is going to be the grand finale!

Let's rewind to twenty minutes ago.

Xue Youyou and Lin Yueyao walked together in the corridor reserved for the contestants.

The light formed a straight band of light overhead, and the walls on both sides gleamed with a cold white luster.

The two footsteps echoed softly in the empty corridor, one after the other.

Suddenly, Xue Youyou stopped and turned to look at Lin Yueyao, saying casually, "I'm going to the restroom. You can go ahead."

"Oh, okay, do you need me to hand you some tissues?"

Lin Yueyao responded enthusiastically.

Ever since the Crescent Moon Saintess, whom she once worshipped to the point of utter devotion, was kicked to death by Xue Youyou like a stray dog ​​on the roadside, Lin Yueyao completely changed her faith and abandoned darkness for light.

The more they fawned over the Moon Worship Cult before, the more they fawn over Xue Youyou now.

The intensity of this affection was so great that he wished he could kneel down on the spot and acknowledge Xue Youyou as his godmother.

Xue Youyou remained expressionless, her thin lips slightly parted: "Get lost! I was just washing my hands!"

"Yes, sir!"

Lin Yueyao saluted and then turned to leave.

Xue Youyou watched Lin Yueyao's departing figure and shook her head speechlessly.

Since she promised not to pursue the matter, she won't reopen the case.

She's not the kind of person who holds grudges against others.

Lin Yueyao really didn't need to go to such lengths, as if she owed her a debt of gratitude from eight lifetimes ago.

But she also knew that even if she told Lin Yueyao this, Lin Yueyao wouldn't believe her.

This made Xue Youyou feel a little depressed. She was such an upright and trustworthy person, so how did her reputation among the people become so bad?

Back then, she was a great philanthropist who kept her promise even though she completely misunderstood Meng Yanqing's intentions.

How many beast tamers in this world can do what she did?

His shining character is comparable to that of a saint reborn.

Xue Youyou sighed inwardly, then went into the restroom next door.

Once inside, she propped herself up with one hand and sat down neatly on the sink, her skirt flaring out and her legs dangling in the air, her posture as relaxed as if she were sitting on a sofa in the courtyard.

She didn't actually come to wash her hands.

This was done simply to time the character's appearance.

For a master like her, the timing of her appearance is crucial.

Arrive fifteen minutes early? That's just something a mediocre person would do.

A true master must appear last, and with precision down to the second. A second too early is too hasty, a second too late is too sluggish; they must arrive at the very last moment, ensuring everyone's attention is precisely on them.

Just as Xue Youyou was patiently waiting, a strange noise suddenly reached her ears.

"Waaah—"

"Rustle, rustle—"

The sound was extremely soft, but it did not escape her hearing.

The first was a suppressed groan, the second was the soft rustling of fabric rubbing together.

Xue Youyou quickly determined that the voices came from two different people, and from the same cubicle.

What are they doing?!

Xue Youyou's eyes widened suddenly.

Having some experience, she almost instinctively came up with a bold guess.

Doing this in the public restroom of the competition venue... if I'm not mistaken, it's very likely that it was one of the other players who came to draw lots!

This is a huge bombshell!!

Xue Youyou's lips curled into a wicked smile.

She decided to go and see which two people were so interested in staging this before the lottery ceremony even started.

Xue Youyou tiptoed down from the sink, her footsteps so light they were almost silent, and then crouched down and moved step by step toward the innermost part of the sink.

After careful examination, she finally identified the innermost compartment.

The sound is coming from here.

Xue Youyou glanced down at the crack under the door again.

Two feet wearing shoes, plus a pair of empty shoes.

Two pairs of shoes in total.

No hair.

This indicates that one person is being held in the air, not in a position where both people are on the ground.

It is here.

Xue Youyou rubbed her hands together, ready to catch the adulterer in the act.

However, before she could make a move, the door to the cubicle was pushed open from the inside.

What came into view was a scene that completely stunned Xue Youyou.

There was a clean-cut young girl, bound tightly to a toilet seat with fine, white silk threads. Her limbs were bound and she could not move, and her mouth was sealed shut, leaving only her tear-filled eyes visible.

You can play like this?!

Xue Youyou's eyes widened even more than before, her pupils filled with the words "eye-opening," as if a door to a new world was slowly opening before her.

After a brief moment of shock, she managed to shift her gaze to another girl who was standing there.

This girl with long, light yellow hair is about the same height as Xue Youyou. Her features are soft and pleasing to the eye, but her temperament leans more towards the mature, older sister type.

Xue Youyou noticed that the uniform she was wearing must have just been put on, because the zipper on the side of the skirt was still partially open, revealing a small section of her waistline.

Clearly, Xue Youyou didn't recognize either of these two people.

The only identifiable identifier was the crescent moon embroidered on the uniform.

I don't know which college's mark it is.

The two girls froze the moment they saw Xue Youyou, clearly unprepared for her sudden appearance.

"Waaaaah—"

The bound girl screamed even louder.

Under Xue Youyou's questioning gaze, the girl with pale yellow hair remained calm. Suddenly, a thick silk thread shot out from her sleeve and wrapped around the mouth of the girl who was making "woo woo" cries.

Now, it was completely quiet.

Then, the blonde girl raised her head and gave Xue Youyou a calm smile: "Excuse me, we're playing a game. Do you understand what I mean?"

Xue Youyou blinked and said sincerely, "I think you should leave her a breathing hole?"

"Silk is naturally breathable."

"That's alright then."

The blonde girl smiled sweetly, a hint of admiration in her eyes: "Can you keep this a secret for us?"

Xue Youyou replied very ladylike, "Of course."

She wasn't usually one to spread gossip. She came to take a look purely to satisfy a sudden surge of curiosity.

That's it.

Then, Xue Youyou casually asked, "Are you contestants too?"

"Yes, I'm Mutsuki, a substitute for the first team of Getsuyouin. I was sent by the team to draw lots."

The blonde girl answered decisively.

However, she only mentioned her own name and didn't say a word about the other girl's identity.

Xue Youyou didn't care about this. She was just asking casually, like asking about the weather or whether she had eaten.

However, upon seeing the blonde girl, a strange feeling lingered in her heart.

Moreover, Xue Youyou was absolutely certain that this was definitely not because she was in heat.

"Blue Orchid Courtyard, where snow falls softly."

Xue Youyou generously introduced herself and even extended her right hand.

For some reason, she sensed a "high-level experience pack" aura emanating from the blonde girl.

The feeling was very subtle, like a hungry wolf smelling its prey deep in the mountains, making her involuntarily attracted to the other party, and even taking the rare initiative to shake hands as a gesture of goodwill.

Even Xue Youyou herself was surprised by this move.

Logically, this shouldn't be the case. The other person is just a substitute from an unknown team; what could possibly be worth her attention?

The blonde girl was slightly taken aback, but quickly gave a meaningful smile and reached out to shake his hand firmly: "It's an honor, Miss Shirayuki."

"It's getting late, let's go together."

"it is good."

The two walked out of the restroom side by side and through the long corridor.

The overhead lights cast their shadows into two parallel dark lines, one to the left and one to the right, moving side by side.

Soon, they reached the end of the corridor.

Ahead lies the main stage for this draw ceremony; the glow of the stage lights is already visible, and the voices of the host and contestants can be heard.

But both of them stopped at the boundary between the shadows and the light.

There were still more than ten minutes before the lottery ceremony began.

Neither of them intended to proceed further.

Xue Youyou spoke first, "Why aren't you leaving?"

Mutsuki countered, "Then why don't you leave?"

Xue Youyou was taken aback for a moment, then said frankly, "I'll wait for you to go first."

Mutsuki stood with her hands behind her back, her posture upright, and replied in a light tone, "Me too."

"..."

Seven minutes have passed.

The interview inside the door was almost over, but the two of them remained rooted to the spot, like two wooden stakes driven into the ground, neither willing to take the first step.

Xue Youyou finally couldn't hold back any longer and spoke again, her tone tinged with a hint of defiance: "You insist on stealing the spotlight from me, don't you?"

Mutsuki, with her hands still behind her back and an expression as calm as if she were discussing the weather, replied unhurriedly, "Let me tell you a secret—actually, I'm an expert."

"Do you understand what a master is? Can you go first?"

Xue Youyou nodded, a hint of mutual appreciation in her eyes. She hadn't expected to meet a like-minded person in this small Yue Lanzhou.

She replied earnestly, "The real expert has to appear last, and be the grand finale."

Regardless of whether he is a master or not, his sheer audacity alone makes him worthy of her serious attention.

Xue Youyou immediately decided that she would have a fair and square competition with this contestant named Muyue—to see who could appear at the last second.

Just then—

A discordant voice suddenly rang out from across the door: "Host, doesn't the league have any corresponding penalties for this kind of lateness?"

Xue Youyou and Muyue both raised their eyebrows at the same time.

The two stood still, listening quietly to the conversation between Jiang Ye and Bao Xiaoxing.

Grandma Li's behavior is simply intolerable.

Xue Youyou changed her mind on the spot.

She's not going to time it out at the last second; she's going to time it out at the first second after the timeout.

Today, she not only has to be late, but she has to be exactly one second late, not a second more, not a second less.

Just as Bao Xiaoxing counted down to "zero," Xue Youyou strode towards the venue. At the same time, without turning back, she uttered a sentence, her tone tinged with a victor's smugness:

"Idiot, the last one to perform is the second to last."

Mutsuki's pupils shrank suddenly.