Chapter 23: The Suspicion
Yu Sheng did a quick check on the television and found that it had merely crashed.
The classic problem of cheap smart devices that have been used for too long—’Oh no, I’ve been working continuously for two hours, my CPU’s overheating, my memory’s failing, the power supply’s about to burst, or maybe… I just feel like dying for a bit.’
Yu Sheng couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic for those sturdy, old-fashioned TVs from his memories. Back then, household appliances weren’t as pretentious as today’s so-called smart devices. Sure, they had fewer functions, but at least they didn’t act like bumbling artificial idiots masquerading as artificial intelligence.
“Just unplug it, wait two minutes, and turn it back on,” Yu Sheng muttered with a hint of sentiment, casually cutting the power and turning to Irene. “These things are pretty low quality. Leave them on for too long, and they just freeze up.”
“Do you want to replace it with a new one?” Irene’s eyes lit up instantly. “Maybe one with voice control? That way I could change channels on my own, even when you’re not home…”
“You’ve got some nerve making demands,” Yu Sheng chuckled, genuinely amused by how little she treated herself like a guest. “You’re freeloading at my place and still want a new TV? You planning to pay for it or do some work?”
“I…” Irene opened her mouth, and to Yu Sheng’s surprise, her face turned a little red, stuttering, “I-I don’t have money, but I’ve been helping you learn about the Otherworld! That’s got to count as some kind of consulting…”
“A consultant who can’t remember her own facts, huh?” Yu Sheng scoffed, raising an eyebrow. “If I hire you as a consultant, I’ll need to hire another one just to fact-check you.”
Irene’s face flushed even redder, but she couldn’t find a comeback. After sulking for about three seconds, she perked up again, looking at Yu Sheng with renewed enthusiasm. “Once you get me out of here—no matter how you do it—I’ll work to pay off my debt. Besides, aren’t you planning to keep dealing with the Otherworld? I can be your partner! At the very least, I can fight for you…”
Yu Sheng hadn’t considered that before—in fact, he hadn’t given much thought to what might happen if Irene actually did get out of the painting one day. He raised his eyebrows. “You? Are you sure about that?”
“Hey! Don’t underestimate me! I’m Alice’s Doll!” Irene proudly placed her hands on her hips, standing up straight and practically glowing with confidence. “Living Dolls are blessed—I’m way stronger than those so-called Investigators and Spirit Realm Detectives from the Otherworld…”
“Then how did you end up getting sealed in a painting?”
Irene’s eyes turned even redder—despite already being red to begin with. “You… you… you just wait! Once I’m out, you’ll see! Don’t you dare look away!”
“Alright, alright, I believe you,” Yu Sheng said with a laugh, waving his hand dismissively.
He never really took the Doll’s boasting seriously. After all, she was just stuck inside the painting. Sure, she freeloaded at his place, but she didn’t eat his food or take up space. Even laid flat on the floor, the painting occupied less than half a square meter. Hung on the wall, it was completely unobtrusive. Aside from occasionally watching TV, she barely used any resources, and arguing with her was a welcome distraction from daily monotony. Besides, she really did help him learn quite a bit about the Otherworld.
As for her promises of working to repay him or being a bodyguard once freed… Yu Sheng decided to take those words with a grain of salt.
The TV screen lit up again, and Yu Sheng casually flicked through channels, finally settling on a brainless urban drama.
Irene, never picky about TV shows—because even Teletubbies were more interesting than staring at wallpaper—watched contentedly.
But at that moment, something on the screen sparked a thought in Yu Sheng’s mind.
“Irene,” he called out, turning to look at the Doll within the painting.
“Huh?” She glanced over curiously.
“You said you’ve been sealed in that painting for a long time, right?”
“Yeah… a really long time. I can’t even remember how long anymore…”
“Then how come you know so much about modern stuff?” Yu Sheng asked seriously. “Like voice-controlled smart TVs?”
He had found a flaw in her story.
It wasn’t necessarily a big issue—there were plenty of plausible explanations. Perhaps she had observed people’s dreams to learn about the world’s changes. Maybe she’d been hung in other modern households before ending up in his. Yu Sheng thought Irene would probably give one of these explanations.
But to his surprise, Irene’s reaction was just a blank, confused, “Huh?”
The Doll looked utterly baffled, as if it was the first time she’d realized this inconsistency herself. After staring in shock for a long while, she slowly turned her head. “I… don’t know why…”
“You don’t know why?” Yu Sheng was genuinely stunned.
“Yeah, I… I really have been in this painting for a long, long time—maybe even decades. But… somehow I just know what the modern world is like. Even though I have no idea how I know it… I just…”
Yu Sheng fixed his gaze on Irene, his eyes narrowed in suspicion, as if searching for any trace of deceit on her face. Doll’s words faltered, her speech growing hesitant and uncertain, until it seemed even she began doubting herself.
“Then, do you remember how you got trapped in this painting? Or what happened before that?” Yu Sheng pressed on.
“I… I just remember a curse,” Irene replied hesitantly. “This painting… it’s some sort of Entity. I was supposed to deal with it, but instead, I ended up getting trapped inside. But the details… they’re hazy. As for what happened before… before I got sealed inside…” Her voice trailed off, as fragmented memories wrapped around her mind like spider webs, tangling her thoughts. After a long pause, almost as if speaking in a dream, she whispered, “I am Irene, one of the Dolls from Alice’s Little House…”
She lifted her head, unease coloring her expression.
“Yu Sheng, that’s all I remember,” she said, her voice tinged with both fear and frustration.
Yu Sheng furrowed his brows, his mind instantly flooded with countless wild theories. Ranging from sinister conspiracies to outright comical possibilities, none of his mental conclusions seemed remotely reliable. After all, he had no solid evidence or clues to unravel the enigma surrounding Irene.
Irene looked increasingly anxious, clutching her teddy bear so tightly it was nearly deformed under her grip. “Am I… am I broken?” she muttered.
Yu Sheng quickly dismissed the more ominous possibilities from his thoughts. Giving Irene a quick glance, he added about ten percent more weight to the comical angle.
“Don’t force yourself to remember. Just let it go for now,” he sighed, shaking his head. “Maybe being trapped for so long messed up your memory and logic.”
“Is… is that so?” Irene responded, hesitant but visibly more at ease.
Yu Sheng: “…”
Wait a minute—how did that comfort her? Shouldn’t she be more concerned about her memory being messed up? Did anything I just said actually help at all?!
A thousand questions raced through his mind like a swarm of restless bees. Yet, ironically, Irene’s pure and unguarded reaction managed to ease some of his doubts. Honestly, if this painted Doll had fabricated a perfect excuse to explain her modern knowledge, Yu Sheng would’ve been even more suspicious. Instead, her unfiltered “Huh?” had somehow made her seem more genuine.
Shaking his head, he turned and started walking toward the staircase, casually calling out, “Stay downstairs and watch some TV. I’m heading up to catch some sleep.”
“Got it, got it,” Irene waved her hand dismissively, as if shooing him away.
Dragging his wearied body up the stairs, Yu Sheng yawned widely. The fatigue from his time in the dark expanse of Night Valley was catching up with him, and the satisfaction of a full stomach made it even harder to stay awake. Sleep was inevitable.
However, as he reached his bedroom door, he couldn’t help but pause and glance down the dim corridor. At the very end stood the once-sealed door, now just an ordinary door like any other. This was where he had first found Irene.
Approaching the door cautiously, he noticed that the handle had changed position, now in the precise configuration he had discovered to unlock it. After a brief moment of hesitation, he gripped the handle and gave it a gentle twist.
With a soft click, the door that had once been impenetrable swung open effortlessly. As the door creaked back, Yu Sheng found himself staring at a simple, ordinary room. On the left side of the door was a single bed and a nightstand, while the right side housed a wardrobe, a desk, and a chair. The old wooden floor seemed slightly faded, and the pale blue wallpaper on the walls gave the space a tranquil, albeit worn, appearance.
Sunlight streamed through the window above the desk, filling the room with a warm, golden glow.
Directly across from the doorway, in place of the painting that once imprisoned Irene, now hung a mirror—reflecting Yu Sheng’s astonished face.