"Initially, I thought it was because my cooking was not to her taste, so I didn't mind it that much. However, I soon realized that things were different. One late night, I woke up from my sleep due to a sound coming from the kitchen. I climbed out of bed silently.
"The house was dark, so I assumed it was a thief. When I got close, I realized that the person looked like my wife. She picked up a large piece of meat from a plastic bag and held a cleaver in her other hand.
"Cleaving meat would create a loud sound. Probably afraid of waking me, she only cut the meat's surface open, seasoned it, and then placed it whole inside the pot.
"Making stew? My wife was making stew in the middle of the night? Perhaps she was preparing for tomorrow's breakfast and lunch. I loved my wife. Even though I thought it was weird, I didn't disturb her. I returned to our room and observed her through the open door.
"It was 3 am when the stew was ready. She looked behind her. She saw that the bedroom door was open and I was sleeping in bed. As if not willing for me to see her, she closed the kitchen door.
"Then I heard the sound of chomping. About twenty minutes later, my wife came out of the kitchen holding a large black garbage bag. For some reason, I was scared when I saw her.
"Her stomach was slightly bloated, and there were oil stains on her face. She had a satisfied smile. After tossing the garbage bag away, she went to take a bath to wash the odor away from her body. Finally, she lay down beside me like usual.
"The person sleeping next to me had this habit. From that day onwards, I realized that I did not know her at all. I was awake the whole night. I got out from bed in the morning, preparing to go to work. My wife was still sleeping soundly.
"She looked just like Sleeping Beauty. It made me want to kiss her, but the things that had happened in the kitchen the previous night stopped me.
"I looked at her stomach; it was no longer that bloated. Everything that had happened the previous night was just like a dream. I put on my clothes and headed downstairs. The rubbish bin had been cleaned, and the black garbage bag from last night was gone.
"The same thing happened again the next night. She seemed to have fallen ill with some kind of meat-eating compulsion. I spent the night awake, observing her. I waited until 4 am, and my wife had fallen asleep. Then I put on my clothes and headed out.
"I rummaged through the pile of rubbish and finally found the black garbage bag. It was filled with bones with teeth marks on them. It looked like a chicken. My wife had managed to consume a whole chicken on her own. I suddenly realized that I did not know her at all.
"A new day arrived, but she was still so weird. I also made it a habit to rummage through her rubbish every night. The more I saw, the more chilled my heart became.
"My wife seemed to be trying different meat, from the initial chicken and fish to bags that I found attached with the fur of cats and dogs.
"I was an animal lover, and it was that day that I knew I have to talk to her. She must have fallen ill, or maybe a demon had moved into her stomach. No one would allow the person sleeping beside them to do something like this.
"I confronted her. Initially, she denied it, but when I offered the garbage bags as evidence, she knew that she was cornered. She told me that she could not control herself. She would get unreasonably hungry at night, but other than that, she was just like a normal person.
"She said that she would take good care of me and love me, but who would be willing to sleep with a crazy person?
"After much consideration, I decided to opt for a divorce, to end the marriage as soon as possible. My wife begged me to stay, and I really did still love her, but her actions worried me deeply.
"I left her and moved out to live alone. My wife still loved me. She would call me and message me daily, trying to get me back. To be honest, other than that quirk, she was perfect, kind and fair, pretty and gentle.
"Slowly, guilt formed in my heart. About one month later, I received a call from a stranger. He said that he was the police. He suspected that my wife was related to a missing person case at the radio station. He asked me some questions and told me to be careful.
"I was glad that I had left my wife. If I had been several days too late, the person missing would be me. I returned to my rental home, and after reheating the food that had gone cold, I swallowed it quickly.
"After I was done, I swore that I was hallucinating. I saw my wife crawl out from underneath the bed.
"She looked at me with a smile and said I was still the same. Even after so long, I still had not changed the habit of not wasting leftovers.
"I didn't know how she got into my home, but I did know that I wouldn't be able to leave her again; I would be a part of her forever."
The woman's story ended there, and No. 2 and Chen Ge subconsciously moved away from her. The woman had told the story from the husband's perspective, but according to her storyline, the husband was probably dead by now.
Therefore, the only living person who would know all this should be the wife. The wife's job was a DJ, and the woman had a beautiful voice. Furthermore, the story kept beautifying the wife.
From these details, it was apparent that No. 3 was the crazy woman who liked to eat meat in the story.
"I haven't heard such a wonderful story in a long time." The man on the left clapped lightly. His eyes that landed on the woman looked slightly invasive. "The stories of all three new members are so interesting. It'll be so hard to choose."
Then, he raised his head to look at Chen Ge. The eyes underneath the mask locked on Chen Ge's face. "No. 4, it's your turn now."
"It's finally my turn?" Chen Ge was thinking many questions. No. 3 beside him had a very recognizable voice. Based on her voice alone, Chen Ge confirmed her identity. No. 3 was a late-night DJ for Jiujiang's radio station. Her name was Lychee, and Chen Ge had even heard her show before.
Everyone anticipated Chen Ge's story. After all, he was the fourth new member that should not have been there. Chen Ge stood in the corner of the room, and no one could see the blood twisting in his shadow. The blood vessels were like needles and threads, slowly knitting a bright red dress.
"I have many stories. Let me think, which shall I share?"