Chapter 41: Irene’s Liberation
Yu Sheng was utterly stunned. The moment he saw Irene’s Doll body suddenly go limp and collapse to the floor, he almost thought that the Doll had perished due to a defective shell. Thankfully, a noise from behind broke his alarming thoughts.
With Irene’s Doll body dangling in his hand, Yu Sheng stiffly raised his head and looked toward the large workbench where the clay had just been molded. There, leaning quietly against the edge of the table, was the ornate framed Painting. Irene’s face, wide-eyed and full of panic, stared out from within.
“I—I don’t know what happened!” Noticing Yu Sheng’s gaze, Irene immediately waved her hands frantically. “One moment I was running forward, and the next I opened my eyes and… I’m back here again. What’s going on? This…?”
A low, grating chuckle echoed from the frame, carrying a mocking yet oddly sympathetic tone. It came from the Teddy Bear on the red velvet armchair. This time, Yu Sheng finally saw the stuffed bear’s mouth stretch into a sinister smile.
Irene’s temper flared instantly. Unable to stand being mocked, she leapt toward the armchair, snatched up the bear, and began shaking it furiously. “You think it’s funny?! You think it’s funny?! Is this your doing?! I’m back here again!”
Of course, the inanimate Teddy Bear couldn’t respond and continued to laugh, even as Irene throttled it with increasing fury.
Seeing this, Yu Sheng quickly approached, ready to calm the irate Doll Lady in the Painting. “Hey, don’t get so worked up. Let’s think about this—”
Before he could finish, the Doll Lady, who was in the midst of performing a chokehold and over-the-shoulder throw on the bear within the Painting, suddenly vanished. In that instant, Yu Sheng felt the Doll body in his hand jerk violently. Before he could react, the 66.6-centimeter-tall figure launched itself at his arm, instinctively attempting a chokehold, over-the-shoulder throw, and arm lock—none of which succeeded.
Yet, despite her small size, her grip was surprisingly strong, and Yu Sheng couldn’t help but feel his arm aching from the pressure. He had to pry Irene off and lift her up to eye level, giving her a firm shake. “Wake up, wake up. It’s me—Yu Sheng. You’re back.”
Slowly coming to her senses, Irene looked around, still suspended in midair, before finally focusing on Yu Sheng’s face. “…Huh?”
Both of them turned their heads to look at the Painting, equally bewildered.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Yu Sheng quietly carried Irene back to where she had originally collapsed. As he took his final step, the Doll body in his hand abruptly went limp, as if powered down, devoid of life.
The image of Irene reappeared within the Painting, surveying her surroundings in a daze before looking up at Yu Sheng. “I’m back again… so it’s definitely…”
Yu Sheng casually lifted the Doll body closer to the Painting, allowing the two to almost touch. Instantly, the lifeless body sprang to life, and Irene’s voice continued from where it had been interrupted earlier. “…a distance issue?”
“Seems like it.” Yu Sheng furrowed his brows as he observed the phenomenon, then moved the Doll body away. The moment he did, the Doll went limp again, and Irene’s voice echoed from the Painting. “Then this is really…”
Yu Sheng moved the Doll closer once more.
Irene: “…This is getting troublesome… Can you stop messing around! In just a few seconds, you’ve managed to dismantle several parts!”
Yu Sheng reluctantly led Irene closer to the painting while explaining, “I was mainly trying to see how far this ‘signal’ of yours can actually go.”
“Does it matter whether it’s five or six meters? At most, it’s just a few steps!” Irene snarled as Yu Sheng carried her by the collar, flailing her limbs in frustration. Suddenly realizing something was off, she glared at Yu Sheng. “Put me down! Why are you carrying me like that?”
Startled, Yu Sheng quickly set the increasingly irate Doll Lady on the ground, locking eyes with her as they stood face to face. Only then did Irene notice that she had to crane her neck back almost ninety degrees to meet his gaze.
Her pride wouldn’t allow Yu Sheng to crouch down just to speak to her—besides, even if he did, she’d still have to look up.
“Stay right there,” Irene suddenly commanded.
Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”
The next second, he understood her intent—like a nimble little monkey, the doll clung to his leg and deftly climbed up, perching herself on his shoulder. Yu Sheng froze, hesitant to move in case she might fall. “I didn’t agree to this…”
Irene justified herself confidently, “You didn’t ask for my permission when you carried me to test the signal.”
Speechless, Yu Sheng had nothing to retort.
Back at the large table, they examined the painting.
“I’m definitely out,” Irene said, frowning as she studied the portrait that had once imprisoned her. “I can feel it—my ‘soul’ is within this current body. But…”
“But based on appearances, it still seems like that painting is your ‘foundation,’ and your current body is like a remote-controlled puppet. Once you stray too far, the connection breaks,” Yu Sheng speculated.
Lowering her head, Irene looked visibly dejected but surprisingly didn’t break down into tears. Perhaps the continuous blows had numbed her spirit to the point of mental resilience.
Worried by her unusually calm reaction, Yu Sheng quickly offered comfort, “Don’t be too discouraged. Maybe it’s just that this body isn’t good enough. I’ll practice my craft and rebuild it next time…”
Interrupting his rambling, Irene suddenly asked, her expression complex and unreadable, “Carrying your own prison everywhere you go—does that count as escaping or not?”
Yu Sheng hesitated before replying, “I once heard about someone who dragged their prison with them everywhere. They met a terrible end, but that person was still ‘inside’ their prison. At least you’re on the outside…”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Irene muttered, then jumped off his shoulder, landing on the table. She moved to the cursed oil painting, gripping the frame with both hands and trying to lift it. However, the painting was enormous—although Yu Sheng could lift it one-handed, it was almost as tall as Irene herself.
“…Do we have any rope?” the Doll Lady inquired.
“Yes!” Yu Sheng responded immediately. “Wait here, I’ll go get it!”
A few minutes later, Irene watched as Yu Sheng meticulously tied knots on the frame, adjusting the loops to fit.
Once he was done, he propped the frame upright and gestured for Irene to try it on. She threaded her arms through the straps and took a few cautious steps around the table. Satisfied, she nodded. “Fits perfectly!”
“Is it heavy?”
“Not at all! I’m stronger than I look!” she proclaimed proudly, bouncing in place to test the setup. Then, full of energy, she began running laps around the edge of the table, her small form carrying the massive frame effortlessly. The sight was undeniably odd but also strangely heartwarming.
Seeing Irene’s bright smile, Yu Sheng couldn’t help but grin. It seemed that her spirit was far more resilient than he had imagined.
“It’s really light!” Irene declared cheerfully as she stopped at the table’s edge. “Now I don’t have to worry about being out of range! I’m a genius!”
Yu Sheng gave a genuine sigh of admiration. “You really are optimistic. I thought you’d be gloomy for a while.”
“Gotta keep moving forward—even Dolls!” Irene exclaimed before climbing back up onto Yu Sheng’s shoulder, this time more carefully to avoid bumping the painting.
“Let’s head downstairs,” she declared. “You haven’t had dinner yet—I want to watch TV!”
Yu Sheng hesitated for a moment before glancing at the doll perched on his shoulder, her face brimming with hope and anticipation. “Alright, let’s make dinner,” he agreed, adjusting Irene’s position to keep her steady. “Then tonight, we’ll start figuring out the route back to the Valley.”
As they moved through the dimly lit room, the old city outside slowly surrendered to the night. Street lamps flickered on, bathing the narrow alleys in a gentle glow.
“Yu Sheng, it’s completely dark outside.”
“Yeah, it is.”
Irene grinned. “I’m kind of looking forward to it…”
“Looking forward to what? The darkness?”
“No, just… looking forward to it. It has nothing to do with the night.”
“…I don’t get it.”
“Tch.”