The people who had cleared the game all carried a certain weight of respect and awe in others’ eyes — and on top of that, Bai Youwei had a well-known reputation for having many items and being not someone you wanted to cross. So when she launched into this blunt, merciless takedown, not a single one of the young men dared make a sound.

The young man who’d been on the receiving end shot Shen Fei a desperate look of appeal.

Shen Fei awkwardly averted his face, thinking: I’m not going to stick my neck out either…

“Shen Fei.” Bai Youwei called out.

“Ah… huh?” Shen Fei startled to attention, immediately straightening up. “Wh-what is it?”

“Come here for a moment.” Bai Youwei beckoned him over with a curl of her fingers. “Something to ask you.”

“Oh — sure…” Under the watchful eyes of a whole group of friends, Shen Fei followed along behind Bai Youwei.

The two of them moved to a nearby corner, a relatively quieter spot. Shen Fei looked puzzled. “What is it?”

Bai Youwei glanced left and right before lowering her voice: “You have a car, don’t you? Take me back for a bit.”

“Back?” Shen Fei couldn’t help asking. “Aren’t you going back with my brother?”

Bai Youwei’s brow arched with irritation. “Are you going to take me or not? If you won’t, I’ll find someone else!”

“I’ll take you…” Shen Fei fished out his car keys and explained: “I was assuming you’d be going back with my brother, that’s all.”

— Petrol was a precious commodity, so while most people in the city still had cars, they rarely used them. Walking was the default; driving was reserved for longer distances. No one started a car lightly for short trips.

Shen Fei held a certain standing within the organization, and both his car and his fuel were supplied internally.

He had assumed Bai Youwei was asking for a ride to save on fuel — but once they were in the car, she added: “Don’t tell Shen Mo. Come back to pick me up later.”

Shen Fei: “But wh—”

Bai Youwei’s brow furrowed.

Shen Fei closed his mouth. No more questions.

He absolutely had to shake this reputation of being the “Why Planet’s Baby Boy.”

…

Bai Youwei arrived at her residence and told Shen Fei to wait in the living room. She went into the bedroom, locked the door from inside, then took out the golden key and opened the dollhouse.

Teacher Cheng and Pan Xiaoxin were both still at the square enjoying themselves, so the dollhouse was empty right now.

She went to the bathroom and quickly washed her hair and bathed, then dried her hair with a hair dryer. For her, even these simple movements weren’t easy, so it took some time.

Once she felt clean and fresh all over, she rummaged through the wardrobe and pulled out a lake-blue dress — deep V-neckline, ruffled edges, soft and close-fitting fabric. A figure of seven points of beauty could carry off the effect of ten, especially since the wave-pattern hem below the calf perfectly concealed the imperfection of her legs.

Bai Youwei looked at herself in the mirror, exhaled slowly, and pushed her wheelchair out of the dollhouse.

Not quite done yet.

The reason she’d come back was that she remembered the dressing table in this bedroom was covered in cosmetics left behind by the room’s original occupant.

She sat down at the vanity, and with focused, careful attention began working in the mirror — pressing on foundation, drawing in her eyebrows. She didn’t know how to do eye shadow, so she gave up on that, then tried mascara, leaving her eyes more vivid and luminous.

Then she broke off a small piece of the lipstick, dabbed her fingertip in it, and pressed it to her lips, followed by a gentle press together.

She had considered trying the perfume as well, but this room’s occupant had kept fragrances that didn’t suit her tastes, so she set it aside.

Finally, Bai Youwei worked her fingers through the crown of her hair, fluffing it to give it more volume.

The reflection looking back at her had snow-white skin and red lips — vivid, bright, and prettily striking. A cloud of dark black hair framed her fine, delicate face, blurring all age distinctions. She was at once girlishly pure and womanly alluring.

At last she was satisfied.

Starry night, bonfire, strong wine, and the scent of food — this kind of setting called for bold and vivid makeup.

She opened the bedroom door. Outside in the living room, Shen Fei was sitting on the sofa, half-asleep.

Bai Youwei called him to wake up, then asked: “Do I look good like this?”

Shen Fei was caught a little off guard. He blinked at her, transformed, for a moment. “Uh… I… I think…”

“Don’t tell me what you think.” Bai Youwei pinned him with a serious look. “Does your brother like this kind of thing?”

—