What's the Point of Living, when the best is Sleeping? [BL]

17

The echoes of Guang Kai's grumbling trailed behind them as Jing Jian, Li Wei, and Ye Ming made their way out of the crowded 2-D classroom. The day's festivities hummed in the background—students running through corridors, the occasional burst of laughter. It was Foundation Day, and the school grounds buzzed with activity, but it felt distant, overshadowed by the tension brewing between them.

Ye Ming walked at a leisurely pace, his expression heavy-lidded, projecting the image of a man barely held together by the thin thread of sleep. His eyes half-open, his aura spoke of indifference, like the world could pass him by and he wouldn't so much as blink. Yet, inside, his mind was anything but idle.

Plan A—he mused inwardly, letting his thoughts drift in rhythm with his footsteps.

It's straightforward. I could play along, appease them for now. That would grant me some peace. But there's no guarantee they'll be satisfied with just that. Obsessive people never are. A plan isn't infallible just because it exists, after all. A isn't the only letter in the alphabet, and each path has its flaws.

The advantages and disadvantages lined themselves up in his head like a neat column of pros and cons. Playing along could mean temporary safety, but it could also fuel their unhealthy fixation on him. Yet resisting too soon, too forcefully, could provoke them, pushing them into more extreme actions.

As his mind raced, the two beside him, Jing Jian and Li Wei, exchanged glances. Both had long since grown used to Ye Ming's aloofness, but today, their patience was fraying. Their desire to claim him, to bend him to their will, simmered just beneath the surface.

"Ye Ming, you're not taking this seriously enough," Jing Jian said, his voice edged with frustration, though a forced smile remained on his face. "Do you really think you can keep acting like this? You know we're not just going to let it go."

Li Wei, usually more reserved, cut in with an intensity Ye Ming hadn't expected. "You can't just drift through this. We deserve more than that, don't we?"

Ye Ming blinked slowly, his gaze shifting between the two. Their words felt like noise—distant, repetitive, predictable.

He gave a nonchalant shrug, his response as minimal as possible. "Does it matter?"

The question hung in the air, vague yet sharp enough to provoke further reaction.

"It matters to us," Jing Jian insisted, stepping a little closer. "Your attitude... It's like you're not even here. Why are you holding back?"

Ye Ming's thoughts flickered to the original plot, where Bai Yuer's manipulations had been central to everything. Bai Yuer—the real source of their fascination, their obsession. Her absence today wasn't unnoticed. If she had been here, she would have twisted this situation in her favor, no doubt. But even without her, the situation was unraveling, and Ye Ming had no intention of becoming the puppet they wanted him to be.

If this doesn't work, there's always Plan B, Ye Ming reminded himself. There's always a backup. But I'll have to wait for the right moment.

Li Wei's sharp voice broke through his reverie. "You're not that hard to figure out, you know. If you just stop pretending for one second—"

Ye Ming turned his head slightly, just enough to acknowledge them with his half-lidded gaze. His silence in response felt louder than any words he could have spoken.

The corridor stretched on, the crowd thinning out as they moved further from the center of the school festivities. Ye Ming kept his pace steady, his mind still turning over the possibilities. Plan A was simple, but simplicity came with risks. What if it failed? What if pushing back too soon created a disaster?

Jing Jian and Li Wei were still watching him closely, but now, Li Wei's gaze was different—narrowed, calculating, as though some small flicker in Ye Ming's expression had caught his attention.

Then, in a moment of silence, Li Wei's lips curved into a barely noticeable smirk. Ye Ming could see it from the corner of his eye. The shift in Li Wei's demeanor was subtle but unmistakable. He had clearly convinced himself of something.

"You're not as indifferent as you act, are you, Ye Ming?" Li Wei asked, though his tone lacked the previous edge. It was softer now, almost like he had reached some kind of understanding, a victory in his mind.

Is that what you think? Ye Ming's thoughts were inwardly amused, but his expression remained the same: lazy, uninterested, distant. He hadn't given anything away—at least not intentionally—but it seemed Li Wei had fallen into one of the very traps Ye Ming had been setting.

Li Wei, emboldened by his misinterpretation, stepped forward with more confidence. "You're just pretending not to care, right? I see it now. It's a game to you, but we're not going to back down."

Ye Ming barely suppressed a smile, keeping his tired façade intact. This was almost too easy. Misunderstanding? Perfect. The more Li Wei believed he had Ye Ming figured out, the easier it would be to control the narrative. Ye Ming didn't need to deny anything; it was better if Li Wei continued down this path of overconfidence.

Jing Jian, though still frustrated, caught onto Li Wei's change in attitude and gave a brief nod, as though they were silently agreeing on something. Ye Ming could see them recalculating, adjusting their approach. It almost made him want to laugh—how easily they believed they had gained the upper hand.

But in reality, they were stepping right into his game.

Plan A—he reflected—is already starting to work in my favor.

Yet, even now, Ye Ming remained wary. One wrong move and their obsession could turn dangerous. He had to maintain control, keep them guessing. This misunderstanding wasn't a resolution—it was just a small piece of the larger puzzle he was constructing.

Still, for now, he let them have this false sense of clarity.

He cast a sidelong glance at Li Wei, his voice flat and disinterested. "Think whatever you want."

That was all the fuel they needed. Li Wei's smirk deepened, and Jing Jian looked more determined than ever. In their minds, they had won something, seen a glimpse behind Ye Ming's mask. But in truth, they were only wandering deeper into the labyrinth he had carefully crafted.

A/n: If you guys noticed, I'm reusing few of my stoopid chapters because I want my Ye Ming's story clean but the comments are my memories as it was so funny and lovely to delete. The story is a bit rush, I know but I'm exploring. Again... warn me or I might abandon it again for a whole year or two.