Incurable Pain

Incurable Pain | Chapter 20

In the following days, Yu Luoyin ignored Bai Xunyin.

There were no secret conversations in the safe passage after class, no discreet lunches in the cafeteria, and no walking together under the pretense of supplementary classes. He now walked alone, ignoring everyone.

This left Li Yuan and Lu Ye utterly perplexed. They even approached Bai Xunyin to ask, “Xunyin, what’s wrong with Brother Yu? Why is he ignoring people lately?”

Facing their concerned gazes, Bai Xunyin forced a smile and then shook her head, feeling somewhat disappointed.

She felt lost now, truly not knowing what to do.

In her relationship with Yu Luoyin, he had always been the one taking the lead—

Whether it was in their initial acquaintance, their ambiguous interactions, or now… he was always in control, and she was just following along.

But now, Yu Luoyin seemed unwilling to continue. He no longer wanted to pay her any attention.

Bai Xunyin suddenly found herself at a loss.

She didn’t even know why Yu Luoyin was angry again.

Could it be because of Mu Anping?

But she… clearly had no relationship with Mu Anping. They had agreed to keep their relationship a secret.

Why would Yu Luoyin get angry just because she didn’t tell Mu Anping about his identity?

Bai Xunyin was starting to feel annoyed as well, but she was more restless than anyone else.

She couldn’t help but tell Ah Mo about what had been happening between her and Yu Luoyin. As she typed, she poured her emotions into the message, her keystrokes reflecting her intensity.

“No way, why are you two giving each other a cold shoulder over this?”

After hearing the whole story, Ah Mo looked surprised and opened her mouth wide, muttering, “Isn’t Yu Luoyin just jealous?”

Jealous?

Bai Xunyin was stunned.

“Haha, I didn’t expect that Yu Luoyin, who looks so refined and mature, would have this side to him, tsk tsk.”

Ah Mo whispered to herself, “He’s quite childish. Xunyin, just coax him a bit.”

Coax…

Coax Yu Luoyin?

Bai Xunyin wrinkled her brow, feeling a bit hesitant.

She had grown up without having to coax anyone, especially not guys.

But Ah Mo said that Yu Luoyin was angry because he was jealous and that’s why he was giving her the cold shoulder.

Thinking about it this way, Bai Xunyin couldn’t help but smile a little, two dimples appearing on the corners of her lips.

“Hey hey.”

Seeing her smile, Ah Mo couldn’t help but cover her face, looking away as if it was hard to bear, “This dog food* you’re showing off is making me sour. You two are really sweet.”

*T/N: Public display of affection

… Sweet?

Bai Xunyin was speechless. After a moment’s thought, she asked with a touch of unease.

[Ah Mo, are you sure Yu Luoyin is angry because he’s jealous?]

“I’m sure.”

Ah Mo nodded confidently and shrugged, then said seriously, “Otherwise, I can’t think of any other reason for his behavior.”

Bai Xunyin let out a slow sigh of relief. Her previously cold and anxious heart suddenly felt a warmth, making her feel alive and soft.

After evening self-study ended and they were leaving school, Bai Xunyin finally gathered the courage to approach Yu Luoyin.

She knew that these days, Yu Luoyin wouldn’t accompany her home at night.

But after school, she knew that he would always hide in the safe passage to avoid teachers and classmates, smoking a cigarette. She walked over, familiar with the route.

Pushing open the heavy iron door, as expected, she saw the tall and slender figure of the young man with his back to her.

Hearing the sound, Yu Luoyin turned around, his eyes falling on the hesitant girl squeezing in through the door crack, resembling a docile cat.

A mischievous smile tugged at the corner of Yu Luoyin’s lips, a subtle but evident expression.

After school, he came here to smoke, and it wasn’t a secret. In the past few days, many girls had come knocking on his door…

But she was the one he had been waiting for.

For five whole days..

Bai Xunyin had been quite heartless, only realizing it now.

Yu Luoyin’s slender fingers lightly flicked the cigarette ash. His expressionless face looked at her, and Bai Xunyin, under his direct gaze, felt a slight unease. The confined space seemed to constrict, making even breathing difficult.

Unconsciously, Bai Xunyin pulled at the hem of her school uniform, and after a while, she walked up to Yu Luoyin.

Facing the slightly lowered, lazy gaze of the young man, Bai Xunyin took out her phone and typed to show him.

[Are you still angry?]

“Mhm.”

Yu Luoyin gave a soft response and noticed Bai Xunyin’s subtle brow furrowing as she caught the scent of smoke. He casually extinguished the remaining bit of his cigarette on the windowsill.

He turned his back to her and said in a calm tone, “Why should I be angry?”

…

Oh no, how do you coax someone in this situation?

Bai Xunyin bit her lip and sent another message to him.

[Yu Luoyin, are you jealous?]

“Yeah.”

Yu Luoyin chuckled briefly when he saw the message, admitting it quite frankly. He replied, “Yes, I’m jealous.”

Bai Xunyin was momentarily speechless, staring blankly at Yu Luoyin’s tall and slender back.

The safe passage wasn’t large, but with him here, there was a strange, contradictory feeling of oppression and comfort.

“Xunyin, how can I not be jealous? That guy likes you.”

Yu Luoyin turned around, his elegant eyebrows furrowing slightly. His usual gentle and refined demeanor had retracted, replaced with a sharper glint..

“When faced with a guy who likes you, and you didn’t introduce my identity, what were you thinking?”

[I was wrong.]

Bai Xunyin no longer wanted to argue with him about this topic. She apologized concisely, and then, taking advantage of the moment when Yu Luoyin was lost in thought, she walked up to him.

Like an unexpected blooming of a rare flower, she took the initiative to hug him, looking up at him with a hopeful gaze.

Was she trying to say that she wasn’t angry anymore?

Their gazes locked for a brief moment, and Yu Luoyin couldn’t hold back his smile.

“I really can’t do anything with you.”

Yu Luoyin sighed softly. He used his slender fingers to lightly flick Bai Xunyin’s rounded nose, his movements playful, and his gaze bottomless.

“You’re quite good at coaxing.”

It was the first time Bai Xunyin had initiated a hug with him, and he couldn’t stay angry even if he wanted to.

The girl’s eyes were filled with sparkling joy, and she couldn’t wait as she asked him.

[Are you not angry anymore?]

“I’m still a little bit.”

Yu Luoyin hummed lightly, looking slightly mischievous. He had a somewhat childish look as he lowered his head and whispered softly into her ear, “Unless… you kiss me, then I won’t be angry anymore.”

Kiss?

Bai Xunyin’s face turned red all of a sudden. Her heart pounded like a colorful firework exploding, and she gazed at him, slightly stunned.

“Fool.”

Amusement danced in Yu Luoyin’s eyes as he was amused by her astonished expression. His slender fingers pinched her sharp chin, his actions playful, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

“I meant on the face. What were you thinking?”

His words sounded righteous and gentlemanly, but his gaze was fervent, like a gathering of blazing flames and icy rivers, as if he wanted to devour her.

Bai Xunyin felt both annoyed and helpless. However, she was afraid that he might still be angry or demand something even more unreasonable. After thinking for a moment, she stood on her tiptoes, a bit clumsy, and planted a quick kiss on his left cheek. Her earlobes turned red—

Who made it so she couldn’t do anything about Yu Luoyin and also didn’t want to ignore him?

Even though she had done this sort of thing before, even during the pledge ceremony, she had initiated it.

But in a place like this, in the school’s safe passage where someone could come in at any moment… there was a kind of concealed taboo that made her heart race.

After Bai Xunyin gave Yu Luoyin a peck, she basically wanted to hide herself in the cracks on the ground. She lowered her head, pretending she didn’t do anything, her snow-white neck showing a little due to her bending.

She’s really adorably obedient.

“My girlfriend is really obedient.”

Yu Luoyin satisfied his mischievous interest and couldn’t help but let out a contented smile. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and said, “I’ll walk you home.”

Watching him finally not being angry and returning to his usual relaxed demeanor, Bai Xunyin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Afterwards, she thought for a moment and sent a message to Yu Luoyin.

[These past few days, I’ve been taking the bus home.]

A simple sentence, yet it revealed the young girl’s feeling of grievance– it seemed like she was complaining in a playful manner.

“It’s your boyfriend who made a mistake, ah.”

Yu Luoyin always emphasized his ‘identity’ and teased her relentlessly, which she found extremely annoying.

He lazily smiled at Bai Xunyin’s embarrassed expression, “I’ll serve as your mount then.”

…

This man is truly annoying.

Bai Xunyin watched his retreating figure, feeling both frustrated and embarrassed.

Just like every girl in the throes of adolescent puppy love, every movement of the person they like can make their limbs go weak, their ears turn red, and even disrupt their sleep.

Just like these past few days, because of the ‘cold war’ with Yu Luoyin, Bai Xunyin hadn’t slept well at all.

Until now, as she finally released the knot in her heart and was once again seated on the back of Yu Luoyin’s bicycle, Bai Xunyin felt like she was back in that comforting and cozy bubble.

It was that feeling of safety she got from Yu Luoyin’s broad shoulders and slim-waisted back. Resting against it made her feel at ease.

It was already past nine o’clock when they left. The school and its surroundings were quiet and empty.

Although the waters were lukewarm, the November nights were still a bit chilly. Yu Luoyin took out his spare school uniform from his bag without saying a word and put it over Bai Xunyin’s head.

“Put it on.”

Yu Luoyin ruffled her hair and annoyingly pulled off the hair tie on Bai Xunyin’s head at the same time. Her jet-black hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall. Her small, fair face in the dark looked breathtakingly beautiful.

It seemed like he enjoyed ruffling her hair and seeing her hair down.

Bai Xunyin silently sat in the back seat of the bike, gently reaching her hand around Yu Luoyin’s waist. The oversized boys’ school uniform nearly draped to her knees, and the sleeves were way too long.

Bai Xunyin tucked her hands inside the sleeves. She caught a whiff of the refreshing scent of mint, as well as a faint, delicate hint of tobacco and sandalwood. This was Yu Luoyin’s unique scent.

Later, when Bai Xunyin recalled this scent, it would remind her of her earliest romantic interest. It was something she could never forget.

Bai Xunyin remembered that the night they separated, Yu Luoyin somehow annoyed her. She shyly ran back home and even forgot to return his school uniform—she was even asked by Ji Huiying which guy lent her the clothes, which made her heart pound with anxiety.

She randomly made up an excuse to brush off Ji Huiying’s question, then “secretly stored” Yu Luoyin’s clothes away.

Bai Xunyin couldn’t bear to wash it, and when they eventually separated, she forgot to return the uniform.

This uniform had remained with her for a long time, until its once white corners turned yellow, becoming old. Yet, she still kept it neatly folded in her wardrobe.

To her, this uniform was more than just clothing.

It represented Bai Xunyin’s throbbing heart that couldn’t be contained during her youthful and reckless years, her unrestrained infatuation.

In the months spent with Yu Luoyin, there were only three words in the girl’s diary —

Yu Luoyin.

Honest, unrefined, her precise and delicate penmanship concealed every beat of her heart and every trace of affection.

Bai Xunyin thought this notebook, filled with Yu Luoyin’s name and her teenage thoughts, would accompany her for a lifetime. However, in just a few short months, she ended up burning it to ashes herself.

Yet the time during youth was tumultuous, and the world was ever-changing.

In the world of high school seniors, there wasn’t a concept of summer or winter vacations. It was only a week before New Year’s Eve that Third Middle High conducted the final exam for the first semester of the senior year.

What reassured Bai Xunyin was that her grades hadn’t declined due to her relationship with Yu Luoyin. On the contrary, they had slightly improved.

What’s even more important was that in this exam, she surpassed Yu Luoyin in physics.

Considering all the exams since starting high school, this was the first time she had outperformed Yu Luoyin in physics—

Although he still ranked first in the whole school.

“Wow, Yinyin, you did great this time. Your scores are almost catching up to your boyfriend’s,” Ah Mo exclaimed by her side, making Bai Xunyin so alarmed that she instinctively covered Ah Mo’s mouth.

“Hahaha, don’t worry,” Ah Mo couldn’t help but laugh.

“No one heard it.”

Bai Xunyin gave her a stern look.

“Come on, let’s go show off to Yu Luoyin,” Ah Mo said, linking arms with Bai Xunyin, her eyes gleaming mischievously.

“Where is he?”

Bai Xunyin remembered that Li Yuan had mentioned that Yu Luoyin went to smoke with him during lunch break. They had gone to the abandoned restroom in the back field of the school grounds, a place without surveillance or disturbances.

It was a natural haven for smokers.

She had gone there a few times with Yu Luoyin, not really thinking much of it, but she was aware of its existence.

Recalling how Yu Luoyin had mysteriously mentioned giving her a special New Year’s gift, Bai Xunyin, who usually kept her emotions in check, couldn’t help but feel a little curious.

After all, it was her first New Year’s with her boyfriend. Her emotions were slightly different.

Bai Xunyin thought for a moment, then took Ah Mo’s hand and headed to the school’s back field to find him.

The two girls made several twists and turns in their search, and finally, at a corner on the second floor’s staircase, Bai Xunyin received the most unforgettable “New Year’s gift” of her life.

Before she even stepped onto the stairs, she heard the slightly impatient, clear, and low voice of a young man saying, “Stop asking, okay? What can I do with her? Should I even have to kiss her?”

“The mute girl seems to have developed a liking for me. Let’s end the bet here. The holiday is ending anyway, and I’m getting tired of accompanying her.”