My Family Is Very Odd

After Li Xiao Gui, Xili, and Shen Chen left the kitchen, Chen Yuanyuan turned her camera back on. She couldn't shake off the unsettling feeling she got from those photos of Xili.

She brought the camera up to her eye, zooming in on the image.

The focus was on Xili's bag. In the magnified photo, peeking out from the slightly open zipper, was a doll with vacant eyes.

Chen Yuanyuan zoomed in as far as she could. The doll stared blankly ahead, its lips frozen in a fixed smile.

It’s just a doll, she thought. Chen Yuanyuan knew about these things. OB11 dolls were pretty common among girls. They called it “doll parenting”.

Chen Yuanyuan studied the photo. It was quite cute, actually. So why did she find it so creepy?

The doll had rosy cheeks, curly eyelashes, and a sweet smile.

Even though she knew it was just an inanimate object, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was about to come alive and grin at her.

Maybe she just didn't have a taste for dolls. The more she looked at it, the creepier it seemed. She quickly switched to the next photo.

It was another photo of Xili. Chen Yuanyuan’s eyes were immediately drawn to the bag again. As she clicked through the photos, she realized something was very wrong.

The doll’s head seemed to grow larger in each photo, as if it were slowly crawling out of the bag…

Meanwhile, Li Xiao Gui had found one of the orphanage staff members and explained their plan. The woman was very supportive.

“Baking for the children? Of course! I’ll take you to the kitchen. It’s this way,” she said cheerfully, leading them down the hallway.

“If you need anything at all, just let us know! Actually, there’s usually a man in the kitchen. He’s in charge of all the cooking, and he’s really good. Not sure where he’s disappeared to today. If he were here, he’d be the best person to ask about ingredients and such,” she explained as they walked.

“No problem,” Li Xiao Gui assured her.

The staff member pushed open the kitchen door and froze. “Ah Qing? What are you doing here?”

A lone figure was hunched over the counter, stuffing his face with food.

“Where did you go this morning? You disappeared without a word after preparing half the vegetables. Do you have any idea how much trouble we went through to make lunch without you? The director’s going to have your hide when she finds out!” she scolded.

The figure remained indifferent, continuing to shovel food into his mouth as if he hadn’t heard a word.

The woman frowned, perplexed. “Did you even eat lunch? You’re like a starving beast! Fine, you just keep eating. I’ve brought some students who want to bake cookies for the children. Once you’re done, maybe you can give them a hand if they need anything. I’ll leave them to you!”

She gave the figure one last exasperated look before turning to Li Xiao Gui, Xili, and Shen Chen. “That’s Ah Qing, the cook I was telling you about. If you need anything, just ask him.”

“Okay, thank you!” Li Xiao Gui replied politely.

“Thank you!” Xili echoed.

Shen Chen looked up from his phone. “Thank you,” he said, his tone sincere.

The staff member smiled, ruffled Li Xiao Gui’s hair, and left the kitchen.

Ah Qing continued to eat, his movements mechanical, a faint black aura surrounding him.

Li Xiao Gui approached him cautiously. “Hello, Uncle,” she greeted him politely. “We’re students from No. 2 High School. Would it be alright if we bake some cookies here?”

Ah Qing ignored her, his focus solely on consuming the leftover fried rice in front of him.

Li Xiao Gui glanced around the kitchen. “Uncle, where can we find the flour?” she asked.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

Ah Qing continued to stuff his face, his stiff, grayish fingers moving with an unsettling precision.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

Li Xiao Gui tugged lightly on his sleeve and repeated her question. This time, Ah Qing’s vacant eyes slowly shifted towards her, his gaze lingering on her clean, youthful face.

The black aura around him flickered momentarily at her touch before flaring back to life as soon as she let go.

Ah Qing’s mouth was a mess of food, crumbs clinging to his lips. It was as if he could only focus on one thing at a time. As he turned his head, his chewing ceased, and the half-chewed food tumbled from his open mouth, splattering onto the counter with a wet plop.

His eyes were clouded, the black aura emanating from him growing stronger.

He’s not in control, Li Xiao Gui realized, her gaze fixed on his vacant eyes.

What was a possessed person doing in an orphanage? She hadn’t heard any strange rumors lately…

“Eww, that’s gross!” Xili exclaimed. “Let’s just leave him alone and find what we need.”

“Okay,” Li Xiao Gui agreed. “Let’s find the flour and eggs.”

“Right,” Xili said, turning away to search the cupboards.

As Xili’s back was turned, Li Xiao Gui discreetly flicked a thin yellow talisman towards her. It landed soundlessly on her back.

With a few silent hand gestures, Li Xiao Gui then directed her attention back to Ah Qing, who suddenly slumped to the floor.

A dark, shapeless mass detached itself from his body, solidifying into the form of a snarling dog. It lunged at Li Xiao Gui.

With a flick of her wrist, Li Xiao Gui sent the creature flying back.

It scrambled to its feet and darted towards the door. Li Xiao Gui and Shen Chen immediately gave chase.

They searched the hallway, but the creature was nowhere to be found.

“I found the flour and eggs!” Xili called out, turning around with a triumphant grin.

She stopped short, her smile fading as she noticed that the kitchen was empty except for Ah Qing, who was still sprawled on the floor.

“Huh? Shen Chen? Xiao Gui? Where did you go?” she called out, but there was no reply.

“Uncle? Uncle, are you okay?” Xili rushed over to Ah Qing and gently shook him, but he remained unresponsive.

“Oh my god! Are you alright?” she exclaimed, her voice laced with concern. “Where did Shen Chen and Xiao Gui go? I need to find someone!”

She hurried out of the kitchen, her mind racing.

As she passed through the doorway, she came face to face with Shen Chen, who was standing right behind the door.

“Ahh!” she shrieked, jumping back in fright. “What are you doing there? You scared me half to death! Where’s Xiao Gui? Why did you both disappear like that? And what happened to that man in the kitchen? He fainted! I need to get help!”

Shen Chen stared at her impassively, his expression unreadable. He took a step towards her, his hand reaching out.

Xili instinctively flinched back. “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice wary.

“Excuse me,” Shen Chen said, ignoring her retreat. He reached for her bag and pulled open the zipper.

The contents of the bag – an umbrella, tissues, a phone charger, and a few other small items – were revealed in the sudden influx of light. There was nothing else inside.

Xili frowned, her confusion growing. “What was that all about?” she demanded.

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

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