The Hand of Confession – Chapter 409
by Little PandaVolume 12: Former Boss Reduced To A Garlic-Peeling Little Sister
Jasmine Flower
What a beautiful jasmine flower~1
If Chen Meihan had a mouth, she would have screamed her lungs out. Ideally, she would have lured that male insect over so they could all die together.
But unfortunately, her mouth was sealed shut with ice, making it impossible to utter a sound.
She felt like a heavy stone, plummeting straight and fast, destined to shatter into a million pieces on the ground—but there was a rope around her waist. Just before she hit the pavement, the rope jerked her violently, nearly making her cough up blood.
Shen Maomao braced her leg in the ladder and hauled on the rope.
Chen Meihan dangled like a piece of salted fish2 left out to dry, limbs hanging, body swaying slightly in the wind, looking like she’d given up on life.
Shen Maomao shook the rope. “Climb on your own.”
A muffled sob escaped Chen Meihan’s throat. “Wuwuwuwuwu…”
Shen Maomao moved down two rungs. “Grab on. I’m untying the rope.”
Chen Meihan scrambled to grip the ladder.
Once the rope was untied, Shen Maomao tossed it back up to Faye, who was peering out of the window. Then, with one foot on the windowsill and the other on the ladder, she made space for Chen Meihan to climb.
Chen Meihan ascended, trembling, her bitter tears soaking the entire ladder.
I’m a dignified instance boss! Why do I have to suffer this indignity!
The second one to jump over was Gong Heng.
Shen Maomao had no gentleness to spare for him. She stood her ground, coldly watching him struggle to keep his balance in mid-air, showing no intention of helping.
Soon, Gong Heng had also climbed up, followed by Dingdang, and finally, Faye.
The others were all climbing and didn’t look back. Faye, holding the umbrella in one hand and the rope in the other, landed on the ladder as lightly as a falling leaf. She glanced down at Shen Maomao and smiled.
Shen Maomao nodded at her and followed Dingdang up.
After climbing for a while, she sensed something was wrong.
The distance from the second floor to the roof was a meter at most. By all rights, Chen Meihan should have reached the top by now. But when Shen Maomao looked, she saw they were still just a little above the window, having made no real progress.
She quickly called for them to stop climbing.
Dingdang asked, panting, “What’s happening? Is that insect messing with us?”
“It’s possible,” Shen Maomao said.
At the very top, Chen Meihan started crying. “I can’t climb anymore, wuwuwuwu!”
“Aren’t you a boss?” Shen Maomao shot back. “You useless thing.”
Chen Meihan wailed, “Not anymore! Hurry up and think of something! I can’t do it!”
“I’ll go down and check,” Shen Maomao said.
“Let me,” Faye said, choosing to intercept a hu.3 “Give me the umbrella. I’ll go see.” With that, she let go of the ladder and floated, rising slowly into the air as she handed the black umbrella to Shen Maomao.
Letting Faye climb a ladder was really an injustice to her… Shen Maomao thought, clutching the umbrella as she watched Faye’s figure disappear around the corner of the building.
The group hung from the ladder, baptized by the night wind.
Chen Meihan couldn’t help but ask, “Who is your mother? She seems really powerful.”
“Powerful enough to beat you,” Shen Maomao replied.
“That’s so mean!”
“Oh.”
Chen Meihan decided to shut up.
After a few minutes, a loud crash echoed from the side of the building, like a thin sheet of ice shattering on the ground. A dozen seconds later, Faye reappeared before them and said softly, “You can proceed now.”
Dingdang was shocked. “So fast?!”
“Ah? Was it?” Faye smiled gently. “I’ll be mindful of that next time.”
Dingdang shook her head frantically. “No, no, no, please just go at your own pace!”
Chen Meihan resumed her climb, and the others followed close behind.
This time, they met no resistance and successfully reached the rooftop.
The moment she got there, Chen Meihan collapsed like a dead dog, panting heavily.
The teaching building in front of them blocked all the moonlight, casting the rooftop in shadow. Shen Maomao switched on her flashlight and swept it around, spotting only a single table not far away.
She nudged Chen Meihan with her foot. “Where’s the exit?”
“Isn’t there a table right there?” Chen Meihan said. “Put the paper I gave you on it, and you’ll see the white light.”
Shen Maomao gestured to Dingdang with her chin, signaling for her to try it.
Dingdang nodded and walked forward cautiously, placing the proof of completion on the table.
A single beam of white light appeared, followed by a thousand more.
“It’s here!” Dingdang exclaimed.
Chen Meihan held out her hand. “Where’s my umbrella?”
“You go first,” Shen Maomao told Dingdang.
Dingdang waved at her. “Goodbye, Great god!4 I hope I can hire you for power leveling5 again in the future!”
Shen Maomao watched her disappear into the white light but didn’t say goodbye.
Because she knew that, whether she succeeded or failed, they would never meet again.
The exit was real. It was a way out.
After Dingdang left, Shen Maomao had Faye give her the umbrella. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Gong Heng making a dash for the exit. She immediately shot out a hand and grabbed his collar. “In such a hurry to leave?” she said coldly. “Not even a word of farewell?”
Gong Heng had been trapped in this instance for years, and the sight of the exit made his eyes turn red. He was anxious, afraid that any delay would bring disaster, but he also sized up his own abilities and knew he couldn’t beat Shen Maomao. He could only feign civility and compliance,6 forcing a smile. “Thank you for saving me… I haven’t seen my sister in a very long time, so I got a little anxious and forgot to thank you. I’m so sorry…”
“You miss your sister?” Shen Maomao asked.
Gong Heng nodded. “Mhm.”
Shen Maomao pressed, “Anxious to see her?”
“Mhm, mhm.”
Shen Maomao smiled. “Then you shouldn’t be leaving.”
As the words fell, her smile vanished. She dragged him to the edge of the roof and slowly extended her arm out over the side.
Gong Heng was so terrified he didn’t dare move, afraid that any struggle would rip his clothes. He watched Shen Maomao out of the corner of his eye, trembling. “What are you doing?! Killing someone is against the law!”
“And you’re one to talk about the law?”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t know what I mean?”
“Did you get the wrong person?” Gong Heng said frantically. “I don’t even know you!”
Shen Maomao wanted him to die knowing why. “Was the money you got from selling your sister good to use?” she asked. “Does it give you nightmares?”
Gong Heng suddenly calmed down. “Are you a friend of Gong Lian?”
“No.”
He frowned. “Then why are you fighting her battles?”
“I live by the Pacific Ocean, so I meddle in wide affairs.”7
Gong Heng was silent for two seconds, then suddenly asked, “Gong Lian… how is she doing now?”
Shen Maomao found his concern utterly nauseating. “She’s dead.”
A long silence fell over Gong Heng. Shen Maomao saw a look of insincere guilt and self-reproach cross his face.
She continued, “She was sold by you into the mountains, imprisoned, raped, and tortured by strangers… She couldn’t escape when she wanted to, couldn’t die when she wanted to. All of this, thanks to you, her wonderful brother.”
Gong Heng covered his face with his hands, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. “I didn’t want this to happen… I wanted to live… Who doesn’t want to live? I raised her for so many years, spent so much money on her. Now that I needed money, what’s wrong with getting some of it back from her? You should blame those human traffickers! If they hadn’t given me their contact information, I never would have had such a crooked thought!”
Perhaps he felt guilt, perhaps he had regrets, but even now, he didn’t believe what he did was wrong.
Shen Maomao had no desire to watch him shed any more crocodile tears.8 With a flick of her wrist, she threw him back onto the rooftop.
Gong Heng’s eyes darted around, and he made a break for the exit.
Faye stepped forward and dragged him back. “Disobedient children are such a headache for adults.”
“Let me go!” Gong Heng screamed. “You have no right to do this!”
“Did you have the right to sell your sister?” Shen Maomao countered.
“That’s our family’s business! What right does an outsider like you have to interfere?!”
“Are you shouting so loud to attract the monster and escape in the chaos? Unfortunately for you, the monster has already been dealt with.”
“Help! Hel—”
Shen Maomao nodded at Faye.
Faye raised her hand and clenched it in the air. Droplets of water immediately condensed around her. With a wave of her hand, the water swarmed Gong Heng, enveloping him completely and turning him into an immobile ice sculpture.
Inside the ice, Gong Heng’s eyes could still move, but he couldn’t even speak.
Shen Maomao adjusted his position so he was facing the white light of the exit, then turned to Chen Meihan. “He’s all yours—”
She stopped mid-sentence. Only then did she see Chen Meihan, teeth gritted, clutching the umbrella’s handle and flailing wildly on an empty patch of the roof. At first glance, it looked like she was locked in a battle of wits with the air.
Hearing Shen Maomao’s voice, Chen Meihan lunged forward, pinning the umbrella beneath her. She looked up at Shen Maomao and said with great difficulty, “Right! Leave it to me!”
Then she went back to rolling around on the ground with the black umbrella.
“…” Somehow, I don’t feel very reassured.
But Gong Heng was fated never to leave this instance, so she probably didn’t need to worry.
She walked toward the exit, but Faye tugged on her clothes from behind.
Shen Maomao turned back, a questioning look on her face.
“Maomao,” Faye said, “I can only come out because this is my birthplace. I won’t be able to communicate with you in other instances, much less appear in human form. So there are some things I must tell you now.”
Shen Maomao was taken aback. “What is it?”
“Keep your toy safe. It’s best to hold it in your hand. Don’t just put it anywhere, understand?”
Shen Maomao subconsciously touched her pocket and felt the coin she had almost forgotten.
What is this thing?
Faye was clearly warning her not to put it in her item bar.9
What does it do?
As if sensing her confusion, Faye shook her head gently. “You’ll know when it’s time to use it. You can do this, Maomao. I know you can.”
For a moment, Shen Maomao’s eyes stung with tears, but she held them back.
Faye stepped forward and hugged her again, then transformed back into a card that landed in her hand.
She put the card away, glanced one last time at Chen Meihan, who was still rolling all over the ground, and placed her proof of completion on the table. Then, clutching the coin, she stepped into the white light.
After she vanished, the battle between Chen Meihan and the black umbrella reached a fever pitch. The black umbrella refused to be subservient, and Chen Meihan was determined to be the Dage.10 Neither side would yield, and they could only continue their struggle with gritted teeth.
As they rolled, Chen Meihan seemed to bump into something. The object rolled a couple of times and then, with a splat, fell off the roof and shattered below.
Before she had time to wonder what it was, the umbrella’s handle smacked her in the eye. The pain made her face twist into a ferocious expression, and she began tearing at the umbrella’s fabric with all her might.
As for the thing she had knocked over… it was long forgotten.
…
Shen Maomao sat on her sofa in a daze.
She had given herself a two-week vacation.
After sending Dingdang off, it seemed there was nothing left for her to do.
The games, anime, and novels she was once obsessed with held no attraction for her now. Maybe she was just getting old. She had grown lazy. Rather than looking for fun, she preferred to just sit on the sofa and stare into space all day.
Puck flew over, flapping his little wings. “You’re back, Maomao? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Huh?” He flew closer and sniffed at Shen Maomao. “Did you bring something back? It smells so good, slurp!”
Only then did Shen Maomao snap out of it, finally noticing the coin she was gripping tightly in her palm.
Puck hovered near her hand, sniffing around the coin. “What is this? Why does it smell so good? Can I have a bite?”
Shen Maomao closed her hand around the coin again. “No.”
Puck whined, “Just one taste! Just one!”
He was drooling uncontrollably, slurping nonstop. His eyes, fixed on the coin, were shining like a kitten that had just found catnip.
Faye had told her this thing was important and that she would know its purpose when the time came.
She didn’t know if now was that time, so for the moment, she wasn’t about to let Puck eat it. She put it in her wallet and repeatedly warned him not to steal it.
Puck flew away, disappointed, and decided not to speak to her for the next three days.
Shen Maomao didn’t care. She went online and bought a plane ticket home, planning to spend the next two weeks with her parents.
As for Puck—he was a mature little spirit now. He could manage just fine on his own in the house.
…
At her age, her parents’ biggest worry was her marital status.
In the years since Lou Jingmo had left, she hadn’t dated anyone.
When she was twenty-five, she told them she liked someone, but five years had passed with no news. Mother Shen couldn’t help but grow anxious.
So, the moment she got home, the old couple sat her down for a three-party conference. They weren’t even expecting her to get married anymore. They just wanted to know when she planned to find a partner—man, woman, human, or ghost, it didn’t matter. Just bring someone home so they could stop worrying.
For the first time, Shen Maomao, who usually dodged the question, answered directly. “Give me half a month. After half a month, I’ll bring her back for you to meet.”
Mother Shen was stunned. “Is it the one you’ve been chasing all this time?” she asked tentatively.
Shen Maomao nodded. “It’s her. I’m about to catch her. Just wait a little longer, don’t worry.”
A smile spread across Mother Shen’s face. “Then you have to bring her back for me to see as soon as you do! I need to see what kind of girl made my daughter chase her for so many years.”
Shen Maomao smiled back, a different kind of light in her eyes. “I will, I will.”
That afternoon, the old couple sent her out to the small vegetable garden to pull weeds.
Mother Shen looked down from the second-floor balcony and sighed deeply. “Old Shen, do you think… this person is even real?”
Father Shen hadn’t thought that far. “Probably? Why else would she be so happy?”
Mother Shen’s eyes reddened. “Ai, this child. She never tells us anything. She’s like a gourd with a sealed mouth.”11
Father Shen put his arm around her shoulder and patted it gently. “What are you crying for? What if she comes up and sees you? She’ll start overthinking things again.”
“She used to tell me everything, how did she become like this? Can you imagine how much she must have suffered out there?” Mother Shen wiped her tears. “If it’s too much, we should just have her come back. It’s not like our family can’t support her. What’s the use of earning so much money? Old Shen, do you know so-and-so’s son? The really cheerful and sunny one? I ran into his mom the other day, and she told me he has depression. Whenever it acts up, he wants to kill himself. I’m so scared our Maomao will get sick like that too…”
The thought gave Father Shen a scare as well. Shen Maomao used to be cheerful and sunny, but now she was withdrawn and rarely smiled. Sometimes she would stare at a fixed point in space for half an hour at a time. Anyone who spent enough time with her could tell her mental state wasn’t good. She was like a tightly wound string, ready to snap at any second.
He was silent for a moment, then said, “Why don’t you talk to her? Tell her you miss your daughter, ask her to come home and be the boss of the restaurant. If that doesn’t work, just cry. No one can say no to you when you cry.”
Mother Shen wiped her tears and shot him a glare. “Don’t be ridiculous, I do not!”
“Alright, go wash your face,” Father Shen said. “Don’t let Maomao see you like this when she comes back.”
…
After weeding, Shen Maomao watered the vegetables in the garden before patting her hands clean and heading inside to wash up.
Mother Shen floated up behind her like a ghost and said suddenly, “Daughter…”
Shen Maomao spun around and took a step back. “What are you doing? Trying to scare me to death?”
Mother Shen gave her a light slap. “Hurry up and wash your hands. Your father and I have something to talk to you about.”
“What’s so serious?” Shen Maomao went to wash her hands, completely baffled.
When she came out, her parents were once again seated at the dining table, clearly preparing for another three-party conference.
Shen Maomao sat down across from them with a sigh of resignation. “Is there something else?”
Mother Shen clasped her hands in front of her. “Your father and I have thought about it, and we still want you to come back and inherit the family business.”
Shen Maomao deadpanned, “…You call our little restaurant a ‘family business’?”
Father Shen cleared his throat. “What? Is it too small for you?”
Shen Maomao was not about to take the blame for that. “You said it, not me.”
“Your mother and I are almost sixty,” Father Shen said. “It’s time for us to retire and enjoy life. But someone has to run the restaurant. Why don’t you quit your job and come back to help us?”
Mother Shen chimed in, “Besides, you’re always so far away. Your dad and I really miss you.”
“Okay,” Shen Maomao said.
Both of them froze.
It wasn’t the first time they had made a similar proposal, but every time, Shen Maomao had refused, saying it wasn’t the right time. This time, they had been prepared for a long battle, never expecting her to agree right at the start.
Mother Shen’s entire prepared speech was now useless. All she could manage was a dry, “Ah… so when will you quit your job?”
“Not right now,” Shen Maomao said. “Give me half a month. After that, I’ll bring my girlfriend back for you to meet at the same time.”
Mother Shen found it strange. “Why did you agree so quickly this time?”
A relieved smile spread across Shen Maomao’s face. “Because it’s almost over.”
Whether she won or lost, it was all coming to an end.
Looking at her expression, Mother Shen felt a pang of sadness for reasons she couldn’t explain. She pulled her daughter into a hug. “It’s okay. You still have me and your dad.”
Shen Maomao hugged her back tightly. “Mhm, I know. So, do you two want to go on a trip? I happen to be on vacation and can go with you.”
“What’s there to see?” Father Shen said. “All the tourist spots are packed with people. Last National Day, your mother and I went out, and my god, it was just a sea of heads upon heads.12 People squeezing against people, you get all sweaty and just want to run back to the hotel for the air conditioning. I thought, since we’re here, I should take a picture for your mom. But every single shot had some random person’s head, arm, or leg in it! Your mom got so mad she deleted all the photos!”
Shen Maomao laughed. “The first of October is peak travel season. You just picked the wrong time.”
“By that logic, wouldn’t the first of May also be peak season?” Mother Shen said. “Let’s just stay home and relax. With that time, you can go to the restaurant, help out at the register or something. Let your dad introduce the future boss to the employees.”
“So I’m quitting my job just to come back and be your cashier.”
Mother Shen chuckled. “That’s a privilege. Anyone else would have to start as a waiter.”
The family burst into laughter. Shen Maomao laughed along with them, but a strange sadness still lingered in her heart.
I wonder if Mom and Dad will even remember me in half a month.
But she quickly pushed those messy thoughts aside and focused on cherishing the present.
She really did go to the restaurant with her dad to meet everyone. She even tried working the register for two days, but after someone complained about her lack of a smile, her dad had her count money instead.
Shen Maomao chose to be at ease with her situation,13 doing whatever she was told with perfect obedience.
Besides working, she also went around buying things for the house.
One day it was a new microwave, the next a teapot for her dad. The day after, she cleared out a small corner in the garden and planted jasmine flowers, her mother’s favorite. She was as busy as could be.
When Mother Shen had free time, she would go downstairs with her to tend to the jasmine seedlings. She’d complain about her daughter’s reckless spending, but she was actually happy that she had something to do, the corners of her eyes and mouth turned up in a smile.
This continued until mid-May. Shen Maomao said she had to go back to quit her job, and then she boarded a plane back to Nan Cheng City, ready to challenge the final instance.
The author has something to say:
It’s really ending soon! The last instance isn’t hard! Let’s go!
Footnotes
- Hanzi: 好一朵美丽的茉莉花 | Pinyin: Hǎo yī duǒ měilì de mòlìhuā | Context: The first line of a famous Chinese folk song, “Mo Li Hua” (Jasmine Flower).
- Hanzi: 咸鱼 | Pinyin: xiányú | Context: A metaphor for someone who is listless, lazy, or without ambition. Used to describe Chen Meihan hanging limply from a rope.
- Hanzi: 截胡 | Pinyin: jié hú | Context: A term from Mahjong meaning to snatch a win from someone else. Used as slang for interrupting or taking over someone’s action.
- Hanzi: 大神 | Pinyin: dàshén | Context: Slang for an expert or master, especially in gaming.
- Hanzi: 代练 | Pinyin: dàiliàn | Context: Literally: ‘substitute training.’ Game slang for hiring a skilled player to play on one’s account to level up or achieve goals.
- Hanzi: 虚与委蛇 | Pinyin: xū yǔ wēiyí | Context: To pretend to be friendly or cooperative with someone you dislike. Used to describe Gong Heng’s fake smile.
- Hanzi: 我家住太平洋，我管得宽 | Pinyin: Wǒjiā zhù Tàipíngyáng, wǒ guǎnde kuān | Context: A sarcastic slang phrase for being a busybody, used by Shen Maomao to justify her intervention in Gong Heng’s affairs. The ‘wide’ (宽) of the Pacific Ocean is a pun on ‘meddling in wide affairs’ (管得宽).
- Hanzi: 鳄鱼的眼泪 | Pinyin: èyú de yǎnlèi | Context: A direct equivalent to the English idiom for false or insincere tears.
- Hanzi: 道具栏 | Pinyin: dàojù lán | Context: A standard game UI element for storing items. Faye warns Shen Maomao not to put the special coin in it.
- Hanzi: 大哥 | Pinyin: dàgē | Context: Literally: ‘big brother.’ Used here as slang for the ‘boss’ or ‘leader,’ as Chen Meihan fights the black umbrella to become the Dage.
- Hanzi: 闷嘴葫芦 | Pinyin: mèn zuǐ húlu | Context: An idiom for a taciturn, quiet, or uncommunicative person. Shen Maomao’s mother describes her this way.
- Hanzi: 人脑头 | Pinyin: rén nǎo tóu | Context: Literally: ‘human brain heads.’ A very colloquial slang term for a large crowd of people.
- Hanzi: 随遇而安 | Pinyin: suíyù’ér’ān | Context: To adapt to circumstances and be content. Used to describe Shen Maomao’s attitude.
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