The short-haired girl had cooperated with Bai Youwei during the game, so seeing her now filled her with genuine warmth. She walked over with a beaming smile and extended her hand openly——

“Let’s get properly acquainted. I’m Ashalina, Thai, registered as a King, currently demoted to subject — if you’re looking to recruit followers, feel free to consider me!”

Bai Youwei shook her hand and gave a simple introduction: “Bai Youwei. Chinese.”

The short-haired girl then turned to look at Yan Qingwen and Lu Yuwen.

“Are these two your friends?” She extended her right hand to them with a cheerful, easygoing smile. “Two handsome gentlemen — if you’re recruiting subjects, feel free to consider me too! I don’t have any standout specialty, but I’m well-rounded and a little capable in most areas~”

Yan Qingwen shook her hand, looked her up and down briefly, and asked, “Male?”

The short-haired girl was taken aback, eyes going wide. “You could tell just from that?!”

Bai Youwei was equally surprised. “…Male?”

Yan Qingwen said plainly, “Adam’s apple. The bone structure of the shoulders and hips is broader. And the shoes are quite large.”

Once he pointed it out, Bai Youwei studied the short-haired girl again and sure enough noticed the signs. Before, she had simply thought the short-haired girl dressed androgynously — taller than most women, with a voice that leaned neutral — and hadn’t considered the possibility…

The short-haired girl looked embarrassed and explained, “I’ve had surgery. I’m a woman now!”

Bai Youwei’s gaze drifted involuntarily to her chest, genuinely puzzled. “The results of surgery are like this?”

“Gender reassignment surgery isn’t completed in a single procedure!” the other responded, at once exasperated and a little flustered. “It takes at least three surgeries to be fully done! I’ve just finished the upper surgery — the lower surgery hasn’t happened yet! …Damn, and now there’s nowhere to get surgery anyway.”

Bai Youwei said, “…Oh.”

Well — she would express her sympathies for the other’s situation.

From a distance, a very tall man waved toward the short-haired girl: “Big Brother Jiwang! Over here! …”

The short-haired girl scrunched her brows, replying in displeasure, “I’ve told you a hundred times — don’t call me by that old name!”

She gave Bai Youwei and the others an awkward smile. “That’s my little brother — probably got himself into trouble again. I’ll go sort it out; let’s chat more later.”

“Sure.” Bai Youwei nodded. “We’ll talk later.”

“Remember to consider me for subject recruitment,” Ashalina reminded them one more time before leaving.

Bai Youwei watched her walk away and exchange excited words with the man who had called for her, and a faint twinge of envy rose in her chest.

——Ashalina and her companion were both safe and sound.

She watched a moment longer, then pulled her gaze back and asked Yan Qingwen, “What do you think of her? Can she be useful?”

“Not bad,” Yan Qingwen said with a slight nod. “Hard to say what her abilities are yet, but she seems to have a good sense of teamwork.”

Lu Yuwen was scanning the crowd around them and said in a low voice, “More than half the players have already come out.”

While they had been talking, the number of people in the rest hall had grown to over a hundred and fifty — and yet Su Man, Tan Xiao, Pan Xiaoxin, and Shen Mo had all still not appeared.

……

On a dazzlingly lit circular stage, a colorfully dressed clown bowed to the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Joyful Brawl Arena!”

It had an extremely round and squat body, short stubby limbs, and a perfectly round head — standing on the stage, it looked just like a fat pumpkin.

From that single, simple bow, it managed to stumble and flip itself head over heels.

The clown clambered back up in a fluster. Hearing no laughter, the paint-covered face immediately twisted into an expression of indignation:

“Why aren’t you laughing?! That move I just did was so ridiculous! My expression was so funny! Why aren’t you laughing?! Anyone who doesn’t laugh is eliminated!!”

The moment those words were out, a sparse, dry “Ha… haha…” drifted up from the audience seats.

Tan Xiao hunched over and squeezed stealthily to Shen Mo’s side, whispering, “I didn’t find Weiwei-jie, but I saw Su Man — she’s in the second row…”