Chapter 277: Found the Demon Witch—This Time, There’s Nowhere to Run!

Bai Yu’s words instantly reminded everyone present. Lin Tian tapped his fingers lightly on the table and said,

“Xiao Bai’s theory just gave me an idea.”

“Has anyone noticed… before Xiao Ming discovered The Sculptor and dug up more detailed information, this organization had always kept a very low profile?”

“That makes me think… Zhang Lifang probably didn’t prepare an escape plan in advance.”

“Her identity as a nanny was already the perfect cover, not to mention Yu Ruyi was under her control at the time. That was her second line of defense.”

“So it’s highly likely that Zhang Lifang only recently gathered the materials she needed for her disguise.”

“And the best person for her to study and imitate would naturally be her former employer—Ms. Xu, who’s sitting right in front of us.”

“However, since this was a sudden, last-minute decision, she wouldn’t have had time to rely on memory alone to recreate Ms. Xu’s appearance.”

“Given that she’s always known Ms. Xu has a habit of posting selfies, the first thing she would do is check her WeChat Moments to find the most accurate outfit to match the persona.”

At this point, Lin Tian turned to Xu Yilin, who looked increasingly confused and clearly had no idea what everyone was talking about, and continued gently,

“Ms. Xu.”

“Since Zhang Lifang worked as your nanny for several years, I assume you added each other on WeChat.”

“And considering your profession, I doubt you regularly delete contacts—especially someone who worked for you for so long.”

“Of course, you don’t need to know the finer details. Sometimes, knowing too much isn’t a good thing.”

“Just like Xiao Bai said, please pull up your recent selfies from WeChat Moments. We’ll use your outfits as a basis for further comparison.”

Hearing this, Xu Yilin immediately caught on. She took the phone Wang Qi handed her and began scrolling through her photo album carefully.

A few seconds later, she handed the phone back and spoke calmly.

“Officers.”

“Because of my age and the changing fashion trends in our country over the past two years…”

“All of my recent selfies on WeChat Moments show me wearing long dresses paired with the latest corduroy jackets, and Martin boots on my feet.”

“Since these outfits are meant to promote my brand, the bags I carry are usually classic models from mid-range labels, costing a few thousand yuan—not those luxury bags worth tens of thousands.”

“After all, most of my customers can’t afford that kind of extravagance.”

Lin Tian nodded slightly in acknowledgment. After glancing at the phone, he immediately handed it back to Wang Qi and said,

“Chief Wang.”

“Keep searching for the Demon Witch using this style of clothing.”

“If this doesn’t flush her out, we may have to resort to other methods—and that would mean a much tougher battle ahead.”

Wang Qi said nothing more.

He took the phone and left the conference room without hesitation.

By now, it had been more than half a day since the Demon Witch went on the run. The best window for capture was quickly closing, and the pressure was mounting.

With Wang Qi gone, the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly tense.

Lin Tian exhaled slowly and looked at Xu Yilin, who still wore a puzzled expression. He kept his tone warm as he asked,

“Ms. Xu.”

“Since Zhang Lifang stopped working as your nanny, have you had any contact with her?”

Xu Yilin first shook her head, then quickly nodded and replied,

“Zhang Lifang’s resignation was very sudden.”

“She didn’t even give me time to find a replacement, so I had to juggle work and taking care of my daughter by myself.”

“It was exhausting—I couldn’t manage both properly.”

“Later, when I fell ill, I really couldn’t take it anymore. I called Zhang Lifang and asked if she could help watch my daughter for a few days.”

“But… she said she was busy with other things and couldn’t come.”

“To be honest, I was deeply disappointed by how cold she was. I’d treated her like family after all those years.”

“But when I needed help, she turned me down flat.”

“After that, I cut off all contact with her. I started seeing her as just someone I paid to do a job—no warmth, no sentiment.”

“Then, after I recovered, the incident you mentioned earlier happened. The entire county was on edge, and I was genuinely worried something might happen to my daughter.”

“So I asked my mom to come and help take care of her. That way, I could focus on work with peace of mind.”

“Since then, for the past few years, my mom has been the one helping out at home. It’s been a huge relief.”

At this point, Liu Yang, who had been listening quietly, frowned in confusion and asked,

“Wait a second, Ms. Xu.”

“Why didn’t you ask your mom to help from the beginning? That would’ve been cheaper than hiring a nanny, right?”

“And most grandparents love spending time with their grandkids, don’t they?”

Xu Yilin fell silent for a couple of seconds.

She lowered her gaze, staring at the table as if lost in thought. Then she took a deep breath to steady herself and forced a smile.

“I had a falling out with my family.”

“They were completely against my marriage to my daughter’s father. But I was stubborn and insisted on marrying without a ceremony, without anything.”

“I thought love was enough—that everything else would follow.”

“But life didn’t turn out the way I imagined. In fact, it went in the opposite direction.”

“There was no warmth, no hope. Just constant arguments.”

“A marriage without stability really is like a pile of sand. One gust of wind and it all falls apart.”

“After the divorce, I raised my daughter on my own. I didn’t want my family to see how badly I’d failed, so I never asked them for help.”

“Luckily, I caught the e-commerce boom at just the right time. Otherwise, I honestly don’t know how I would’ve managed all those expenses alone.”

“But… that’s all in the past. Things are getting better now. My parents are helping me take care of my daughter, and my career is on the rise.”

Though Xu Yilin spoke lightly, everyone in the room could feel the weight behind her words—the hardship, the struggle, the pain of relying only on herself.

Liu Yang opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he could only manage a few simple words.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Xu.”

“For making you revisit all that…”

Before Liu Yang could finish, the conference room door burst open.

Wang Qi stood at the entrance, face flushed with excitement. Without even stepping inside, he called out,

“We found her!”

“It took less than three minutes to match the outfit from those photos—we’ve located the fleeing Demon Witch!”