(Spoiler) A question regarding a character's fate..

[Manticore]

I have finished the story but still confused about one thing, maybe because i didn't pay much attention or simply didn't understand it well enough, the question:


What happen to Ms. Chen? Was she being killed by the relic buyers? Suicide? Or accidentally slipped to the river?

Thank you in advance!

[hello]

ME TOOOOOOOO

[Manticore]

Originally posted by Kariyu:

ME TOOOOOOOO

Too bad looks like there are only small amount of english speakers in this community.
I've searched on internet and could not find the answer..

[C.]

They said in the community that it's a opening ending, she could be killed (cuz she found the secrets?) or suicide. or just left, because she also has the ferry ticket.

[vera.gan7]

My understanding is that Ms. Chen was already dead, as her letter of resignation was never sent out but found in the river. There are also multiple implication stating that she was not safe in the town, e.g. the call with her boss. So most likely she got killed by those relic buyers.

[博麗桜夢]

Originally posted by C.:

They said in the community that it's a opening ending, she could be killed (cuz she found the secrets?) or suicide. or just left, because she also has the ferry ticket.

Couldn’t be suicide,cuz she was willing to stay in town and give the children chances to see what the outside world be like

[张富贵儿]

It should have been murdered, in which the red font suggests safety. The resignation letter soaked in the water and its connection with the well finally disappeared in the Tian family. It should have been left in the ancient well beside the willow tree in the Tian family and drowned

[MaV3Rick_83]

Originally posted by Manticore:

I have finished the story but still confused about one thing, maybe because i didn't pay much attention or simply didn't understand it well enough, the question:


What happen to Ms. Chen? Was she being killed by the relic buyers? Suicide? Or accidentally slipped to the river?

Thank you in advance!

The game developer (月光蟑螂mr / Moonroach) has expressed that Ms. Chen's fate is open ended. Based on reading the Chinese discussions here and some comments on Chinese playthroughs on YouTube, there are clues that support both her death and survival.

Clues that she is dead (obvious) :
- she is the only character who does not cast a shadow
- There is a wet, red umbrella nearby when she is present (in Chinese ghost stories, 1. spirits hide in umbrellas hence the superstition you do not open an umbrella indoors & 2. wet umbrella hints that spirit came from someone who drowned) despite it is never shown raining outdoors
- her boss at the news agency warning her to be careful and that he will send someone to "pick her up"
- the water damaged resignation letter you find at the end

However after playing a second time, or piecing the timeline carefully the first playthrough, you will notice some things that don't add up.

Clues that she may have survived (not obvious)
- The implication of another participant in the conspiracy helping Dr Ye and Fang Fang's mother. That person is never named but Li Xun already "knows in his heart"
- But to have helped she can only do it physically in the present day... How?
- Who called the police to report the original arson case at Jincai's funeral?
- Who called Dr Ye's clinic from the Tian family mart, prompting him to call back?
- Who called Fang Fang's classmates after the death of the Tian family?
- Who ordered Fang Fang's birthday cake when it was ordered after the family died?
- Ms Chen was given one of the ferry tickets to leave the village
- The names in the ledger were eventually exposed to the public despite Ms Chen's boss unwillingness to publish it (either he did it at personal cost, or she had a second copy which she turned to the authorities)
- Ms Chen at the beginning tried to steer Li Xun's investigation towards Dr Ye (just as in the ending he had tried to pin the entire blame of the Tian family deaths on himself)
- Li Xun at the end himself isn't sure if she is just far away or something really did happen to her
- The physical photo from the photo sticker booth! It is a real, tangible object. Though some players believe this is just something the author left in the game to comfort us.

Also note, some of the above can occur with Ms Chen still dying as they happen before the present day.

We have to keep in mind that during the course of the game, Li Xun is the only person to be able to see and interact with the supernatural/underworld, but those interactions don't affect objects in real life in our physical space. The other characters who engaged in this are superstitious, or used it to deceive.

I might have to replay the game again to get my timeline straight, but this is what I've gathered so far from everywhere. We must remember that the time passed in our real world when Lixun was conducting his investigation occurred over just one to two nights (fainted the first time at the arson crime scene, fainted second time at the Tian family home). I am still trying to determine if Ms Chen appeared in Lixun's dream state, in the physical space, or even both. Feel free to add or correct me below.

Unless there is a sequel or Easter Egg (read in weibo that Moonroach intended to put a Firework Easter Egg in his next game Sanfu) that confirms either way, we can all just stick to our own interpretations or head canon.