Zhang Ying'ai's rapid progress indeed helped Cui Fang resolve many issues. However, Cui Fang remained deeply worried about Zhang Ying'ai. This was because Zhang Ying'ai had been too smooth sailing on her journey, making her appear like a truly lucky girl.
But Cui Fang knew that extremes lead to reversals; once luck reaches its peak, it inevitably turns into misfortune. As expected, when Zhang Ying'ai was dealing with Teacher Wang Ren, she encountered me.
The words "The Schemer" opened Zhang Ying'ai's mind. After successfully orchestrating "time travel," she became convinced she was a schemer. To deal with me, Zhang Ying'ai disregarded Cui Fang's advice. She intended to kill Lin Han at the wedding, only to have her plan exposed by me, forcing her to flee.
Subsequently, Zhang Ying'ai, in league with Old Tie, preempted others and stole the national painting, "Qing Yin Jian Gu Tu."
...
Upon reaching this point, Cui Fang sighed repeatedly, "This was a path of self-destruction for her. She failed, failing everywhere. I told her the truth, but she told me she had already succeeded. Her past good luck had led her astray; she believed no one could see through her little schemes. Helpless, I had to devise this plan to let her see your true feelings."
"You know I wouldn't choose Zhang Ying'ai."
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Cui Fang gave a wry smile, "It's not a matter of choosing or not choosing; there was simply no choice to be made."
This Cui Fang was an intelligent woman; she knew everything. I looked into her eyes and asked her seriously, "I fought with Zhang Ying'ai. Although she's a girl, she's as strong as an ox. I don't think her body would have any problems. Did you kill her?"
Hearing my question, Cui Fang appeared very calm, "Tang Nan, you know enough. This household does not welcome you. Leave."
...
I left Cui Fang's home. When Cui Fang sorrowfully told me everything, I had a premonition. Zhang Ying'ai was too reckless and didn't take Cui Fang's words to heart at all.
Using time travel as a scheme against Teacher Wang Ren was an attention-seeking act that completely contradicted the methods of "Zheng Qi." If not for Zhang Ying'ai's recklessness, perhaps we would still be unaware of such a secret organization tirelessly judging villains.
Of course, there was another reason for Zhang Ying'ai's death: Zhang Ying'ai knew who "Warhead" was. If she betrayed "Warhead," it could have dealt an unprecedented blow to the entire "Zheng Qi" organization.
Therefore, Zhang Ying'ai had to die.
Who killed Zhang Ying'ai? After returning, I asked Luo Bo again. Zhang Ying'ai died from a fatal blow after losing consciousness. Yu Xiaoluo had already held back her strength after subduing Zhang Ying'ai. I was at the scene then. The possibility of a fatal blow being delivered after she lost consciousness was nonexistent. But why did Zhang Ying'ai die like this? There was only one possibility: someone went to the scene after we hurried to leave and killed Zhang Ying'ai.
...
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This wasn't a detective game; I had a rough idea of who the killer was. The problem was that Zhang Ying'ai's death had cost me the initiative. All my plans revolved around Zhang Ying'ai. I thought I could force her to reveal who "Warhead" was. But I didn't expect Cui Fang to be so ruthless. Seeing that Zhang Ying'ai was no match for me, she immediately cut the Gordian knot. Even though Zhang Ying'ai was her own sister, she showed no hesitation.
After confirming that Yu Xiaoluo and her child were safe, I went to the hospital's outpatient clinic alone, found an empty spot on a bench, and watched the people coming and going. After a while, I heard the sound of metal hitting the ground. I didn't look up, letting a heavy body sit beside me. Without turning my head, I knew from the breathing that it was Old Tie sitting next to me.
"When you used me, I knew you would fail."
"Why?"
"You've been floating in the sky for too long; you've forgotten what it feels like to have your feet on the ground," Old Tie said.
"I don't understand what you mean."
"You overestimated your opponents. You thought smart people would play fair games with you, like Zhu Guang did. But the reality is different. How many Zhu Guangs are there in this world? The Cui Fang you faced this time wasn't even considered a schemer a few months ago."
"People don't become powerful because they become schemers; they become schemers because they are already powerful."
Old Tie burst into laughter, "Your tongue is getting sharper, but old habits die hard. You're still the same as when you were a child, stubborn. You hit a brick wall but still insist you're right."
"Am I wrong?"
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"You're not wrong. I'm wrong, alright? Brother."
Honestly, I didn't know why Old Tie had come. I had already exposed him, so why was he here? Hearing him say this, I felt a sense of nostalgia. In those days, I made mistakes, and Old Tie was by my side. I would earnestly ask him if I was wrong and where I went wrong. Every time, the introverted Old Tie would say, "You're not wrong. I'm wrong, alright? Brother."
I turned to look at Old Tie. He was looking down, as if reminiscing about the past.
"Back then, I strayed, and I never thought you would help me. After the Xi'an incident, I thought we were done. I fled to Hu City and secretly contacted my parents. Soon after, they told me you had also come to Hu City to study. Tang Nan, do you know? When I heard that news, I cried uncontrollably for a whole night. My wife held me, treating me like a fool."
I remained silent, but I had to admit that Old Tie and I had a tacit understanding back then. We knew what the other was planning. In the end, he swindled two hundred million and went abroad. I knew all of it.
But this time, after Old Tie returned, I guessed what he was going to do, yet something felt off. I always felt I was missing something in trying to fathom Old Tie's thoughts. Now, when he spoke of tacit understanding, it dawned on me. The unspoken understanding we had cultivated since childhood had vanished.
This was not surprising. When I participated in Zhu Guang's game, Old Tie, trusting me, made a profit of four billion. That sense of distance was unprecedented. He said he envied me, but I envied him too. He had become a free-spirited villain, while I had become a hypocrite constrained by morality.
"I thought this understanding would last a lifetime between us. But I was wrong. When I saw you this time, I realized you had changed."
"How have I changed? I'm still me!"
"You're suspicious and paranoid. You don't trust anyone anymore."
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"Where?"
"You're arguing again. I ask you, why did you push me towards 'Zheng Qi'? Because you needed a decoy. I have a criminal record, impure motives, and a large amount of money involved in the case. Such a person would be more easily judged by 'Zheng Qi'."
Old Tie said this, and I didn't refute it, because that was exactly what I had thought. My relationship with Old Tie was no longer the same as before. Didn't he, under Cui Fang's plan, spare no effort in pushing me towards Zhang Ying'ai? If I hadn't been able to see through the scheme, Zhang Ying'ai would have been my savior.
"I willingly became a decoy, but I'm unhappy. Damn it, I'm just a simple decoy. Tang Nan, think with your brain. I made forty billion in overseas casinos. Why would I bother tampering with national treasures? Even if I increased the value of the Qianlong ring tenfold, four hundred million. Is that something I, with my current net worth, would care about?"
Old Tie's words reminded me. I understood. I looked at him, looking at him intently.
"If you can't guess, ask."
"Then why did you come back?"
"Redemption!"
"Red...Redemption?"
When one is poor, they live for material needs; when one is rich, they live for spiritual fulfillment. Old Tie was abroad and not short of money, but spiritually, he was forever that exiled criminal. Especially Old Tie's parents, pure Northeasterners, loved to chat, visit neighbors, sit on others' kangs, crack sunflower seeds, gossip, talk about the Zhang family and the Li family, like two old women chatting lively all day long.
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But who was there to chat with abroad? A life of affluence was like a beautiful cage for a canary, turning the old couple into spiritual prisoners. Therefore, Old Tie prepared to return, seeking an opportunity to clear his name.
Thus, Old Tie obtained an ID card, Tie Shan, by donating national treasures. With the ID card, he couldn't wait to buy a house. Old Tie was eager to return, but I, as his brother, had never considered this. Perhaps I had been a schemer for too long, lacking brotherhood; everyone in my eyes was merely a tool.
"I'm sorry!"
I sincerely apologized to Old Tie.
"Let it be!"
Old Tie struggled to stand up. I wanted to help him, but he pushed me away like an angry little wife and said, "You don't need to help."
"What do you plan to do next?"
"It hasn't changed from my end. I knew you would suspect me. After Zhang Ying'ai contacted me in Beijing, I swapped the donated national treasure, keeping the Qingyu ring. I knew you would use this."
"At least in Cui Fang's eyes, your motives are still pure."
"Yes, but this woman is very capable. You used the stratagem of borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha, causing the design master to search in vain at Luo Bo's house, leading to the design master being suspected. But Cui Fang didn't reject the design master because of this suspicion; instead, she brought him under her wing. After you and Yu Xiaoluo left, Cui Fang ordered the design master to kill Zhang Ying'ai."
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"And then? Do you have a plan?"
I eagerly pressed, and Old Tie actually smiled.