The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 335 Morbid Obedience

A black car appeared in the rearview mirror. The model looked very similar to Tian Mi's, but when Qi Fei and the others left, Tian Mi's car was still parked in the yard.

The car was moving very slowly, obviously having been parked nearby before driving up. Just as Qi Fei had expected, someone was waiting for them to leave.

The two people stared intently as the car door opened and a person stepped out. It was none other than Li Shuangshuang.

She looked around for a while, and only when she saw that no one was around did she walk towards Tian Mi's house.

"It's her?" Wu Shanqiu said in surprise. "Tian Mi looks like she has a good physique and is used to exercising. If Li Shuangshuang wanted to make a move against Tian Mi, she probably wouldn't be a match for her, right?"

Li Shuangshuang did not ring Tian Mi's doorbell; it seemed she left something at the door and then turned back.

The two men got out of the car, looking confused, and blocked Li Shuangshuang's way.

"You didn't leave?" Her question immediately gave her away.

"So you were the one who tipped off Tian Mi?" Qi Fei said.

Unexpectedly, Li Shuangshuang looked puzzled: "Tip me in the foot? What do you mean?"

At this moment, Wu Shanqiu had retrieved the item that Li Shuangshuang had just left at Tian Mi's door. It was a small box, about the size of a palm. When she opened it, she found a gold necklace inside.

"Are you here to bribe Tian Mi?" Qi Fei looked at Li Shuangshuang with suspicion.

"No, no, I'm here to return the gift. This is an engagement gift from President Tian. Ziwu is dead, so the engagement can't go through..." Li Shuangshuang said weakly, her tone more numb than sad.

"Does exchanging gifts have to be done in the middle of the night? Besides, you must have been waiting all night, right?" Qi Fei asked.

“Everyone knows that General Manager Tian is about to be promoted, and I’m afraid that if others see this, it will be bad for her.” Li Shuangshuang lowered her head.

"You seem to care about her quite a bit." Qi Fei didn't understand Li Shuangshuang's obedience. In his view, Li Shuangshuang was just a little girl that Tian Mi "sold off" to win over the Dong family.

"I'm just a newcomer with no background or experience, and I'm already incredibly grateful that President Tian introduced Ziwu to me." Li Shuangshuang spoke with surprising sincerity, even more genuinely than when she mentioned Dong Ziwu.

"Just for this, you waited for hours on such a cold night with your big belly?" Qi Fei really didn't understand Li Shuangshuang's baffling behavior.

"Yes, I saw you guys kept going to see General Manager Tian, ​​so I didn't dare come over," she said.

"Um, when did you find out we were here?" Qi Fei frowned slightly.

“I saw her…” Li Shuangshuang looked at Wu Shanqiu, “I was going to the convenience store to buy something, and I saw her come out with fries and a hamburger. I thought it was strange because this is near President Tian’s house. I remembered that President Tian mentioned in a meeting that you suspected she was the murderer.” “You guessed we were following her? You’re quite clever.” Wu Shanqiu said helplessly.

"You didn't tell Tian Mi about this?" Qi Fei didn't quite believe her.

“No… I don’t dare to text her directly.” Li Shuangshuang shook her head.

"You're afraid of her," Qi Fei noticed. "Have you told Dong Qianjin about it?"

“Uncle, I didn’t say that.” Li Shuangshuang blurted out.

Qi Fei couldn't help but glance at her protruding belly; she was about to give birth. She could still only call Dong Qianjin "Uncle," since Dong Ziwu hadn't registered their marriage before he died, and she wasn't even considered his widow yet.

Seeing her standing pitifully in the cold winter night, Qi Fei couldn't help but feel sympathy, and his tone softened: "Did you find out about us and tell anyone?"

Li Shuangshuang whispered, "I called my mom and told her. She's been urging me to return the gift to President Tian. She's been very anxious lately, and she keeps asking me every night if I've returned the gift. I told her I had to wait a bit because there are police around..."

"Your mother?" Qi Fei was completely confused, remembering the alumni reunion Dong Qianjin had attended. "Was she an alumnus of Dong Qianjin?"

Li Shuangshuang seemed not to understand why Qi Fei asked such a question, and looked up to say, "No, Uncle was a top student at XJTLU in those days, my mother didn't have such a high level of education."

"So, your mother didn't attend tonight's alumni gathering?" Qi Fei asked, still determined to confirm.

"You mean your uncle's alumni reunion? It's at the Jiangwan Hotel in Nancheng. Even if my mom is an alumnus, she wouldn't come back from her hometown. Why are you suddenly asking this?" Li Shuangshuang finally couldn't help but ask.

"It's nothing." Qi Fei was puzzled. He looked around Tian Mi's house, wondering if Li Shuangshuang's appearance was just a coincidence, or if there was another pair of eyes watching them from the shadows.

However, the light of dawn had already begun to appear, and there were no suspicious signs in sight.
-
At the police station, Qi Fei recounted the events of the evening to Zhong Xiaoyu. Several times, he habitually paused, wanting to wait for Zhong Xiaoyu's comments, because Zhong Kui always argued with him and made jokes. He was never used to Zhong Xiaoyu listening quietly, without interrupting his story.

“Analyzing cases isn’t my forte; you know I’m better at analyzing people.” Zhong Xiaoyu’s feedback didn’t surprise Qi Fei; it was more like stating a fact they both already knew.

Qi Fei stroked his stubble-covered chin, puzzled. "Judging from my common sense, Tian Mi and Dong Qianjin's reactions last night were fairly normal, but Li Shuangshuang seemed a bit strange. She seemed to care a lot about Tian Mi, much more than about her deceased boyfriend and the father of her unborn child—Dong Ziwu. I don't understand..."

Zhong Xiaoyu smiled slightly: "My thoughts are exactly the opposite of yours. Li Shuangshuang's reaction is exactly what a girl like her would do. You're wrong about one thing. What she cares about isn't Tian Mi or Dong Ziwu, but the authority represented by Tian Mi's position. Humans are social animals, and the desire for order and security is innate. Don't underestimate this instinct; in some people, it can reach a pathological level, causing them to dissolve their self-boundaries, develop cognitive distortions, or even become addicted to masochism. I guess Li Shuangshuang was born into a strict but not wealthy family, and she has an idealized projection of someone like Tian Mi, even though Tian Mi is so despicable in other people's eyes."

Qi Fei listened thoughtfully: "Now that you mention it, I'm starting to understand why she was willing to sacrifice her reputation and cooperate with the Dong family to conceal her relationship with Dong Ziwu and her pregnancy out of wedlock. Alas, but that doesn't solve my biggest question: who exactly tipped Tian Mi off?"

"Brother Fei, the list of attendees for the XJTLU alumni association meeting is here!" Wu Shanqiu appeared just in time.