Chapter 23: The Price of Exhaustion

Dragging my utterly exhausted body, I shed my clothes. Reaching for the neatly folded school uniform in the wardrobe, I quickly donned it before heading to the door and opening it.

‘Ugh, I’m truly so sleepy.’

Rubbing my still-heavy eyelids, I yawned several times in succession, then continued to drag my weary frame towards the bathroom.

‘Huh, the door’s locked?’

It seemed Huang Beifeng was changing inside. While I patiently waited for the door to open, Huang Beifeng had already finished her morning routine. She knew where the disposable toiletries were kept, so there was no need for me to assist her. She could simply grab them herself and begin washing up after changing.

“Why do you seem a bit out of sorts?”

‘Isn’t that obvious?’ I thought, giving her an exasperated glare. “I didn’t sleep well last night; I’m quite tired now.”

“Oh, I see. It’s still early for school, so I’ll go wake up Mu Rong Xin Xue and grab some breakfast. You should get a bit more rest.”

Perhaps it was my own fault for not sleeping well, or maybe she felt a little guilty about kicking me off the bed earlier. Either way, not having to bother with making breakfast myself was certainly a welcome convenience.

After washing up, I decided to lie back down in bed for a while.

Before my mind could truly clear and I could drift back into a deep sleep, Huang Beifeng’s voice once again sounded beside my ear.

“I’m back! Time to wake up and eat breakfast.”

I squinted, glancing at the breakfast in her hand, then rubbed my stomach. Perhaps it was due to my overwhelming exhaustion, but I had no appetite.

“Huang Beifeng, I don’t have much appetite. I’m going back to sleep. Just wake me when you’re ready to leave.”

Casting a glance at the silver-haired loli who had instantly fallen back asleep, Huang Beifeng could only take her breakfast and leave Mu Rong Luo Ye’s room.

Approximately ten minutes later, I grudgingly pried open my heavy eyes. Huang Beifeng was already standing by the bed, waiting for me.

“Never mind. I’ll just sleep a bit more in the car.”

Resigned, I propped up my weary body and numbly followed behind Huang Beifeng. Yet, when I met Mu Rong Xin Xue’s gaze upon leaving the room, I had a vague feeling her eyes held an unusual glint.

‘I’m so sleepy, I can’t bother with anything else.’ With my eyes half-closed, I trudged forward, one heavy step after another.

“Bang!”

“Ah!”

Instinctively, I clutched my forehead, only then realizing that I had actually walked straight into a utility pole?!

“Pfft.”

‘Huang Beifeng, you rascal, you still have the nerve to laugh at me at a time like this?’

I shot her a fierce glare. That collision had instantly chased away my sleepiness, though whether that was a good thing or a bad thing remained to be seen.

‘But one thing’s for sure: it hurt!’

“Hmph, aren’t you going to check on me? You still have the audacity to laugh.”

I glared at her several more times, but it had no effect whatsoever. The wretch still couldn’t stop herself from secretly chuckling. Truly, it was too much!

‘Forget her. Get in the car, get in the car. Once I’ve regained my energy, I’ll definitely make her pay.’

Despite my confident declarations of making Huang Beifeng ‘pay,’ the moment I settled into my seat in the car, a heavy wave of sleepiness washed over me once more. Deciding to go all in, I simply rested my head on Huang Beifeng’s arm. If it weren’t for her, would I be this utterly drained right now?

Before closing my eyes, my peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the person beside me. As before, the senior student was still seated in the same spot. Although I vaguely sensed something off about the way she looked at me today, her gaze seemed almost identical to Mu Rong Xin Xue’s. But what did it matter? I was so incredibly sleepy. Sleep, sleep, goodnight.

****

Meanwhile, Mo Yuyan—the ‘iceberg senior’ Mu Rong Luo Ye had spoken of—

Gazing at the silver-haired loli and the black-haired girl before her, she should have felt nothing but excitement. Yet, seeing the exhausted state of the silver-haired loli she favored, for some reason, a pang of heartache stirred within her. However, upon witnessing the silver-haired loli’s head resting on the black-haired loli’s arm, and observing their intimate posture, she couldn’t help but clench her phone tightly. A chilling aura emanated from her eyes.

Sensing the coldness radiating from her, the few people who had been sitting beside her instinctively moved away.

“…”

****

The bus wasn’t particularly fast, nor was it slow, but if given the choice, I would have wished for it to continue a little longer. Although I had managed to catch a little sleep both at home and on the bus, I was still incredibly drowsy.

Yawning repeatedly, I stepped off the public bus. Just a few steps straight ahead lay the school gates.

My pace was slow, so Mo Yuyan, the ‘iceberg senior’ behind us, quickly caught up. As she passed, I vaguely felt her gaze linger on me, but my overwhelming exhaustion prevented me from paying it any mind.

‘I should just go back to the classroom and rest my head for a bit. Get some more sleep, adjust my state, and try not to doze off during class. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to bring out my secret weapon.’

An hour later.

Staring at the several small red punctures on my arm, I burst into tears.

In the end, I had indeed resorted to my secret weapon—the compass—and relied on the sharp pain to stay awake, barely making it through the class.

‘But I’m still so sleepy, and it hurts so much!’