Chapter 39: Success, But Not Quite
Irene looked heartbreakingly sad.
Yu Sheng glanced at the “masterpiece” he’d spent hours crafting. Putting himself in her shoes, he thought that if his own soul had to inhabit such a body to come back to life, he’d probably burst into tears as well.
Still, her reaction stung a bit. He forced himself to keep a straight face as he gazed at the puppet on the table, trying to appear earnest. “I really did my best. Look, at least the eyes are symmetrical…”
Irene actually started to cry. “But the head isn’t symmetrical…”
Yu Sheng turned away awkwardly. “Well… I admit I’m a bit inexperienced. I’ll do better next time. Practice makes perfect, right?”
“Let’s hope there won’t be a next time,” she said despairingly, waving her hand. Then, perhaps remembering that today was the day she could finally escape, she tried hard to pull up the corners of her mouth into a smile—but failed. All her words ended up as a sigh. “Well, at least it’s a body. I can feel the connection is established. Fine, it’ll have to do.”
She took a deep breath, hopped down from the chair in the oil painting, and took a few steps forward. Then, as if recalling something, she looked down at the plush teddy bear she was holding.
Standing silently for a few moments, she hugged the bear tightly, then turned and placed it back on the chair, as if saying goodbye.