The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 333 Losing Both Money and People
"Moreover, you only need to tell Tian Mi herself that she is not the murderer," Zhong Xiaoyu said, a barely perceptible chill in her eyes.

Qi Fei quickly understood why Zhong Xiaoyu had said that. The competitive Tian Mi was furious about being framed and launched into a tirade during a work meeting. Before the meeting even ended, the whole company was abuzz with the story. Everyone was eagerly following the gossip, no one seemed to think Tian Mi was innocent; they all looked on with glee.

For several days, the police kept a close watch on Tian Mi, but the lurking murderer never showed up.

Downstairs at Tian Mi's house, Wu Shanqiu yawned in the car, chewing on her cold fries, and said to Qi Fei beside her, "Brother Fei, could it be that we've been tricked by Tian Mi, and there's no such thing as being framed?"

“Be patient. Xi He is very good at training his followers. Those who follow Xi He will enter a state of extreme calm, hiding in their daily lives, like wolves stalking their prey in the dark, and will not make a move until they are completely confident. We are not competing with them in speed, but in endurance. Whoever loses their composure and reveals a weakness first will lose.” Qi Fei said, staring at the light on in Tian Mi’s window.

Tian Mi's figure appeared at the window, and as if she had seen their car, she quickly pulled the curtains shut.

A moment later, Qi Fei's phone rang. A woman's voice answered timidly, "Is this Officer Qi?"

"It's me. Who is this?" Qi Fei was a little wary. Receiving a strange phone number in the middle of the night and knowing his identity right away was not a good thing.

"Hello, I'm Ms. Tian's assistant. She asked me to tell you something..." The assistant seemed hesitant, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Please don't disturb her private life. She saw you downstairs at her house..."

The car was quiet. Although Qi Fei wasn't on speakerphone, Wu Shanqiu could still hear the voice on the other end of the phone. She said indignantly, "Damn it, who does she think she is? Why can't she just tell us about this? Why does she have to have her assistant call? What a big shot!"

Qi Fei wasn't angry. He looked around through the car window and said warily, "We've been monitoring Tian Mi for a while now, and she doesn't know about our plan. Unless she's received counter-surveillance training, it's impossible for her to find out we're here tonight."

Hearing Qi Fei's words, Wu Shanqiu's anger subsided, and she widened her eyes and said, "That's right, didn't the assistant just say that Tian Mi saw us downstairs? We don't even have streetlights shining on us here, how could she have seen us?"

Qi Fei called back the phone: "What exactly did Tian Mi say to you?"

"Huh? The original words?" The assistant clearly hesitated.

"Yes, those are the exact words," Qi Fei insisted.

"Um, Mr. Tian said, tell those annoying police officers that I saw their car and they should stop following me, or I'll complain to the higher-ups!" The assistant said these impolite words in a trembling voice, making people both laugh and cry.

After hanging up the phone, Qi Fei leaned out again to look towards Tian Mi's house. This emotionally charged accusation struck him as odd. Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the steering wheel and said in a deep voice, "They're finally here!"

Wu Shanqiu, not understanding what she meant, asked, "What's coming?"

Qi Fei's eyes gleamed with excitement, "If Tian Mi hadn't discovered us himself, who wouldn't want us to follow Tian Mi?"

Wu Shanqiu also became excited: "Is it the murderer? This has been so quiet lately, it must be because he's discovered our actions. If we keep an eye on Tian Mi, he won't have a chance to act. Is this the beginning? Is he finally going to confront us?"

Late at night, the doorbell rang at Tian Mi's house.

An elderly woman opened the door. In the living room, Tian Mi called out in the dialect of the suburbs of Nancheng, "Mom, who is it so late?" Then she appeared in front of Qi Fei, dressed in her home clothes.

This woman, who was so domineering at the company, now looked more like an elderly shrew.

The moment Tian Mi saw Qi Fei and the others, the frown lines between his brows immediately appeared.

She made no attempt to hide her annoyance, saying, "Didn't I tell you not to follow me?"

"When did you tell us that?" Wu Shanqiu retorted, her dissatisfaction evident.

"Didn't I have my assistant notify you? If you keep this up, I'm going to talk to your boss!" Tian Mi put her hands on her hips, her voice so sharp that even the old woman who opened the door couldn't help but frown. But she only frowned, looking angry but not daring to speak out. It seems that Tian Mi is used to acting like a tyrant at home just as she does at the company.

"Who told you our location?" Qi Fei walked directly up to Tian Mi.

After all, there was a difference in size. Qi Fei's tall stature finally made the woman's arrogance somewhat weaker when he stood in front of Tian Mi.

"What, are you going to settle scores with that guy? I don't know who he is." Tian Mi plopped down on the sofa and crossed her legs.

After several negotiations, Qi Fei discovered that Tian Mi was not a good liar. If she was hiding something, it was easy to see the clues on her face, and this time was no exception.

"The person who reminded you is very likely the murderer who killed Dong Ziwu," Qi Fei said.

Sure enough, upon hearing his words, Tian Mi retorted without hesitation, "Impossible, he doesn't even know Dong Ziwu." Only after saying this did she realize that she had let something slip, and then she got angry, as if she had to blame someone else for her own stupidity.

Qi Fei smiled slightly: "You must tell me this person's name, otherwise I can sue you for interfering with law enforcement. If you are punished, you will probably have a hard time getting promoted in your life."

His words struck at the heart of Tian Mi's heart and worked immediately.

Tian Mi said reluctantly, "Dong Qianjin told me."

"Dong Ziwu's father?" Wu Shanqiu had a vivid memory of that well-dressed elderly man.

"Why would he tell you this?" Qi Fei hadn't expected it to be this person.

Tian Mi glanced at her mother, who was still in the living room, and the old lady tactfully went back to her room.

Once only the three of them were left in the living room, Tian Mi spoke up: "Back then, I transferred Dong Ziwu to Nancheng Investment because Dong Qianjin's old classmate was a high-ranking official in the financial system who had just retired. At that time, Dong Qianjin paid for all the meals and gifts. Now that his son has died, he's holding a grudge against me about it! He says he can't lose both his son and his money. I had arranged to meet him tonight to talk, but he told me that you guys are watching me and it's inconvenient."

"Huh? You promoted Dong Ziwu because Dong Ziwu's mother is your best friend, right?" Wu Shanqiu was still bothered by the gossip she heard at the Nancheng Investment.