Ying Chen

Ying Chen is Ying Tong's twenty-three-year-old elder brother, a murderer who hides cruelty behind the public image of a charitable cat rescuer and devoted caretaker.

Biography

Narrative role

Police records initially present Ying Chen as an exemplary volunteer and the operator of a stray-cat rescue website. He reinforces that image when he meets Chen Ge, speaking sociably and portraying himself as the responsible guardian of his visually impaired younger brother. Inside the brothers' home, however, Chen discovers tortured cats, edited abuse videos, human remains, and toys carrying traces of victims' DNA. (Chapters 1052–1056, 1066–1067)

Behind Ying Tong's door, the younger brother's memories reveal how Ying Chen repeatedly engineered “accidents,” murdered adults who tried to help, and used fear to keep Ying Tong silent and dependent. The ghost-fetus remnant amplifies this remembered version of him, but the supernatural body and curses belong to the memory world rather than to Ying Chen outside it. Ying Tong finally identifies the real face hidden in his heart, allowing Chen's spectral allies to destroy that manifestation. (Chapters 1057–1065)

Back in the living world, Chen incapacitates Ying Chen, frees the surviving cats, and calls the police after Ying Tong identifies the bodies of his stepfather and other victims. Investigators secure the house, place Ying Tong under protection, and take over the murder case. Ying Chen's carefully maintained public identity collapses once the physical evidence and surviving witness are brought together. (Chapters 1066–1067)

Appearance and personality

Ying Chen is a fair-skinned young man whose pleasant appearance and polished manner create an excellent first impression. He is observant, patient, and socially adept, but those strengths serve a predatory need for control. He edits cruelty into apparent kindness, manipulates witnesses' assumptions, and treats both animals and people as material for private entertainment. (Chapters 1052–1057, 1065)

Skills and supernatural abilities

Ying Chen is skilled at deception, video editing, surveillance of his brother, concealment of physical evidence, and sudden violence. He quickly detects changes in Ying Tong's behavior and exploits other people's sympathy. He has no confirmed supernatural ability in the living world; his curse-covered form behind the door is a memory empowered by the Ghost Fetus. (Chapters 1055–1066)

Relationships

Ying Tong is Ying Chen's younger brother, victim, and eventual witness against him. Chen Ge sees through his charitable disguise, defeats his remembered form, and delivers him to police. Miss Dress, Miss Red, and Mr. Wood are among the adults who tried to protect Ying Tong and whose spirits resist Ying Chen. (Chapters 1052–1067)

Items

Ying Chen uses the Heart Kitty Rescue Center website and edited videos to disguise animal abuse as rescue work. A fruit knife is his immediate weapon when Chen confronts him. The dolls and toys in Ying Tong's room retain victims' DNA and become police evidence linking his domestic façade to the murders. (Chapters 1052, 1055–1057, 1066–1067)