Chapter 5: The Wronged Soul

Late at night, in the vast expanse of the mansion, the grandfather clock in the living room ticked away, marking the passage of time. In the empty room, invisible waves of emotion seemed to fill the darkness—restlessness, confusion, an unsettling haze that pressed in from all sides.

Ever since the death of his daughter, Xu Li hadn’t slept through a single night. Yet, for some reason—perhaps because his wife had made him drink a cup of hot milk before bed—he slept unusually deeply tonight. Normally, he would have awakened around two or three in the morning, but this time, he remained in a heavy slumber.

Tap, tap—

A faint sound of slippers shuffled across the floor, eerily similar to the distinctive tapping of his daughter’s favorite pair. Xu Li sat up quietly, glancing at his sleeping wife before slipping out of bed and leaving the bedroom as softly as he could.

“Is that you, Xinxin?”

He thought he saw someone sitting on the sofa in the pitch-black living room and, his heart leaping with hope, believed for a moment that his daughter had returned.

But aside from the ticking of the old clock, no reply came. The night was silent, so quiet he could almost hear his own heartbeat.

Xu Li refused to give up and slowly moved toward the familiar silhouette. Suddenly, a cord appeared from nowhere, wrapping tightly around his neck. He gasped for breath, the suffocating pressure growing until he desperately clawed at his throat, trying to tear the wire away.

“Daddy, help me! I can’t breathe…”

The shadow turned, and a bloodless face, its mouth smeared with fresh blood, lunged toward him.

Xu Li tried to scream his daughter’s name but jolted awake with a start.

“What’s wrong? Another nightmare?” his wife asked, concern etched on her face as she saw him drenched in sweat.

“Yes,” he replied softly, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead.

“It’s all right, try to sleep,” she said gently.

Night after night, Xu Li relived the horror of his daughter’s death in his dreams. Her cries for help cut into his heart like a knife, each plea reopening the wound. It was as if he experienced her suffering all over again, every night, every agonizing second—hoping, praying for the day that the murderer who took his precious daughter would be caught.

Xu Li had been staying home for days, taking time off to recover, and Su Tianmu had chosen to meet with him at his house to discuss the case.

“Besides Cai Fengnian, can you think of anyone else who might hold a grudge against you?” Su Tianmu prompted.

Xu Li’s face was drawn and weary; sleepless nights and relentless grief had aged him visibly. “I can’t think of anyone right now,” he replied.

“There’s someone in your sales department named Cong Xin. Do you remember him? He said you fired him personally.”

“Cong Xin?” Xu Li frowned. “I don’t recall. Why would I personally dismiss a sales employee? He must be mistaken.”

He didn’t seem to be lying.

“What about Wang Bo?” Su Tianmu continued.

“I know Wang Bo—he’s the head of the sales department. Why do you ask?” Xu Li hesitated, as if weighing his words.

“What’s your relationship with him?”

“Well, he might have some complaints about me. But I think I’ve already been quite lenient with him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even still be head of the department.”

“Oh?” Su Tianmu signaled his assistant, Xiao Wang, to take notes. “Tell me more.”

Wang Bo, it turned out, had once been a branch manager, but after being caught colluding with a rival company for personal gain—an act that nearly cost the company a great deal—he was demoted to his current position. “He should have been fired, but considering his family’s difficulties, I let him stay,” Xu Li explained, glancing uncertainly at Su Tianmu. “Has he done something?”

“According to our investigation, Wang Bo fired Cong Xin, not you. He blamed the decision on you, claiming he was simply carrying out your orders.”

Su Tianmu summarized the matter for him. “Not only did he show no gratitude for your leniency, but he may even resent you for it.”

“If that’s true, he’s truly ungrateful,” Xu Li said weakly.

If it was merely ingratitude, it would be one thing, but if it led to murder, the thought was chilling.

“You said his family was struggling. But a branch manager should be well-paid. Why would he have financial trouble?” Su Tianmu suddenly remembered the ransom demand.

“I heard his wife is seriously ill and requires expensive treatment. His son is studying abroad, so the entire family’s burden falls on him. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to fire him.”

A spark of realization flashed in Su Tianmu’s eyes. That gave Wang Bo a motive for kidnapping. But why would he kill the hostage? Was his identity exposed?

“Did your daughter know Wang Bo?” Su Tianmu pressed further.

“She did. Our company holds an annual gala, and all middle management and above bring their families. Over the years, everyone’s grown familiar.”

The victim knew Wang Bo. There was a potential motive for silencing the hostage.

The next step was to verify Wang Bo’s whereabouts during the days of the kidnapping.

“All right, let’s end here for today. I don’t know what to say to comfort you, but please take care of yourself and try to find peace,” Su Tianmu said kindly, noting the deep circles under Xu Li’s eyes.

“Thank you. Lao Ma, see the guests out.”

After a few words of farewell, Su Tianmu and Xiao Wang stood to leave the villa. The driver, Lao Ma, escorted them out with genuine warmth—his honest, earnest demeanor showed his deep loyalty to his employer.

“Our boss’s suffering is truly heartbreaking,” Lao Ma said as they reached the gate. “I understand exactly how he feels. My own daughter recently died of illness. That kind of grief is a fate worse than death.”

Su Tianmu looked at the grieving man, unsure how to offer comfort. Seeing these two fathers engulfed in sorrow, he was struck by a sudden fear—would he, too, one day face such unbearable loss?

He forced the thought aside. That day was still far off.

For now, the most pressing task was to catch the kidnapper and bring some solace to this devastated father.

Bidding farewell to Lao Ma, Su Tianmu and Xiao Wang hurried back to headquarters to begin tracing the suspects’ movements during the days of the crime.