"Name."
Beverly Hills Precinct, Los Angeles, interrogation room.
The lights were a stark white, casting a cold, lifeless glow on every corner.
The walls were a monotonous gray-white, their rough texture seemingly whispering tales of countless events that had unfolded here.
A security camera in the corner stared silently, like an eye that never closed, recording everything that happened here.
A male and female white police officer sat at a metal table, facing a young man in his twenties.
His hair was disheveled, and his wrinkled shirt exuded a sense of utter disarray.
However, he slumped lazily in the metal chair, a disdainful, mocking smile playing on his lips, seemingly unconcerned about his current predicament.
He even casually twirled the platinum cufflinks on his shirt, his gaze sweeping across the interrogation room, as if he hadn't heard the question at all.
"I'm asking you a question, name."
The young man's behavior clearly angered the older white officer, who raised his voice and questioned him again.
The older officer gave a wicked smile, and after a long pause, uttered a name: "John."
"Mr. Ernst Garfield, when did you change your name?"
Ernst scoffed. "You know that, yet you still ask? Is it interesting?"
He tapped the metal table in front of him. "Do you know how much money I donate to your police department's foundation every month? Everything here owes something to me. Is this how you treat taxpayers and honorary citizens of Los Angeles?"
He gestured with his thumb towards the one-way glass on one side. "That old bastard Alker is probably watching from next door, isn't he? Why don't you have him come and ask me?"
Ernst was now seething with anger. He'd transmigrated, and he was still in bed.
Being in bed wasn't so bad, there was a beautiful, delicate woman in bed.
At this moment, he was wondering why he was in this unfamiliar environment, and was he still a man?
It was so smooth, but why was it so much bigger?
Before he could think, the police knocked on the door.
Ernst was startled, thinking, "Do the police in this great country of America have nothing better to do, especially in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of California?
You guys can have your fun and nobody cares, but what's wrong with me?"
Before he could react, he was taken to the police station.And along the way, Ernst figured out everything.
Ernst's arrest wasn't due to any prostitution, but rather because someone reported him for rapping.
What Ernst couldn't understand was how he, a top graduate from a prestigious 985 university, had traveled from Shanghai in 2026 to Los Angeles in 1996, becoming a 24-year-old named Ernst Garfield.
However, the original owner of this body had a decent background: a wealthy heir who achieved fame at a young age.
His father was a high-ranking executive at MGM and owned a significant amount of stock.
Unfortunately, he didn't have time to enjoy life, dying in a plane crash last year.
Ernst inherited his father's entire estate, a staggering $28 million.
As for why Ernst, it was because his mother, Sweeney, and his father, Garlins, had been divorced for over three years, making Ernst the first in line to inherit.
He himself was quite talented, having written a bestselling novel during his university years, earning him millions of dollars.
So he wasn't worried about his current situation at all. This was the free United States, where capital was the law, and he was lucky enough to be a member of the group that owned capital.
"Mr. Ernst, please correct your attitude. We won't forcibly summon you without solid evidence."
Summon? You must have misunderstood the word "summon."
"Evidence?" Ernst smiled contemptuously. "Show it to me."
The male police officers looked ugly because of Ernst's attitude. When had they ever been treated like this?
However, knowing the other party's background, they still gestured, and then the female police officer worked on the heavy laptop for a while, and then turned the screen to Ernst's direction.
In the video, every scene of the man and woman from the moment they entered the hotel was very clear, but some overly explicit scenes had obviously been cut out.
The video was very long, 91 minutes long. Ernst thought to himself, "They really know how to edit." "
Mr. Ernst, the evidence is conclusive. Do you have anything else to say?"
"What's there to say?" Ernst shrugged. "It was just hugging, is that illegal?"
The policewoman was furious. "You call that hugging? Hugging without clothes on?"
"Who said we weren't wearing clothes? Did I enter the hotel naked?"
"I said it was in bed," the male police officer said, clearly enraged, his voice rising considerably.
Ernst stared intently at the screen for a few moments, his expression calm. "That's right, I said it was in bed. Your equipment malfunctioned. We were dressed at the time, but your equipment didn't register it."
The two officers were stunned, speechless, wondering how someone could be so shameless.
Before the two officers could speak again, the interrogation room door opened. A lean old man appeared in the doorway, his police uniform impeccably clean. However, what immediately caught the eye was the large gold watch on his wrist, its dazzling light flashing intermittently.
A Rolex, Ernst recognized it.
It wasn't because he saw the tag, but because the watch was a gift from Ernst, costing him over twenty thousand dollars.
The reason was simple: Ernst had sped and crashed into someone's house.
"Ernst, I'm sorry I'm late, causing my friend to suffer."
The man's face was full of sincerity, as if he were addressing a close friend. But Ernst inwardly scoffed; he knew his lawyer had arrived.
"Chief Alker, you've come just in time."
Ernst chuckled twice, expressing his displeasure.
"Sorry, I just got back to the station. My secretary told me your agent and lawyer were here, and that's when I found out you were arrested."
Ernst shook his head. "It's an invitation, not an arrest."
This was crucial; the interrogation room cameras were still on.
An invitation meant assisting with the investigation, an arrest meant being a criminal suspect.
If he admitted to being arrested, it would be an indirect admission of his crime, and Ernst couldn't guarantee that Alker, that bloodsucker, wouldn't maliciously edit the footage.
Alker's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered.
For a moment, he was a little dazed. Ernst seemed like a completely different person to him.
The old Ernst was arrogant and domineering, relying on his father's connections in Hollywood and his own early fame to act recklessly in Hollywood.
Ernst's scandalous affairs were so numerous that even tabloids were tired of reporting on them, and the public was thoroughly fed up.
Despite being only 24, the women he'd slept with could fill a reinforced regiment and easily fill a guard company.
With a powerful father in Hollywood and himself young and wealthy, even knowing Ernst's character, countless women still chose to be drawn to him.
Some wanted to leverage his connections and network with more Hollywood elites.
Others were confident they could tie down this Hollywood playboy and marry into wealth.
But today's events changed Alk's previous impression of Ernst; perhaps he wasn't a fool after all?
"Yes, please. Please have Mr. Garfield come and assist with the investigation."
Ernst didn't want to waste time with pleasantries. "Can I leave now?"
"Of course," Alk nodded. "If I need your cooperation later, I'll personally communicate with you."
Ernst's eyes narrowed; this was asking for benefits.
"I'm willing to cooperate."
Ernst left; his lawyer would handle the rest.
Arriving at the police station, Ernst's agent, Craig, was waiting beside his Volvo.
Seeing Ernst, Craig jogged over, and the two talked as they walked.
"The situation is a bit complicated, but don't worry, Wenger has a plan. Remember, just insist it was consensual."
The car started, and Ernst, nestled in the passenger seat, listened to Craig's instructions.
"Someone's trying to get me."
Ernst's face was grim, terrifyingly dark.
Clearly, this was a premeditated act; he'd been set up.
But then again, even if it was forced, so what?
Such things were all too common in the business world. The other party wouldn't dare call the police unless they had powerful backers.
If she still wanted to develop her career in Hollywood, this was tantamount to cutting off her future.
Were female roles so easy to get? Every significant role had a price tag.
Becoming famous overnight? There wasn't that much luck involved.
The entertainment industry, in essence, was about exchanging sex appeal for status.
My legs are bad and I can't walk properly, so I should leave this circle as soon as possible.
The fact that the other party dared to do this means someone promised them something they couldn't refuse.
Also, the fact that the police dared to come directly to my door and take me to the station clearly means someone pulled strings, trying to make this happen while I was alone.
If it were the arrogant Ernst from before, he would definitely be spouting nonsense and leaving evidence. Luckily, I called Craig immediately.
"I don't know yet, but I'll find out."