It was already very late.

All around were only pale lighting, silent dolls, and a door leading to an unknown destination.

No one would feel comfortable staying in such a place for long.

Shen Mo walked over and asked Bai Youwei, “What’s wrong?”

Bai Youwei pressed her lips together, her tone insistent. “I’m not feeling well. Take me back.”

“Then let’s go back.” Teacher Cheng, concerned about her health, also said, “Weiwei has been out with us all day. She should go back to the tent to rest. If you’re worried about missing something, we can have Xiao Tan record it or take photos.”

Hearing this, Tan Xiao pulled out his phone from his pocket and took photos of the surroundings.

He photographed the mirrors on both sides of the door, carelessly exclaiming, “Wow, what amazing mirrors! They can’t capture me~ Can’t capture me~”

Bai Youwei’s expression immediately darkened. She said sharply, “Get away from there!”

Tan Xiao froze, turning to look at her.

The other students also looked at Bai Youwei with various expressions.

That vague, lingering sense of eeriness became even more pronounced because of Bai Youwei’s abnormal reaction…

Tan Xiao stood dazed for two seconds, then put away his playful expression. He quickly took a burst of photos before hurrying back, shrinking behind Shen Mo as if afraid of angering Bai Youwei.

The other students also hastily took a few photos with their phones, then headed back together.

No one wanted to stay any longer.

On the way back, Bai Youwei remained very silent.

Shen Mo asked her, “Is it because of the mirrors?”

She first shook her head, then after a while, somehow nodded.

Shen Mo said in a low voice, “You said before that more important than finding the exit is finding the people. Those dolls are probably the people we need to find. They walked through that door and then became dolls—otherwise I can’t explain why so many dolls would gather near the door.”

Bai Youwei thought with her head lowered, not speaking.

Shen Mo’s voice dropped even lower, almost a murmur. “If the door isn’t the exit, then where would the exit be?”

“There’s one more thing…” Bai Youwei reminded him. “Where did we go in the mirrors?”

In a game without rule explanations, no detail would exist without reason. The dolls in the mirrors appearing and disappearing must have a certain logic—they couldn’t be just for scaring people.

Bai Youwei felt they were a kind of hint. Only by solving this hint could they truly clear the game.

But what exactly was it hinting at?

She needed to think more…

Think more…

…

That night, everyone tossed and turned.

The next morning, Bai Youwei woke early. She opened her eyes and stayed curled in the tent without moving. Outside were voices talking, footsteps, and the sounds of washbasins and pots clanking.

The noisy sounds gradually cleared her mind.

She crawled out and unzipped the tent. She saw Teacher Cheng outside cooking tomato noodles.

Each bowl of noodles had two fried eggs. The bright red noodle soup complemented the tender white eggs. When chopsticks poked them, golden yolk flowed out, mixing into the soup and noodles, opening up one’s taste buds.

Teacher Cheng felt bad about the food in the maze going uneaten, so he cooked a lot. What they couldn’t finish, he sent to Tu Dan’s students.

In reciprocity, the students also sent Teacher Cheng plenty of food, calling him “Teacher Cheng” with special affection.

Chen Hui saw Bai Youwei sitting alone by the tent flap. After thinking, she walked over with a bowl of noodles and asked, “Want some?”

Bai Youwei didn’t look at her, saying lazily, “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”

Chen Hui followed her gaze into the distance, knowing she was waiting for Shen Mo. She said, “Your brother went to get water. He’ll be back soon.”

Bai Youwei lightly hummed in acknowledgment.

Seeing her indifferent attitude, Chen Hui turned to leave. After two steps, she frowned. She bit her lip, then came back and said to Bai Youwei, “Please don’t misunderstand about yesterday.”