The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 343 A Snowfall
Jiang Tianyi had just seen off his last patient and was sitting at his desk, having just opened a research website, when there was a sudden knock on the door.

He glanced at the calendar; there were no new visitors marked.

With some doubt, he opened the door, and Zhong Xiaoyu appeared at his doorstep.

"Xiaoyu? What brings you here?" Jiang Tianyi said, welcoming her through the door.

“I remember you like white tea, and I happen to have some good aged white tea here.” Jiang Tianyi said, his hands not stopping as he skillfully took out tea leaves and started brewing.

"Senior brother, no need." Zhong Xiaoyu was unimpressed. "I'll just say a few words and then leave." With that, she took out a USB drive and handed it to Jiang Tianyi.

"What is this?" Jiang Tianyi asked in confusion.

"It has a password, which I can't tell you right now. Please keep it safe, and I'll tell you when the time comes. Senior brother, my family is all dead. If there's anyone in this world I can truly trust, you're one of them." Zhong Xiaoyu's solemn tone made Jiang Tianyi worry.

“Xiaoyu, we’ve known each other for so many years, and I know you’ve always had your own ideas, but seeing you recover is so hard, and I hope you can live a good life. That’s more important than anything else,” Jiang Tianyi said earnestly.

"Mm." Zhong Xiaoyu responded softly, then turned and left without saying another word.

Jiang Tianyi stood by the window, watching Zhong Xiaoyu leave.

Nancheng welcomed its first snowfall of the year, and Zhong Xiaoyu's lonely and resolute figure disappeared into the swirling snow.
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"Qi Fei, Shan Qiu, come here." Liu Tong walked into the criminal investigation team's office, his expression unusually serious.

Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu looked at each other, not knowing what had happened. Like two students being called in for a talk with their teacher, they followed Liu Tong toward his office.

As soon as the three people entered the office, Liu Tong locked the door from the inside with a "click".

"Captain Liu, have we gotten into any trouble lately?" Qi Fei asked cautiously, observing Liu Tong's expression.

Liu Tong didn't answer. He walked behind his desk, bent down and took out a large bag, a mischievous smile on his face: "What are you standing there for? Come and open it together."

"Huh?" Wu Shanqiu immediately noticed the logo on the bag. "Isn't this that popular hot pot restaurant?"

"It would be great if you, a foodie, had this kind of sensitivity when solving cases," Liu Tong laughed.

"A hot pot restaurant?" Qi Fei asked, stepping forward to unpack the food with a puzzled look. "Captain Liu, are we going to have hot pot in your office?"

"Hey? You guessed it. We had to have hot pot after the first snow. I have a meeting this afternoon and don't have time to go out to eat, so I ordered takeout from this place. They even delivered a pot. Come on, don't tell anyone else, or the logistics department will accuse me of not paying attention to fire safety." Liu Tong quickly arranged the various ingredients, making Qi Fei suspect that this wasn't the first time he had done this.

"By the way, how's Lao Qian doing?" Liu Tong asked, seemingly also concerned about the case. "Considering his relationship with Xi He, we've increased the number of people monitoring him 24/7 to prevent him from doing anything extreme. The case materials have been compiled and handed over to the prosecution. Lao Qian has confessed to all the crimes, and we're just waiting to see how the trial goes," Qi Fei replied.

The pot was quickly set up, and snow was falling softly outside. The three of them enjoying hot pot in the office was quite a unique experience.

“Nancheng Investment is a strange place.” Wu Shanqiu picked up a piece of mutton and said while eating, “There have been two murders in a row, both related to their distorted workplace ecology. I thought things would change after Lao Qian’s incident. But when I went to revisit the other day, I found that these people were like they had amnesia. The bosses and supervisors were still acting high and mighty, and the people working below were still complaining while being obsequious to their superiors. Sigh.”

“What else can we do? If everyone were like Lao Qian, picking up a butcher’s knife and killing people, we’d be overwhelmed. We need to have something to eat.” Liu Tong said, putting an egg dumpling into Wu Shanqiu’s bowl.

"Oh, thank you, leader." Wu Shanqiu said with a grin, "You see, if that Tian Mi had half the care for his subordinates that Captain Liu has, no, even a tenth of what you have, Lao Qian wouldn't have ended up like this."

“Yes, Lao Qian will be just like you, disrespectful to elders,” Liu Tong said, feigning anger.

Qi Fei didn't seem to be in the mood for hot pot. He kept glancing at the heavy snow outside the window, as if he had something on his mind.

This did not escape Liu Tong's notice. He coughed twice to draw Qi Fei's attention back.

"Who are you thinking about?" Liu Tong asked.

"That goes without saying, it's Zhong Kui, oh wait, recently it's Zhong Xiaoyu. Sigh, I'm getting confused by their constant changes," Wu Shanqiu said before Qi Fei could speak.

“I used to think that Zhong Kui was an extreme personality created by Zhong Xiaoyu, but after spending a lot of time with Zhong Xiaoyu recently, I suddenly have a feeling that Zhong Kui is the more normal one. I feel that there is something about Zhong Xiaoyu that makes people uneasy…” Qi Fei looked at the boiling soup with a worried expression.

"I have to remind you about this," Liu Tong said casually to Yao Qifei. "We hired Zhong Kui as a consultant to attract Xi He. I advise you not to get too obsessed with her. I don't want to end up with a small mudfish instead of a big fish."

Liu Tong's words really provoked Qi Fei. He threw down his chopsticks and almost jumped up from his seat: "What? You used Zhong Kui as bait? And Little Mudskipper? Who's Little Mudskipper?!"

“Zhong Kui knows about this. No one wants to catch Xi He more than her. Getting her to cooperate with us is not only for the purpose of capturing Xi He, but also for the purpose of protecting Zhong Kui.” Liu Tong deliberately emphasized the word “protect.”

"But..." Qi Fei was about to argue when Liu Tong interrupted him.
"Let's not talk about this while we're having hot pot." Liu Tong remained as relaxed as ever. "Don't worry too much about the world not ending in half an hour. We'll talk about everything after noon today."

The snow was falling heavier and heavier, showing no signs of stopping. The labyrinth of Nanling was already covered with a thick layer of snow, making the winding paths even more difficult to see.

Zhong Xiaoyu stood at the entrance, hesitant to move forward. The narrow passage was filled with wind and snow rushing towards her.

In a daze, she seemed to see Xi He, dressed in white, standing in the snow, walking towards her step by step.

"Do you miss me? Are you lonely? Return to this long-lost human world. Is it still the same one that bores you?" Xi He's voice echoed in the maze. "Here, it's just you and me. Say you love me, my Dr. Zhong."