. "
The last time he had hired someone to steal Fang Zhao's bracelet, he had suffered heavy losses. So this time, Fang Sheng didn't dare hire someone else to steal the song. He did it himself. Unfortunately, he was caught red-handed stealing the score.
"Hey, why didn't you sue him when your score was stolen?" the person asked Fang Zhao.
"I couldn't sue him without evidence," Fang Zhao replied.
"That's true. The kid is too cunning. He didn't leave any obvious evidence. We can't use a lie detector until he's found guilty." The person looked at Fang Zhao with pity. He knew his stuff had been stolen, but he couldn't do anything about it. All he could do was watch as the other party used the fruits of his labor to make money. It must have been hard.
The forensics officer returned quickly and returned the notebook.
The notebook served as proof. Fang Zhao filled out forms and signed his name. After all the procedures were followed, the composer of the three songs was no longer Fang Sheng, but Fang Zhao.
Neon Culture had already taken the three songs Fang Sheng had stolen off the shelves when they received word from the police and returned the copyrights.
"Can I go see Fang Sheng?" Fang Zhao asked.
"Sure."
Fang Zhao was taken to a temporary holding cell. That was where Fang Sheng was being held.
"There's a headset." The person who had brought Fang Zhao over pointed out the earpiece to Fang Zhao and left. They still respected the privacy of their citizens.
Fang Sheng looked haggard and dispirited. He didn't know what had gone wrong. He couldn't figure it out. Was it because he was unlucky? Everything was going according to plan. Everything should have gone smoothly. Why did things always go wrong at the critical moment?
At first, Fang Sheng wanted to buy Wei Qian's song for 50,000 dollars. For someone like Wei Qian, who didn't understand the market and didn't have any means to make money, 50,000 dollars was very tempting. It was enough for her to pay for six years of tuition and live a good life. Just as Wei Qian was about to sign the contract, a phone call from her brother made her hesitate.
Fang Sheng didn't want to wait, so he stole Wei Qian's draft. Little did he know that Wei Qian's score contained a code.
What was worse was that after he stole Wei Qian's score, he went to another school, got the student drunk, and stole the other person's score. Fang Sheng had wanted to buy the score at a low price, but the guy knew the market better than Wei Qian. He wouldn't sell for less than 150,000. Fang Sheng wasn't willing to pay that much. Hence, he decided to steal it again. He even planned to leave Qi 'an City overnight after stealing the song. Unfortunately, he was caught red-handed by Yuchi.
If he had a choice, Fang Sheng wouldn't have confessed to stealing Fang Zhao's song. But he knew he couldn't avoid a lie detector. If he didn't come clean, he might get a heavier sentence. After weighing the pros and cons, he chose to come clean.
Since he couldn't hide, the worst he could do was spend 10 years in prison. If he performed well during the 10 years, he might get a lighter sentence. In the end, he might be released after six or seven years. He would only be 30 then. He still had a long life ahead of him. Even though he'd lost all his money, he still had a chance to make a comeback.
Fang Sheng tried to figure out how to deal with the situation. His face was still swollen, and he'd lost a few teeth. It wasn't a good feeling.
As he was thinking, Fang Sheng saw someone bring Fang Zhao over.
"Fang Zhao! Big Zhao! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have stolen your song. Please forgive me, considering we grew up together! "
As long as Fang Zhao forgave him and put in a good word for him, Fang Sheng could apply for a lighter sentence. Even if it couldn't be a few years, a few months or weeks would still count as a lighter sentence.
After yelling for a minute, Fang Sheng realized he couldn't be heard on the other side of the transparent barrier. He quickly picked up his earpiece and pointed to the earpiece hanging on the outside, gesturing for Fang Zhao to pick it up. He assumed Fang Zhao wouldn't know how to use it.
But Fang Zhao didn't move. He just stood there, staring at Fang Sheng as if he were an emotionless stranger.
Fang Sheng was suddenly reminded of the time he'd borrowed the company's car to move to a black street after signing with Neon Culture. He'd met Fang Zhao then. Fang Zhao had had the same look in his eyes.
As if a clap of thunder had struck the dark night sky, Fang Sheng jerked his head up and stared in shock at Fang Zhao on the other side of the transparent wall.
"... It's you?"
Fang Sheng looked like he'd seen a ghost.
When he'd hired people to steal Fang Zhao's bracelet, he'd been robbed instead. He could say Yue Qing was helping Fang Zhao. Those people didn't want to offend Yue Qing, so they tried to rob him instead. But now...
It was Fang Zhao.
It was all Fang Zhao's doing.
He'd let those two black street thugs rob him instead. Time and time again, just as he was about to succeed, Fang Zhao stopped his plans.
Gritting his teeth, Fang Sheng stared at Fang Zhao on the other side of the barrier and spat out the words.
"You did it!"
He finally understood. He hadn't thought about it before because he'd been following Fang Zhao's personality. But now Fang Zhao was like a different person.
Coincidence? Luck? It was all bullsh * t.
Fang Sheng's face was pale. His eyes were bloodshot. He clenched his fists as if he wanted to crush his earpiece. But soon, the hatred in his eyes turned to fear. He saw Fang Zhao smile at him.
It looked like a casual smile, but it made Fang Sheng feel like he'd fallen into an ice cave. His blood froze.
If all of this had been arranged by Fang Zhao, would there be anything else waiting for him in prison? The more Fang Sheng thought about it, the more terrified he became.
"Let me out! Let me out!! "
Fang Sheng screamed in terror. On the other side of the barrier, Fang Zhao didn't look at him. He left.
Fang Zhao walked out of the temporary detention center, grabbed a file, and left the police station. He walked down the street, turned a corner, and ran into Yuchi, who was waiting for him.
"The balance has been received. The lawyer's fees have been paid," Yuchi said.
Fang Zhao had been keeping an eye on Fang Sheng. When he learned that Fang Sheng had targeted Wei Qian, he'd sent for Yuchi and struck a deal. Fang Zhao was in charge of the money, and Yuchi was in charge of setting Fang Sheng up.
"You're not going to tell your sister?" Fang Zhao asked.
Yuchi's sister, Wei Qian, had no idea that her draft had been stolen. Yuchi had purposely created an opportunity for Fang Sheng. Later, Yuchi had seized the opportunity to catch Fang Sheng while he was stealing someone else's score.
"I'll definitely tell her, but not now. This incident is to teach her a lesson. There's an old saying that goes, 'Don't hurt people, but don't let your guard down. She took the bait the moment it was thrown. She was too gullible. Girls like her only care about composing and don't know how to guard against people. She'll be at a disadvantage once she leaves school. I can't protect her all the time. By the way, thank you for your help. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come out unscathed. "
Fang Sheng carried a knife with him. If Fang Zhao hadn't gotten someone to help him in the dark, Yuchi wouldn't have come out unscathed during the arrest.
Yuchi checked the time. "I have to go. They're waiting for me. The next time there's this kind of scam … or justice, remember to call me."
Fang Zhao watched Yuchi leave, then continued walking. To him, Fang Sheng was just a small interlude. He had only helped the original owner of the body get back the song's copyright.
Whoosh —
A flying car stopped at the intersection up ahead. Fang Zhao glanced at the license plate. It was the taxi he'd booked in advance. He hurried over and got in.
"To Yanzhou Cemetery for Martyrs?" the driver asked.
"Yeah."
"Memorial Day is almost here. There are a lot of people at the cemetery. I've already made two trips today."
"Are there a lot of people every year?" Fang Zhao asked.
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