Chapter 27: Turned into a Human Doll

Sang Ye took out her phone and scanned the QR code. "You are too kind, there’s no need for this. Just pay for what you use. I am simply fulfilling my duties as a veterinarian; there is no need to pre-load so much money just because I treated your dogs. Even if you don't use it for a year, you wouldn't finish it in several years. It's completely unnecessary."

"If you want to bring Wangcai and Xiaobai in for grooming and bathing, you can pay per visit. If you find that troublesome, you can pay for a month at a time."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qian smiled instead. "Do you know how Mrs. Wang praised you? We thought she was exaggerating at the time, but now it seems she was spot on."

Sang Ye shook her head. "I don't."

Mrs. Qian chuckled. "It’s nothing. It’s just like what you said about the membership card. If it were any other shop, they would be desperate for us to deposit as much money as possible, as if that could tether us suckers to their business. We have plenty of money, but we aren't stupid. We know exactly what people are thinking better than anyone else."

Sang Ye replied, "I just believe in paying for what is needed. As long as I treat every client with sincerity, those who want to come will always come. For those who don't, no amount of pre-paid credit will make a difference. Besides, as you said, clients aren't stupid; they see things clearly."

Mrs. Qian suddenly understood why she had liked Sang Ye at first sight. There was a certain quality about her. Looking back, that statement she made when she first appeared at the banquet didn't sound like someone trying to reconnect with kin, but rather like someone stating a fact.

Furthermore, Sang Ye hadn't changed at all despite now being the daughter of the Bai family, which even gave Mrs. Qian the impression that Sang Ye had no desire to return to the Bai family at all.

That must be an illusion, though; otherwise, why would Bai Qi have personally driven her here?

Mrs. Qian said, "Alright, I'll listen to you. Let's just charge for one month for now."

Sang Ye told her the amount, and Mrs. Qian promptly transferred the payment.

As she walked toward the exit, Sang Ye said, "I won't keep you from your rest, so I'll be going now. If Wangcai or Xiaobai have any issues, you can contact me. If it's inconvenient for you to come to the clinic, I can make house calls. Please, don't bother seeing me out."

Mrs. Qian didn't stand on ceremony. "Fair enough, I won't insist. I really do need to keep an eye on them while they take their probiotics, so I won't walk you out."

After bidding farewell to Mrs. Qian, Sang Ye had just stepped outside the front gate when she heard a voice.

"It's started again. How many skins have they peeled this month? With one being peeled every few days, the yard reeks. When are they finally going to haul those bodies away?"

"Who knows? I don't even want to go back in. But you have to admit, the skin on those finished dolls is smooth and glossy. No wonder people love buying them; they fight over them, after all, they’re all made from young, beautiful girls."

Hearing this, Sang Ye’s hair stood on end, and a chill crawled up her spine.

Skinning... picking young, beautiful girls... turning them into dolls... Every word made her flesh creep.

"When I came out earlier, I saw them preparing for a new one. That means the skin today must be especially fair and tender. She was still alive when they were peeling it; I could hear her screaming."

Hearing this, Sang Ye began searching for the source of the voices.

Her gaze finally locked onto two black cats in the distance. They were pitch black, and one of them had eerily mismatched eyes—one green, one blue—which looked particularly demonic in the dark. The other had golden eyes that shone brightly in the night. They were sitting under a nearby streetlamp, licking their fur and occasionally glancing toward another villa nearby.

Sang Ye glanced at Bai Qi, who was sitting in his car looking at something, and sent a message to Xing Hao. She then walked over to Bai Qi’s car and knocked on the window.

Seeing that Sang Ye was finished, Bai Qi quickly rolled down the window. "All done? Get in. Mom and the others were just asking if I had gotten you home safely."

Sang Ye pointed toward the spot where the two cats were sitting and asked, "Second Brother, do you know what that family does for a living?"

Bai Qi was so blindsided by being called "Second Brother" that he nearly lost his bearings. To think that Yezi, who hadn't even called their parents "Mom and Dad," had called him Second Brother! What did this mean? It meant Yezi acknowledged him! Yezi liked him more!

Just for that, never mind wanting to know what that family did—if she wanted to know what their ancestors eighteen generations back had done, he would dig it up for her!

Bai Qi immediately looked in the direction she was pointing with a serious expression. "Isn't that the Li family’s house? They seem to be in the doll business, and they’ve grown quite large. In the last few months, they’ve released several new types of dolls that are selling like wildfire. Not only are they expensive, but they also require custom pre-orders. The key is that they say the skin is made to look and feel just like the real thing. Each one costs hundreds of thousands. A friend of mine’s younger sister bought one for 388,000. It was supposedly custom-made just for her—skin as white as snow and an incredible texture."

After hearing this, Sang Ye became even more certain that what the two cats said was true. "I suspect their family might be involved with those missing young women."

At this, Bai Qi laughed. "How could that be? Even though they make dolls, they wouldn't do something like that. They’re dedicated to their craft, and the market response has been excellent. Their quality is far superior to other companies; you could call them a conscientious business. While this new line does seem a bit out of character for them, surely they wouldn't resort to murder?"

Seeing that Sang Ye wasn't laughing, and considering that the Li family’s new dolls were marketed specifically on the fact that their texture was identical to human skin, Bai Qi realized the gravity of the situation. He asked, incredulously, "You mean... could it really be those dolls?"

Sang Ye nodded. "It’s very likely."

Realizing that if this were true, it would be a massive scandal, Bai Qi’s expression turned solemn. "How do you know this?"

Sang Ye replied, "I understand some animal language; those two cats told me. I’ve already informed Officer Xing. Once he’s finished with his current work, he should be coming over."

Bai Qi frowned. "Then why ask me about it?"

Sang Ye looked at him calmly, with a hint of self-righteousness. "I was worried about filing a false report, wasn't I?"

Bai Qi eyed her, seeing no trace of such concern. "Doesn't look like it. It feels more like you want to go and take a look."

Hearing this, Sang Ye stopped hiding her intentions. "Are you familiar with their family? Is there any way we can go and see? The thing is, based on what those cats said, a girl just met with an accident, and she seems to still be alive, so..."

Bai Qi saw right through her. "So you want to go and check?"