The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 274 Mother and Son Disappear
Zhang Yingdi was not well-educated, and what seemed absurd to others as superstition actually worked surprisingly well for her.

"Mom, you're gone, so please let us go!" She trembled under the covers, desperately begging for mercy.

“You owe me justice. If you can’t repay it in this world, then come with me to the underworld to pay it off.” Zhong Kui’s hoarse voice even had an accent, as if he were truly possessed by Luo Yongmei.

"I'll tell you everything, I'll tell you everything!" Zhang Yingdi grabbed Qi Fei's hand as if it were a lifeline. "Tianbao didn't mean it. He was just backing up and unloading goods as usual. Who knew I'd be squatting behind his truck that day? It was an accident! But the video says that even if Tianbao ran over his grandmother, he'd still be arrested. He's our only son, we have no other choice!"

Seeing that Zhang Yingdi had relented, Qi Fei said seriously, "Let's start from the beginning."

Stimulated by fear, Zhang Yingdi actually had more strength than before. Leaning against the hospital bed, she sobbed, "My mother originally lived in the countryside. At the end of last year, Tianbao's baby was born, and we couldn't take care of him because we were busy with our business. So after the New Year, we had my mother come to Nancheng with us. Usually, while we're busy outside, my mother and my daughter-in-law take care of the baby in the inner room."

"If my daughter-in-law hadn't taken the child back to her parents' home during that time, my mother wouldn't have had this accident."

"Why?" Qi Fei asked.

Zhang Yingdi stole a glance at Zhong Kui and saw Zhong Kui staring at her with a sinister look. She quickly looked away, trembling as she answered Qi Fei's question, "The child is too young to be separated from me. He usually stays in the inner room and doesn't come out. On the day of the accident, the child wasn't here, and I had nothing to do, so I went to the wasteland outside to dig for wild vegetables. My Tianbao unloads goods there every day. I never imagined that I would be in the wasteland that day." As she spoke, she wiped away her tears, feeling wronged.

"What were the reasons given for refusing to perform surgery on Luo Yongmei after she was sent to the hospital?"

“Don’t you already know…” Zhang Yingdi muttered.

"We still need you to tell us," Qi Fei said, looking directly at him.

“My mother…” Zhang Yingdi subconsciously turned her back to Zhong Kui, “She’s so stubborn. I asked her several times if she could just say she fell by herself, but she kept her eyes closed and wouldn’t nod. That’s her own grandson. That’s just how she is, so selfish…”

"Just because she refused to cooperate with you in protecting Sheng Tianbao, you plan to passively treat her and let her die?" Qi Fei found it utterly unbelievable.

However, this idea seemed so natural to Zhang Yingdi: "I'm already 85 years old, and I don't have much time left anyway. But Tianbao has a long life ahead of him. If he goes to jail, his life will be ruined!"

"Don't avoid the question. Did you deliberately provide passive treatment, leading to Luo Yongmei's death?" Qi Fei's voice unconsciously rose.

Zhang Yingdi patted her chest and said urgently, "This was all my idea, it has nothing to do with Tianbao. I'm the one who killed my mother, so arrest me instead!"

Just then, Zhong Kui walked to the bedside, and seeing her expression, Qi Fei knew something was wrong.

Unfortunately, it was too late to stop it.

Sure enough, Zhong Kui, like a vengeful goddess, revealed the cruelest truth: "We can't catch Sheng Tianbao even if we want to, he's already dead."

Zhang Yingdi was stunned for a moment, then immediately denied it: "You're lying to me. Tianbao is as strong as an ox. I'm fine, how could he die?"

"Our initial assessment is that it's some kind of gas poisoning. You and your husband, Sheng Dazhi, have been rescued, but Sheng Tianbao may have inhaled more toxic gas because he's young and has a high metabolism," Qi Fei explained, already sensing an impending storm.

Zhang Yingdi, her hair disheveled, knelt on the bed and began to tug at Qi Fei's clothes, pleading, "Please, leader, let me see my son. He must still be alive. Tell me, my Tianbao is still alive!"

Every time Qi Fei faced this situation, he felt a tremendous sense of powerlessness and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Soon, due to excessive emotional distress, Zhang Yingdi began to vomit and convulse. Medical staff rushed over to provide emergency care and escorted Qi Fei and Zhong Kui out of the ward. "This is what she deserves, and you're not allowed to lecture me," Zhong Kui interrupted as soon as they left the ward.

Qi Fei sighed helplessly: "We still don't know if Sheng Tianbao's death is related to Luo Yongmei. Actually, if Luo Yongmei hadn't died, and had been rescued, the situation would have been considered on a case-by-case basis, and she might not have gone to jail. The problem is that Luo Yongmei died. It's too foolish."

"Why are you arguing with someone who relies on short videos for information?" Zhong Kui said coldly.

"By the way, have you met Luo Yongmei? How come you were imitating her so well just now?" Qi Fei suddenly thought of her and couldn't help but feel curious.

"Shanqiu showed me those short videos of Zhang Yingdi accusing Dr. Li. This gossip queen curiously looked through Zhang Yingdi's old videos, which were all about daily life. Of course, her mother-in-law Luo Yongmei would appear in them."

"I see."

"It's normal that Zhang Yingdi couldn't think of that. Did your brain get waterlogged in the culvert last time? How could you not think of that?" Zhong Kui pointed at Qi Fei's temple and mocked him.

Qi Fei, however, looked at Zhong Kui with a smile.

"You laugh even when I tell you?" Zhong Kui raised an eyebrow.

"It's been a long time since I've heard you mock me; I've actually missed it," Qi Fei grinned.

Just then, Qi Fei's phone rang. After hearing what was said on the other end, he frowned: "Who is Huang Ruifen?"

Wu Shanqiu's voice, raised in volume, came through the phone: "Brother Fei, what's wrong with your memory? Huang Ruifen is Sheng Tianbao's wife. Didn't you say he has a wife and an eight-month-old son?"

"Oh, right." Qi Fei suddenly realized, "Huang Ruifen is missing?"

"It was Huang Ruifen's family who reported her missing to the police, saying they couldn't contact her for the past two days."

"Didn't Huang Ruifen go back to her hometown? Shouldn't the police have been called from her hometown? Why did they come to our Nancheng?"

"Brother Fei, her family said that Huang Ruifen has always lived in Nancheng and has never gone back."

"Hmm?" Qi Fei's heart tightened. He remembered that he had tried to contact Huang Ruifen on the day the Sheng family had their accident but hadn't been able to reach her. He immediately felt that something was amiss.

"Huang Ruifen's family is on their way to Nancheng. They should arrive at the police station in about two hours," Wu Shanqiu said on the other end of the phone.
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Two honest-looking men came to the police station. Judging from their appearance and age, they were probably father and son.

"My name is Huang Xuewen, and this is my son, Huang Ruixiang," the older man introduced himself with a heavy accent.

The son looked quite old, but he was even more shy than his father and couldn't say a word to the police.

"The Sheng family said Huang Ruifen went back to her parents' home two months ago. Haven't you seen her?" Qi Fei asked.

“Afen said she’s been in Nancheng all along, but we suddenly lost contact with her three days ago. She tried to contact Tianbao, but he wouldn’t answer the phone. So we came to the police station to report her,” Huang Xuewen said anxiously.