Chapter 23: Suspicions

After a quick check, Yu Sheng discovered that the TV had simply crashed.

It was the classic scenario for cheap smart devices after prolonged use—the "I’ve been working for two hours straight, my CPU is smoking/my memory is throwing errors/my power supply is overheating/I just feel like dying" syndrome.

Yu Sheng couldn't help but miss the sturdy, reliable antique televisions of his memories. Back then, home appliances weren't as temperamental as today's smart devices. While they had fewer features, he didn't find the current array of flashy smart functions to be much of an improvement. Most of these AIs were more like "artificial idiots."

"Just unplug it for two minutes and turn it back on," Yu Sheng muttered, switching off the power and turning to Eileen. "This thing is poor quality. It freezes up if it runs for too long."

"Then why don't you get a new one?" Eileen’s eyes lit up immediately. "Get one with voice control! Then I could change the channels myself, and I’d have something to watch when you’re not home..."

"You’ve got a lot of nerve making requests," Yu Sheng said, amused by the brazenness of this houseguest who acted like she owned the place. "I haven't even complained about you sponging off me, and now you want a new TV? Are you contributing any money or effort?"

"I..." Eileen opened her mouth, her face turning surprisingly red as she stammered, "I—I don't have any money, but I’ve been helping you fill in your knowledge about the Otherworld! That has to count as being a consultant, right?"

"A consultant whose memory isn't even reliable? You don't even seem sure if what you're saying is true," Yu Sheng curled his lip. "If I hired you as a consultant, I’d have to hire another consultant just to consult for you."

Eileen’s face flushed deep crimson, but she couldn't find a retort. She hung her head and sulked, though her resilience was impressive; after three seconds of pouting, she bounced back and looked up at Yu Sheng. "Well, once you get me out of here—no matter how you do it—I’ll work to pay you back! And you’re going to keep dealing with the Otherworld, aren't you? I can be your assistant! I can fight for you, how about that?"

Yu Sheng hadn't actually considered that—in fact, he had never seriously thought about what would happen if Eileen ever truly emerged from the painting. He raised an eyebrow. "You? Are you sure?"

"Hey, don't look down on me! I am an Alice doll!" Eileen stood up from her chair, hands on her hips, looking incredibly smug. "Living dolls are blessed. I’m much better at fighting than those so-called investigators or spirit detectives in the Otherworld..."

"And then you got shoved into a painting, right?"

Eileen’s eyes turned red instantly (though they were already red). "You... you... you! Just wait until I get out! Stop looking away!"

"Fine, fine, I believe you, I believe you." Yu Sheng laughed, turning away and waving his hand dismissively.

In truth, he had never taken the doll seriously from the start. She was just stuck in the painting; while she was technically sponging off him, she didn't eat his rice, occupied less than half a square meter of space, and didn't get in the way even if he hung her on the wall. Aside from watching TV, she had no expenses, and bickering with her was a good way to pass the time—not to mention she really had helped him fill in a lot of gaps regarding "the other world."

As for her talk about working off her debt or being his henchman after getting out... he’d just take it as talk for now.

The TV screen flickered back to life. Yu Sheng tapped the remote a few times, settling on a mindless urban drama.

Eileen wasn't picky about TV programs—after all, even Teletubbies were more interesting than wallpaper.

But just then, as Yu Sheng looked at the screen, a thought occurred to him that he hadn't considered before.

"Eileen." He turned back to the doll in the oil painting.

"Yeah?"

"I remember you saying you’ve been sealed in this painting for a long time, right?"

"Yeah, for so, so many years. I can't even remember when I first got inside..."

"Then how come you’re so knowledgeable about all these modern things?" Yu Sheng asked seriously. "How do you even know about smart TVs with voice control?"

He had found a hole in Eileen's words.

It wasn't a massive problem; there were many potential explanations. Perhaps she learned about the world's changes by observing the dreams of people nearby, or maybe she had been hung in other modern homes before arriving at this house. Yu Sheng assumed this would be her answer.

But Eileen’s response was a blank, "Huh?"

The doll in the painting looked completely baffled, as if she were realizing this for the first time herself. After staring blankly for a long time, she slowly turned her head. "I... I don't know why?"

"You don't know why?" Yu Sheng was stunned.

"Yeah, I... I really have been trapped in this painting for a very, very long time. Truly, maybe even decades. But... I just know what the current world is like. Even I don't know how I know it, I..."

The doll faltered. By the end, she seemed to be doubting herself, hesitating until she couldn't continue.

Yu Sheng watched her expression intently, trying to catch a hint of deception.

"Do you remember how you were trapped in this painting? And what about before you were trapped? Do you remember that?" he asked.

"I... I just remember it was a curse," Eileen said, hesitating. "This painting is some kind of entity. I think I was supposed to fix it, but I got trapped inside instead. But I can't remember the specific process. And as for before I was trapped... before I was trapped..."

The doll slowed down, as if her fragmented past were tangling up her thoughts. She searched her memory in a daze, and after a long while, she whispered like a sleepwalker: "I am Eileen from Alice’s Cottage. I am one of Alice’s dolls..."

She looked up, her expression filled with unease.

"Yu Sheng, that’s all I remember."

Yu Sheng frowned deeply.

In that instant, his mind raced with possibilities. From the eerie to the conspiratorial to the absurd—none of them felt quite right. After all, he had no evidence or clues to solve the mystery surrounding Eileen.

Eileen looked increasingly anxious, hugging her teddy bear so tightly the plush toy was becoming deformed. "Is my brain broken?"

Yu Sheng dismissed the conspiracy theories from his mind.

He looked up at Eileen and added a ten percent probability to the "absurd" category.

"If you can't remember, don't force it. At least for now," he sighed, shaking his head. "Maybe it really is because you’ve been trapped for too long, and your memory logic has become a bit scrambled."

"I-is that so?" Eileen nodded hesitantly, and she seemed to genuinely feel relieved.

Yu Sheng: "..."

Wait, how was she relieved after hearing her memory and logic might be broken? Didn't that just prove her brain was actually broken?! Was there anything in what he just said that was actually comforting?

Yu Sheng was full of questions, but he had to admit, Eileen's reaction had dispelled much of his suspicion.

Honestly, if this doll had come up with a perfect, airtight explanation for her "source of modern knowledge," Yu Sheng might have been even more suspicious. It was her heartfelt "Huh?" that made her character feel strangely transparent.

Thinking this, he shook his head and headed toward the stairs to the second floor, saying casually, "Stay downstairs and watch TV. I’m going up to get some sleep."

Eileen waved her hand. "Okay, go ahead."

Yu Sheng left the dining room and went upstairs, yawning as he headed toward his bedroom, carrying the fatigue he’d accumulated in that valley of night.

He was truly tired and sleepy; after a full meal, the drowsiness hit him even harder. He really needed a good sleep.

But as he reached his bedroom door, he couldn't help but stop and look toward the end of the corridor.

The door that had once been sealed by a nameless force stood quietly in his line of sight.

That room at the end of the hallway—that was where he had discovered Eileen.

Yu Sheng frowned, a thought stirring in his mind, and walked toward it.

When he reached the door, he noticed the position of the handle had changed. The hinges and the handle had swapped sides, switching to the "correct position" that had allowed him to finally open the door.

After a moment of hesitation, he reached out, grasped the handle, and turned it gently.

With a soft *click*, the door that had once been impossible to open swung open easily, just like any other room in the house.

He pushed the door wide, and the scene inside came into view:

Simple, ordinary furnishings. A single bed and a nightstand stood against the wall on the left. On the right, there was a wardrobe, a desk, and a chair. The old floorboards looked slightly faded, and the walls were covered in light blue wallpaper.

A window sat above the desk, and bright sunlight spilled through, making the entire room look warm and inviting.

And on the wall directly facing the door, where Eileen’s oil painting had once hung, there was now a mirror.

The mirror reflected Yu Sheng’s expression of growing astonishment.