As Zhu Shu said it, she smiled. “Shen Mo really takes such good care of you.”

Those words were sweet to hear. Bai Youwei felt the red bean paste in the bowl grow even sweeter.

And yet, when she recalled how close Shen Mo had come to not making it out of the maze, the smile at the corner of her mouth faded by two shades.

Not particularly wanting to revisit what had happened in the maze, she changed the subject and asked: “How has Brother Yan been lately? Does he have any plans to enter a maze?”

“Earlier, Fu Miaoxue and Du Lai did approach us about it, but Brother Yan didn’t want us to take risks, so he declined.” Zhu Shu let out a quiet sigh. “Chu Huaijin has been going to talk to him these past few days too — probably trying to persuade him again, hoping he won’t just give up like this.”

Bai Youwei asked curiously: “Do you think Brother Yan will change his mind?”

Zhu Shu shook her head gently. “Probably not… He’s already stripped all of us of our subject status and demoted us to commoners. Now he has no subjects at all — he definitely can’t participate in the battles.”

Then, with a somewhat bitter smile, she added: “But living each day like this is so disorienting — like a death sentence has been announced, and you don’t know when it falls, but there’s nothing you can do, only wait passively for the tragedy to arrive.”

Bai Youwei said lightly: “That sounds like the end of the world.”

“A little bit, doesn’t it… Although Brother Yan hasn’t said so, I can see it in him — he’s filled with conflicted longing too.” Zhu Shu sighed. “He must also want to know, when all the games are finally over, what will actually happen. The rumors flying around outside are getting more outrageous by the day — becoming a messiah, being remodeled by aliens — I don’t believe any of them. Sometimes I lie awake at night wondering if all of this might just be a dream.”

She looked at Bai Youwei and asked: “If you won all the way to the end and had the power to change the world, what would you do?”

Bai Youwei was quiet for a moment, then slowly shook her head. “I haven’t thought about it… Sometimes when I hear things like that, all I can think is: deal with it when we get there… Who knows whether I’ll even win the next round.”

“You’ll definitely win.” Zhu Shu smiled. “Brother Yan says that among all the kings, there are very few who are any match for you!”

Bai Youwei, hearing that, gave her a sly look. “Oh, come on — do you think I can win because you yourself believe it, or because Yan Qingwen said so and that’s why you believe it?”

“Both, both~” Zhu Shu covered her mouth and laughed softly. “We all think you can win. And besides, you have Shen Mo — with him around, it’d be hard for you to lose even if you tried.”

That was true enough.

Bai Youwei thought to herself: with him here, she really did feel safe.

She slowly stirred the red bean paste in her bowl and said quietly to Zhu Shu: “Honestly, the most peaceful and contented stretch of time I’ve had in all these years is right now.

“You just said — what if all of this is a dream? For me, I hope it’s a dream that never ends…

“Without the maze, without the game, Shen Mo and I would never have ended up together, and I would never have met Teacher Cheng, Tan Xiao, Xiaoxin… would never have met you. I’d probably still be sitting alone in my room every day, counting out pills to get through each day… When I think about that, I genuinely don’t want the game to end at all.”

Zhu Shu was moved, gazing into Bai Youwei’s eyes. “…And now? What do you think now?”

Bai Youwei tilted her head and thought for a moment, then smiled faintly. “Now… now I feel like, whatever the world becomes, as long as the people who matter are still beside me, that’s enough.”

Zhu Shu reached out and gently took her hand, opened her mouth as though to say something — but found herself at a loss for words.

Everyone despised the doll game. The game had taken their loved ones, partners, and friends. But Bai Youwei’s words resonated deeply with Zhu Shu.

Because the bonds forged through one game after another were precious too — precious enough that, if asked to erase them, who could bear it?

It wasn’t only the love between men and women. There were so many other things… so many ties worth entrusting one’s life to. They were burning and fierce, seared into the body through brushes with death, carved into life itself, long since woven into the fabric of who one was.

Zhu Shu drew a slow breath. Holding Bai Youwei’s hand, she said: “Even when the game is over, we will still be here.”

—