The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 332 A Favor in the Side
Tian Mi's face was reflected in the car window, but she didn't even glance at it.

Tian Mi frowned again, revealing a resentful expression, as if she wanted to use her anger to repair the psychological defenses that Zhong Xiaoyu had almost broken down.

"Hmph!" Her tone suddenly changed. "It was indeed unexpected that Dong Ziwu's situation would develop like this. When his mother came to me for help in arranging a good position for him, I was just doing her a favor."

When Qi Fei heard the words "favors done casually," he felt a pang of unease. He knew that what she called "favors done casually" was a position that those unconnected and unreliable workers at Nancheng Investment dreamed of.

Tian Mi "rewarded" this lucrative position to Dong Ziwu, a young master with no experience in investing in the computing power industry, simply because he had a good relationship with Dong Ziwu's mother. Even now, Tian Mi still doesn't think this is a big deal.

What kind of upbringing could have made her so arrogant and fearless?
“You’re only in charge of personnel; that doesn’t mean you can promote or give raises to whomever you want,” Qi Fei couldn’t help but say.

Tian Mi surprisingly dismissed it: "Let me tell you a secret. After I took this position, I realized that for leadership roles, if you just put someone in charge, they'll naturally do the job. Anyone can do it anyway, so of course I'll choose someone close to me. What's wrong with that? But then again, I did misjudge Dong Ziwu. That kid is clever and has high emotional intelligence, but I didn't expect him to be so dishonest with me. When we were having dinner and talking about transferring him to Nancheng Investment, he didn't tell me about Peng Jian. You know, everyone has their problems at work, but he's still young and pushed someone to the brink."

When Peng Jian approached Nancheng Investment, Dong Ziwu asked me to help him smooth things over. I stepped in because of our long-standing relationship, and I still regret it to this day. As soon as I got involved, Peng Jian saw through my relationship with Dong Ziwu and started making a fuss about it everywhere, writing anonymous whistleblower letters.

Everyone knows that our Nancheng Investment boss is about to be promoted, and according to the order of succession, I should be taking over his position. But I was reminded by higher-ups that the whistleblower letter regarding my promotion of Dong Ziwu has had a very negative impact on the higher-ups, and they are considering parachuting someone in. Isn't that utter nonsense?! Tian Mi gritted her teeth and glared, her sharp and sarcastic expression resembling that of a mother hyena whose food had been stolen. "If I had known that bringing Dong Ziwu in would cause so much trouble, I wouldn't have agreed to his mother's request in the first place. Wu Xufen is really something; you can't be this protective of your son. I've already talked to her about this."

Tian Mi then turned to Zhong Xiaoyu and said, "That's all there is to it. Of course I have a problem with Dong Ziwu. Do you know how much effort I put in to get this opportunity to be the top leader? I've never had a weekend since I came here. Even when I'm sick, I still insist on going to work. Not to mention Nancheng Investment, how many people in the entire Nancheng can do what I do?"

"Huh? If you don't leave work, won't your subordinates have to come to work too?" Wu Shanqiu said tactlessly.

Tian Mi disagreed: "They should cherish their positions if they can get into Nancheng Investment! If they don't want to work here, there are plenty of people lining up to come in and work overtime!"

Qi Fei frowned upon hearing this. He had never met anyone who could so perfectly embody the phrase "distorted values." Unfortunately, "distorted values" was not evidence of a crime. He only wanted to know if Dong Ziwu's obstruction of Tian Mi's promotion was sufficient to constitute Tian Mi's motive for murder.

“Since you’ve sacrificed so much, and Dong Ziwu has ruined your plans, you want to get rid of him to clear the way for your own promotion,” Qi Fei continued, following up on Tian Mi’s words.

Tian Mi glanced at him and said, "You underestimate my abilities. Dong Ziwu's little matter can't bring me down. I've settled this through other means. What I want, no one can take away from me. Once the boss leaves, they'll announce that I'm the successor. I have no need to kill Dong Ziwu. I advise you not to waste your time here." "How did you settle it?" Qi Fei asked.

Tian Mi crossed his arms and said smugly, "Why do you think I went to the retirement home? At our level, who doesn't have someone backing them up?"

"Oh, so you're asking your old boss for help," Wu Shanqiu said in a rare sarcastic tone.

Surprisingly, Tian Mi wasn't angry when she heard this; in her mind, it was a perfectly normal thing.

After leaving the underground parking garage, Wu Shanqiu asked Qi Fei and Zhong Xiaoyu, "Do you think Tian Mi is telling the truth?"

Zhong Xiaoyu put her hands in her pockets, her tone slightly regretful: "From my observation, there is no trace of her lying. Although she has a tendency towards pathological narcissism and a very low sense of morality, it is precisely because of this that she can speak out confidently about many things that we ordinary people would be ashamed to say, which is a kind of alternative frankness."

"The people who invest in Nancheng are so unlucky. Why do they always encounter leaders like this? If she becomes the boss, I don't know how miserable their lives will be." Qi Fei felt heavy-hearted. His innate sense of justice and the bleak reality clashed violently in his heart, making it hard to breathe.

"As expected, birds of a feather flock together. Just like Dong Ziwu, everyone in Nancheng Investment probably hates Tian Mi. So it's not surprising that someone is trying to frame her," Wu Shanqiu said.

“I have an idea,” Qi Fei said, a flash of inspiration striking him. “Let’s assume that the pendant and the tent fragments were deliberately left at the scene by the murderer to mislead us into investigating Tian Mi. He hoped to kill two birds with one stone, eliminating both Tian Mi and Dong Ziwu. Dong Ziwu is already dead; now Tian Mi is his target. If Tian Mi is proven innocent, then the murderer’s plan will have failed. He’s gone to such lengths; he won’t let Tian Mi escape unscathed and will inevitably make another move. If we can awaken him from his dormant state, we’ll have a chance to find this person among the thousands of employees!”

Qi Fei's eyes lit up as he spoke, and Wu Shanqiu nodded repeatedly as she listened. Only Zhong Xiaoyu had a cold look in her eyes. She waited until Qi Fei finished speaking before slowly saying, "You mean you plan to use Tian Mi as bait to lure the murderer into revealing his weaknesses?"

"What do you think? I think this is feasible," Qi Fei said with a hint of excitement.

Zhong Xiaoyu said calmly, "It is indeed feasible, but the bait is destined to be eaten by the prey."