Han Fei found Ying Yue. She looked about the same age as Weep and they both came from pitiable backgrounds. “Can you hear me?” Holding the broken girl, Han Fei’s sympathy won over his fear. After knowing about the girl’s past, Han Fei was even more determined to survive. He needed to live to provide salvation for this poor girl. The chill from the ring almost froze Han Fei’s finger off but the man still did not let go. If anything, he hugged the dismembered girl tighter. After her parents passed away, no one had given her a sincere hug ever again. “You might not believe me now, but I will use my actions to prove myself.”
Scrutinized by the bleeding eyes, Han Fei promised earnestly. The eyes could not tell whether he was lying or not. Han Fei sighed inwardly as the image of Weep overlapped with that of the girl in his arms. Children were one of the worlds’ most vulnerable parties. They should be protected and cherished.
Gradually, pieces of the girl started to respond. Her bones contorted. Her human form dissolved to take on a more monstrous appearance. ‘What is happening?’ The hatred and pain inside the girl’s heart hacked at her humanity. The bone chips pierced through Han Fei’s skin but he still did not let go. Black capillaries broke out on the girls’ body and face. The pair of lips on her ghoulish face started to tremble. A voice squeezed out from the girl’s body. “That is my birthday present.”
“Birthday present?”
“You have already taken everything, can’t you leave this for me? It’s the last thing I have from my daddy and mommy.”
“Ying Yue, what is this last birthday present your parents have given you?” Han Fei decided to play along to see if he could draw out more information.
“That is mine, mine…” Ying Yue’s expression tightened. The black blood capillaries pulled her broken bodies together. Following a heavy thump of the dead heart, Ying Yue’s eyes flew open!
Two dark holes stared eerily at Han Fei. The only place that should have a pair of eyes was missing them. “Mine, that’s mine!” Her misshapen arms grabbed at Han Fei’s body. Ying Yue’s neck cracked noisily as her head detached from her shoulder. Her head rose to Han Fei’s eye level. The angry declaration was the only thing that came out from the girl’s mouth. Ying Yue had completely lost her mind. The hollow eye sockets slowly approached Han Fei as if they were trying to suck Han Fei’s soul into them!
“Ying Yue, I won’t be able to help you if you kill me!” Han Fei shouted loudly but it landed on deaf ears. Ying Yue was too consumed by hatred and resentment to be reasoned with. Her body morphed into a smear of shadow. The hollows on her face were shown to contain many caged souls. Wails echoed around the house. The bloody eyes cried vehemently. If Han Fei did not leave now, his eyes would end up as another pair of decorations on the wall.
“I really wish to help you, young lady…” Han Fei knew he had to leave now. Facing the advancing hollows, he revealed a gentle smile. Han Fei moved his heavy hands to pat the girl’s head and ruffle her hair softly. Just as a sense of tearing gripped his eyes, Han Fei clicked on the quit button.
Red sea swallowed him. Han Fei removed the gaming helmet, his heart still palpitating from what he experienced. He could not even start to imagine the horror Ying Yue must have been through to turn into such a monster from a plain little girl. Despite the lethargy, Han Fei went to his computer to search for information on Ying Yue. He hoped a case had been lodged regarding her death but what he found instead was a missing person’s advert. “Have you seen this girl about 7 years old, wearing a red dress? She has a sweet and innocent smile. She suffers from ocular disease and was last seen at the old city’s Northern Street…’ The advert was placed a long time ago but it was not answered. The missing person’s website still carried Ying Yue’s related information. ‘The user who posted the advert is someone called Ying Qingmei, that should be Ying Yue’s aunt…’
Han Fei’s expression darkened as he stared at the screen, “She looks like she’s living quite a good life for herself.”
Han Fei wished to drag the woman into Perfect World so Ying Yue could exact her vengeance but he did not know how to do that. After giving it a long thought, Han Fei decided to leave this to the police. He calculated the time of the murder and collected all the information he managed to glean from the House of Eyes and sent an anonymous tip to the police. ‘I should keep a low profile for now.’
After ensuring the law enforcement had accepted his email, Han Fei crawled into bed and slept. Soon, he was woken up by his alarm and he hurried to the set after a quick wash up. ‘Thankfully, my stamina is much better than before, or else I won’t be able to survive a life like this.’
Han Fei got into his characters easily. He mastered the complexity of the character emotions. Basically his scenes were all completed with just one shot. The crew and Director Jiang looked at him like he was some kind of monster. Han Fei’s perfect performance placed a huge pressure on the other actors. Their flaws would be hugely amplified when they were in the same scene as Han Fei should they fail to pull their own weight. Han Fei’s acting skill that was honed at the edge of life and death completely won over Zhan Yueyue and Mian Nian. This new main character was completely different from the previous one. Han Fei’s Meng Changxi felt so authentic, it was as if the man had personally experienced the same madness and despair Meng Changxi had been through.
The time passed by quickly and soon it was time for noon break. Mian Nian and Zhan Yueyue wanted to sit down with Han Fei to get some pointers from him but they noticed Han Fei was busy talking on his phone. He didn’t even have time to take a bite of the boxed lunch the crew had prepared for him.
“Li Xue, the Happiness Street Station you’re posted at is responsible for the security of Northern Street, right? Did any new murder case open this morning?’
“You mean the Toy Plushie Case? Wait a minute, how would you know this? Are you the anonymous tipper?”
“Erm, can you keep that detail to yourself for now?” Han Fei lowered his voice. “I’m mainly calling to check on the update and also I need to ask a favor from you. I need you to help me check something.”
“If you must know, Ying Qingmei’s daughter suffers from mental illness. When the police visited them this morning, some problems were plainly visible. Now the pair of mother and daughter are in custody. However, Ying Qingmei’s husband has gone into hiding probably because he was spooked.” After giving a brief update, Li Xue concluded, “The case is not that complicated, so what do you need me to check?”
“What is the last birthday present Ying Yue’s parents gave her?”
“That… I’m not sure. But I do know that Ying Yue’s parents have left her with a rather unique present before they died… Ying Yue’s mother was still conscious when she was rushed to the emergency room. During the last moment of her life, she signed a certificate at the hospital, donating her and her husband’s cornea to their daughter for transplant after they pass away.”
