Chapter 559: The Man Who Couldn’t Wear Clothes

On the morning of October 2nd, while having breakfast, Chen Shi and Tao Yueyue were still laughing about the incident from the previous day. Apparently, a man had run into his ex-girlfriend at the pool, exchanged a few words, and his current girlfriend got mad. In the ensuing argument, the girlfriend started yelling “murder.”

After this incident, Chen Shi was convinced he wasn’t bad luck and that it was safe to go out during the holidays.

After finishing the conversation, there was a brief lull at the breakfast table. Chen Shi thought about the suggestion Yueyue had bravely made the previous day. He cleared his throat and said, “Yueyue, your hair clip looks nice. It’s really pretty!”

“I bought it a long time ago!” Yueyue replied.

“Oh… your skin looks great!” Chen Shi continued.

“I haven’t washed my face yet!”

“Even without washing, your skin is so fair. You must be naturally beautiful. Your Sister Lin needs skincare products!”

Yueyue laughed, “Uncle Chen, what are you doing? It’s so weird!”

“I’m complimenting you!”

“That’s not how you do it.”

“Alright, alright. It seems I need to learn how to compliment kids. Let’s move on to the next thing!” Chen Shi stood up and spread his arms wide. “Come here, let me give you a warm fatherly hug. Twice a day from now on, morning and night.”

“Is this like taking medicine? How long is this treatment?”

“Come on, while it’s still warm!”

“No way!” Yueyue retreated to her room but peeked out, “You won’t have a case today, right?”

“No, Long’an City is peaceful today. All the criminals are on holiday. I promise!”

“Then play with me!”

“What do you want to play?”

“Video games!”

“I’ll clean up the table first and then join you.”

Yueyue started the game, eagerly waiting. However, when Chen Shi came in, he received a phone call, which immediately soured her mood. She thought she would have to spend the day alone again. But Chen Shi said into the phone, “What? Someone wants to assassinate President Trump? I don’t care. I’m spending today with Yueyue. That’s final!”

Yueyue’s mood brightened immediately, but just a few rounds into the game, the phone rang again. Chen Shi held the phone between his shoulder and ear while holding the game controller. On the other end, KK said, “Chen, we have a tricky case. Can you come over?”

“I’m not coming. I’m spending today with Yueyue.”

“No, really, we can’t handle this one ourselves…” KK lowered his voice, “The guy seems like a nutcase!”

“Take him to a mental hospital then!”

“But he paid a deposit. We can’t just kick him out. You can’t just drop everything, can you?”

“Even if the police called me today, I wouldn’t leave. Let alone you.”

“Oh come on, this agency is your baby. You can’t just abandon it. We really need your help, please!”

“Will you die if you don’t take this case?”

“It’s bad luck to kick out a client first thing in the morning. It might ruin business for a month. Please.”

Yueyue said, “Can I go too?”

“You want to go?”

“Yes!”

Chen Shi told KK, “I’ll be there soon.”

KK was overjoyed, “I should’ve called Yueyue directly. Thank her for me!”

On the way, Yueyue said, “Maybe I should become a private detective. It’s free and fun.”

“Better not. The police technology is improving every year. Take the Skynet system for example, it has ruined many private detectives’ careers. By the time you grow up, this field will be even more obsolete. This agency surviving now is a miracle.”

“True. KK is always investigating affairs. It seems boring.”

“Every job is like that. Once you’re in it, you realize it’s not what you imagined. Without strong motivation, it’s hard to succeed in this field. It just becomes a way to get by.”

“Why do you like solving cases?”

“Because I hope for world peace… That’s the official answer.”

“And the personal answer?”

“Personally, because I have a dark nature. I enjoy peering into people’s dark sides. Being a detective is like being a visitor who opens windows to observe others’ lives. Detectives see many different things, the dirtiest corners of human nature. It’s like a doctor excited by a peculiar tumor. Solving those puzzles is very satisfying!”

“Oh, if that’s the case, I want to be a detective too.”

“The pay is really low!”

“That’s okay.”

“It’s very tiring. No private life.”

“Hmm…” Yueyue fell silent, while Chen Shi thought that with her complex experiences, early maturity, and understanding of life’s harsh realities, Yueyue might make a good detective.

They arrived at the agency and walked in to find a naked man sitting on a chair. Chen Shi quickly covered Yueyue’s eyes, “Not suitable for children… Put your clothes on!”

“The clothes are too hot. I can’t stand it,” the man said.

“Put them on!”

The man reluctantly put on some underwear. KK whispered to Chen Shi, “This guy has a screw loose. Just listen to him first.”

“Got it!” Chen Shi said to the man, “I’m with this agency and also a police consultant. How can I help you?”

“Ah!” the man screamed, “Zombies! I saw zombies!”

“Calm down. Start from the beginning, please.”

The man, named Wei Yi, was an ordinary office worker. One day, after working late, he saw a car parked under his building. The passenger seat was occupied by a woman in red with long hair. Out of curiosity, he looked closer.

To his horror, the woman turned slowly, revealing a zombie face and opening her mouth as if to speak.

Wei Yi was terrified and ran for his life. He reported it to the police, but they looked at him like he was crazy and didn’t investigate seriously.

Soon after, Wei Yi started having nightmares about a beautiful woman in red who would say, “Do you want to see my true face?” before tearing off her skin to reveal a maggot-covered zombie face.

These nightmares tormented Wei Yi, and he became increasingly agitated, always feeling unbearably hot. At home, he would strip and take cold showers.

His condition worsened to the point where he stripped naked on a crowded street, thinking he was burning alive. The police arrested him for public indecency.

Wei Yi now found wearing clothes torturous and had to keep the air conditioning on full blast at home. He lost his job after taking too many sick days and sought help from a temple. The monk there told him he was haunted and gave him a packet of incense ash, which he didn’t dare to consume.

He also saw a psychologist who diagnosed him with delusional disorder and tried to analyze his childhood traumas, which infuriated Wei Yi. He insisted he wasn’t sick and smashed the psychologist’s desk. The psychologist then called a mental hospital, and Wei Yi barely escaped being admitted.

Feeling desperate, he heard from a neighbor’s aunt’s classmate about this agency that handles unusual cases and came here as a last resort.