Chapter 937: Chapter 937: Gone

Shen Mo entered the room.

Bai Youwei was sitting on the bed, engrossed in a single-player game on her phone. She used to think these games were dumb, but now with nothing else to do, playing to pass the time actually became enjoyable.

She heard Shen Mo’s footsteps as he entered, but she didn’t look up and asked, “Has Asarina left?”

“Yes.” Shen Mo walked over. “She waited for you for two hours and just drove away.”

Bai Youwei’s fingers paused, then she resumed tapping on her phone screen without a word.

Shen Mo sat down by the bed, watching her play. Her score had already far exceeded the historical record.

“Asarina and Along leaving means we now have even fewer people,” Shen Mo remarked lightly. “Du Lai suggested we join them and go to Beijing. There’s a safety base there, free from interference of rumors. It might be easier to recruit subjects over there.”

“Oh, okay,” Bai Youwei nodded. “When do we leave?”

“I’ll try to get some gasoline in the next few days. We should be able to leave tomorrow or the day after,” Shen Mo said. “However, reaching a new place, meeting new team members, building trust and mutual understanding takes time. You’ll need to be prepared for that.”

“Uh-huh, got it.” Bai Youwei nodded again, seeming very cooperative.

Shen Mo was silent for a while, then said, “If we can’t make it in time, we should add Teacher Cheng and Xiaoxin first, getting five people together to cope with the next game. Winning or losing doesn’t matter.”

The most important thing now was to ensure Bai Youwei didn’t risk her life due to a lack of subjects.

Bai Youwei said “okay.”

She was too compliant today, not uttering a single unnecessary word.

Shen Mo stood up, asking her, “Do you want to talk to Teacher Cheng and Xiaoxin?”

Bai Youwei hesitated, her fingers pinching both ends of the phone. After a long time, she replied softly, “You go talk to them…”

This sort of matter, she should have handled herself, including persuading Asarina not to leave, but she pushed everything onto Shen Mo.

Shen Mo got up and walked towards the door.

He stopped at the threshold, turned around, and asked Bai Youwei, “You still want to have dinner in your room?”

“Mm…” Bai Youwei lowered her head and continued playing with her phone, “I’m not very hungry; I just want to be alone for a while.”

Shen Mo stood at the door, quietly watching her.

Feeling his gaze, Bai Youwei looked up, slightly uneasy, and gave a small, awkward smile. “Why are you looking at me like that…”

After a moment’s thought, Shen Mo said, “Come here, let me hold you.”

Bai Youwei paused, her smile returning, “…if you want to hold me, just come here.”

“No, you come here,” Shen Mo insisted. “I’ll wait for you here.”

The smile slowly faded from Bai Youwei’s face.

The room was eerily silent, neither of them spoke until the “game-over” sound effect from the mobile game snapped Bai Youwei back to reality.

She lowered her head, muttering somewhat discontentedly, “I was lying down comfortably; I don’t feel like moving.”

Shen Mo asked, “Are you too lazy to come over, or can you not come over?”

Bai Youwei’s lips pursed tightly, turning slightly pale.

Shen Mo strode toward her.

Bai Youwei recoiled as if afraid.

She leaned against the pillow, her entire demeanor tense and resistant. Before she could speak, Shen Mo held down her leg.

“When did this happen?” Shen Mo asked.

Bai Youwei bit her lower lip.

Shen Mo gripped her knee, lifting the powerless leg slightly and then slowly lowering it back down. “Since receiving the message yesterday, you’ve just stayed in your room. Are you planning to stay in bed all day today too? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Bai Youwei lowered her eyelids, speaking softly, “I thought it would recover quickly…”

Last time, it was just a moment.

She hadn’t expected that this time, after an entire day, she still couldn’t… stand up.