Bai Youwei took one look and knew it was definitely not Su Man.

Because near the vehicle in the distance, there was a woman sitting beside it in a black dress — too far to make out her face clearly, but Su Man never wore skirts. The only exception had probably been inside the dollhouse, when she’d been forced to change into the doll’s outfit.

And besides, setting out on a long journey in a full-length dress was genuinely strange.

Bai Youwei wore skirts herself, but only because trousers were too troublesome for her.

If she could run and jump freely, she’d be wearing athletic gear like a shot.

While Shen Mo and Bai Youwei were observing the woman, the woman had also spotted them.

She sat up very straight and turned to look their way.

Both Shen Mo and Bai Youwei went still at the same moment.

Because not only was the woman wearing a long black dress — she also had a long black veil covering her head. Both of them had assumed it was a cape of long hair, but now that the woman turned toward them and no face was revealed, they realized her entire head and face were wrapped in the veil.

More thoroughly covered than even the most modestly dressed Arabian woman — those at least showed their eyes. This one hadn’t revealed so much as a single eyebrow!

It was deeply unsettling.

Was she not hot?

Autumn had officially arrived, but the tail end of the summer heat was still fierce — on a sunny day the temperature could reach twenty-seven or twenty-eight degrees. Bai Youwei suspected she herself might get heatstroke dressed like that.

“How odd…” Bai Youwei murmured.

“Let’s go take a look,” Shen Mo restarted the car.

When the woman in black saw them approaching, she bent down and retreated into the tent. Shortly after, a young man in a hoodie emerged from the tent, watching Shen Mo’s car with a wary eye.

This person was none other than Du Lai — the very Du Lai who had once traded a substitute doll with Bai Youwei.

Du Lai and a woman, camping near the labyrinth?… Now that was interesting.

Bai Youwei’s eyes narrowed slightly. As Shen Mo’s car pulled up and stopped, she smiled and called out cheerfully: “Long time no see~”

“Oh, it’s you two.” The tension in Du Lai’s face dissolved at once, and he broke into a smile.

Bai Youwei smiled sweetly back: “Who did you think it was?”

“Oh — nobody in particular.” Du Lai glanced over at Shen Mo in the driver’s seat, then asked easily: “Are you two heading into the labyrinth? Don’t you think it’s a little short on people?”

“You’re only two as well,” Shen Mo said flatly.

“True — a labyrinth is a dangerous place. Two people is a bit thin on numbers, so we haven’t quite decided whether to go in.” Du Lai glanced at the tent again, then smiled by way of introduction: “The one in there is my girlfriend. She’s not much for talking to people — don’t take it personally.”

“Not at all,” Bai Youwei said. “We’ll rest here for a bit — you don’t mind, do you?”

Du Lai’s smile stiffened slightly: “…Ha. Of course not.”

From inside the tent came the woman’s low, complaining voice: “There’s so much space out here — why do they have to stop right here…”

Her voice was soft, but Bai Youwei and Shen Mo both heard it perfectly clearly.

Du Lai smiled and went back inside the tent.

Bai Youwei heard him speaking to the woman in a low, coaxing voice — they were speaking in a local dialect, too indistinct to make out.

After a while, the woman fell silent. The tent went quiet.

Shen Mo asked Bai Youwei: “Are you sure you want to stop here?”

They had the dollhouse — strictly speaking, there was no need to compete for space with Du Lai.

And if they were going to find Su Man, the sooner the better — to avoid Su Man running into trouble inside the labyrinth while they were too far away to help.

Bai Youwei watched the tent not far away, brow faintly creased: “I’m a little worried… If they cooperate, that’s fine. But if he causes trouble for us — what do we do then?”