A Mysterious Plan and a Bedtime Story

The following morning, Chen Si Yi, her schoolbag slung over her shoulder, was dressed in her long-sleeved uniform and a black knee-length skirt. She was off to school once more.

Just like yesterday, she smiled at Serena and me by the door, bidding us farewell. Then, she jogged away, disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Serena and I watched silently as her figure gradually faded into the distance. Only when we were certain she wouldn’t return did we softly close the door. We then exchanged a knowing smile.

“Hehe, we finally sent Si Yi off,” Serena said, poking my shoulder from behind. “Now, we can finally begin our mysterious, unknown plan!”

‘Hey, hey, hey, don’t exaggerate so much,’ I thought. ‘You’re making it sound like we’re villains about to do something shady. It’s just helping you rank up; how is that a ‘mysterious plan’?’

‘If anything, *my* scheme to lure you onto my ‘ship’ is the real plan,’ I mused. ‘You’re just a little demon sprout, still wet behind the ears; you have a long way to go!’

Originally, helping Serena rank up was the first step in finding a way to escape this house. However, at the moment, I had no desire to play games with her.

The reason was simple: I hadn’t slept well yesterday.

Indeed, with such a restless body, how could I possibly get any good sleep?

Even though Chen Si Yi had urged me, sending me back to my room by ten o’clock, the oppressive heat throughout my body kept me tossing and turning. I simply couldn’t fall asleep.

Amidst my struggle, I glanced up. The alarm clock already pointed to one in the morning.

Had my self-control not been rather strong, given the unbearable itchiness of my body last night, I might have…

‘Ahem, I’m getting sidetracked,’ I thought. ‘No need to dwell on the past.’

In any case, after finally waking up, I gazed out the window at the serene, pleasant scenery. Immediately, a sense of relief washed over my entire body. The oppressive heat had completely vanished, and the inexplicable vexation within my heart had significantly lessened.

However, sleeping only six hours—from one in the morning until seven—was certainly far from enough. Not for a girl like me, currently in a critical period of physical development.

Especially after eating a completely flavorless breakfast, my drowsiness became even more rampant.

Thus, barely able to keep my eyes open, I waved a hand at Serena. “Wait, Serena, don’t rush,” I said regretfully. “Let me sleep for an hour or two, then I’ll help you rank up!”

“Eh? You’re going back to sleep?”

Upon hearing this, Serena immediately grew anxious. The hopeful sparkle in her eyes dimmed.

She ‘hmph’-ed, puffing out her cheeks until her face resembled a swollen ball. Then, she glared fiercely at me, placing her hands on her hips and complaining incessantly.

“Hmph, have you already gone back on your word, Lin Yan, after just one day?” she demanded. “Didn’t we agree yesterday that you’d help me rank up first thing this morning?”

‘Ah, ah, I actually planned to do that,’ I thought. ‘But a sudden situation came up, so I had to change the plan temporarily.’

“Humans truly are a faithless bunch!” Serena declared. “Hmph, how weak they are! Unlike us demons, it doesn’t matter even if we don’t sleep for ten days or half a month!”

‘Hey, hey, why are we suddenly talking about races?’ I mused. ‘And not sleeping for ten days or half a month isn’t something to brag about; it would just cause a lot of trouble for others!’

‘If it weren’t for Serena, this demon, acting like a night owl and staying up every night watching TV in the living room, I would have already slipped out of the house and regained my freedom!’

“Alright, alright, just be quiet,” I said. “You’re talking so much my ears are going numb.”

Serena’s ceaseless chattering by the door was starting to wear on even my supposedly good patience.

“I’m not saying I won’t help you reach Gold,” I said with a helpless shrug. “You just need to wait a few more hours. Is that really worth getting so angry about?”

“Hmph, no, that’s not the reason at all!” Serena retorted, her eyebrows twisted into a knot as she stood with hands on her hips. “This is about integrity, and it’s very important! If you constantly go back on your word, how can I ever trust what you say?”

‘Eh, eh, I didn’t expect this dummy to actually think things through quite thoroughly.’

Indeed, breaking a promise after only one day of forming an alliance was certainly unacceptable. It would undoubtedly create a rift in our partnership.

Therefore, to rectify this mistake, I immediately waved my hand and declared:

“Alright, then. How about this: once I’ve had my sleep, I’ll help you reach Platinum?”

“Huh?”

Serena’s expression instantly froze upon hearing my words. Her mouth fell open in astonishment, and her green eyes widened like copper bells.

“This… you… you’re not joking, are you?”

“No, no, no, how could I be joking?” I said, waving my hand with a smile. “Since we’re already allies fighting side-by-side, it’s only right to help you ascend from Gold to Platinum. It won’t take much of my time anyway, hahaha.”

‘That much was true,’ I mused. ‘As a former Grandmaster, reaching Platinum was indeed a trivial matter for me.’

‘Conveniently, I also felt that reaching Gold might take too little time. Now, aiming for Platinum would extend my control over Serena.’

“Oh, so that’s how it is!” Serena exclaimed. “Then Lin Yan, hurry up and go to sleep!” Serena’s attitude had undergone a complete one-eighty-degree shift. Her previously bitter expression was replaced with renewed vitality.

She grabbed both my shoulders. Before I could even register what was happening, she pushed me straight back into Chen Si Yi’s bedroom.

Then, after scooping me up and tossing me onto the bed, Serena turned off the light. She gently pulled the thin cotton quilt over me…

“Um, Lin Yan-chan…” Serena said, holding a book and awkwardly leaning her head close to mine. “Do you… want a bedtime story?”

‘What the hell is a bedtime story?’ I scoffed internally. ‘Do you really think a person my age needs that?’

I rolled my eyes, unable to stop myself from sneering internally: ‘Get away from me, you shameless rank-grubber!’