I Have Yet to Become a Doll Today

“Hu Ya!” Yu Yaqing didn’t want to fall out with her former teammate. She took a step towards Hu Ya and commanded her again sternly, “Hand over the key!”

Hu Ya continued to retreat and then suddenly turned around to run down the corridor!

Yu Yaqing lifted her leg to give chase, but she was a step too slow!

Hu Ya ran into her own room, and with a thud, she closed the door!

“Hu Ya!” Yu Yaqing pounded on the door forcefully, “Come out! Don’t be foolish! The key may be a trap!”

There was no reply from within the room.

Meanwhile, everyone else was stirred awake. One by one, they left their rooms, looking puzzled, asking Yu Yaqing:

“What happened? Did something happen to Hu Ya?”

Bai Youwei also rubbed her ears, sleepily asked: “What are you guys fussing about?”

Yu Yaqing felt somewhat embarrassed. Even though what Hu Ya did was out of her own volition, she was still part of Yu Yaqing’s team, and Yu Yaqing felt responsible for her actions.

“Hu Ya has a key in her hands. She might be planning to do something…” Yu Yaqing pressed her lips together, softly saying, “I’m worried that something might go awry.”

“Maybe she came out in the middle of the night to open the door, found that she couldn’t open it?” Bai Youwei yawned, casually saying, “So what if she did? If Duke does not die, we cannot escape, and it doesn’t make a difference if she’s gone. Everyone should just go back to sleep.”

She wheeled herself back to her room, closed the door and went to sleep.

Su Man and Zhu Shu glanced at each other and also returned to their respective rooms.

Yu Yaqing took a look at their receding figures, and then at the tightly shut door in front of her… she lifted her hand to knock on the door again.

Thud! Thud!

There was no sound from within the room.

Yu Yaqing thought for a while and then said to the door: “Hu Ya, no matter what, I hope you will reconsider. Do not let the game bewitch you.”

After she finished speaking, there was still no sound.

Yu Yaqing stood at the door for a while, then turned around and went back to her own room.

Hu Ya’s back was against the door. She slowly sank to the floor, lowering her head to look at the key in her hands.

“Is there anything else to think about…” she mumbled absently, looking at the key, “If Duke dies, I can escape with them. If Duke does not die… they will surely not survive. Only I… Only I could last until the very last day.”

She closed her eyes, clutching the key tightly.

“I can’t trust them… The only one I can rely on is myself.”

Next day at daybreak, Bai Youwei got up early.

By now, it was her third morning in the game, and she thought it was about time it ended.

She wheeled herself into the dining room.

The Inspector was arranging breakfast – still simple milk and dry bread. Even though it was simple, he tirelessly adjusted the placement and angle of the dishes, like someone suffering from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The others hadn’t arrived yet.

Bai Youwei took a bite of the dry bread first. It felt like she was chewing on wood chips.

She put down the bread and took a sip of milk. Thankfully, the milk was fresh.

“There’s something that has been bothering me…” she began, “Considering this game is exclusively for women, isn’t the victory condition of killing Duke a tad violent?”

The Inspector silently looked at her.

Bai Youwei said, “After all, women aren’t best known for their violence. But if isn’t about killing Duke, then the only other alternative is finding the key.”

At this point, she paused and looked up at the Inspector.

“But this alternative seems even less dependable… ” She looked at his face, handsome as the boys in a manga, and said calmly, “Because I cannot imagine, if an Inspector in a game deliberately gives out false intelligence, how can the game continue?”

“The Inspector is always correct,” he finally replied, “It’s the players who may misunderstand, not the Inspector.”

Bai Youwei asked, “Then let me ask you once again, is the condition to clear the game to find the key?”

The Inspector fell silent.

After a moment, he answered, “The condition to clear the game is, to be the last bride standing.”

Bai Youwei gave a faint smile. “Thank you.”