The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 282 The Old Lady's Gift
“Brother Fei, the forensic department has made a new discovery. During the on-site search, they found fingerprints of someone else besides the Sheng family on the roller shutter door. They compared these fingerprints with those collected in the newly discovered basement and found they belong to the same person,” Wu Shanqiu said.

"Someone opened the roller shutter door after the Sheng family's incident. Could it be that this person..." Qi Fei murmured, "Fortunately, it seems the person is still alive, but where could they be?"

Just then, a woman's sobbing voice came from Wu Shanqiu's phone, interrupting Qi Fei's thoughts. He turned his head and blurted out, "What the hell?"

In the video, Zhang Yingdi sobbed into the camera, denouncing the incompetence of Nancheng Hospital for failing to cure her son.

"Didn't I make it very clear to her? Sheng Tianbao died because he put too much rotten flesh in the room and died of hydrogen sulfide poisoning, right?" Qi Fei felt that there were too many things about Zhang Yingdi that he couldn't understand.

"Sigh, what did Nancheng Hospital do to deserve such a shrew?" Wu Shanqiu sighed.

Qi Fei didn't speak, but looked around and asked, "Hmm? Where did Zhong Kui go?"

"Oh, you've already missed me after just a short time apart?" Wu Shanqiu said with a mischievous smile.

"Shut up. I want to have a serious discussion with her about this. I want to hear her analysis of Zhang Yingdi's motives for doing this." Qi Fei said harshly, but his ears were already red.

“She watched Zhang Yingdi’s video account with me a little earlier, and then said she was going to Nancheng Hospital. I asked her why she was going, but she didn’t say,” Wu Shanqiu replied.

The sound of high heels echoed in the quiet corridor, unhurried and deliberate.

Zhong Kui, with her silver chain on her hand, pushed open a door. Inside, instead of Zhang Yingdi, stood Li Jin, the female doctor who had been suffering from cyberbullying.

Compared to last time, Li Jin looked much better. Upon seeing Zhong Kui appear, she immediately got up, moved a stool, and invited her to sit down.

"I heard you're still investigating the cause of the Sheng family's incident. How's it going? I heard it was hydrogen sulfide poisoning?" Li Jin asked with concern.

“Yes, it’s quite a strange thing. But that’s not why I’m here today. Dr. Li, how have you been lately?” Zhong Kui rarely showed concern for anyone.

Dr. Li smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I have to thank you all. Now, those who are concerned about Zhang Yingdi only want to know how her son died. Nobody cares about Luo Yongmei and me anymore." She then sighed, "So this is what things are like online. What you thought was hell was just a fleeting moment of attention from netizens. Those who slandered me seem to have disappeared overnight. Looking back, I was really foolish to be so preoccupied with such things. Luckily, I met you and Officer Qi back then. I was thinking of telling you that if you ever need any help, just let me know. But I'm an orthopedic surgeon, so it's best if you never need my help."

Zhong Kui laughed too: "You're joking now, it seems you've really come out of your slump. I do have something I need your help with this time, but it has nothing to do with the fracture."

"Oh? Please go ahead and speak." Dr. Li leaned forward, looking like he was all ears.

“I watched the videos of Zhang Yingdi and her son accusing you carefully, and I have a question in my mind: why you? Since Luo Yongmei’s death is inextricably linked to Sheng Tianbao, why are they making such a high-profile scene?”

Dr. Li shook his head blankly: "That's what I can't understand either." "I saw that Zhang Yingdi's first video framing you was released several days after Luo Yongmei's death. I guess you had a face-to-face conflict before that?"

"It wasn't a conflict, she just kept asking what her mother-in-law had told me. I explained repeatedly that Luo Yongmei was too injured to speak and hadn't told me anything. But Zhang Yingdi just wouldn't believe me," Dr. Li said helplessly.

A sharp glint flashed in Zhong Kui's eyes, and she immediately asked, "Or, have you and Luo Yongmei had any communication? Not the verbal kind?"

Hearing this, Dr. Li sighed softly, "Of course, it's true. As medical staff, treating patients' physical injuries is our duty, but inevitably, patients will seek emotional support from us. Especially for patients like Luo Yongmei, who suffers persecution from their families on top of their physical injuries, I can't bear it. Sometimes I'll show her extra care, bringing her rice porridge from the cafeteria or asking the nurses to keep an eye on her. I know the old lady was grateful for this. Before she died, she suddenly gave me a necklace, probably as a gift. If it were an ordinary patient, I would definitely refuse, as that would be against regulations. But, alas..." She couldn't help but feel sad as she said this, "At that time, Luo Yongmei's complications were difficult to control with medication. I knew she didn't have much time left, and not wanting to disappoint the old lady, I accepted the necklace."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Kui's lips curled into a slight smile: "Where is this necklace now?"

"I handed it over to the hospital for centralized storage as required," Dr. Li replied.

A worn-out metal necklace appeared before everyone; the gold plating on the pendant had been mostly worn away, revealing a greenish patina.

"Is this the gift Luo Yongmei gave to Dr. Li?" Wu Shanqiu said incredulously.

“No, this is Dr. Li’s interpretation; it’s more like some kind of instruction,” Zhong Kui corrected Wu Shanqiu.

“What do you mean? I don’t understand,” Wu Shanqiu said.

“This is perhaps why Zhang Yingdi and her son, or rather, why Sheng Tianbao instigated his doting mother to target Dr. Li,” Zhong Kui continued.

Qi Fei was completely confused: "Are you saying that Sheng Tianbao had ulterior motives behind this medical dispute?"

Zhong Kui blinked at the cheap necklace: "Everything seems to have changed since the day Huang Ruifen disappeared. Don't forget, besides Sheng Tianbao, there was another person present when Huang Ruifen disappeared."

These words instantly enlightened Qi Fei: "Sheng Tianbao's grandmother, Luo Yongmei, was helping to take care of the child at that time."

“That child is dead. Luo Yongmei couldn’t possibly not know that.” The faded pendant reflected Zhong Kui’s sharp eyes. “That day, did Sheng Tianbao really make a mistake while backing up?”

"This wasn't an accident; it was a failed attempt to silence someone..." Qi Fei gasped.

“Dr. Li’s concern for Luo Yongmei made her Sheng Tianbao’s next target,” Zhong Kui said, picking up the necklace.