Today, I Have Yet to Become a Doll

Both of them had picked the flowers they wanted without traversing the entire flower sea, returning early to the foot of the hill.

On the way back, Shen Mo felt, perhaps it was just his imagination, that his flower seemed to be rapidly wilting. After only a quarter of an hour walking through the woods, the outer petals began to wrinkle, no longer as smooth and relaxed as when they were first picked.

This was clearly abnormal. If this were in the real world, a flower like this, once picked, could last for at least two or three hours, right?

Shen Mo glanced at Bai Youwei's lotus.

The lotus was still perfectly fine. Its shape was large and full, water droplets sliding on the snow-white petals, sparkling with a crystal-clear light.

Bai Youwei said, "Because yours isn't thick enough."

Shen Mo: "…"

Bai Youwei pointed to the stem of the lotus. "The thicker this is, the more nutrients it can provide to the flower, and the longer the flower's shape can be maintained. However, the peony's stem is decent enough. Let's hurry up and put the flowers in a vase."

Shen Mo then remembered that the transparent glass vases on the table were filled with water.

His heart stirred slightly, and he asked Bai Youwei, "Did you choose the lotus because you realized early on that the flowers here would wilt quickly once picked?"

Bai Youwei: "I'm not a fortune teller~ I picked the lotus because the first flower a man ever gave me was a lotus. I picked it because I like it~"

Shen Mo: "…"

The last time he helped her pick lotus pods, he did indeed casually pluck a lotus flower and bring it back for her to enjoy.

Shen Mo lowered his eyes and glanced at Bai Youwei, saying indifferently, "Your mentality has improved considerably."

Being mischievous was one thing, but now she dared to tease him like this even in the game.

Bai Youwei held the lotus and smiled, half her face hidden behind the flower, revealing a pair of clear, cunning eyes.

She said with a smile, "When I saw the water in the vases, I did have a similar guess. After all, flowers and apples are very different. Apples won't go bad for several days, but flowers, especially those from small plants… Little daisies, evening primroses, night-blooming jasmine, these will wilt within minutes of being picked."

Shen Mo nodded slightly. "So you did know."

Not only did she know, but she didn't remind anyone else. Realizing this, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Bai Youwei sensed his subtle shift and asked him, "You're not blaming me, are you?"

"No," Shen Mo replied.

—With 18 people and 10 to be eliminated, this rule clearly had a competitive element. Bai Youwei didn't need to be so kind and generous as to tell everyone the secret to clearing the stage.

Shen Mo truly didn't blame her.

The reason he felt slightly displeased now was because of the increasing sense of constraint, of being forced to submit to the game's rules, a lack of freedom.

"It's good that you don't blame me," Bai Youwei said lightly. "After all, I'm still young and immature. I don't want to be a mother so early~"

Shen Mo stopped walking and raised an eyebrow at her.

Was he old? What was this supposed to mean?

Bai Youwei understood his look and explained, "You know, like a saint, being everyone's mother~"

Shen Mo: "…"

Bai Youwei: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Shen Mo: "Nothing. I just think you must be very happy."

So happy that she was constantly looking for amusement.

Bai Youwei said with a beaming smile, "Because I've found the source of happiness~"

Shen Mo gave her a cool look, then looked away and continued forward with the peony in hand, replying, "Take it easy, or it might turn into a source of pain."

Bai Youwei looked around herself.

How could it be painful?… A game like this, even if she played a hundred more times, she wouldn't get tired of it. At least for her, it was so much more enjoyable than the real world…

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