Chapter 98: Lu Sheng's Side Story (Part One)

As dusk settled, the park on the outskirts of town was nearly deserted.

Chen Shuo sat alone on a bench, chain-smoking, as if the act could suppress the turbulence in his heart. He wore his usual gray trench coat, looking as disheveled as ever. His dark circles beneath his eyes were deeper than before, and the stubble on his chin was unkempt, making him appear utterly worn out. Who would ever believe he was a policeman?

Time slipped by unnoticed. On the bench opposite, a young man with orange hair took a seat. Lu Sheng lounged against the backrest, his left leg draped over his right, toes idly swaying. He sat carelessly, listening to music through his earpiece, a smile curling at his lips, though his eyes betrayed impatience.

Lu Sheng spoke languidly, "My girlfriend will be back soon. If you have something to say, make it quick."

Chen Shuo stubbed out his cigarette and dropped it in the nearby trash can. His face was haggard, as if he hadn’t rested in ages. "I received the package you sent."

Lu Sheng grinned, "I thought you’d be so terrified you’d flee the city. Didn’t expect you’d actually come find me."

A week ago, Chen Shuo had received a mysterious parcel. It had appeared out of nowhere in his home, the label marked with the sender’s address: Yuhua Society. There was no need to guess—it was obvious Lu Sheng had sent it.

Chen Shuo knew that once he got involved with Bai Yao, it would bring mortal danger. He was prepared for it, even suspected the box might contain something cursed. Isn’t that always the way in horror movies? The protagonist receives a strange doll, and from then on, misfortune clings to them.

The box on the floor had suddenly moved, as if something alive were inside. Chen Shuo forced himself to stay calm and opened it cautiously. What he saw was a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Whenever he recalled it, he couldn’t help but tremble.

Instinctively, he reached for another cigarette to numb himself with nicotine, but he had already finished the pack he carried. He had no choice but to give up.

Chen Shuo made himself calm down and looked at the harmless young man across from him. "I suppose I owe you thanks."

Lu Sheng’s gaze was odd. "You want to thank me?"

Chen Shuo said, "At last, I saw her again. Everything is confirmed now. I no longer have to live in constant fear."

Inside the box, it was Chen Yan.

To be precise, it was an incomplete Chen Yan.

Her limbs had turned to bone, only her torso and head retained the appearance of a living person. Perhaps, over the years, she had watched her own flesh rot away, leaving only white bones behind.

She had lost all semblance of humanity. Her sparse hair was dull and yellowed, her skin waxen, her eyes seemed ready to fall from their sockets at any moment. To say she was alive was to deny reality—she should have died long ago.

Yet, at the moment she saw Chen Shuo, her eyes blazed with a fierce light, like a drowning person spotting the only piece of driftwood. She opened her mouth, desperate to speak, but having lost her tongue, she could only utter incoherent “ah ah” sounds.

Over the years, Chen Shuo had investigated many bizarre cases, and he considered himself battle-hardened. But when he saw Chen Yan, panic overwhelmed him and he retreated again and again.

Of course, he was now a grown man, tall and strong, no longer the child or ignorant youth who could be manipulated at will. He shouldn’t have been afraid.

Yet the memories of childhood lingered—those he couldn’t comprehend as a child, but later understood could only be described as “molestation.” They had become shadows embedded deep in his bones.

It was like the most powerful, enormous creature in the world, seemingly invincible, but it steps on a nail. The wound on the surface may heal, but the flesh inside continues to rot.

Chen Shuo pressed his left hand atop his right, trying to stop his trembling. He lowered his gaze and gave a self-mocking laugh. "She’s my sister. In this world, we should have been the closest of kin. But things ended up like this."

Lu Sheng sneered, "Coward."

Chen Shuo sighed, "You’re right. I’m a coward, weak and afraid. I never confront problems, I only run away."

Chen Shuo had been raised by Chen Yan. To describe their relationship as relying on each other was no exaggeration. As a child, Chen Shuo’s worldview and values were shaped entirely by her. Whatever Chen Yan did to him, he considered reasonable.

It was only after he started school, met classmates, and received knowledge from teachers that he began to realize something was wrong between him and Chen Yan.

No matter how close siblings are, there must be boundaries between a boy and a girl.

So, when he was ten and Chen Yan wanted to bathe him, he said it wasn’t right. His gentle sister suddenly turned into another person.

She dragged him into the bathroom, insisting frantically, "Chen Shuo, I raised you. Every inch of your body should belong to me!"

Because of this incident, Chen Yan forbade him from attending school. Chen Shuo, still young and confused, only knew he wanted to return to school. He had to pretend to be obedient and well-behaved to make Chen Yan change her mind and allow him to go back.

As Chen Shuo grew older, he tried to correct Chen Yan’s twisted ideas, but he failed miserably.

Worse still, Chen Yan began to threaten him with suicide.

As time passed, Chen Shuo felt increasingly powerless. Because of Chen Yan, he had no friends, no social circle, and dared not speak a word to any woman. Otherwise, a provoked Chen Yan would lash out and hurt others.

So, he could only choose to escape.

He purposely applied to a university far away, and never told Chen Yan which one. One day, he simply left the Chen family.

He thought leaving was the right choice.

Chen Yan was just temporarily obsessed, he believed. Once he was gone, she would meet more people and perhaps change her views.

But Chen Shuo hadn’t expected Chen Yan to suddenly disappear twenty years ago.

Shamefully, his first reaction was relief. She vanished—did that mean he could finally live a normal life?

But that relief quickly turned to unease. Chen Yan was gone—was she secretly stalking him from the shadows?

Just as she had done when he was in junior high and high school, waiting to see who got close to him, then suddenly appearing with a knife in hand.