The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 286 The Window at Night
In Guiyue Apartment, the fragrance of sandalwood wafted through the air, swirling in the light filtering through the sheer curtains.

The morning's tranquility was shattered by a rapid knocking on the rusty security window.

Granny Meng opened the door, and Qi Fei appeared in the doorway, his eyes red and swollen, looking like he was in a bad mood. He immediately asked aggressively, "Where is Zhong Kui?"

Granny Meng didn't say anything, as if she had known he would come all along, and turned to lead him into the inner room.

Zhong Kui leaned back on the sofa, stroking Luocha's head with one hand, not looking at Qi Fei, waiting for him to speak first.

With a "thud," an evidence bag was slammed onto the coffee table. Zhong Kui glanced at it and saw a small yellow piece of paper, about the size of a fingernail, inside the transparent bag, surrounded by black burn marks.

"This was found at the scene where Sheng Dazhi and Zhang Yingdi were killed in the bombing," Qi Fei demanded. "The color of this paper is exactly the same as the iris flower you folded. Don't tell me it's just a coincidence."

“This kind of yellow paper is everywhere, you can’t prove it’s related to me,” Zhong Kui said calmly, neither admitting nor denying.

"I accepted your origami that day, and you didn't care at all. I should have known then that this wasn't so simple. The Zhong Kui I know wouldn't let things go so easily. Did their deaths have anything to do with you?!" Qi Fei's voice was hoarse, indicating that he hadn't slept all night.

“When they had the accident, you and I were on the rooftop. You know I didn’t have any means to detonate it. As my strongest alibi, it makes no sense for you to ask such a question,” Zhong Kui said with a roguish smile.

Qi Fei ran his hand through his hair in frustration: "You're using me again to get yourself out of trouble!"

"You're so sure a piece of paper is related to me? Is this still the excellent detective I know?" Qi Fei was momentarily speechless at Zhong Kui's question.

He took a deep breath to compose himself and said, "Ever since we came back from Yuanxi, you've been convinced that Xihe is still alive. Although I'm reluctant to admit it, there's a strong bond between you and him. Before Yuanxi, I always thought that the male-female monster that Xihe drew was him, and the female was Zhong Xiaoyu..." At this point, tears seemed to well up in Qi Fei's eyes, "You've always known that the other half is you, haven't you?"

Zhong Kui didn't deny it, but said meaningfully, "No one likes another version of themselves in this world. But they will be interested in the same things, and feel love and jealousy for the same people." As she spoke, she looked directly into Qi Fei's eyes, her gaze filled with unreserved love.

Qi Fei's hands trembled as he clenched his fists. He didn't know how to respond to this almost morbid confession. His eyes were just like the way Xi He looked at him in the dark of the Nanling Maze that night.

Zhong Kui's inexplicable love for him stemmed from the striking resemblance between her and Xi He.

Xi He harbored an extraordinary love and jealousy for his younger brother, a feeling he had now fully experienced. He always had an uncontrollable infatuation with Zhong Kui. Love, unlike a case, couldn't be unraveled step by step to find the truth; it seemed to remain a mystery forever, an unsolvable enigma.

Zhong Kui gently patted Luocha's head twice, and Luocha silently got up and gracefully walked away.

Zhong Kui got up from the sofa, walked to Qi Fei's side, and gently put her hand on his shoulder, whispering in his ear: "Xi He has been recruiting many puppets over the years, and Feng Yongfu won't be the last one. As long as there are people in this world who debate what justice is, he will always have an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. Do you know how he manipulates people's hearts? That day outside the ward, you took my irises. Are you sure no one saw that? Don't be silly."

As Zhong Kui finished speaking, Qi Fei jolted as if electrocuted. He asked in surprise, "Was it Xi He who deliberately left this evidence to make me suspect you?" Zhong Kui picked up the evidence bag with disdain: "First of all, if I did it, you wouldn't have gotten this. Secondly, if it wasn't you, I wouldn't bother explaining any of this." As she spoke, she lightly brushed the wind chimes hanging by the window.

Granny Meng appeared instantly and gestured for Qi Fei to see her off.
-
It was already 2 a.m., and the bustling city of Nancheng finally quieted down, entering the quietest time of the day.

In an ordinary high-rise building in a residential complex, a designer who had been working on his drawings at home finally finished them and closed his laptop. He stretched by the window and looked at the windows on the same floor across the street, where the lights were still on.

Because of his work, he often stayed up late. After a while, he noticed something that wasn't too big or too small: the same window in the building across the street always had its light on late at night, just like his.

As a designer, he couldn't help but have some romantic fantasies. Perhaps behind that window, there was another working person working late into the night, just like him. That light was like encouragement from a stranger, telling him that he wasn't the last one to fall asleep in this neighborhood.

He looked at the warm yellow light, smiled knowingly, and drew the curtains...
-
In the police station office, Wu Shanqiu placed a bag of sunflower seeds in front of Qi Fei and asked with concern, "Brother Fei, you've seemed distracted all morning. Could it be related to Zhong Kui? I heard she went back to Sanwu Town. Are you two alright?"

Qi Fei said irritably, "Have you been doing too little work lately? Why are you being so gossipy?"

Wu Shanqiu stuck out her tongue: "Our jobs are definitely better the easier they are, which means the world is at peace!"

Just then, Liu Tong appeared at the office door.

When Wu Shanqiu saw him, she shrugged: "No way, you came as soon as I mentioned it."

Sure enough, Liu Tong walked towards them: "We received a report of a murder in JN district. Let's get to work."

The police car arrived at the side of a road in the JN district, where yellow warning tape had been put up around the green belt.

Qi Fei got out of the car, climbed over the cordon and walked into the green belt. There, he saw a middle-aged man lying face up on the grass inside the low shrub fence. The blood on his body had congealed and hardened, indicating that he had been dead for some time.

Qi Fei looked up and saw several people hugging each other and crying not far away; they appeared to be the deceased's family members.

"It seems the deceased's identity has been confirmed?" Qi Fei asked the police at the scene.

"Yes, the deceased is Ma Ziqiang, a resident of Huantai Community across the street. The street cleaner found him this morning and reported it to the police. When we examined the body, we found a Huantai Community access card. During the investigation, Ma Ziqiang's family said that he had gone out last night and had not returned. After identifying the body, it was confirmed that it was him."

Qi Fei squatted down and checked again: "Your phone and wallet are gone. Have you checked the security footage?"