Who Was Real, and Who Was Fake?

Before heading home, Shen Xing bought two bowls of wontons to go from a street-side shop. He was hungry, for one thing, and Hong Bin looked to be in such poor shape that he might be hungry too without realizing it.

Carrying the two bowls of wontons in his right hand, Shen Xing kept hold of the silent Hong Bin with his left as they walked into the apartment complex.

The old apartment complex where Shen Xing lived was one he had rented a long time ago. It was called Ivy Apartments and had stood in Yungu City for seventy years.

In this world, which Shen Xing had transmigrated to, there were no countries. Instead, they were all called provinces. For example, Yungu City was in Kua Province, which had twenty major cities and more than a hundred small and medium-sized ones. Yungu City was considered a mid-sized city.

The old residential buildings looked rundown everywhere, but they were well built. They had been renovated several times, and still weren't unfit to live in.

The complex was in Yungu City's old district, once the city's most prosperous area. Even though redevelopment meant it was no longer downtown, it still had a strong, bustling neighborhood feel and a relatively high population density.

Unless their homes were demolished, many of the older residents who had lived here for years were reluctant to move away.

There was no elevator in the building, and it only had five floors. Shen Xing's rented apartment was on the fourth.

Holding Hong Bin's hand, the two slowly climbed the stairs. Worried that Hong Bin might not be able to handle it, Shen Xing deliberately slowed their pace.

When they reached the third floor, they happened to run into their neighbor coming downstairs after dinner.

It was a mother and daughter. The mother was a single parent named Lin Wanru, who cared for her seven-year-old daughter on her own.

Lin Wanru had long, wavy hair and stood about five foot seven. She was full-figured, and Shen Xing had run into her so often in the building that he had grown quite familiar with both her and her daughter.

Lin Wanru was often out. Sometimes Shen Xing even bought her daughter some treats.

"Have you not eaten yet?" Lin Wanru asked with a smile, glancing at the wontons in Shen Xing's hand.

She wasn't as close to Shen Xing as her daughter was. Seeing Hong Bin behind him, she assumed he was some kind of relative.

"Yeah. You two are already heading out for a walk." Shen Xing smiled.

"Feifei, say hello to Uncle," Lin Wanru reminded her daughter, whom she was holding by the hand.

Feifei had fair skin and a little braid at the back of her head. A cartoon hair clip was pinned in her hair, and she wore a red-and-white dress. She looked very well-behaved.

"Hello, Uncle Shen! Hello, Grandpa!"

Without waiting for her mother to remind her, she greeted Hong Bin too.

"What a good girl, Feifei."

Shen Xing smiled, then glanced at Hong Bin before giving Lin Wanru an apologetic look.

Lin Wanru seemed to understand. She glanced at the rather vacant-looking Hong Bin and guessed that he might not be quite right in the head. She took Feifei's hand and stood aside. After Shen Xing and Hong Bin went upstairs, she and her daughter continued down.

Shen Xing's rented apartment wasn't large: one bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom, for just over fifty square meters in total. The bedroom was a little bigger, but the other rooms were all tiny.

The living room held a fabric sofa, a small coffee table, and a water dispenser, leaving almost no space to spare. He rarely watched television, so he hadn't bothered buying one. As long as he had internet at home, that was enough.

He had Hong Bin sit on the sofa, then turned to close the living room door. Out of habit, he checked it once, then went to the kitchen for spoons. He opened the containers of wontons for Hong Bin, put a spoon in each, and gently pushed one toward him.

"Uncle Hong, please eat. Once you're done, Hong Anjie should be here."

When he had been holding Hong Bin's hand, he had deliberately checked his temperature. It was completely normal, just like an ordinary person's. Along with what he had already deduced, that made it even less likely that Hong Bin was a ghost.

Besides, whether ghosts even existed was still unknown. Shen Xing had already started wondering if this could be some kind of parallel-world overlap. Perhaps both Uncle Hong were real!

If there was nothing supernatural going on, then he would explain it scientifically. That was what he was thinking for now.

As Shen Xing ate, Hong Bin, sitting beside him, also began to use his spoon. He slowly put wonton after wonton into his mouth, chewing in silence.

As the sun set, the room began to grow dim. Shen Xing got up and switched on the living room light, then returned to the sofa and sat down to finish eating.

A moment later, the phone on the coffee table rang. When Shen Xing picked it up, he saw that it was Hong Anjie.

"I'm almost there. What floor are you on?" Hong Anjie asked.

"Fourth floor. Come up the stairs by the first entrance. Don't go to the wrong one," Shen Xing said. "Uncle Hong and I are eating right now."

After hanging up, Shen Xing saw that the phone was displaying the photo he had opened earlier. It showed the other Hong Bin sitting at home.

Shen Xing didn't notice that Hong Bin, who had been eating, had stopped. He was staring at the photo.

"Uncle Hong, take your time."

Shen Xing picked up his phone, got up, wrapped up his bowl, and tossed it into the trash. Then he pulled out a tissue and wiped his mouth before walking into his bedroom.

The bedroom was just as simply furnished: a large bed, a carving workbench, and a wardrobe. There was just enough room for a wooden chair in front of the workbench, making the most of every bit of space.

At the front of the workbench sat the wooden carving Shen Xing had been working on recently: a bust of Hong Bin.

The bust wasn't life-size. It was about one-third smaller, which made it look quite refined.

The bust was nearly finished. It only needed some final fine detailing before he could wax it.

He glanced at the bust. Its face already looked at least ninety percent like the Hong Bin sitting outside. A little more fine-tuning would make it even closer.

His phone was almost out of battery, so Shen Xing went to the workbench and unplugged the charging cable beside it. He plugged it into his phone and turned to leave, but suddenly jolted in fright.

Hong Bin was standing right behind him. Shen Xing had no idea when he'd gotten there.

The old man still looked blank. He was staring at the bust of himself on the workbench without saying a word.

Shaken, Shen Xing patted his chest and pointed at the carving. "Uncle Hong, I made this bust for you. I'll bring it over once it's finished in a few days."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hong Bin expressionlessly reached out. But instead of touching the bust, he grabbed Shen Xing by the shoulder with tremendous force, making him turn to face him.

Shen Xing started, then hurriedly grabbed Hong Bin's arm. "Uncle Hong, what are you doing?"

Hong Bin's face was now less than two fists away. His eyes were wide open, nearly bulging out of their sockets. His mouth hung open, but he still didn't speak. Instead, a gurgling sound like rushing water came from his throat, exactly like the sound of someone choking on water while drowning.

Shen Xing froze for a moment at the sight, but quickly remembered that Hong Anjie had mentioned this before. He had said that his father at home made the same strange sound whenever no one else was around.

Then an ominous thought occurred to him. Maybe this Hong Bin was fake too!

Could he have been wrong? Was the Hong Bin at Hong Anjie's house the real one!?

There was no time to think. Hong Bin's strength was rapidly increasing, and his lips peeled back to reveal a neat row of teeth. He looked ferocious, like a wild beast, and lunged to bite Shen Xing's neck.

Shen Xing immediately drove his knee into Hong Bin's stomach, keeping him from getting close, then shoved forward hard with his leg.

Crash!

Hong Bin lost his balance and fell backward into the workbench. The bust on top wobbled, then dropped straight off the bench, its heavy wooden form hitting Hong Bin squarely on the forehead.

After a dull thud, the room fell utterly silent.

Just then, someone knocked on the living room door. Hong Anjie called out, "Shen Xing? Shen Xing? Open the door..."

Shen Xing's heart pounded like a drum, and sweat poured down his face. He stared at Hong Bin lying on the floor. His head was split open, but no blood seemed to be flowing yet. The vacant look in his wooden eyes had returned.

Shen Xing slowly straightened up. He answered Hong Anjie while hurrying toward the living room.

He reached the living room door and flung it open. Hong Anjie was standing outside, looking puzzled. When he saw Shen Xing's state, he asked in alarm, "What happened?"

Shen Xing pointed toward the bedroom. "That... that person might not... be Uncle Hong."

Hong Anjie didn't understand what he meant. He hurried inside, and then his voice came from the room. "Who are you talking about? There's no one in here..."

"What?" Shen Xing cried, then rushed into the bedroom and looked down at where Hong Bin had been lying.

The floor was empty. Only the fallen bust lay to one side.