Chapter 23: The Suspicious Clue
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation.)
Yu Sheng cast a quick glance at the television. To his annoyance, it had completely frozen.
“Just another cheap ‘smart device’ problem,” he thought to himself, letting out a tired sigh. “I’ve been running non-stop for two hours now. My CPU’s overheating, my memory’s all wonky, the power supply’s too hot… or maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to take a break!”
He remembered the old-style televisions from years ago—sturdy, dependable things that didn’t fuss or freeze. In those days, appliances had fewer fancy features, but at least they worked when you needed them. They never got moody or stalled like these modern models, which often had a thousand so-called “intelligent” functions yet still caused more trouble than they were worth.
“Just turn it off, wait two minutes, and start it up again,” Yu Sheng muttered as he pressed the button, powering down the TV. He looked toward Irene, who was peering at him from inside her painting. “This thing’s quality is awful. Leave it on too long and it just freezes up.”
Irene’s eyes lit up with sudden excitement. “Why don’t you get a new one?” she suggested eagerly. “One with voice control! Then I could change channels all by myself, even when you’re not here…”
Yu Sheng burst out laughing. “You’ve got some nerve, you know that? You’re staying in my home without paying rent, and now you want a new TV? What’s next, are you going to pay for it, or maybe work for it?”
“I… I…” Irene faltered, her face turning slightly pink. She struggled for words before blurting out, “I don’t have any money… but I’ve been teaching you about the Otherworld, haven’t I? Doesn’t that count for something?”
Yu Sheng snorted. “Some consultant you are. Half the time, you’re not even sure if the things you tell me are correct. I’d need to hire another expert just to double-check your advice.”
Irene’s cheeks grew redder, and for a moment, she said nothing. She sulked quietly, but only for a few seconds. Then, as if determined not to stay offended for long, she looked up at him with a lively expression and declared, “Well, when you do manage to get me out of this painting—no matter how you do it—I’ll work to pay you back. And since you’ll be dealing with the Otherworld more often, I can be your assistant! Maybe I could even fight for you!”
Yu Sheng hadn’t thought much about what would happen if Irene truly escaped the painting. He arched an eyebrow, intrigued. “You? Really?”
“Hey, don’t underestimate me!” Irene cried, standing up straight inside her painted room, her hands on her hips. She seemed full of confidence. “I’m Alice’s doll! Living dolls like me have special blessings. In the Otherworld, I’m stronger than those so-called investigators or spirit detectives…”
“And yet,” Yu Sheng interjected, “you ended up trapped in a painting, didn’t you?”
At his words, Irene’s eyes flashed a brighter red. “You… you… just wait until I’m free! You’ll see! Stop looking away from me!”
“All right, all right, I believe you,” Yu Sheng said, chuckling softly. He waved a hand at her as he turned back around.
To be honest, he’d never taken Irene’s threats or promises too seriously. She was trapped in a painting, after all. Sure, she hung around his home like a freeloader, but she didn’t eat his food or take up any space on the floor. Hung on the wall, she was hardly a bother at all. She only asked to watch TV now and then, and that didn’t really cost him anything. Besides, she had taught him quite a bit about the Otherworld. If she wanted to pay him back someday by acting tough, he didn’t see any harm in letting her dream.
Soon, the TV flickered back to life, and Yu Sheng aimed the remote at it, settling on some mindless drama. Irene wasn’t picky—she seemed to think that even something like Teletubbies would be better than staring at plain walls.
Just then, Yu Sheng noticed something odd on the TV screen. It made him pause and think. Some detail caught his attention, something he should have considered before but hadn’t.
“Irene,” he said, looking over his shoulder at the painted figure.
“Yes?” Irene answered quickly.
“You’ve said you’ve been sealed inside that painting for a very long time, right?” he asked.
Irene nodded. “Yes, for so long I can’t even remember when it happened…”
“So, how do you know so much about modern things?” Yu Sheng pressed, sounding more serious now. “Like smart TVs and voice control?”
He had just realized a strange gap in her story. If she had truly been trapped for decades, how on earth did she understand modern devices?
There could be simple explanations—maybe she learned by watching people or their dreams, or maybe she’d been moved around from place to place. Yu Sheng expected an answer along those lines.
But Irene just blinked, looking confused. “Huh?”
She genuinely seemed baffled by the question, as if the thought had never crossed her mind. After a long pause, she turned her head slowly and said, “I… I don’t know why.”
“You don’t know?” Yu Sheng frowned, watching her closely.
“No, I really don’t,” Irene said, sounding troubled. “I’ve been stuck here for… ages, I guess. But somehow I just know what’s going on in the world today. I don’t know how I learned it…”
Her voice trailed off, and she looked as though she’d begun doubting herself. Yu Sheng studied her face carefully, searching for any hint that she might be lying.
“Do you remember how you ended up trapped in that painting? Or anything about what happened before?” he asked, determined to find some clue.
“I… I remember it was a curse,” Irene said, her voice uncertain. “The painting itself is some kind of entity, and I was supposed to handle it. But instead, I got trapped. I can’t remember the exact details. And before I got trapped… before that…” Her words stumbled into silence, as if caught in a thicket of half-forgotten memories.
Finally, she spoke in a soft, dreamlike voice. “I am Irene, from Alice’s Little House—one of Alice’s dolls…” She looked up at him, her face uneasy. “That’s all I remember, Yu Sheng.”
Yu Sheng’s frown deepened. In that moment, countless wild ideas rushed through his mind—some spooky, some suspicious, and some that felt completely ridiculous. Yet none of these theories fit together nicely. He had no evidence or solid leads. He was left standing there, puzzled and empty-handed.
Irene held her stuffed bear, squeezing it so tightly that its shape bent. She looked at Yu Sheng anxiously, as though afraid she might never understand herself. “Do you think my brain’s broken?” she asked, her voice small.
Hearing that, Yu Sheng let go of his most paranoid thoughts. Without meaning to, he felt a tiny bit of sympathy. If she was a master trickster, would she really say something so silly?
“If you can’t remember, don’t force it,” he said calmly, shrugging as he tried to reassure her. “Maybe being stuck in there for so long messed up your memory or logic.”
“You think so?” Irene asked, looking relieved. She nodded slowly, as though comforted by the idea that she was simply forgetful.
Yu Sheng stared at her, speechless for a moment. Why did she seem comforted by the possibility that her memory might be broken? Did that not confirm her mind was truly messed up? And yet, she somehow looked calmer now. This reaction—her honest confusion—made Yu Sheng trust her a bit more than he had before. If she had offered a clever, perfect explanation, he might have grown more suspicious. Her baffled “huh?” made her seem more genuine.
Deciding to leave it for now, Yu Sheng moved away from the TV and headed toward the stairs. “You stay here and watch TV,” he called back. “I’m going upstairs to get some rest.”
“Yeah, yeah, go ahead,” Irene answered, waving dismissively as she turned her attention back to the television. She didn’t seem bothered that he was leaving—she had entertainment, after all.
Yu Sheng climbed the stairs, yawning as he reached the second floor. The day’s events in Night Valley and the meal he’d enjoyed afterward had left him feeling drowsy. All he wanted now was a good night’s sleep.
But as he stood at his bedroom door, his eyes drifted to the end of the hallway. There was the door to the room where he had first found Irene’s painting. Once, it had been sealed by some strange force. Now, it was quiet and ordinary, just like any other door.
Curiosity pricked at him. He walked toward it, and as he reached out for the doorknob, he noticed something odd. The knob and the hinges had shifted slightly, now sitting in what he recognized as the “correct position” to unlock the door. The secret he’d discovered before was now just… there.
Taking a steadying breath, Yu Sheng turned the knob gently. With a soft click, the door opened smoothly, as though it had never been locked at all.
He stepped inside, expecting something strange. But the room beyond was simple and plain. A single bed and a nightstand sat against the left wall. On the right stood a wardrobe, a desk, and a wooden chair. The old wooden floorboards looked a bit faded, and the light blue wallpaper gave off a soft, peaceful air.
A window above the desk let in a warm beam of sunlight, making the space feel bright and inviting. Yu Sheng’s gaze traveled toward the wall opposite the door, where Irene’s painting had once hung.
There was no painting now. Instead, in its place, he found a mirror. Yu Sheng stared at his own reflection, his expression slowly changing into one of quiet surprise.