The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 285 Self-deception
"My poor son, what a miserable life..." Zhang Yingdi cried, beating her chest and stamping her feet. "I didn't hear anything, I didn't hear anything..."

Amid Zhang Yingdi's tearful lament, heart-wrenching sobs echoed through the room, a stark contrast to Zhang Yingdi's affected performance.

Zhang Yingdi was frightened when she heard the crying.

She sat blankly on the bed, as if she had returned to that sweltering summer night at the junkyard, where, under the moonlight, a mournful cry came from underground, keeping her awake all night.

During this period, every time Huang Ruifen and her son were mentioned, the son's impatient look and her mother-in-law Luo Yongmei's hesitant fear made her very uneasy...

The real memories were like rough sandpaper, rubbing against her heart, causing her to clutch her chest and gasp for breath.

"No way, no way!" she vehemently denied. "Tianbao is an honest child, he wouldn't lie..." She covered her ears tightly, screaming hysterically, "Tell her to stop crying! I can't breathe!"

"If you don't feel uncomfortable, do as I say and take a deep breath..." Zhong Kui whispered in Zhang Yingdi's ear. His voice seemed to have a magical power, gradually relaxing Zhang Yingdi's tense body.

The crying that filled the room gradually subsided, leaving only Zhong Kui's voice continuing: "The day your mother had the accident, you were in the shop. It was a very hot day, and you saw Sheng Tianbao and your mother-in-law..."

As Zhong Kui guided her, Zhang Yingdi's gaze gradually lost focus, as if she had entered another dimension. She murmured, "Yes, that big electric fan was whirring at the door, blowing out hot air. I wanted to ask Tianbao to help me load the goods. But Tianbao didn't hear me. He yelled at his mother outside, asking her where she was going."

My mother had already reached the wasteland in front of the door, but she didn't turn around when she heard Tianbao's voice. Lately, my mother seems to be very afraid of Tianbao; when she heard him yell, she stumbled and fell to the ground.

For some reason, Tianbao got angry at the sight of her, rushed onto the truck, and reversed and ran her over. Ah, she really ran her over…” Zhang Yingdi said, her lifeless eyes wide open, as if she were seeing that terrible scene again. “I was terrified. I pounded on the truck door and shouted for Tianbao to stop, but Tianbao was like a mad bull…” At this point, Zhang Yingdi seemed to lose all her strength, and she collapsed, covering her face and sobbing. But in this room, there was no one to comfort her.
-
Just two weeks later, when Qi Fei went up to the rooftop of Nancheng Hospital again, he could no longer feel the scorching sun—after several days of stalemate, autumn had finally arrived.

Zhong Kui was right beside him, the cool breeze ruffling her hair, looking down at the scene below where Sheng Dazhi and Zhang Yingdi were being taken into a police car.

Sheng Dazhi woke up, but just like his position in the family, he was dispensable in this tragic story from beginning to end.

"Judging from the current situation, since Luo Yongmei and the child's deaths are not directly related to them, at most they will be punished for disturbing the peace and making false accusations against the hospital," Qi Fei said.

"Yes, they've already been punished. Whether they go to jail or not is no longer important," Zhong Kui said. "I heard Huang Ruifen is still refusing to see her family?"

"Huang Xuewen was reported missing, but we have already found her. Whether we meet her again is no longer within our scope of work. However, since Sheng Tianbao and Huang Ruifen were married when Sheng Tianbao died, she is the first heir according to the inheritance law. In addition, she can also claim a share of the estate from her deceased child. In other words, most of the property under Sheng Tianbao's name belongs to Huang Ruifen."

She said she would use some of the money to repair Luo Yongmei's grave, and the rest to continue her studies, so she should be able to live a good life from now on.

"Hmm, she's a girl with resilience like wild grass," Zhong Kui rarely praised.

“I still don’t understand, was Zhang Yingdi pretending not to know Huang Ruifen was imprisoned, or did she genuinely not think in that direction?” Qi Fei asked. “Neither.” Zhong Kui flicked her hair. “People with histrionic personality disorder often have a pathological self-construction. In her world, Sheng Tianbao, this violent and selfish child, became a filial and innocent perfect son. Sheng Tianbao is the origin of her distorted world. Because this origin is fictional, everything that happens around him becomes a completely different interpretation for Zhang Yingdi.”

Did she know? Of course she knew. But the real world had become a ghost, haunting her heart. "I just saw an acquaintance being brought in by an ambulance," Zhong Kui said, looking at the electronic screen on a distant building, which was displaying Dongjun Industrial's corporate advertisement.

"An acquaintance? Who's in trouble?" Qi Fei tensed up.

“Xu Tong, I asked the doctor, and it seems there’s no way to save him from organ failure caused by cancer,” Zhong Kui said.

Qi Fei sighed deeply: "It's my dad who owes him."

"Yes, Qi Dongjun has recovered and been discharged from the hospital."

“I know, I heard he’s back to work as if nothing happened. In a way, he’s the same as Zhang Yingdi, except that Zhang Yingdi cared about her son, while he always cared about himself the most.”

Zhong Kui gave Qi Fei a meaningful look, her tone carrying a hint of warning: "Looking at your father with a scrutinizing gaze is a path of no return. Be careful on your journey."

When she turned back to look downstairs, she suddenly shouted, "Qi Fei, get the people in the police car out of the car!"

At this moment, the police car had just started moving and had driven a meter away.

Qi Fei was confused, but trusting Zhong Kui, he dialed the number of the police officers escorting the vehicle without saying a word and told them to get off.

Just as the two policemen got out of the car and were about to let Sheng Dazhi and Zhang Yingdi get out as well, a loud bang suddenly rang out, and the two were thrown away by the huge blast wave. Flames instantly engulfed the entire police car.

Qi Fei stared in disbelief at the sudden scene. Amidst the billowing smoke, he could vaguely see white patterns left on the ground—the pattern of that monster, as if mocking them on the rooftop—Xi He had returned.

Zhang Yingdi and Sheng Dazhi were killed in the bombing.

“How did he know…” Qi Fei murmured.

“Zhang Yingdi posted all the information on short videos. She’s the type Xi He hates the most. I knew it…” Zhong Kui wasn’t as shocked as Qi Fei. It was as if everything was expected. “He’s still alive. He and I are the two parts of this monster. I didn’t disappear, so he must still be alive.”

"Why did he kill them...?"

“Because he hates stupid people the most…” Zhong Kui answered knowingly.