Chapter 1059 - Two Helpers [2 in 1] (1/2)

Chen Ge’s initial plan was to find Ying Tong, but from the clues that he had found so far, the plan might need to change. He probably needed to locate all four children: Ah Ying, Ah Mu, Ah Tong, and Ying Tong.

“Ying Chen should know about the existence of the three brothers. In fact, one could say that the existence of the three brothers is deeply linked to him. He alone created this tragedy. The three children each suffer from a different type of mental illness, and it is most likely Ying Chen who caused this to happen. They correspond to respectively the fear of sharp objects, imprisonment in a small room, and being scared.

“He asked ‘dead bodies’ to look after the three kids, and if we relate this to real life, it means that he has hidden the dead bodies in his home. Ying Tong spent too much time with dead bodies, and the pressure on his mind probably caused this split personality and the birth of the three distinct personas. That explains why the three children are unable to leave their homes, but Ying Tong alone has been trying to escape non-stop.

“The other thing worth noting is that Ah Mu is not blind, but Ah Mu’s current age is only six. If my previous analysis is not wrong, Ah Mu should be one of Ying Tong’s suppressed personalities. Then it indirectly proves that Ying Tong was not blind before he was six, or at least, he had not lost his sight completely then.”

The more he analyzed the situation, the more Chen Ge felt unsettled by it. He took a deep breath and turned toward the direction of the living room to ask, “Miss Dress, are you still there? Do you mind telling me when Ying Tong first ran away from home?”

“That was so long ago. It was maybe five years ago, I believe. At the time, Ying Chen’s relative had just moved away. Ying Chen and Ying Tong were the only ones who stayed in their house.” Miss Dress yet again revealed a very important piece of information.

“Don’t you think there is a problem that Ying Tong chose to run away the moment their relative moved away? If Ying Tong was treated nicely, why would he attempt to run away from home for no reason? His elder brother, Ying Chen, must have done something horrible, something that has deeply traumatized his younger brother, Ying Tong.”

Chen Ge was unable to see Miss Dress’ expression, so he could not tell whether the woman agreed with his reasoning or not.

“Other than that, here is one more thing for you to think about. When Ying Tong ran away from home, he was about the same age as Ah Mu. As you told me, Ah Mu suffers from aichmophobia. After Ying Tong ran away from home, he was probably captured by Ying Chen and then was threatened by the latter by having the nails poke at the spots near Ying Tong’s eyes. Isn’t a nail a sharp object? And hasn’t Ah Mu been dreaming about people wanting to use sharp objects to blind his eyes?”

“What is your point exactly?” Miss Dress asked.

“Ah Mu is Ying Tong from back then,” Chen Ge replied. “The reason he suffers from aichmophobia is because of the trauma Ying Tong received when Ying Chen did those things to him. That’s the reason he is so afraid when he sees any sharp objects. That is the source of his phobias!”

The world behind the door was often absurd and weird; one could not view them with a logical eyes. However, after combining them with the memory and experience of the door pusher in real life, one would realize that the layer of absurdity often hid a deeply wounded heart. To persuade Miss Dress, Chen Ge volunteered all his analysis.

“If you do not believe me, you can bring me to see Ah Tong and Ah Ying. The combination of these three children’s experiences will be the injuries and traumas that Ying Tong has once experienced.”

“I still do not quite understand it,” Miss Dress said. “Ah Mu is a living individual. He is a complete and separate existence. How could a person represent a part of a memory from Ying Tong’s childhood?”

As an original tenant of the world behind the door, Miss Dress herself was made from memory. The purpose of her existence was to look after Ying Tong, to accompany Ying Tong, and to be his friend.

“You will get the answer to this question after you find Ying Tong. Even though his face is ruined and he is blind, he should have no problem communicating with others.” Chen Ge paused. “Neither of you have been given a chance to seriously listen to what the boy has to say. The strange mumblings that you heard might be the boy’s cries for help. The tragedies keep on repeating, but unfortunately, all of you have been tricked by Ying Chen. The kindness and passion are a disguise that is put on by the b*stard. His real persona is something that will disgust all of you.”

All the tenants inside the building believed that Ying Chen was the second coming of Jesus, and they thought that Ying Tong was just a burden that he had to carry. In reality, though, this was an illusion that Ying Chen had been trying to perpetuate. It was because they believed in this lie that most of the tenants in the building had been turned to dead bodies.

“I do not expect you to believe me fully without further evidence, but I ask that you give me a chance to prove myself.” Chen Ge pleaded with the most sincerity he could muster. He was out of ideas. Ying Tong’s door was the most difficult door that he had ever experienced. He had to grab any chance that came his way; that was the only way he could find the path to survival amid the many traps that would lead to his death.

The room became silent. After a long time, Miss Dress opened her lips to speak. “But how do you intend to prove what you said? You want me to help you find Ying Tong?”

“Or at least do not tell Ying Chen of my presence before Ying Tong is found. Other than that, you have to take good care of yourself.” The tenants inside the building all treated Ying Chen as a good neighbor, but in Ying Chen’s eyes, they were merely puppets on the stage. Once he tired of them, he would not hesitate to remove them from the stage.

“Okay, before Ying Tong is found, I promise to help you keep your secret. But after Ying Tong is found and what you just said is proven false, I will not hesitate to hand you over to Ying Chen.”

“That is a fair deal. I will accept it.” After getting the confirmed answer from the woman, Chen Ge sighed in relief. He leaned against the wall for support. “Ever since Ah Mu came to live with you, has he not left the room even once?”

“Yes, ever since Ying Chen dropped Ah Mu off with me, the latter has not moved one step away from his room.”

“Is this one of the orders given to you by Ying Chen as well?”

“Yes, he is worried that Ah Mu might be injured.” Miss Dress had no idea what Chen Ge was planning, but she told him all she knew.

“Ah Mu suffers from aichmophobia. It is understandable that he has been asked to stay inside the room, but what about Ah Tong and Ah Ying? As you told me earlier, Ah Tong suffers from serious claustrophobia. How could one trap a child like that inside a small room and not allow him to leave? Imprisoning a child with claustrophobia inside a room will cause his condition to deteriorate—is that really the best solution to help the boy?” Chen Ge cut straight to the point. The woman thought about it and suddenly realized that Chen Ge was not wrong there.

“It was not really for Ah Mu’s real good that Ying Chen did not want him to leave the room. Only by hiding him away would he not be found by Ying Tong.” Chen Ge used his hands to search around for a long time before he found a chair. He took a seat. “Ah Mu should be a part of Ying Tong. I suspect once Ying Tong finds Ah Mu, his body will somehow change.”

Ying Tong did not dare open his eyes because he had to disguise himself as a blind man, or else he would die. He would be poked blind, and thus, the existence of Ah Mu was born. If the Ying Tong behind the door was reunited with Ah Mu, perhaps Ying Tong might recover part of his sight. As an outsider, Chen Ge should be living through the most traumatic events that had happened to Ying Tong. If Ying Tong’s condition turned for the better, he would have plenty to gain from it as well.

“When the boy pushed me down the stairs, I noticed a problem. They did not call me a blind man. They were just curious about why I’ve been keeping my eyes closed. At that moment, it crossed my mind that I may not be blind. Who would have known I was so close to the truth? There is a very high chance that Ying Tong is not completely blind. He simply does not have the courage to open his eyes. I must try my best to help Ying Tong walk out from his fugue of despair and make him try to open his eyes.”

Chen Ge’s voice was determined and confident. He had never been so desperate to help someone. Only by walking in one’s shoes would one be able to experience what said person had lived through, and that was why Chen Ge was able to empathize with Ying Tong so deeply. He had to walk out of this door alive to save Ying Tong in real life and deliver the necessary punishment and judgement to Ying Chen. It was what they deserved.

Chen Ge’s voice was filled with gentleness but also a font of strength. It carried with it a determination that would not waver in the face of adversity. That helped improve the woman’s impression of him greatly. It was why she said, “I will first bring you to meet Mr. Wood, but he is not as easily persuadable as I am. He is one hell of a stubborn person, just like his name suggests.”

“Thank you so much.”

“There is no need to thank me. I am merely curious about what you have said.” When she was still alive, Miss Dress had probably been a young woman with a sparkling personality. She opened the front door and held Chen Ge gently by his elbow. “Mr. Wood lives on Tuesday. We will have to go up a floor.”

“Lives on Tuesday?” Chen Ge stopped moving. “What do you mean by that?”

“I suppose you can see it as the second floor. The ground floor is Monday, and the second floor is Tuesday. The seven floors correspond to the seven days of the week.” Miss Dress did not elaborate further on this strange naming system. Chen Ge wanted to ask her more about it, but he was already being dragged away by Miss Dress into the stairwell.

The floors are named according to the days of the week, and the day itself might represent the day the tenant died.

Chen Ge could feel the chilling wind blow from any corners. He felt very unsafe and exposed. “Miss Dress, can you promise me one thing?”