Evil As Humans, page 18
Until one day, A got up and opened the curtains.
The old man was standing at the entrance of her apartment, looking expressionlessly at her window.
The story ended here.
The stories told by the first few people were all a bit grim, with blood and ghosts. Compared to those exciting tales, this story was particularly dull and boring.
“It’s kind of boring. Is this story true?” Zhai Jing was the first to comment. “Your friend seems overly self-conscious.”
Gao Mengyu: “Isn’t it scary?”
“How is it scary? Anyway, it’s not nearly as exciting as a murderer counting each floor of his victim.”
“…Is it really not scary at all?”
“Are you a voice recorder on repeat?”
“You didn’t have to be unpleasant about it.”
“Am I scolding you?”
Zhai Jing had always been blunt when speaking, and usually Gao Mengyu would keep silent to avoid making something small into a big deal. Who would have thought that she quarreled clumsily with Zhai Jing that day, during which Zhai Jing said, “Auntie is still taking the graduate entrance exam like a little girl”, which caused Gao Mengyu to directly withdraw from the group.
Since Gao Mengyu had no friends in the group, no one defended her. Afterwards, Zhai Jing felt that she had said too much, but she didn’t make any specific apologies and left the matter alone.
Lin Bei was covered in sweat after hearing this. “That story, could it be that it was happening to Gao Mengyu herself…”
“I’m not sure, but it’s very possible.” Zhong Chengshuo took back the laptop. “She has a normal relationship with her family and broke up with Xie Chao. She also resigned from her job and didn’t seem to have many friends as she didn’t have a common language with her colleagues. While she had some acquaintances, I’m afraid none of them could be considered close friends, as they only made superficial talk at most.”
This was why she confided in Lin Bei, who wasn’t even a friend.
“This matter may have been partially made up by her, so it can’t be accepted in full. She was probably trying to get feedback from the others in her exam group—she needed to make sure that she wasn’t ‘being too paranoid’.”
Lin Bei pursed her mouth, looking a little sad.
“Three weeks ago, Gao Mengyu knew that Xie Chao was Mr. Rose. At that time, she should have been quite stressed out…”
Because of Mr. Rose, the internet was full of insults against his “ex-girlfriend”, and Gao Mengyu was already helpless as she was. If that horror story was true, she couldn’t even call the police for help.
After all, the old man hadn’t done anything yet.
Gao Mengyu was timid by nature, and with wave after wave of gloomy encounters, what would she think?
“I’ll find a way to cooperate with the topic selection you mentioned before.” Lin Bei smiled stiffly.
“The two of you set the meeting place here because you want to show your legitimacy by using the police… I trust you.”
She looked at Zhong Chengshuo.
Zhong Chengshuo was wiping his glasses and seemed to feel Lin Bei’s gaze. He hurriedly raised his head. “Yes, we have always abided by discipline and the law.”
Lin Bei’s thought of shaking hands was killed in the cradle. She understood that she shouldn’t expect any normal cooperative feedback.
“And this is your business. We don’t want to kidnap you morally. If it’s inconvenient for you, we’ll find another way… Ngh!”
Yin Ren instantly dropped his cellphone that was full of shark pictures and smacked Zhong Chengshuo’s mouth. He lowered his head and whispered at high speed in his partner’s ear. “She has already promised us. What are you doing, trying to throw it back. Besides, it’s impossible for Bei Jie to do serious business with us just as a favor—”
Zhong Chengshuo said in a muffled voice, “Well, I’m afraid she won’t understand.”
“This is something that someone who’s semi-comatose will understand better than you!”
Lin Bei: “……”
The self-blame and depression in her heart had turned into speechlessness.
“Mr. Rose’s recent emotional topic selection is a case I personally worked on. The stress on Gao Mengyu is also partly my fault,” she said softly. “…Please believe in my professionalism. Xiao Yin is right. I don’t make decisions about serious business so casually. I have my thoughts.”
“Okay, Bei Jie, let’s add each other on WeChat and make a group so it’ll be easy to update each other on the progress.”
Yin Ren struck while the iron was hot, and he pressed Zhong Chengshuo’s head down as he leaned forward with his phone in hand.
Lin Bei couldn’t laugh or cry. “You’re really not afraid that I’ll poach you.”
She readily agreed and operated quickly.
After a while, a cooperation group called “Shian-Flower Bud Studio Cooperation Group” was established.
[LadyBud: When there’s progress, I’ll send the relevant materials here.]
[LadyBud: I hope everything goes well.]
[Fruit Knife: Hard work Bei Jie. We’ll definitely get Mengyu Jie back 👍*]
*He’s actually using the jiayou emoji, which I can’t find.
Zhong Chengshuo gestured for a while, feeling that it wasn’t good to copy and paste directly. He pondered for a bit and finally decided to be innovative.
[Final Fruit: 🙂]
Although he wasn’t familiar with using these emojis, this emoji ranked first among all others and was also a smile, which meant it should be very general and friendly.
Zhong Chengshuo pulled up the chat history and clicked on Yin Ren’s avatar. At noon, this person was still using the default avatar, but now he had changed his picture. Maybe he could infer something from Yin Ren’s past based on the avatar that he chose…
The large picture of the avatar had just loaded, and it was an IKEA shark with its belly turned over and lying on the sofa.
Zhong Chengshuo closed the WeChat app blankly.
He had no intention of trying to analyze the meaning of this avatar.
……
That night, after taking a shower, the two of them got into bed. Their mobile phones shook at the same time, and new message notifications appeared in the two groups.
Shian-Farmer’s Orchard:
[The River Flows Eastward: Holy shit, are you guys still awake? Something happened at Fanghua!!!]
[The River Flows Eastward: We actually miss a big boss.]
[The River Flows Eastward: @Everyone you two, don’t go running around.]
[The River Flows Eastward: Don’t go anywhere tomorrow. I’ll pick you up at the hotel.]
[The River Flows Eastward: Things are getting complicated. I guess you’ll have to go to headquarters for a medical checkup!]
Shian-Flower Bud Studio Cooperation Group:
[LadyBud: @Fruit Knife @Final Fruit Are you two there? Excuse me. I got a message here. That person sent several group chat records. I confirmed the WeChat name and avatar, and Gao Mengyu was in it.]
[LadyBud: It’s a pet clinic group. Because of Mr. Rose’s topic, she quarreled with the contributor and was kicked out of the group four weeks ago.]
[LadyBud: [chat record of group chat]]
[LadyBud: [chat record of group chat]]
[LadyBud: [chat record of group chat]]
[LadyBud: I’m a little scared. The contributor is in Haigu. I have already contacted them, so take a look!]
[LadyBud: @Fruit Knife @Final Fruit Did Gao Mengyu go crazy a long time ago?]
* * *
The author has something to say:
“The Thousand-Year-Old Ghost King was lazy when he searched for shark pictures during the meeting at the Public Security Bureau”
I didn’t expect that after a few years, I would actually be writing such an outrageous plot that seemed too drunk.
Xiao Yin, looking at you (?
* * *
Kinky Thoughts:
How is it that Yin Ren is this cute?
Just a note, I’m not familiar with WeChat and what kind of emoji it uses, so I’m just googling the description the author is giving and plugging in that emoji. For those that I can’t find (like in the case of jiayou), I just plug in an emoji that I think comes closest to the intention.
Here’s some fan art of Yin Ren in an Ikea Shark costume:
Evil As Humans Ch20
Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
* * *
Chapter 20: Cat
The bed was too soft. Yin Ren slowly turned over and changed his lying position. He ignored Liang Shan and clicked on the first chat history forwarded by Lin Bei.
It was easy to find Gao Mengyu. Her avatar was a hand-painted winged cat, and her WeChat name was also “Feather Cat”.
The group chat started normally. Everyone talked about their cats and dogs. After the dog owners finished talking about dog food brands, cat owners also began to exchange their experiences with raising cats. The atmosphere in the group was quite harmonious, and from time to time, someone would send photos of their pets.
Perhaps it was this peaceful atmosphere that moved Gao Mengyu. When the topic was cats, she couldn’t help but interject.
[Don’t Forget Your Original Intention: Haha, I prefer white cats.]
[Don’t Forget Your Original Intention: [picture]]
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: So cute! My family is a big orange~ It’s too fat, so I won’t post a picture~]
[Feather Cat: So cute.]
[Feather Cat: How many eyes does your cat have?]
No one spoke in the group for a while.
A few minutes passed.
[Kyle: You’re very funny.]
[Kyle: By the way, what do you guys think of Royal Cat Food? Has anyone bought this brand?]
[Kyle: [picture]]
[AAA~Robbery: Expensive.]
Someone started a new topic, so the chat proceeded as normal again. People invariably ignored Gao Mengyu, and she didn’t speak out again.
Yin Ren: “Huh.”
He then clicked on the second chat history.
This time, it was different. It was still the same group with a similar topic, but they were talking about how to pet a cat.
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: My family likes it when I scratch its chin, but I prefer the belly, hahaha.]
[KK*: Pinch its paws!]
[Super Xiaobin: It must be the tail.]
[AAA~Robbery: Don’t like being touched.]
[Feather Cat: I like to touch the place where many of its legs meet.]
[Feather Cat: What’s that part called?]
[Kyle: ….]
[AAA~Robbery: ? Is there a psycho in this group?]
[AAA~Robbery: What kind of B* did you raise. Send a picture.]
*Slang for pussy. This is originally in English for the word [bi] (逼). In this sense, it’s also a double entendre, as pussy can also refer to a cat.
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: Don’t make noise~ Look at my little milk cat~]
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: [picture]]
[AAA~Robbery: Don’t interrupt. If you’re sick, you need to be treated.]
[AAA~Robbery: @Feather Cat, send pictures or you’ll be kicked from the group.]
[Feather Cat: I’m going to take a picture right now. I just picked it up, and it’s a little shy.]
[Xixiu, Tian Tian?::*&1111 kg 7{![Picture?Film]]
[Feather Cat: It doesn’t really like cat food. I’m going to try raw meat.]
[AAA~Robbery: …]
[KK*: This joke isn’t funny.]
[Super Xiaobin: @Aizhen Clinic, Dr. Song, can we kick this person? You have to be sick to send this kind of thing.]
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: @Feather Cat, everyone is chatting nicely. What are you doing? Is this funny to you?]
[Feather Cat: What’s wrong? The picture I sent is the same.]
[Feather Cat: My family just has a different skin color.]
[Feather Cat: It may be because I just picked it up and it’s a little weak. It doesn’t want to go out, so I can only raise it slowly.]
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: [chat history of group chat]]
[Yunyun Loves To Eat Whoppers: You, take a good look at these normal cats. What do you mean the pictures we sent are like yours?]
[AAA~Robbery: I can’t transfer the picture posted by this woman. It’s weird. It’s all garbled code.]
[AAA~Robbery: Can you do it?]
[KK*: The forwarding here is also garbled. I can’t save screenshots of the photos or do screen recordings. The files are all broken.
[KK*: Toxic.]
No wonder the records forwarded by Lin Bei were all garbled.
Yin Ren then clicked on the third chat history. It was normal compared to the first two. The content was generally “AAA~Robbery”. This person posted a video of Mr. Rose in the group. They were talking about the “ex-girlfriend” and the wording was very unpleasant. Gao Mengyu didn’t hold back and jumped out to refute their words as an “acquaintance of the ex-girlfriend”.
AAA~Robbery’s mouth was poisonous, and he directly cursed her out and mocked her for her previous abnormal messages.
At this time, the group admin finally came forward and kicked out Gao Mengyu, who was “mentally troubled”.
According to Lin Bei’s supplementary explanation, the contributor was AAA~Robbery. He claimed that Feather Cat was an acquaintance of the woman, sent all her messages to Lin Bei’s assistant, and kept asking how much he could get paid for it.
The abnormal pictures in the records could only be displayed on AAA~Robbery’s phone. Lin Bei had made an appointment with that person, but this matter was too weird that Lin Bei herself didn’t want to go.
“Zhong Ge, shall we go together tomorrow? Do you want to tell Liang Ge first?”
“Uh, huh…?” Zhong Chengshuo rolled over and let out a drowsy grunt.
This guy actually ignored the messages and went to bed early!
Yin Ren felt that he wasn’t being lazy enough, so he tossed his phone to the side and decided to talk about the matter at dawn.
—-
The next day, Liang Shan looked at the empty hotel room and threw a middle finger into the group chat. Though he was still angry, he dutifully dictated a few hundred words of caution.
His tirade ended with “For the sake of your lives, don’t go near room 1413 of Fanghua Apartments anymore.”
Yin Ren didn’t have time to respond to him.
In order to avoid rush hour, Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo had left early and were already sitting in a self-service BBQ restaurant opposite of AAA~Robbery.
AAA~Robbery’s real name was Wang Qiang. He had no job, no money, and usually made ends meet by doing mundane daily work. He spent most of his time in internet cafes. Wang Qian was thin and dull. He had shrewd eyes that kept darting around. His hair was long and greasy, as if he hadn’t washed it in a long time.
According to Lin Bei, this person didn’t have a pet but worked part-time in a pet clinic.
“Tsk, that rich woman said buffet, so I thought it was one of those high-end buffets.”
Wang Qiang filled up his plate full of meat, and there was a pile of beer bottles at his feet.
“Let me start by saying that the contribution price and the interview are separately calculated. Don’t fool me. I know you guys play short videos and make lots of money… Hehe, you’re with that rich woman, right?”
When he said this, he stared casually at Yin Ren with a wretched look of “I get it”.
‘If this guy dies, he might become part of a Grievance Basket,’ Yin Ren thought with some malice.
Still, his lamb chops were more important.
The tender lamb was grilled on an iron plate. The aroma of scorched fat rushed straight to his nose. The lean meat was marinated in a garlic sauce, and juices flowed out as it sizzled on the fire, revealing a delightful, tender flavor. Yin Ren casually glanced at Wang Qiang. He didn’t respond and continued to concentrate on grilling the meat.
“What’s that look supposed to mean, huh? Laozi* is annoyed by sell-outs like you.” Wang Qiang stretched his neck, and his face tensed.
*It’s an arrogant way to refer to yourself. Translated would be like I, this great one.
His spit splattered indiscriminately, and a few drops splashed onto Yin Ren’s lamb chops.
Yin Ren’s smile froze, and his chopsticks clicked as he pinched them together. Lord Ghost King had to bid goodbye to his lamb chops with a sorrowful gaze as his mind ran through 108 ways on how to take care of Wang Qiang.
Forget it. Killing was against the law, so he had to think of a more roundabout way…
Zhong Chengshuo: “Apologize.”
Seeing Zhong Chengshuo suddenly speak up, Yin Ren turned his face quite unexpectedly.
“Why? Is he your concubine?” Wang Qiang grinned at Zhong Chengshuo.
Zhong Chengshuo remained calm. “Wang Qiang, born on March 16, 20xx. From Province D. In 20×4 and 20×6, was detained twice for sexually harassing women.”
Wang Qiang’s expression changed drastically. He pointed to Yin Ren’s long hair tremblingly. “You two are cops? Impossible. Cops don’t look like him.”
“That’s a wig,” Zhong Chengshuo stated solemnly.
Yin Ren: “?”
Zhong Chengshuo pushed up his glasses. “We’re not police officers, but we work closely with them. This time, we’re conducting inquiries and providing remuneration in accordance with regulations. The entire process is recorded, so please be cautious with your words and actions.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, comrades. I wasn’t thinking when I opened my mouth. I’ll be sure to keep this in mind.”
The color of Wang Qiang’s face disappeared in an instant. He shrank back into his chair and even moved his chopsticks more uniformly.
Yin Ren discovered a shocking thing—as long as he didn’t get closer to the other party, Zhong Chengshuo was very good at communication in a sense.
“Comrades, look, this is the photo sent by that crazy… person.” Wang Qiang felt like he was sitting on pins and needles as he took a bite of his meat while holding his phone to show them.
