Chapter 333: A False Alarm

Before Tian Mi could answer, Qi Fei said, "The relationship between her and Dong Qianjin involves a transfer of benefits. If that gets out, the nature of Dong Ziwu's irregular promotion becomes even more serious. She wouldn't let people at Nancheng Investment know about it."

After hearing Qi Fei's words, not only did Tian Mi not feel guilty, but she brazenly said, "Everyone operates this way. It's just that you haven't reached our level yet; otherwise, what would you be competing on? Are you really going to compete on who works the hardest?"

"Isn't that how it should be?" Qi Fei countered.

"Heh, only the fools at the bottom think that way. The people who do the work and the people who get promoted are always two different groups. Many people can't see through such a simple truth," Tian Mi said contemptuously.

"Tch, what kind of workplace Machiavellianism is this?" Wu Shanqiu said angrily. "No wonder the atmosphere at your Nancheng Investment is so poor. Do you know that everyone has a lot of complaints?"

"So what? We are people of different classes; they are worker ants, and I am the queen ant. I told you before, it is their good fortune to be able to work at such a good state-owned enterprise as Nancheng Investment. They should cherish this position; what is there to complain about? I never care about their opinions!" Tian Mi leaned back on the sofa, as if saying these words could embolden her life, which was fraught with crises.

"But you still don't want them to know about the transaction between you and Dong Qianjin, including us," Qi Fei pointed out. "You know in your heart that this promotion matter affects the whole situation; it's not that simple."

Qi Fei did not stay any longer; he needed to find Dong Qianjin immediately.

He had originally thought that finding the person who tipped her off meant finding the murderer, but he hadn't expected that person to be Dong Qianjin—the father of the deceased, Dong Ziwu. From the beginning, he had a solid alibi—when Dong Ziwu went missing, he was with his family and was the main person searching for his son's whereabouts.

In this way, why Dong Qianjin would know they were tailing Tian Mi made the matter even more baffling to Qi Fei. Carrying his doubts, he dialed Dong Qianjin's phone number while driving toward his home.

"Oh, Officer Qi, has there been progress in Ziwu's case?" Dong Qianjin asked as soon as he picked up.

"How did you know we were tailing Tian Mi?" Qi Fei asked.

"W-what? You were tailing Tian Mi?" Dong Qianjin's reaction exceeded Qi Fei's expectations; it sounded like he didn't know about this at all.

"Didn't you tell Tian Mi about this?" Qi Fei asked hurriedly.

"I didn't! So, is Tian Mi really related to my son's death?" Dong Qianjin realized immediately; it seemed he really didn't know about this.

A sharp screech of brakes rang out on the empty road, and at the same time, Qi Fei's rapidly spinning brain slammed on the brakes as well.

Wu Shanqiu rubbed her head, which had been bumped and hurt, and muttered, "Damn, you scared me to death. Brother Fei, what are you doing?"

"Luring the tiger away from the mountain!" Qi Fei said only these four words, then swerved the car and headed toward Tian Mi's home.

"What's the situation?" Wu Shanqiu asked urgently.

"Dong Qianjin's reaction didn't seem faked. Just now, I couldn't figure out why he would tip off Tian Mi. If someone impersonated him to tell Tian Mi, the goal would be to lure us into going to find Dong Qianjin..." Qi Fei's speech sped up out of anxiety.

"The murderer is nearby?!" Wu Shanqiu gasped. "Right now, there's only her mother and her at Tian Mi's place. Wouldn't she be completely defenseless!"

The car screeched to a halt downstairs at Tian Mi's home.

Tian Mi's home was a small two-story Western-style house converted from a farmhouse. There was no wall outside, and one could reach the front door on the first floor by crossing a small courtyard.

The lights inside were still on as usual, just as they were when they had left earlier. Qi Fei pressed the doorbell, holding onto a glimmer of hope, but after a few "ding-dongs," there was only silence.

Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu looked at each other, their hearts sinking in unison.

Just as they were about to kick the door in, it actually opened.

Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu simultaneously aimed their guns at the doorway.

A cry of alarm pierced the night sky.

The yellow light from the living room shone on the two people's faces. Standing before them was Tian Mi, wrapped in a towel on her head, looking at them with a face full of terror.

Seeing that she was safe and sound, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief and only lowered their guns after confirming there were no suspicious signs in the house.

"What are you doing? You scared me to death! Why are you back?" A startled Tian Mi said irritably.

"Has anyone come to see you after we left?" Qi Fei asked suspiciously.

"Only you guys, coming in and out like it's your own home," Tian Mi rolled her eyes.

Ignoring Tian Mi's disdain, Qi Fei insisted on entering the house to check, only to confirm that it was indeed a false alarm. He then asked Tian Mi, "We asked Dong Qianjin; he didn't know about our operation."

"Impossible." Tian Mi took out her phone and opened the message from Dong Qianjin to show Qi Fei, "He told me himself!"

Qi Fei looked and it was indeed a WeChat message sent by Dong Qianjin, timed two hours ago.

Helpless, Qi Fei dialed Dong Qianjin's phone again. However, Dong Qianjin on the other end of the line was adamant, saying that this conversation did not exist in his WeChat chat history at all, and even sent a screenshot to prove it.

"Was anyone else with you two hours ago?" Qi Fei asked.

"I was attending an alumni gathering at that time. I didn't want to go, but my wife persuaded me to go just to clear my head, so I went reluctantly," Dong Qianjin explained specifically, fearing they would think he was heartless for having just lost his son.

"If a sent message is deleted, you won't see it on your end. Did anyone touch your phone while you were at the party?" Qi Fei asked.

"Hard to say. I just left it on the table and walked away at times. Who on earth is playing this prank?!" Dong Qianjin said unhappily.

It appeared that someone had used Dong Qianjin's phone to send that warning text to Tian Mi and then deleted the message from Dong Qianjin's phone. This way, Tian Mi thought Dong Qianjin had told her, while Dong Qianjin was completely unaware that his phone had sent the message. Everything was done to disrupt the police operation.

Given the current situation, Tian Mi did not want the police watching her. Moreover, given Tian Mi's headstrong style, Qi Fei certainly couldn't tell her that he was planning to use her as bait to lure the snake out of its hole. Regardless, that suspicious person was likely mingling among Dong Qianjin's alumni.

"This is no prank," Qi Fei said seriously. "I need the full list of your alumni association."

After all the tossing and turning, it was already the early hours of the morning. Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu left Tian Mi's home, dragging their exhausted bodies.

Qi Fei started the car, drove forward for a distance, and turned into an intersection before suddenly stopping. That spot happened to have a convex mirror used for observing blind spots on curves; at this moment, it was perfect for observing the situation at Tian Mi's house, and sure enough, after a short while...