Ten minutes later, the severed hand not only had its nails done — its arm also had a “face” painted on it.

Bai Youwei had put her recently learned makeup skills to use: she drew on eyebrows and eyes, applied lipstick and blush, and even stuck on a pair of thick, curling false eyelashes.

The severed hand scurried cheerfully downstairs to collect eggs.

Teacher Cheng, who had just returned to the courtyard, happened to run right into it — and nearly jumped out of his skin! He almost dropped the eggs in his hands!

Bai Youwei saw it from the window and burst out laughing, laughing so hard several of the masks slipped off her legs.

Down below, Teacher Cheng sighed and sighed, comforting the severed hand endlessly.

After a while, Bai Youwei heard footsteps coming up the stairs, heading toward the bathroom — it seemed he was going to help it wash up.

The sound of running water came through, interspersed with Teacher Cheng’s occasional words of comfort:

“Don’t be sad… Weiwei was only playing a joke on you…”

Teacher Cheng truly had the heart of a bodhisattva. Even for a creature that had crawled out of a game, he didn’t begrudge his goodwill. He was willing to offer it warmth and concern.

Bai Youwei knew she couldn’t do the same. She was probably born a few degrees colder than other people.

If she hadn’t met Shen Mo. Hadn’t met Tan Xiao, Teacher Cheng, Pan Xiaoxin, Su Man, Zhu Shu, Yan Qingwen, Yu Yaqing…

Perhaps she would have been even colder.

Teacher Cheng gently knocked on Bai Youwei’s door, his tone helpless: “Weiwei, this… do you know how to wash this off?”

Bai Youwei opened the door and saw the severed hand lying in Teacher Cheng’s arms in a “belly-up” playing-dead pose, as though it had completely lost the will to live.

She couldn’t hold it in — she let out a laugh!

Teacher Cheng sighed. “Stop teasing it. Think of something — help clean it up…”

“You’ll need makeup remover oil for that.” Bai Youwei turned to go find the makeup remover, still laughing. “Teacher Cheng, you’re really so good to it — it’s like raising a cat or a dog.”

“Do no evil, practice all good…” Teacher Cheng mused. “If you’re good to others, others will be good to you. It goes both ways.”

Was that really how it worked?

Bai Youwei felt that very often, when you were good to people, they only took advantage of you.

She smiled indifferently, picked up some cotton pads and makeup remover, and walked back to hand them to Cheng Weicai.

Cheng Weicai carefully began to clean up the severed hand.

Bai Youwei watched from the side, then suddenly spoke: “Teacher Cheng, the first King battle is three weeks away. You know about this, right?”

Cheng Weicai wiped as he nodded. “I know. Little Shen has even assigned tasks to Tan Xiao — he trains with a coach every day. Xiaoxin is also taking logic classes. Everyone’s working hard.”

Bai Youwei asked, “Then do you know that in the first battle, either Shen Mo or I needs to exercise the right to surrender? So only one of us can be a King in the second battle.”

Cheng Weicai nodded again. “It can’t be helped. If we lose to someone else, we’ll lose a lot of puzzle pieces, and you two can only bring out the team’s true strength when you’re together.”

Bai Youwei smiled and asked, “Then do you think… between Shen Mo and me, who is better suited to be that King?”

Teacher Cheng froze.

He seemed to have never considered this question before.

Or rather, he’d never felt it was a question worth considering.

Bai Youwei and Shen Mo were in a romantic relationship — what difference did it make who was King?… No, come to think of it carefully, there was a difference.

“Have the two of you discussed this?” Teacher Cheng asked.

“We just got out of the labyrinth — there hasn’t been time to talk it over yet.” Bai Youwei said. “But I think I’m the more suitable one.”

Teacher Cheng looked at her with concern. “Weiwei, being King is dangerous…”

“Let me finish first.” Bai Youwei smiled nonchalantly. “Then you can consider who has the greater advantage as King.”

—