In truth, Cheng Weicai felt he had no right to weigh in on this matter.

Who became King should be decided by Shen Mo and Bai Youwei themselves, and he respected the decisions each person made after careful deliberation.

But Bai Youwei had asked him to listen, so he listened.

“The battle format is a competitive game. Once you lose, both the King and the subjects forfeit puzzle pieces. When the puzzle piece count falls too low, the King dies — but subjects only become commoners.” Bai Youwei said. “Teacher Cheng, this is plain and obvious: the King’s risk is far greater than a subject’s.”

Teacher Cheng nodded and sighed. “That’s true…”

Bai Youwei continued, “To advance to the final tournament, you need to win at least four battles, and what format the final tournament will take is still unknown. Looking at it pessimistically, the probability of us winning all the way to the end is very, very small. Since casualties are unavoidable, why not choose the person who has a fallback option?”

Teacher Cheng stared at her, stunned. “You mean…”

“Teacher Cheng, I have the Dollhouse.” Bai Youwei said lightly with a smile. “If I feel I have no chance of winning, I can hide inside the Dollhouse before the game begins. But if Shen Mo is the King, no matter the opponent, he must face them head-on — no retreat at all.”

Teacher Cheng’s expression turned hesitant. “Weiwei, are you worried about something happening to Shen Mo, and that’s why you’re…?”

“Of course I’m worried about him.” Bai Youwei smiled. “But you can’t deny that what I just analyzed makes sense, can you?”

Teacher Cheng furrowed his brow and fell silent.

Bai Youwei’s voice softened a little, and she said slowly, “Teacher Cheng, as long as I’m inside the Dollhouse, you will all find a way to save me. But if something happens to Shen Mo… I truly have no way to help.”

These last words clearly moved Cheng Weicai.

He gave a heavy nod and said, “I understand… If someone asks my opinion, I’ll stand on your side.”

Bai Youwei pressed her lips together, a smile appearing.

Whether they could win all the way to the end, she didn’t know. What she hoped the world would become, she hadn’t yet figured out. But at the very least, for now, she wanted to keep as much of the initiative in her own hands as possible… even if the other person was Shen Mo.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Shen Mo. It was because she truly didn’t want to… become a stepping stone for others.

She wanted to be King.

…

That night, the lights in the training room were still on.

Yu Chaohui landed a heavy blow on the punching bag, finally pulled back his fist, and walked over to rest on the long bench nearby.

Not far ahead on the ring, Tan Xiao was throwing punches at Shen Mo.

Tan Xiao had trained with the coach all day and still hadn’t gotten the hang of it. As he sparred, he fell apart completely, so Shen Mo took over to drill him personally.

Yu Chaohui watched for a while, then heard the sound of a wheelchair entering.

He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

In this entire building, only one person used a wheelchair.

Yu Chaohui stared coldly ahead as though he’d heard nothing, ignoring whatever was happening behind him.

The sound of Bai Youwei’s wheelchair rolled slowly over, drawing nearer and nearer, until it finally stopped beside him.

Only then did Yu Chaohui glance at her sideways.

Bai Youwei smiled faintly. “I know. All this time, you’ve been very unconvinced. You think only Shen Mo deserves to be King — isn’t that right?”

Yu Chaohui looked at her once, then looked away and said nothing.

Perhaps he didn’t want to argue with her. Perhaps he didn’t feel she was worth engaging with.

Bai Youwei didn’t mind. She looked toward Shen Mo and Tan Xiao training in the distance, and said quietly, “If the King wins, the subjects share in the spoils of victory together — but if the King loses, the King dies, and the subjects only become commoners… Are you sure you want to make him King?”

Yu Chaohui’s brow furrowed deeply. He turned his head, eyes cold. “What are you trying to say?”

Bai Youwei smiled lightly. “What I’m trying to say, you should already know.”

—