The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 334 False Alarm
Before Tian Mi could answer, Qi Fei said, "There's a transaction of benefits between her and Dong Qianjin. If word gets out, then the nature of Dong Ziwu's illegal promotion will be even more serious. She won't let the people from Nancheng Investment know."

After hearing Qi Fei's words, Tian Mi not only showed no remorse, but also shamelessly said, "Everyone operates this way. It's just that you haven't reached our level yet. Otherwise, what are we competing on? Are we really competing on who works the hardest?"

"Isn't that right?" Qi Fei retorted.

"Heh, only fools below would think that way. Those who do the work and those who get promoted are always two different groups of people. Many people can't see through such a simple truth," Tian Mi said disdainfully.

"Tch, what kind of Machiavellian workplace tactics are you using?" Wu Shanqiu said angrily. "No wonder the atmosphere at your Nancheng Investment is so bad. Do you know how many people are complaining?"

"So what? We are people from different classes. They are worker ants, and I am the queen ant. I told you before that it is a blessing for these people to be able to invest in such a good state-owned enterprise in Nancheng. They should cherish this position. What is there to complain about? I never care about their opinions!" Tian Mi leaned back on the sofa, as if saying these words could embolden her in her precarious life.

“But you still don’t want them to know about your deal with Dong Qianjin, including us.” Qi Fei cut to the chase. “You know in your heart that this promotion is a complex matter with far-reaching implications, and it’s not that simple.”

Qi Fei didn't linger any longer; he needed to find Dong Qianjin immediately.

He originally thought that finding the person who tipped him off meant finding the murderer, but he didn't expect that person to be Dong Qianjin—the father of the deceased Dong Ziwu. He had a solid alibi from the beginning—when Dong Ziwu disappeared, he was with his family and was the main force in searching for his son.

This made Qi Fei even more puzzled as to how Dong Qianjin knew they were following Tian Mi. With these questions in mind, he drove to Dong Qianjin's house while simultaneously dialing his number.

"Oh, Officer Qi, is there any progress in Zi Wu's case?" Dong Qianjin asked as soon as he arrived.

"How did you know we were following Tian Mi?" Qi Fei asked.

"W-what? You're following Tian Mi?" Dong Qianjin's reaction surprised Qi Fei; it sounded like he didn't know anything about it.

"Didn't you tell Tian Mi about this?" Qi Fei asked hurriedly.

"I didn't. So, Tian Mi really is related to my son's death?" Dong Qianjin immediately realized that he really didn't know about this.

A sharp screech of brakes echoed across the empty road, and Qi Fei's brain raced as he braked suddenly.

Wu Shanqiu rubbed her head, which was sore from the bump, and muttered, "Damn, that scared me to death! Fei-ge, what are you doing?"

"Lure the tiger away from the mountain!" Qi Fei only said four words before quickly turning the car around and speeding towards Tian Mi's house.

"What's going on?" Wu Shanqiu asked anxiously.

“Dong Qianjin’s reaction didn’t seem fake. I couldn’t understand why he was the one who tipped off Tian Mi. If someone impersonated him and told Tian Mi, the purpose was to lure us to Dong Qianjin…” Qi Fei spoke rapidly with anxiety.

"The murderer is nearby?!" Wu Shanqiu gasped. "Right now, Tian Mi only has her mother with her. Isn't she completely unprepared?!"

The car came to an abrupt stop downstairs at Tian Mi's house.

Tian Mi's house is a small Western-style building converted from a two-story farmhouse. There is no wall around it, and you can get to the front door on the first floor by walking through the small courtyard.

The lights inside were still on, just as they had been when they left. Qi Fei, clinging to a sliver of hope, pressed the doorbell, but after a few rings, there was only silence. Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu exchanged glances, their hearts sinking simultaneously.

Just as I was about to kick the door down, it opened unexpectedly.

Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu simultaneously pointed their guns at the doorway.

A startled cry pierced the night sky.

The yellow light from the living room shone on the two people's faces. Standing in front of them was Tian Mi, whose head was wrapped in a towel, looking at them with a terrified expression.

Seeing that she was safe and sound, the two men finally breathed a sigh of relief and put their guns away after confirming that there were no suspicious signs in the house.

"What are you doing? You scared me to death! Why are you back again?" Tian Mi said irritably after she came to her senses.

"Did anyone come looking for you after we left?" Qi Fei asked suspiciously.

"It's just you guys coming and going, acting like it's your own home." Tian Mi rolled her eyes.

Ignoring Tian Mi's disapproval, Qi Fei insisted on going inside to check and confirmed that it was indeed a false alarm. He then asked Tian Mi, "We asked Dong Qianjin, but he didn't know about our operation."

"Impossible." Tian Mi took out her phone, opened Dong Qianjin's message, and showed it to Qi Fei. "He told me this himself!"

Qi Fei checked and, sure enough, it was a WeChat message from Dong Qianjin, sent two hours ago.

Left with no other option, Qi Fei dialed Dong Qianjin's number again. However, Dong Qianjin on the other end of the line was adamant that there was no such message in his WeChat chat history, and even sent screenshots as proof.

"Was anyone else with you two hours ago?" Qi Fei asked.

“I was attending an alumni reunion at the time. I didn’t really want to go, but my wife persuaded me to relax, so I reluctantly went,” Dong Qianjin explained, as if afraid they would think he was heartless after the recent loss of his son.

"If the sent messages are deleted, you won't be able to see them here. Did anyone touch your phone when you were at the party?" Qi Fei asked.

"It's hard to say. I just leave it on the table and sometimes I walk away from it. Who played this prank?!" Dong Qianjin said unhappily.

It appears someone used Dong Qianjin's phone to send the notification text message to Tian Mi, and then deleted the message from Dong Qianjin's phone. This way, Tian Mi believed Dong Qianjin had spoken to her, while Dong Qianjin was completely unaware that his phone had sent the message. It was all to sabotage the police operation.

Judging from the current situation, Tian Mi doesn't want the police to be watching her. Moreover, given Tian Mi's independent and self-willed nature, Qi Fei certainly can't tell her that he's planning to use her as bait to lure out the culprit. In any case, that suspicious person is likely mingling in Dong Qianjin's alumni association.

“This is no prank,” Qi Fei said seriously. “I need your entire alumni association’s list.”

After all that commotion, it was already past midnight. Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu dragged their exhausted bodies away from Tian Mi's house.

Qi Fei started the car and drove forward for a while. He then turned at an intersection and suddenly stopped. There was a convex mirror there, which was used to observe blind spots around bends. At that moment, he could observe the situation at Tian Mi's house. Sure enough, a short while later...