“Baiyang Gege… what are you saying?”

Baiyang Gege stared at me with furrowed brows. “The game I designed for you should either win two ‘Tao’ or nothing at all. Tell me, how did you earn just one ‘Tao’?”

“I… I…” I lowered my head and told him what happened today.

I said that as soon as I saw people, my mind went completely blank and I forgot everything in the notebook. But to keep the game going, I improvised a simple game on the spot, and unexpectedly actually earned something.

“I’m very disappointed in you,” Baiyang Gege said as he stood up. “You don’t need to stay here anymore.”

“Ah…?” I was terrified.

It seemed like Baiyang Gege suddenly didn’t want me anymore.

“Yang… Yang Ge… isn’t that a bit much…” Tiger Shushu also stood up and said, “Even though this child didn’t follow your plan, she still earned ‘Tao’… and she did better than me…”

“When I say ‘disappointed’…” Baiyang Gege said to Tiger Shushu, “it’s because she only ever tells the truth. She could have made up a reason to deceive me, but she didn’t. That disappoints me greatly.”

“What?” I seemed to somewhat understand why Baiyang Gege was angry… He seemed to want me to deceive him? But why?

“Man-Mouse, you can’t survive here. Go find a place to die,” Baiyang Gege said. “Dying now would be a release for you.”

“I… I…” This sentence sent a chill down my spine. I didn’t understand why Baiyang Gege, who had such a gentle voice, would say such terrifying words.

“Yang Ge… why is this?” Tiger Shushu asked. “Does this broken place only let people who lie survive? Even if we’ve all become like this… can’t we still try our best to protect a child?”

“Did you hear her game just now?” Baiyang Gege asked in return. “She set up such a pathetic game—she could die at the hands of participants at any time. You should know that once a ‘game’ is designed, it can’t be changed! Those two women today had some conscience, but what about later? Should we wait until we’ve developed feelings for her before letting her die?”

“But… but we can’t just let her…” Tiger Shushu slowly lowered his head. They all seemed very sad.

Why were they so sad?

Could it really be like Dad said back then… that I’m a money-loser…?

As long as I’m here… none of them will be happy.

Because I was born… Dad left, and within a few years, Mom also died because of me.

Only Grandma was willing to cook potatoes for me.

“I think Yang Ge is right…” Black Goat Shushu also spoke up. “Keeping this child alive isn’t really helping her. She’s only a little over ten years old. Are you prepared to have her witness all the ugliness of human nature?”

Snake Shushu, who had always been grinning and joking around, had a very serious look in his eyes tonight. He shook his head and said, “So letting this child die is her release? All of our hands are already stained with blood, and now we won’t even spare children?”

“What kind of thinking is that?” Black Goat Shushu asked. “We’re ‘Zodiacs’! We’ll ultimately have to escape from here by killing people! Do you really think you’re some kind of immortal?”

The several of them argued fiercely. Although I didn’t quite understand what they meant, I knew it must be because of me.

“Uncles… please don’t fight…” I stood up and thanked them again. “You’ve let me eat two full meals. I’m already extremely grateful to you.”

The uncles looked at me silently. I didn’t know what they were thinking.

“These… these are the ‘Tao’ that Baiyang Gege gave me during the day.” I took out those four small orbs and placed them on the table. “Also, I earned a bag of peanuts today…”

I took out the wrinkled bag of peanuts from my pocket and placed it on the table.

“I didn’t bear to eat them… Uncles can eat them…”

Seeing that none of them moved, I smiled at them and said, “Uncles, please don’t fight. I’m a money-loser… I’m really not worth fighting over…”

I slowly backed toward the door, thanked them again, then opened the door and went out.

Actually, it’s okay. It really is okay…

This isn’t the first time I’ve been abandoned.

Dad abandoned me, and the aunt and uncle who took me in also abandoned me. It really is okay…

I won’t be sad. I hope the uncles won’t be sad either.

They’re all good people. How can they be sad because of me?

But crying while wearing a mask is really uncomfortable. My tears are all stuck to my face.

I’ve been doing wrong things my whole life.

Being a child is really hard. Sometimes you get praised for being obedient, and sometimes you get scolded for being obedient.

If possible… I hope I can grow up tomorrow.

Walking in the corridor, I remembered that year when I was four. Mom cried and told me to help her kick away the chair under her feet. She said she didn’t dare do it herself.

Actually, I didn’t dare either. I felt very scared… But Mom cried and wailed, telling me to kick the chair away, so I finally did as she said.

That time I listened to her, but Mom hung on the rope and never woke up again.

From then on, aside from Grandma, no one was willing to come near me. They said I was a money-loser who killed my own mother.

Perhaps my existence is destined to cause trouble for others. I need to find a place to hide myself.

Although I left the room… where should I go?

I kind of missed Da Huang from the village. In this world, probably only Grandma and Da Huang truly liked me.

Actually, it’s fine to be alone… I can go to work earlier.

From now on, I’ll live in the small warehouse. If I get hungry at night, I’ll go out to find something to eat. During the day, I’ll wait there to welcome “participants”…

“Ah!”

I felt like I accidentally bumped into something. Looking up, I saw two rabbit sisters.

“A Man-Mouse…?” They looked down at me. “Whose Man-Mouse are you? Why are you wandering the corridor late at night?”

“I…” I thought for a moment. It seemed I didn’t belong to anyone. Instantly, I cried even harder. “Jiejie, no one… no one wants me anymore…”

One of the rabbit sisters hastily covered my mouth and said, “Little girl… think carefully again. You must have a ‘teacher,’ right? Who is your teacher?”

I knew I had already caused Baiyang Gege too much trouble. I couldn’t bother him anymore.

I shook my head, removed the rabbit sister’s hand, and said, “Jiejie… I really don’t have a teacher. I’m getting ready to go to ‘work’ now…”

She still looked panicked and tried to reach out to cover my mouth again, but the other rabbit sister spoke up. “It’s useless. She’s said it twice already. The teacher must have heard. Let’s send her over.”

“Sigh…” The rabbit sister who had covered my mouth suddenly showed a sad expression. “Little Mouse, you’re really too foolish… Our teacher has an arrangement with Earth-Dragon… he specifically takes in unwanted girls…”

Their teacher…?

Could their teacher be as nice as Baiyang Gege?

“Then… will your teacher give me food to eat…?” I asked quietly. “I eat very little. Just one boiled potato a day is enough.”

“Food…” The two rabbit sisters looked at each other, finally sighing. “Little Mouse… as long as you can be sensible enough… you’ll get lots of food every day…”

“Sensible?”

I smiled and nodded. This shouldn’t be a difficult problem.

Grandma always told me I was very sensible since I was little, so I should be able to please their teacher, right…?

The two rabbit sisters brought me to the entrance of a room. This room seemed different from all the other rooms.

The door here was very smelly.

“Little Mouse… don’t hate us…” one rabbit sister said quietly. “We have our own mission too…”

Before I could say anything, they opened the door and pushed me inside. A foul fishy smell wafted out from within.