Incurable Pain

Incurable Pain | Chapter 12

*I know that you are you– you are unique.

“Today is your first day of entering the third year of high school. We won’t have classes yet. The teachers have some announcements to make, you can take notes.”

Every time on the first day of school, as per tradition, there would be cleaning, distribution of new books, and then the homeroom teacher would lecture at the podium, talking and talking until school ended, encouraging students to store their energy for the intense life of the third year.

However, what Shen Langli said today surprised most of the students.

“After the third year, we will have another class division. Everyone understands the principle of survival of the fittest, right? You’re not kids anymore. Those with good grades will be placed in the elite classes…”

“So what about the rest of you? Haven’t you been thinking seriously?”

“What have you been doing all this time? The exam hall is like a battlefield! High school is a major threshold in life. Can you really get through it without taking it seriously?” 

“None of you have shown much effort! Pack up and go home after school!”

So, as a newcomer who just joined Class 3 of the third year on the first day, Ah Mo was about to face a second round of class division.

But since she had already attended the first year of high school at this school, she was an old acquaintance and didn’t need to introduce herself.

Before class division, they needed to pack their things.

“It seems my relative’s prediction was accurate, they really are going to divide the classes.” 

Ah Mo didn’t have much to pack, so she came over to help Bai Xunyin and whispered in excitement, “So, based on our grades, we probably won’t be in the same class as Sheng Churan, right?”

Bai Xunyin smiled, a slight dimple appeared at the corner of her lips. Her black pupils shimmered like stardust, as if a shattered meteor had blended within.

Both she and Ah Mo were good students, so this matter did indeed make her happy.

While she was thinking, her phone vibrated on her desk.

Bai Xunyin took it out and saw the three words “Yu Luoyin” pop up on the screen, causing her eyebrows to twitch involuntarily.

“Oh?” 

Liu Yufu, the student in front, happened to turn around at the right moment and coincidentally saw this scene. In an instant, she thought of the time about half a month ago at the cinema—Bai Xunyin was ‘presumably’ walking alongside Yu Luoyin.

Now it seemed that it was no longer a presumption, but a fact.

Liu Yufu couldn’t help but smile playfully and lowered her voice to ask, “Bai Xunyin, how do you have Yu Luoyin’s WeChat? I heard that it’s hard to add him on WeChat and QQ. Even Sheng Churan hasn’t added him.”

Having an ‘outsider’ discover these things made Bai Xunyin even more embarrassed. She snatched her phone back like it had been electrified and hid it under the desk.

“Tsk, so stingy.” 

Liu Yufu rolled her eyes, not saying much. She just turned a bit displeased and started to tidy up her own things.

“Who’s Yu Luoyin?” 

Ah Mo found both of them inexplicable and couldn’t help asking, “Someone from our school?”

Ah Mo had only attended the first year at this school, and she was always with Bai Xunyin. 

Naturally, she wasn’t very interested in the so-called ‘celebrities’ at the school, so she naturally didn’t know the name Yu Luoyin.

But her voice wasn’t exactly soft, and her straightforward question of “Who’s Yu Luoyin” drew the attention of many students around them.

Sheng Churan heard it too, and she didn’t even bother packing up her things. She rushed over in three swift steps, her eyes shining brightly, “What happened to Yu Luoyin?”

Ah Mo didn’t like Sheng Churan, so she raised an eyebrow while crossing her arms, “What’s it to you?”

“Ah Mo!” 

Sheng Churan was provoked by her ambiguous tone and raised eyebrows, her eyebrows furrowing. Her spoiled attitude instantly flared up, “What do you mean?”

“What do I mean?” 

Taking advantage of the teacher’s absence, the two of them openly quarreled in the classroom. Ah Mo snorted coldly, “Can’t you tell? I just don’t want you to have anything to do with him.”

“Who do you think you are? Don’t want to talk to me?” 

Sheng Churan sneered, not being polite in her words, “Besides, I came over only when I heard the name Yu Luoyin. Do you think I wanted to talk to you?”

“You came over when you heard Yu Luoyin’s name? Do you like him?” 

Ah Mo was quick-witted and, observing Sheng Churan’s attitude, had a rough idea. Thinking back to what Liu Yufu had said earlier, she couldn’t help but laugh—

“Too bad you like him in vain, you can’t even get his WeChat ID, right?” 

Ah Mo patted Bai Xunyin next to her, triumphant, “Yu Luoyin even sends WeChat messages to our Yinyin. Are you jealous?”

…

For a moment, the classroom fell into silence, and after a while, laughter broke out.

Most of the students didn’t believe such words—Who was Yu Luoyin? He was the school heartthrob, a truly outstanding figure.

And who was Bai Xunyin? 

Though pretty, she was a mute!

What could possibly connect these two people? Yu Luoyin sent her WeChat messages?

It’s nothing but a fantasy, most people thought so—

Except Sheng Churan, who was momentarily stunned. 

The light shattered in her eyes, and with a trace of vulnerability, she glared at Bai Xunyin with an eerie intensity.

The noisy classroom was becoming irritating.

Bai Xunyin furrowed her eyebrows lightly, haphazardly packed her books into her backpack, and squeezed her way through the layers of students to run out.

She ran all the way to the corridor outside the teaching building and stood under the eaves, waiting for Ah Mo.

Only when the surroundings became “quiet” did Bai Xunyin check her phone and read the message Yu Luoyin had just sent.

It was short and simple, just one sentence.

[Meet me at the back playground after school, alone.]

…

Bai Xunyin was a bit unsure.

Third Middle School had strict security; without a student ID, she couldn’t enter the school. She really had to go– 

But being alone…

She thought for a moment and then replied.

[I have to go home with Ah Mo.]

Yu Luoyin’s reply came quickly. 

[I’ll walk you home.]

The key point was not who was walking her home, ah.

Bai Xunyin sighed helplessly. She thought for a moment and sent a message to Ah Mo to let her know, then turned and headed to the school’s back playground.

Behind the teaching building of Third Middle School, there was a large area of overgrown weeds. The school didn’t employ anyone to maintain it, so the wild grass grew unchecked.

There was only a run-down basketball court on the empty ground. If boys had nowhere else to play, they’d come here. There were two rows of tiered stone benches beside it, one layer after another… 

Yu Luoyin was sitting at the highest point.

The blazing sun above him didn’t seem to bother him. He was sitting at the top step of the platform, slightly bent, his elbows resting on his long legs as he held a bottle of water, swaying it back and forth.

Sensing someone’s arrival, Yu Luoyin lifted his gaze and saw Bai Xunyin, in her school uniform, walking through the field of weeds towards him.

In the vast, open playground, there were only the two of them. The atmosphere was scorching and dry.

She got closer, stepped onto the platform, and stood in front of him. Yu Luoyin raised his head slightly, catching a glimpse of Bai Xunyin’s collarbone peeking out slightly above her school uniform’s zipper. He found it somewhat ambiguous.

Tsk, that collarbone looked so bite-worthy.

Yu Luoyin resisted the urge to lick his teeth.

Unfortunately, Bai Xunyin didn’t seem inclined to “communicate” with him. The young girl’s face was stern, and she reached out directly—she was just a few words away from writing “return my student ID” on her face.

“Classmate, do you want your student ID?” 

Yu Luoyin was a bit irritated. His legs, even in school uniform pants, remained sleek and long, resting on the edge of the next step, dangerously close to her knee.

Bai Xunyin moved slightly to the side, lowering her gaze and nodding.

So obedient, like a docile cat.

Yu Luoyin unconsciously thought of this. However, his mischievous nature hadn’t changed; he wanted to tease her even more.

Every time he saw Bai Xunyin, Yu Luoyin wanted to see some reaction on her calm and indifferent face—preferably a reaction caused by him.

“Hmm, you can sit down first.” 

Yu Luoyin patted the spot beside him, looking quite mischievous, “Otherwise, I won’t give it back to you.”

…

Irritated, Bai Xunyin frowned reluctantly, swallowing her pride as she sat down next to him.

“If you want your student ID, you have to answer a question for me.” 

The young man chuckled lightly, his question quite straightforward, “Why are you avoiding me?”

Bai Xunyin’s ears suddenly turned warm and uncontrollable. She lowered her head and looked at her clenched fingers, sensing that Yu Luoyin was looking at her from nearby.

The more she thought about it, the redder her pale ears became.

With a bit of trepidation, Bai Xunyin took out her phone and typed a response.

[I’m not avoiding you.]

“No? It’s not good to have a habit of lying.” 

Yu Luoyin saw her reply and chuckled in a somewhat irritated manner, “If you’re not avoiding me, why haven’t you come to the library or replied to my messages?”

In truth, these actions of her “ignoring” had hit Yu Luoyin quite hard—he took the initiative to approach someone for the first time, and yet he was met with such rejection.

Yu Luoyin had wanted to ask these questions a long time ago, but he had bottled it up until now, after the start of the school year.

The vast playground fell into silence. In the quietness, it seemed like one could only hear their shallow breaths.

After a moment, Bai Xunyin slowly typed and told him.

[I think we don’t need to have any contact.]

The girl’s fair, palm-sized face looked serious– her lips were slightly tense. The words she spoke had been thought through calmly…

They were like needles, poking into Yu Luoyin’s heart. But after his initial anger, he became calm.

No need? 

The phrase “no need” didn’t seem to exist in his dictionary.

As long as Yu Luoyin decided that he wanted to do something, then it was necessary.

“Why? Are you angry, angry about what I said that day? Because I said you were jealous?” 

Yu Luoyin paused for a moment, skillfully changing the topic to divert Bai Xunyin’s thoughts. His tone was playful, “Miss Bai, I was just joking.”

His smooth demeanor made Bai Xunyin feel a little embarrassed. She awkwardly replied. 

[No.]

“But I felt you were angry that day, otherwise why did you suddenly stop paying attention to me?” 

Yu Luoyin suddenly scrolled up the chat history, until he reached the day they had been at the movies and showed Bai Xunyin. The chat record vividly recorded the words she had once said—

“They are who they are, it has nothing to do with me.”

That was a rare instance of anger from the usually silent Bai Xunyin. At this moment, it was brought back to her memory involuntarily, causing her to freeze for a moment.

What did Yu Luoyin mean by showing her this?

“When I said you were jealous before, it was just to tease you. Boys are like that.” 

Yu Luoyin seemed like he was apologizing, but his words was somewhat mismatched. 

His clear, handsome features were fixed on her the entire time, “They are who they are, and of course, you’re different from them.”

The distance between them had gradually exceeded the “safe distance,” and the mingling breaths and the look in the young man’s eyes caused Bai Xunyin’s breath to catch.

Almost forcing herself to respond with her eyes, her slender fingers unconsciously gripped the sleeves of her school uniform.

“I know you are you.” 

Clearly, there was no one around, only the two of them on the vast expanse of wild grass, yet Yu Luoyin deliberately lowered his voice, his ambiguous words converging into a line. Bai Xunyin couldn’t escape hearing them—

“You are unique.”

The most extraordinary girl he had ever encountered.

Taking advantage of Bai Xunyin’s momentary daze, Yu Luoyin whispered by her ear in a tone that was both commanding and almost pleading, “Bai Xunyin, do well in the class placement exam, go to Class 1.”