Fake Human Case

Pizza Hut, a haven for children, where almost no child can resist the allure of its delicious pizza and steaks. But Xuan showed no interest in the tempting spread before her.

Ruan Xun popped a french fry into his mouth, already mentally drafting ideas for his next ghost story.

"Xuan, what’s going on? Why did you say that she’s not your mother?"

Time ticked by, and Xuan remained silent, her eyes nervously darting around the restaurant.

"Don’t be afraid, Ruan Ge is here!" He gently took her hand, only to feel how cold it was—like ice.

"Ruan Ge... do you believe me?"

Xuan wasn’t the type to lie, and Ruan Xun knew this well. Seeing her so serious, he realized that something truly frightening had happened to her.

"Don’t worry. Whatever you say, your brother believes you!"

Taking a deep breath, Xuan gathered the courage to tell him what had been happening…

"My mom likes to cuddle with me and watch TV at night. Usually, around ten, she tells me to go to bed. Sometimes she even scolds me if I watch a little longer."

"But that night, something was different. After ten, I kept watching TV, hoping she'd let me stay up. But after half an hour, I started feeling that something was off. She should’ve told me to go to bed by then... but she didn’t. She just kept holding me and watching TV. And I knew it wasn’t because she was too absorbed in the show to notice the time."

"That’s when I knew something was wrong. I felt strongly that she wasn’t my mom. But I didn’t dare struggle, afraid that if I did, she’d suddenly turn into a monster... It really didn’t feel like my mom!"

"Her arms were like iron pincers, holding me tight. I didn’t dare complain. I kept asking to go to bed, and finally, after repeating it several times, she let me go."

As Xuan spoke, tears began to fall. Ruan Xun handed her a tissue, "But... that doesn’t prove anything."

"It got worse the next day. In the morning, when I woke up, Mom was making breakfast like usual. I remembered what had happened the night before, so I decided to test her."

"I casually mentioned that my good friend Chen Xue had gotten first place in the exam. The thing is, there’s no such person. I made her up."

"My mom cares a lot about grades. She can name all the top students in my class. But this time, she didn’t react at all. She just said, 'Oh,' as if she didn’t care."

"I kept testing her. I told her that Chen Xue’s dad couldn’t pick her up, so I invited her over to our house."

Xuan paused, her face filled with unease. "And then... her response really scared me!"

"She said, 'No problem, I trust you’re friends with such a smart kid.'"

Ruan Xun was puzzled. "Maybe your mom just mixed it up?"

"That’s impossible!" Xuan said firmly. "She knows all the top students by name, and she’s very familiar with their parents. Every day when we’re picked up from school, she talks to other parents about the kids' rankings!"

"Chen Xue’s name has never come up. She couldn’t have gotten it wrong!"

Ruan Xun sighed. "I believe you, but... this still doesn’t prove that she’s not your mom."

Xuan took a photo out of her bag and handed it to him.

"What’s this...?" Ruan Xun took the photo. In it, Xuan’s mother was standing in front of a bathroom mirror, smiling—but it wasn’t a normal smile. It was a sinister, smug grin, as though she had just gotten away with something.

What was even more disturbing was that her left hand had only four fingers, while her right hand had six.

Ruan Xun’s blood ran cold. He wasn’t particularly close to Xuan’s mom, but they’d exchanged pleasantries every time they ran into each other over the years. Never had he noticed anything strange about her hands.

Xuan was telling the truth... the woman in the photo was not her mother.

Ruan Xun grew serious, his voice low. "Why didn’t you tell your dad about this?"

Xuan’s face was streaked with tears as she spoke, her words barely audible through her sobs. The other diners were starting to give them curious looks. Ruan Xun suddenly felt embarrassed, worried that others might think he was some strange uncle scaring a child.

"It’s okay, Xuan. Don’t worry. Your brother will protect you."

"I’m scared... I’m scared that my dad isn’t the same anymore either!"

Xuan’s father was the CEO of a major local company. He was rarely home, and even Ruan Xun had only seen him a handful of times.

"Ruan Ge, I have no one else to trust... please help me!" She pulled a thick stack of cash from her bag, probably five or six thousand yuan, and handed it to him. "Consider this your reward."

"What are you saying, Xuan? Your brother’s not the kind of person who’s after money!" Ruan Xun waved his hand, laughing as he slipped the cash into his pocket. "Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this for you."

But as soon as the money was in his pocket, Ruan Xun began to feel uneasy. Who would believe such a story? And who, or what, was this strange woman? He had no answers. For now, all he could do was buy time and wait for the bizarre woman to slip up.

"By the way, she seems to be afraid of fire! My mom used to turn the stove on full blast when she cooked, saying it made the food taste better. But now, the woman... she’s been buying takeout and reheating it in the microwave for days!"

If she had a weakness, that made things easier.

"Xuan, here’s the plan..." Ruan Xun leaned in and whispered his strategy into her ear.

…

That evening, at 9:30 PM, Ruan Xun and Xuan returned to the neighborhood. Passing the security booth, Ruan Xun saw Sun Yuqiang, wearing headphones and watching "Teletubbies"…

He thought about scaring him, but at that moment, Xuan’s situation was far more urgent.

When they reached the entrance to Xuan’s building, Ruan Xun reminded her once more, "Don’t be afraid. Leave the door ajar. I’ll be right outside. If you’re in danger, shout."

"Okay," Xuan nodded.

…

"Sorry, madam, this child insisted on going to the movies. So, here she is, just dropped her off," Ruan Xun said, trying to assess the woman’s features. While nothing appeared off, an instinct told him that something was wrong.

"Xuan’s caused you trouble, hasn’t she?" The woman smiled, but her expression was so forced that Ruan Xun felt uncomfortable.

"It’s fine. I’ll be going now," Ruan Xun said, pretending to leave but instead stepping into the elevator.

"Xuan, come, eat," the woman called, her voice flat.

Their voices became softer, but Ruan Xun could still hear faintly, realizing that Xuan had deliberately wedged her shoe in the door, leaving it slightly open.

Xuan’s head was bowed. "Mom... why is it takeout again? I wanted cola chicken wings!"

The cola chicken wings were her mom’s specialty—she made them at least once a week.

"That’s not healthy," the woman replied with a strange smile, her eyes fixed on Xuan. "The food’s getting cold. Eat up."