Chapter Thirty-Nine: Accepting the Consequences

While the entire student body of Innovation High was fervently discussing Xiao Lin's grades, the protagonist of this story was fast asleep. Wang Yuqing looked at Xiao Lin, who was slumbering peacefully on his desk, and shrugged helplessly—this guy truly was different from everyone else. Anyone else who had made such progress would be beside themselves with excitement, shouting it from the rooftops, but not him. He slept calmly, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

Wang Yuqing didn’t realize that Xiao Lin was simply exhausted. After weeks of intense, focused study, his nerves had remained on edge for so long that even the strongest would have faltered. Now that the results were out and he’d done well, Wang Yuqing no longer needed to move out, and Xiao Lin could finally relax. The moment he did, an overwhelming fatigue swept over him like a mountain. He drifted into sleep, enjoying the deepest rest he’d had in weeks.

Xiao Lin slept straight through until lunchtime. The teachers noticed him sleeping during class, but not one of them woke him; instead, they tacitly pretended not to see, unwilling to disturb his well-earned rest. They all understood, at least in part, the effort Xiao Lin had put in lately.

In stark contrast to Xiao Lin's peaceful repose was Yuan Weiye. The homeroom teacher, Old Yan, had blasted him in the office for two full periods; his ears were still ringing, his body and spirit nearly broken. Only after signing a pledge did the teacher let him go, and Yuan Weiye nearly collapsed as he left the office.

“Xiao Lin, Xiao Lin, it’s time for lunch.” Wang Yuqing gently shook Xiao Lin’s arm and whispered. But that wasn’t enough to wake him.

“Oh, Yuqing, you’ll never wake him like that. Watch me,” Tan Linlin said, then slapped Xiao Lin’s desk and, leaning close to his ear, shouted, “Xiao Lin, it’s raining! Hurry home and bring in your clothes!”

The shout startled Wang Yuqing.

Xiao Lin was deep in a dream, conversing with the god of sleep, when thunder echoed in his ear. He jerked upright, looking around for the source of the thunder, but found only Tan Linlin grinning mischievously beside him. Rubbing his head, he realized he’d slept a long time—his mind was still hazy.

Wang Yuqing rolled her eyes at Tan Linlin. Did she really have to wake someone like that? Seeing Xiao Lin’s dazed expression, she said tenderly, “Xiao Lin, don’t sleep anymore. Let’s get something to eat first. If you’re still tired later, you can sleep again, but don’t sleep on an empty stomach—it’s bad for you.”

At Wang Yuqing’s caring words, Xiao Lin finally came to his senses. He looked around and saw only four people left in the classroom: himself, Wang Yuqing, Tan Linlin, and Yuan Weiye. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he asked, “How long have I slept? Where is everyone?”

“How long? Sleeping master, you’ve slept the entire morning—all the others have gone to lunch. Hurry up, Xu Tong went to get food, we need to grab a spot,” Tan Linlin said dramatically.

“Wow, that long? Thanks for waiting for me. Let’s go, then.” Xiao Lin was impressed by how long he'd slept. He stood up, ready for lunch.

“Hmph, who waited for you? If Yuqing hadn’t insisted on waking you, I wouldn’t have bothered,” Tan Linlin replied haughtily.

“Heh, let’s go. Thank you, Yuqing.” Xiao Lin smiled at Wang Yuqing.

Wang Yuqing smiled sweetly. Of course—she didn’t want him to go hungry! That was her thought.

As Xiao Lin was about to leave, he noticed Yuan Weiye still in the classroom. He called out, “Come on, Weiye! What are you doing? Let’s go eat.”

Yuan Weiye responded mechanically, like a robot, stood up, and looked utterly drained.

“What’s wrong with him? Why does he look like that?” Xiao Lin asked, puzzled.

“He’s been lectured by Old Yan for two whole periods—anyone would have lost their mind. He’s lucky he’s not crazy,” Tan Linlin said, clicking her tongue in sympathy.

“Ah…” Xiao Lin was speechless. He’d often been called into the office for talks himself and knew well the endless nagging. He went over, patted Yuan Weiye’s shoulder in comfort, and then led him to the cafeteria.

“Hey, Xiao Lin, do you have any study secrets? How did you do so well this time?” At the lunch table, Tan Linlin asked, stuffing food into her mouth.

“No special secret, just worked really hard,” Xiao Lin replied.

“That’s too vague. I studied hard too, so why didn’t I improve much? Doctor, what do you think?” Not convinced, Tan Linlin turned to Lin Xudong.

Lin Xudong pushed his glasses up and looked at Xiao Lin. “Xiao Lin’s right. Your ‘studying hard’ is different from his. He’s desperate, you’re only relatively diligent.”

“But Xiao Lin, your progress this time is so impressive, even I have to admire you! And Wang Yuqing actually beat me this time—are all transfer students so remarkable?” Lin Xudong said with a bitter smile as he ate some greens.

“All? Is there another transfer student like me?” Wang Yuqing tilted her head in confusion.

“Doctor means Chai Yuan—the one who beat you by two points. He’s also a transfer, but he’s in eleventh grade, you’re in twelfth,” Wang Tao explained.

Wang Yuqing nodded lightly, understanding.

This exam, apart from Yuan Weiye who did poorly, Xu Tong, Wang Tao, and Tan Linlin’s grades hadn’t changed much, though all had improved somewhat.

“Boss Xiao, we’ll honor our bet. You really impressed us this time. Tell us which karaoke you want—we’ll make sure you’re satisfied,” Xu Tong said with a flourish.

“Uh, Boss Xiao, don’t go overboard. I don’t have much allowance left this month,” Wang Tao cautioned.

Seeing their expressions, Xiao Lin couldn’t help laughing. “Let’s go to Prince, then!”

Prince was a mid-sized karaoke place not far from Innovation High, popular among students for its reasonable prices.

“Great, I want to go too! I’ll bring some girls from my class. Since you’re treating, I want fruit platters, snacks…” Tan Linlin cheered, waving her hands so wildly that her chopsticks fell.

Xu Tong edged away with his tray, pretending not to know her. Wang Tao rolled his eyes at Tan Linlin, helpless. Xiao Lin and the others smiled at her antics. Only Yuan Weiye, with an air of grave misfortune, ate his rice in silence, as if hoping it would dispel the bad luck from the exam.