Having said that, Bai Youwei couldn’t help letting out a small, humorless laugh.
“I stationed each of you in four directions around the forest. No matter which side Ye Chong brought his people from, at least one of you should have spotted them. Even if vegetation blocked your line of sight, surely you couldn’t have been deaf to the sound of footsteps?”
Yu Chaohui frowned. “I genuinely didn’t hear a thing.”
A’Shalina shook her head. “Neither did I. The forest is too large.”
A’Long and Zhang Yu both shook their heads as well.
Bai Youwei’s expression remained serene. She said mildly, “Naturally, the traitor won’t step forward themselves. I’m simply curious—what do they stand to gain from this? Why would someone help their own enemy?”
A’Shalina’s brow furrowed deeply. She looked around at the others, her eyes sharpening with suspicion.
She had known A’Long for many years and trusted that he wasn’t the traitor. That left only Yu Chaohui or Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu glanced hesitantly at Yu Chaohui…
“Why is everyone looking at me?” Yu Chaohui’s expression darkened. “You all think I’m the traitor?!”
A’Shalina snorted. “Isn’t it perfectly natural to suspect you? You’ve been resentful of the Queen this entire time—raising objections at every turn. Out of everyone here, you’re the one who least wants the Queen to win!”
“You—!” Yu Chaohui flared with anger. “That’s a completely different matter!”
“Enough, stop arguing.” Bai Youwei glanced at the sky and said dismissively, “Maybe I’m being paranoid about the traitor. Before it gets dark, I want to go check on the trap. Ye Chong’s ambush made me uneasy—what if they go after Shen Mo and Tan Xiao again…”
She looked at Yu Chaohui, then at A’Shalina, her gaze drifting back and forth before finally settling on A’Shalina.
“A’Shalina, come with me,” Bai Youwei said.
Even if she claimed she might be overthinking things, it seemed she didn’t quite trust Yu Chaohui either.
Yu Chaohui frowned. “What about us?”
“You…” She paused, then continued, “Keep watch. Report to me if anything happens. Though it should be fine—Ye Chong just launched one attack; he won’t come so soon for a second.”
With that, Bai Youwei turned and walked toward the trap.
A’Shalina immediately fell into step behind her.
Yu Chaohui, A’Long, and Zhang Yu stood where they were.
Yu Chaohui watched the two women walk away, a weight pressing on his chest. He glanced at the two beside him and said irritably, “Let’s go. Back to keeping watch.”
…
Ahead, Bai Youwei and A’Shalina walked at a slow pace.
Bai Youwei moved without hurry, silent the whole way, seemingly lost in thought.
A’Shalina looked back the way they’d come, then turned to Bai Youwei with a puzzled frown. “Could it really be Yu Chaohui? He thinks he’s already lost, so he went over to White Gloves’ side? Or maybe… he’s deliberately taking revenge on you?”
Bai Youwei kept her gaze forward. “What do you think? Other than him, who else could it be?”
“It’s definitely not A’Long,” A’Shalina said without hesitation. “A’Long isn’t that kind of person.”
Bai Youwei listened to her defend her friend and smiled despite herself, then asked, “What about Zhang Yu? Is it possible?”
“He’s someone you all recruited from the assessment group—I don’t know him well. He seems like someone who follows the rules, but he might have been threatened by White Gloves…” A’Shalina sighed. “Whoever it is, it’s a serious problem. It’s essentially like losing another animal.”
Bai Youwei stopped.
A’Shalina had taken two more steps before she noticed. She turned back and asked, “What is it?”
Bai Youwei said, “A’Shalina, do you know how to use a bow and arrow?”
“I do, but it’s been a long time since I practiced…” A’Shalina asked curiously, “Why are you suddenly asking?”
Bai Youwei asked again, “If the target were twenty or thirty meters away, do you think you could hit a person?”
A’Shalina already had a vague sense of what Bai Youwei was planning. She thought for a moment, then said seriously, “If you gave me a bow right now and let me practice a few times to get a feel for it, hitting a person shouldn’t be a problem.”
—