Going around in circles — it ended up being Bai Youwei who went.

Even if Shen Mo wanted to go, it didn’t matter. The choice belonged to Du Lai.

When Shen Mingyuan noticed the two of them had not returned for some time, he looked over at Du Lai with a smile and said: “First come, first served — you might as well let me go. Young people have their own affairs to attend to.”

“I’m afraid not…” Du Lai replied flatly. “This isn’t a number queue at the bank. I don’t care about first or second. I’ll choose whoever gives me the best odds of success.”

“Is that so…” Shen Mingyuan let out a quiet sigh. “A pity, then. I rather thought I might have this chance.”

Du Lai smiled, looking at Shen Mingyuan. “That said, I do owe you my thanks. If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t have been willing to go into the maze.”

Shen Mingyuan was quiet for a moment, gazing in the direction the two of them had left. “She should go. With a great battle approaching, it’s time she got one last look at the people who matter to her.”

Du Lai said coldly: “Perhaps to her, that person doesn’t deserve to be called family…”

Shen Mingyuan shook his head with a small smile. “You young people — you’re all so decisive. Always thinking that anything can be cut clean, just like that.”

“Because some things really are more fragile than you’d imagine,” Du Lai said, lowering his eyes. “Some people — the moment you turn your back, are gone and never found again.”

—

Bai Youwei entered the maze that very night.

Why such urgency? Because Du Lai could not afford to wait even a single moment more.

He handed over every item he had left to Bai Youwei and drew her a map.

“I looked through the magic crystal shard — Miaoxue is at her home. She spent twenty years living in that place, so it’s perfectly natural that the maze would choose it as the dreamscape.”

Bai Youwei took the map and felt genuinely speechless. “Wow. This is the first time I’ve ever encountered a home that requires a map to navigate.”

The floor plan showed what was unmistakably a castle — not only with gardens, but a private stable and even a helipad.

Clearly, Fu Miaoxue’s family had vast wealth — far exceeding even her family and Shen Mo’s family combined.

Shen Mo studied the map for a moment, his expression thoughtful. “The architecture doesn’t look like anything built domestically.”

“That’s correct — it’s an estate abroad,” Du Lai explained. “Miaoxue’s grandfather was a notorious international criminal underworld boss. His stronghold is extremely secluded. The estate is managed day-to-day by a butler. Aside from Miaoxue, there’s also a live-in private tutor named Joanna. You don’t need to worry about the other servants.”

Then Du Lai produced the crystal shard and added a final note: “This item can only be used three times. I’ve already used it twice. The last use I’m leaving for you — once you bring Miaoxue out, it’s yours.”

Bai Youwei let out a short scoff. “No wonder you were so certain earlier that Fu Miaoxue wouldn’t come out on her own — you’d already checked with the item. So how was she? What state was she in inside the dreamscape?”

Du Lai’s brow creased slightly. “…She’s already fully immersed in the dream. I suspect her loop cycle is far longer than mine or Chen Hui’s.”

Bai Youwei asked: “Does that matter?”

“Of course,” Du Lai said. “The shorter the loop cycle, the easier it is to notice the inconsistencies. Chen Hui’s dream looped roughly every four hours. Mine was roughly every eight hours. Miaoxue’s cycle is probably far beyond that.”

“Understood.” Bai Youwei sighed. “I’ll play it by ear once I’m inside.”

“One more thing,” Du Lai reminded her. “When I was inside the dream, every item I was carrying had disappeared. I’m not certain whether your items will vanish after you enter — to be safe, it would be best to leave some of your more important items behind in the real world.”

This was also, implicitly, a warning: if she failed, her items would disappear along with her.

Bai Youwei thought it over, then unclasped the key to the dollhouse from around her neck and, rising onto her tiptoes, looped it around Shen Mo’s.

—