Incurable Pain

Incurable Pain | Chapter 18.2

“Oh, isn’t this Bai Xunyin, our classmate?”

Lu Ye saw Bai Xunyin and his eyes lit up with excitement.

He took three quick steps and approached, teasingly raising an eyebrow at Yu Luoyin, “Yu Luoyin, you actually managed to invite Bai Xunyin, impressive.”

He intentionally emphasized the word ‘invite,’ clearly hinting at something.

Bai Xunyin furrowed her brows; she felt uncomfortable with this statement. However, before she could come up with a reasonable response, Lu Ye was already laughed at and chased away by Yu Luoyin.

“Go, go, go, don’t be a bother here.”

“Oh, come on, why are you protecting her so much?”

Lu Ye shrugged his lips, still somewhat unwilling, and asked Bai Xunyin, “Classmate Bai, why didn’t you choose me and went for this guy? How am I worse than him?”

With this sudden interruption, all the strange thoughts in Bai Xunyin’s mind were shattered. She smiled a bit awkwardly at Lu Ye.

Ever since she stepped a foot at Lu Hai, Bai Xunyin felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.

Yu Luoyin, on the contrary, didn’t let her go. He pulled her to sit in a corner of the spacious private room, on a two-person sofa. They were very close, with him lazily leaning against the backrest and his large hand loosely wrapped around her waist.

“You look lovely with your hair down,” came the deep and cool voice of the boy from behind her ear, accompanied by a subtle hint of mint fragrance.

“You shouldn’t tie it up in private from now on.”

Pausing for a moment, he added, “Although a ponytail looks good on you as well.”

Bai Xunyin bit her lip and nodded obediently—the fair skin on the back of her neck turned slightly pink, embarrassed.

Yu Luoyin gazed at her with a gentle smile. His black pupils grew deeper, and his slender fingers playfully twirled the long strands of the girl’s dark hair at her ends.

He executed these ambiguous and charming gestures effortlessly, exuding a teasing and cajoling feeling.

The awkwardness and anger that Bai Xunyin had just felt were unconsciously soothed by Yu Luoyin’s playful actions, dissipating like smoke.

She thought to herself that she was probably naturally incapable of being angry at him.

Even though she truly couldn’t adapt to places like this, the seemingly absent-minded fingers of Yu Luoyin trailing along her waist and behind her ear made Bai Xunyin feel a little dizzy.

Unconsciously, she sat up straighter—she just didn’t want Yu Luoyin to succeed.

The young girl found herself entangled in the sweet trap of Yu Luoyin, completely oblivious to the odd looks from the people around her, until Li Yuan loudly broke the intimate atmosphere between the two—

“What are you two doing? Are you going to sit there all cuddly? Come over here, come!”

Yu Luoyin chuckled and led Bai Xunyin over.

On the central table in the private room were poker cards, dice cups, and a series of gambling paraphernalia… about seven or eight teenagers surrounded it.

Wasn’t this a gathering for gambling?

Bai Xunyin looked up with some bewilderment at Yu Luoyin, silently questioning.

“It’s not real gambling.”

Seeing Bai Xunyin’s resistance, Yuyan Yinxin explained in a hushed voice, “This is Li Yuan’s family’s place, and these things are just for fun.”

Even though he said that, the wallets and such were all taken out and slapped onto the table by the boys and girls around them. Their enthusiastic demeanor didn’t look like “just having fun.”

Bai Xunyin felt extreme resistance towards this kind of scene, as if she might accidentally step into a bizarre and eerie venue. She stood frozen in place, her limbs stiff.

“Brother Luoyin, what’s up with your friend? Why isn’t she joining in the fun?”

One of the unfamiliar girls scanned Bai Xunyin up and down, her gaze a mixture of jealousy and disdain. In a sharp voice, she muttered, “Such a buzzkill.”

“Jiang Mu, what are you saying?”

“I didn’t say anything wrong. Look at how she’s dressed like a middle schooler and isn’t saying a word. Who does she think she’s better than?”

Amidst the chattering and bickering, Bai Xunyin couldn’t bear it anymore and furrowed her brows, feeling like she couldn’t stand another second here.

Even if Yu Luoyin were here, she believed he wouldn’t be able to stand the atmosphere either—the ambiguous and oppressive atmosphere, the air of superiority.

Taking advantage of her speed in sneakers, Bai Xunyin decisively shook off Yu Luoyin’s hand and ran outside. Yu Luoyin, of course, followed, his footsteps quickening as he chased her.

Both of them rushed out of the club’s entrance. When Bai Xunyin saw the outdoor sunlight, she felt a sense of liberation, and unconsciously sighed with relief.

However, Yu Luoyin seized that moment of vulnerability. Bai Xunyin turned around to see him tightly holding her hand, his expression displeased.

The usually carefree and lazy young man now had a clear trace of anger between his brows.

“Why did you run?”

Bai Xunyin hesitated for a moment, then took out her phone and typed, giving a serious response

[I don’t like that kind of place.]

In that place, Bai Xunyin felt completely out of place. She couldn’t find a sense of belonging there. The dim and glamorous lighting reminded her of the settings in the movies and TV dramas she watched—places where night club hostesses frequented, places with a shady and seductive atmosphere.

Being with Yu Luoyin in such an environment, with him awkwardly holding her, while he chatted and laughed with his classmates, made Bai Xunyin extremely uncomfortable.

She had thought… that coming out for a ‘date’ was something shared only between the two of them.

Were they in a relationship?

In fact, Bai Xunyin wasn’t sure if she truly understood her relationship with Yu Luoyin. She was completely clueless and just going along with the flow of Yuluo Yin’s intentions.

“…Sorry, I didn’t think this through.”

Seeing Bai Xunyin’s startled expression, Yu Luoyin softened his demeanor, “I shouldn’t have brought you here.”

It was all because of those guys, Lu Ye and Li Yuan. They were the ones who made a fuss and caused Yu Luoyin to impulsively call Bai Xunyin over. In retrospect, it was indeed dangerous.

They almost blew their cover.

But it was this unexplainable sense of danger that was making Yu Luoyin irritable.

[It’s okay.]

Bai Xunyin smiled and continued typing, communicating with him.

[You can go back and have fun with them. I’ll head home first.]

“What’s there to have fun with them?” Yu Luoyin snorted, lazily draping his arm over Bai Xunyin’s shoulder, “Let’s go, I’ll walk you home.”

Bai Xunyin felt a bit uneasy but followed Yu Luoyin quietly.

She noticed that he really enjoyed physical contact—such as leaning on her shoulder, holding hands… While his actions weren’t overly intimate, they still made Bai Xunyin feel somewhat awkward.

Perhaps it was because she had never been this close to a boy before.

Yu Luoyin’s long, slender fingers were clearly defined and always slightly cool. When he held her hand, Bai Xunyin felt like her entire hand was enveloped within his palm.

There was a distinct feeling of being entirely protected—sometimes it brought comfort, and other times it stirred unease.

Being in a relationship with Yu Luoyin seemed to evoke this kind of sentiment.

It was beautiful, yet it felt unreal. Like fragile bubbles floating in the sky, as if they could disappear at any moment.

“Yinyin, I think you’re overthinking things.”

After learning about her journey from shock to joy upon starting a relationship with Yu Luoyin, Ah Mo tried to console her, saying, “Why would he not like you if he’s pursuing you? Others might be drawn to our Yinyin for her beauty and good grades, but Yu Luoyin…”

But Yu Luoyin, he lacked nothing.

He didn’t lack admirers among both genders, whether it was for romantic interest or admiration from same-sex friends. He was a natural-born pride.

He lacked nothing himself. If he liked someone, it definitely wouldn’t be for simple reasons.

Ah Mo’s perspective was quite normal, and Bai Xunyin wanted to convince herself to follow that line of thinking, but the one who truly interacted with Yu Luoyin was herself.

She was inherently sensitive, and sometimes she could truly sense Yu Luoyin’s restraint and indifference.

Bai Xunyin didn’t know why and didn’t dare to delve deeper into it.

Perhaps she just needed to enjoy the happiness of being with Yu Luoyin.

It was just that Yu Luoyin was too reckless. Although he agreed not to disclose their relationship, he never seemed to grasp the concept of being ‘low-key’.