Bai Youwei thought it over.

Then thought some more.

Finally, two names came to her: Fu Miaoxue, Du Lai.

She didn’t have a particularly good impression of those two…

But they had managed to win the game in the end — and it was partly thanks to those two having dealt Vilard a severe blow before them.

“All right, consider the debt repaid.” Bai Youwei stretched out her arms, working out the kinks, then began making further fine adjustments to the world.

“Hmm… this is hard… this is *really* hard. Fu Miaoxue, you put that man through so much — he’d be lucky not to hate you for it! How could he possibly fall in love with you?!”

Bai Youwei had run into a problem.

In this timeline, without the Puppet Game, Fu Miaoxue had kept Du Lai the way one keeps a dog. Even with her “hand of God,” she found it difficult to untangle their relationship.

“Even if genuine feelings did develop, it would almost certainly be Stockholm Syndrome — that’s far too unhealthy. I must object! I absolutely must object!”

“Ugh, I’ll just have to move Du Lai’s personal timeline forward — send him back to the ship… And Fu Miaoxue should come out too; she’s been cooped up in that estate so long she’s turned into a complete weirdo. Let her go on a trip, come out and breathe some fresh air… And actually, the ship would be the perfect setting. She could conveniently meet the ship’s magician there…”

As Bai Youwei adjusted and arranged, she began to frown again.

“Even with all this, it might not be enough to sort things out… Fu Miaoxue has that insufferable personality — self-important, domineering, and completely unreasonable. If she takes a liking to a magician, she’d just drag him home and keep him the same way. The end result would be no different…”

Tu Shenshi had been watching from the side for some time, and by now had a fairly clear picture of what she was trying to do. It offered a calm suggestion: “Since they’re on a ship, you could arrange a storm disaster.”

Bai Youwei paused slightly and glanced at it. “You really do have more experience with this sort of thing.”

Tu Shenshi: “…”

“A storm disaster it is!” Bai Youwei felt a spark of inspiration and immediately set to work adjusting the parameters. “It’s not exactly logical, but given those two’s personalities, I don’t see any other way… Let them drift to a deserted island and spend thirty days alone together…”

Bai Youwei finished all her arrangements and let out a long sigh. “This is all I can do for you.”

She withdrew her hands and looked at the world she had just adjusted. For a moment her feelings were complicated.

“I was just saying I didn’t want to be monitored and controlled — and here I’ve become someone who monitors and controls others without even noticing… I suddenly feel like I’ve become quite wicked.”

Bai Youwei sighed again, pressed her palms together, and closed her eyes in silent acknowledgment: “Zhu Shu, Yan Qingwen, Su Man, Lu Yuwen, Fu Miaoxue, Du Lai… I hope you won’t hold this against me.”

Tu Shenshi: “…”

Bai Youwei opened her eyes and walked out of the central cube with a light step.

She took Shen Mo’s arm and said her farewells to their companions.

Tan Xiao cried out dramatically: “Weiwei! Did you make me more handsome?”

Bai Youwei: “No. But I set your luck stat to maximum. Go buy a lottery ticket the moment you get home.”

Pan Xiaoxin grinned and joined in: “Weiwei jie, did you change my height? The girls in my class are all taller than me.”

“Go home and wait for your growth spurt.” Bai Youwei said. “Our little Xiaoxin is going to grow up to have a perfect model’s figure — clever, good-looking, with a grandpa and grandma who live long and happy lives!”

Cheng Weicai smiled and asked: “Youwei, did you change my…”

Bai Youwei: “I did, I did! Old Teacher Cheng, you love teaching so much — I figured you shouldn’t retire just yet. I’ve arranged for a university to re-hire you as a distinguished faculty member, so you can keep teaching. How does that sound?”

“That’s wonderful, just wonderful…” Cheng Weicai beamed from ear to ear.

And then, after the laughter, a thread of sadness.

All gatherings must come to an end. Their ragtag band of old and young, sick and stubborn, had at last reached the moment of parting.

Bai Youwei and Shen Mo, hand in hand, stood before the door to the world that Tu Shenshi had opened. They looked back at their companions —

The words of farewell were right there at the tip of their tongues, yet somehow could not be said.

In the end it was Tan Xiao who broke the silence, blurting something out of nowhere: “The new world is definitely going to be a lot of fun!”

Bai Youwei burst out laughing.

The corner of Shen Mo’s mouth curved into a smile as well.

“Goodbye!” This time the words came easily, and she said them with a smile, waving to her companions. “Goodbye! I love you all!”

“Goodbye——!”

Goodbye, world.

I love you, world.

—