APCF – Chapter 130 A Bad Deed

“Xiao Qi, I found evidence that Tao Tao hired someone to commit arson!”

At that moment, Qi Xingchen froze for a second before leaping up from the couch!

Everything they had on hand so far—whether it was Tao Tao going to City T to supervise the arson, or her instructing Director Li to embezzle money and flee, or bribing the deputy CFO to falsify accounts and invoices—none of it was enough to fully convict Tao Tao.

Only the arson—once confirmed—could definitely send her to prison!

Qi Xingchen could hardly believe it. Xu Changlin had actually found a lead this quickly. Swallowing hard, he turned on the speaker and listened with Bo Ye:

“My engineer friend’s last name is Li. After I introduced Engineer Li to Tao Tao, he put a lot of effort into drawing up a construction diagram for Tiancheng. But since Tiancheng was built a while ago and its wiring system is complicated, it’s impossible for a non-professional to figure out how the electrical lines run. So Engineer Li introduced an electrician he knew from the site to Tao Tao.”

“At the time the project was busy, and after the introduction, Engineer Li didn’t follow up. But not long after, this electrician from the countryside suddenly bought an apartment in the city and even posted short videos showing off in his social media moments. Engineer Li thought it was strange but didn’t overthink it—he figured maybe the guy had worked hard for half his life and finally bought a place.”

Qi Xingchen and Bo Ye exchanged a glance.

A house bought through years of hard work? This wasn’t some inspirational story about changing your fate with your own hands.

This was a damn crime story!

Worried about leaking the information, Xu Changlin hadn’t told Engineer Li the real reason for his inquiry, but he did manage to get a screenshot of the electrician’s social media. Qi Xingchen said, “Uncle, send it to us so we can take a look.”

Xu Changlin sent it immediately. As soon as Qi Xingchen glanced at it, he saw that the electrician—probably because he let his guard down—had all his personal info in his posts: his name was Nie Dawei, from Fuqiang Village, and even the exact location of his new apartment was visible.

Right in a newly developed residential complex in H City.

What they’d been desperately searching for had just fallen right into their lap.

After going through the screenshots, even Bo Ye showed rare excitement on his face. “I’d say there’s an 80-90% chance Nie Dawei started the fire. But he definitely won’t rat out Tao Tao—because that would be the same as admitting to arson himself. That’s the death penalty.”

“Right, even reporting it to the police won’t work—we don’t have direct evidence,” Qi Xingchen thought aloud. “If we want to make him confess, we’ll have to use… unconventional methods.”

But what kind?

Qi Xingchen muttered, “We can’t kidnap his wife and kid to force a confession. You don’t involve innocent family members…”

As soon as the word “kidnap” came out, Bo Ye suddenly got an idea. He turned and lifted Qi Xingchen’s chin with a finger, saying, “Come with me to buy some stuff. Tomorrow, I’m taking you to do something bad.”

In the past, if Bo Ye had said “do something bad,” Qi Xingchen would’ve immediately taken it the wrong way. But now, given the circumstances, he was only momentarily startled by Bo Ye’s roguish gesture before going along with him to the mall. They bought rope, several sets of all-black clothing, hats, shoes, and other gear.

That night, Qi Xingchen was itching with curiosity over the plan and finally couldn’t help but ask, “Tell me your plan already.”

Bo Ye: “No.”

Qi Xingchen pressed, “Come on, please?”

Bo Ye pretended to hesitate. “Alright, how about this—you cook two bowls of noodles. Eat them with me and I’ll tell you.”

Worried about the situation at home, Qi Xingchen had hardly been eating—maybe one meal a day. Sometimes the chef would bring food to his room, but he’d just take a few bites and leave it untouched.

But you can’t function without eating, so Bo Ye had no choice but to take extreme measures from time to time.

Driven by curiosity, Qi Xingchen went to cook the noodles. Then Bo Ye coaxed him into finishing both bowls. Finally satisfied, Bo Ye began to explain.

Qi Xingchen was stunned by what he heard. “Will this really work…?”

“At the very least, it won’t alert the target. If it doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.”

Hmm… true.

“Oh, by the way, we might be short on manpower,” Bo Ye said. “I’ll bring along Allen. You bring your brother.”

Qi Xingchen did as he suggested.

That night, when their father returned home, Qi Yujie cried ten times more hysterically than Qi Xingchen. Her wailing echoed through the whole villa. Qi Xingchen quickly cooked two bowls of noodles for them, then dragged Bo Ye back to their room.

As for Dad Qi—he wasn’t thrilled about his son bringing home a partner and sharing a room with him. He was worried Qi Xingchen might take advantage of the Bo family’s son. But with Qi Yujie making such a scene, he forgot all about it, and Qi Xingchen and Bo Ye spent another night together.

Not only did Xu Changlin bring good news—Bo Ye’s mother also had progress on her side. At 8:30 in the morning, the private investigator had tracked down the bank branch where the mysterious man had withdrawn money. Thanks to Bo Ye’s mother’s connections, they obtained the man’s ID information.

According to his place of residence, the man was a local from H City—very likely one of Tao Tao’s subordinates. Next, they just needed to find this man and figure out how to extract evidence that he bribed the former deputy CFO to falsify accounts. If successful, the Qi family could clear their name of tax evasion allegations.

The task of locating him naturally also fell to the private investigator.

After giving the investigator instructions, the two went with Old Master Qi to the hospital for a checkup. The results were good—the doctor said Dad Qi’s cough was due to cold-dampness and prescribed some traditional Chinese medicine. With some proper rest, he would recover soon.

Nothing mattered more than family health. Hearing that there were no major issues, Qi Xingchen finally felt some relief.

After sending Dad Qi home, the two went straight to the temporary office of Night Star Media—a small private residence.

As soon as they opened the door, they were nearly choked by the thick smoke inside.

Cough, cough “You didn’t set the place on fire, did you?”

“Sorry, Producer Qi,” the screenwriter quickly stood up. “Da Luo and I are heavy smokers. We smoked all night and forgot to air the place out this morning. I’ll open the window now.”

Smoked all night…

“It’s fine,” Qi Xingchen said. The window was behind Bo Ye, so he patted his lower back, motioning for him to step aside, then opened the window while asking, “Did you guys not sleep last night?”

“We were pressed for time. Miss An stayed with us the whole night and helped us send out all the location filming applications for the three sites… Fortunately, we’d fantasized about this before—where we’d shoot if we ever got the chance, how to storyboard it,” the director said with emotion. “What used to feel like wishful thinking ended up saving us a ton of time.”

“You’re wrong. That’s not wishful thinking—that’s being prepared at all times.”

After opening the window, Qi Xingchen returned, and Bo Ye casually helped smooth down his wind-blown hair.

Watching the subtle display of intimacy between the two, the director and screenwriter fell silent: “…”

Working overnight and being force-fed dog food first thing in the morning—so emotionally drained, so annoyed… Woof woof woof!

Since this was the first production by their own company, Qi Xingchen couldn’t just stand by and watch others work. He immediately sat down and joined in. With everyone working together—and Bo Ye’s influence—they managed to finalize most of the crew and supporting cast within a day.

It was surprisingly cost-effective. Many people agreed to join purely for Qi Xingchen and Bo Ye’s sake.

Even more unexpected—Liu Ziyu agreed to join without pay, solving the female supporting role issue (the film didn’t have a female lead).

While they were still busy working, night fell. Bo Ye gave Qi Xingchen a look, and Qi Xingchen instantly understood. The two slipped into the bathroom and changed into full black gear.

The screenwriter looked suspicious. “Producer Qi… are you going to… rob a bank?”

Come on, didn’t you guys just land an 800-million investment? No need to go that far!

“No,” Qi Xingchen said awkwardly. “It’s just that… we want to go out for a walk. Didn’t want to be recognized, so we’re covering up.”

“Oh, oh…” The screenwriter nodded, half understanding.

Before he could ask more questions, Qi Xingchen quickly pulled Bo Ye out to the car.

It had been sunny all day, but the night brought clouds. Thick layers of cloud blanketed the already dim moon, and a few pitiful stars peeked through the gaps, blinking weakly.

Outside a newly built residential complex in H City, four people in black clothing—black shirts, pants, hats, and shoes—hid behind a wall, blending into the darkness. Unless you looked closely, you wouldn’t notice anything unusual.

One of them whispered suspiciously, “Boss… are we sure we won’t end up on tomorrow’s news headlines?”

Before “Boss” could reply, a lazy-sounding young man sneered, “Allen, can you grow a spine? Doing something this exciting—if we do make headlines, it’ll still be worth it!”

“You little brat, you might not care, but we’re public figures… Hey, Jiaze, why is your phone screen still on?”

“I’m sharing my location with Tao Xuan. I told him earlier I was doing something interesting tonight, and he was worried. So I shared it so he could sleep peacefully.”

“Shh. Quiet.” Bo Ye’s voice cut them off. “He’s here.”

Instantly, the two arguing fell silent. Qi Xingchen followed Bo Ye’s gaze—

The man holding a food container in one hand and a beer in the other… wasn’t that Nie Dawei, the electrician?

It was dark, and Nie Dawei was walking slowly. As soon as the target appeared, the four of them moved according to plan, approaching from four directions…

Then Bo Ye lunged forward and wrapped an arm around Nie Dawei’s mouth. Qi Xingchen, Allen, and Qi Jiaze tackled his waist and legs. Within seconds, they had the man loaded into a car parked by the roadside!

It happened so suddenly that Nie Dawei didn’t realize he’d been kidnapped until the car started and his eyes were blindfolded.

“Ahhh—” He opened his mouth to scream, but just as he did, something foul-smelling was stuffed into it. His hands and feet were quickly tied up tight.

Who were these people? Why were they coming after him? Was it because he’d beaten Old Wu at mahjong last night and Old Wu was out for revenge? But… Old Wu couldn’t even afford to lose a few dozen yuan—would he really pay someone to do this?

Or maybe someone else found out he’d come into money recently and wanted to extort him?

No way. He couldn’t give it to them. He was counting on that money to enjoy life and live the good life for the rest of his days!

Nie Dawei’s heart was in a panic, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind. He tried to identify the captors by their voices, but it was as if they were deliberately working against him—no one made a sound.

The car was dead silent, the only sounds being his own muffled groans and heavy breathing.

After an unknown amount of time, someone finally broke the silence, perhaps unable to bear it any longer: “Boss, how much longer till we arrive?”

“Don’t talk!” the one referred to as “Boss” scolded in a low voice. “Didn’t I tell you not to speak in front of the hostage?!”

“Aiya, he’s going to see the King of Hell soon anyway. So what if he hears?”

Nie Dawei: “……”

What? King of Hell?!

Could it be… these people weren’t after his money, but were actually here to kill him?

Nie Dawei panicked even more, and his legs started trembling uncontrollably. But it seemed the “Boss” didn’t want to bother with the underling anymore and didn’t respond.

After driving for who knows how long again, the underling couldn’t hold it in and asked in a whisper, “Boss, seriously, why would Miss want him dead out of nowhere? Didn’t he do a big job for her?”

Miss? Who’s Miss?

“It’s because he did a big job for her that she wants to silence him. Dead men tell no tales.”

Nie Dawei: “……”

It’s over. He’d guessed right—they really were going to kill him!

The underling clicked his tongue. “Tsk, Miss sure is beautiful, but her methods are ruthless.”

The boss snapped at him again, then returned to silence.

Beautiful and ruthless… Nie Dawei immediately thought of the woman who had paid him a while back to sabotage the electrical system.

At the time, he’d been unable to resist the temptation. That kind of money was more than he could earn in a lifetime working on a construction site. In a moment of weakness, he tampered with the smoke detectors and made sure the wiring would “accidentally” short out…

When he saw the shocking death and injury toll on the news, he finally realized the gravity of what he’d done. He hadn’t been able to sleep for nights, constantly anxious, though things had started to calm down recently.

When that woman gave him the money, she had just casually said, “Good job.”

She hadn’t shown even a hint of guilt.

That only made Nie Dawei more certain that she was the one trying to kill him now!

—If she could burn all those people alive without blinking, having him killed would be nothing to her!

“Mmm! Mmm!”

Nie Dawei tried to beg for his life, but the smelly rag stuffed in his mouth only let out muffled cries. He kicked his legs, elbowed the car seat, even tried banging his head against the door to get their attention.

Unfortunately, it was no use. Not a single person paid attention.

No one spoke again until the car came to a stop. Nie Dawei’s legs had gone numb from trembling. He heard the door open, and two people dragged him out, one on each side, leading him somewhere unknown.

The early June night wind was still chilly, and when it hit his face, he realized he was already soaked in tears and snot from sheer terror. After a short walk, the two stopped. One of them pressed down on his shoulder—

His legs, already jelly, folded instantly, and he dropped to his knees.

“Boss, how should we do it? Stab him first, then toss him in the river?”

“No. Stabbing leaves bloodstains, and if discovered, it’d be trouble. Little Third, go find a big rock. We’ll tie it to him and toss him directly into the river.”

Little Third chuckled darkly. “Got it, Boss. I love doing it this way. Just imagining them sinking to the bottom, struggling but unable to escape, as muddy water fills their lungs… it really gets me going.”

“Mmm! Mmm!”

The more Nie Dawei listened, the more scared he became. It wasn’t just his face feeling cold now—even between his legs, a chill was seeping through.

“Ew! Bro, what’s that smell… crap, he peed himself! Little Third, hurry up, this stinks!”

Little Third acknowledged the order and presumably went off to find the stone. A moment later, dragging noises could be heard.

Two or three minutes later, the sound stopped beside Nie Dawei, and he felt something being tied around his waist with a rope. He knew—once that rope was secure, it would be his final moment on earth…

“Ahhhh—!”

All the fear he’d bottled up exploded at once. He suddenly broke free from Little Third, threw himself forward, and began smashing his forehead onto the ground with all his might.

There was a moment of stunned silence around him—perhaps touched by his “sincerity.” The boss sighed, “Sigh, he’s kind of pitiful. Second, pull the rag out. Let’s hear his last words.”

“Got it.”

Second stepped forward and yanked the rag from Nie Dawei’s mouth.

Now able to speak, Nie Dawei didn’t stop bowing, crying and begging as he kowtowed. “Please, brothers, I’m begging you, let me live! I’ll give you all my money, my house too!”

But the boss said coldly, “Sorry, can’t do that. Miss wants you dead, and dead you must be.”

So it wasn’t money that mattered to them—they only followed “Miss’s” orders. Thinking fast, Nie Dawei’s brain suddenly kicked into overdrive—faster than it ever had in his life: “Then… then could you please pass a message to Miss Tao for me? If she spares my life, I’ll serve her loyally for the rest of my days! Don’t say a few dozen people like this time—if she wants me to burn a thousand, ten thousand people, I’ll do it!”

At the mention of “Miss Tao,” the four exchanged glances in the dark.

—There’s a chance!

“Big Bro” Bo Ye jerked his chin toward “Little Three” Qi Xingchen, who silently nodded and responded in the same twisted voice from earlier: “Aiyo, I was wondering what Miss wanted you for—turns out it was arson, huh? Come on, tell me how you set the fire, entertain your bro a bit.”

“Little Three!” Bo Ye snapped angrily. “I already know the story. I’ll tell you when we’re back. Hurry up.”

“But Big Bro, you know this is what I live for! Just let me hear him out.”

“…Fine, just don’t waste too much time.”

Hearing Bo Ye give in, Little Three grinned at Nie Dawei. “Come on, tell your bro the story from start to finish. As long as it’s detailed and freaky enough, I might consider not tying that rock to you.”

Tied to a rock meant certain death. Without the rock, maybe he could swim and live. Nie Dawei didn’t hesitate for a second.

Afraid Little Three would change his mind, he blurted everything out without pause: “This all started when Engineer Li introduced me to Miss Tao…”

Just as Qi Xingchen asked, Nie Dawei recounted everything in full detail—how Tao Tao seduced him, and exactly how she instructed him. As they listened, everyone felt like their hearts were being sawed open, the pain nearly unbearable.

Nie Dawei, terrified, spoke so quickly he finished the entire story in less than five minutes. Qi Xingchen took a deep breath and applauded. “Not bad. I’m curious—do you even know who our Miss is?”

“I—I wouldn’t dare to. I know nothing.”

Qi Xingchen slapped him hard across the face. “Cut the act. Speak!”

“Wuuuh… I know, I know… I saw Miss Tao Tao on TV once… But I swear I’d never say anything! I swear I won’t tell anyone what you guys did tonight either!”

Qi Xingchen didn’t care whether he’d talk or not. He stood up, dusted his pants off, turned off the voice recorder, and signaled Allento stop the video camera.

Now that they had the most important evidence, and they never truly intended to kill him, Qi Xingchen took the cloth off Nie Dawei’s eyes and untied his legs. “Can you stand?”

The sudden return of vision left Nie Dawei dazed. When he noticed the camera, he started to realize something.

He looked behind him—it was a pitch-dark field, not a trace of river anywhere.

Now he understood.

He’d been played—hard—by this group of little bastards!

“Fuck! You sons of bitches! Goddamn motherless bastards!” Nie Dawei roared. “You dare screw with me? I’m gonna—wuhh wuhhh wuhhh!”

Qi Jiaze bent down, picked up the rag, and shoved it back in his mouth. “We let you use your mouth, and you spit garbage. Better to shut you up again.”

“Wuhhh! Wuhh!” Unable to speak, Nie Dawei flung himself sideways to try and tackle Qi Jiaze.

Bo Ye quickly yanked Qi Jiaze aside and kicked Nie Dawei square in the chest.

Thud! With a muffled crash, Nie Dawei flew back and landed flat on his back, limbs splayed. The fall seemed to sober him up, and he thought of something:

Why had these people set him up to talk?

They must want to catch Tao Tao red-handed for hiring him to commit arson.

Now that they had the evidence, he was dead meat.

Grief flooded him. He had never regretted anything so much in his life. If only he hadn’t taken the money. If only he had resisted temptation from the start…

Wouldn’t he still be living that simple, poor, but happy life—warm home, wife and child by his side?

Seeing remorse flood his face, Qi Xingchen approached and said, “We’ve already called the police. If you cooperate fully, maybe you’ll get a reduced sentence.”

“What’s the point?” Nie Dawei gave a bitter laugh. “Still ends in death.”

“It’s different. You know how ruthless Tao Tao is. If we don’t catch her soon, she might go after your family.”

Family…

That’s right. He could die, fine. But his wife and child—they’d already suffered enough because of him. He couldn’t let them lose their lives too.

Nie Dawei’s face turned ashen. He closed his eyes and nodded.

That nod meant Tao Tao would face justice—and it meant the Qi family was finally out of the mire. Qi Xingchen and Qi Jiaze both lowered their heads, quietly wiping away tears.

But this wasn’t the place to celebrate. They still had to escort Nie Dawei to the police station. Bo Ye pulled Qi Xingchen into his arms and patted his back. “Alright, no more tears. Let’s head back, okay?”

“Okay,” Qi Xingchen wiped his tears. “Let’s go to the city bureau.”

Qi Jiaze also knew they had more to do. He sniffed, helped Allenlift Nie Dawei, and the five of them began walking toward where they’d parked.

They had barely taken a few steps when several blinding lights suddenly hit them in the face. Instinctively, they squinted toward the light.

Not far off, two sedans screeched to a halt, raising a cloud of dust.

From the dust, Tao Tao emerged with several burly men. Knife in one hand, she held a little girl’s hand with the other.

Nie Dawei’s eyes bulged with rage and fear.

—That was his daughter!!!