IP Chapter 31

Incurable Pain | Chapter 31

The year Bai Hongsheng had the accident, Bai Xunyin was in the ninth grade.

She was young but sensible. Even after finishing the high school entrance examination, she couldn’t feel happy for a moment, not even caring about her top ten scores in the city.

Because during that period, Bai Hongsheng smoked unusually heavily. He had always been an elegant and easygoing man who never brought work pressure home. But during that time, it seemed like a dark cloud hung over their house.

It was as if they had a premonition of impending disaster.

That summer of the high school entrance exam was almost the hottest one ever. The whole Linlan City seemed like an airtight steamer, and even rain couldn’t alleviate the heat.

As if recalling it now, she could still vaguely remember the sticky sweat and the irritability of that summer whenever she went out, feeling nauseous.

But Bai Xunyin felt like her eyes were blinded by a flash of blood.

Vast swathes of crimson blood… that was Bai Hongsheng’s.

The nightmare that had persisted for over two years came as scheduled, even when she was awake. It seemed that every time she closed her eyes, Bai Xunyin could see the rooftop being scorched by the hot sun on that summer afternoon.

High up, seemingly bottomless, with the urgent and heavy footsteps behind her getting closer.

Bai Hongsheng and Bai Xunyin were chased to the high rooftop by a group of people, with the endless abyss behind them, leaving them nowhere to escape.

“Don’t chase my dad!”

Bai Xunyin shook her head frantically, her slender arms and legs unable to hold onto Bai Hongsheng’s shirt. She was easily pushed into a corner by the man protecting her, futilely murmuring, “Please, please don’t chase my dad…”

“Little girl, debts must be repaid, it’s only fair.”

Even now, Bai Xunyin still remembered the disdainful sneer of the lead man in black, his demeanor sinister. “Don’t make us look like bad guys. Do you know your dad owes us money? We don’t want to starve!”

Then Bai Xunyin was tightly shielded by Bai Hongsheng, unable to see the faces of those sinister people, only hearing their malicious voices —

“Bai Hongsheng, stop pretending you’re innocent. Where’s the money you promised to repay this month? Huh?!”

“If you don’t pay up soon, I’ll use your daughter to settle the debt!”

“That little girl looks pretty good. We can use some tricks to sell her to help your old man repay the debt, huh?”

…

Bai Xunyin trembled with fear, her face and lips pale as paper, feeling her heart sinking continuously, as if descending into h.e.l.l.

But then her vision brightened, the glaring light only shining into her eyes, and Bai Xunyin instinctively raised her hand to block it.

Through the crack, she saw Bai Hongsheng, who had originally been standing in front of her, rushing over like a madman and engaging in a brawl with those black-clothed men.

No matter how they insulted him, trampled on him, or even beat him, Bai Hongsheng could endure it.

But Bai Xunyin was his bottom line, the line he could not cross.

The scenes from that afternoon on the rooftop were indelibly etched in Bai Xunyin’s mind — their long brawl, the men’s violent sneers, the chilling sound of the long iron rod sc.r.a.ping against the ground…

Scene after scene, but what remained fixed was Bai Hongsheng’s blood, seemingly endless.

Gradually, the nightmare before her eyes merged with the past, both filled with Bai Hongsheng’s blood, staining her middle school uniform crimson.

Bai Xunyin wanted to scream, but found herself unable to — whether it was that year or now, she couldn’t scream!

“Bai Xunyin!”

It wasn’t until the piercing ringtone dragged her out of this boundless and terrifying nightmare that Bai Xunyin felt her wrist being squeezed painfully by an external force. She raised her eyes slightly and saw Yu Luoyin’s dark eyebrows and eyes shining like they were bathed in warm lamplight, staring at her without blinking.

From his pupils, Bai Xunyin finally saw her own bloodless face and realized how frightening she must look now.

“Stay calm.”

The surroundings fell silent, and Yu Luoyin naturally heard the female voice that had just come through the phone. He looked at Bai Xunyin, who seemed to be in a daze, and his fingers curled slightly — restraining the urge to pat her head to comfort her.

Yu Luoyin decisively took the bike key from Bai Xunyin’s hand, swung his long legs over, and patted the back of the bike.

“Get on, which hospital? I’ll take you.”

Seeing Bai Xunyin in her current state, Yu Luoyin feared she might get into an accident if she went to the hospital alone.

Bai Xunyin clearly understood this logic. Aware that her trembling legs were incapable of riding a bike, she didn’t argue this time and got on the bike without a word.

In the face of life and death, all the “quarrels” between Bai Xunyin and Yu Luoyin seemed so trivial and childish.

Compared to Bai Hongsheng’s life and death, Bai Xunyin didn’t care about anything, including the “petty quarrels” of hatred between her and Yu Luoyin.

Lanshan Hospital was not far from Third Middle High. With Yu Luoyin’s long legs, and knowing Bai Xunyin was in a hurry, he pedaled as fast as if he were flying, arriving at the hospital gate in less than half an hour.

During the journey, Bai Xunyin kept exchanging messages with Ji Huiying. Both of their delicate hands were sweating in the cold weather.

In Ji Huiying’s stuttering description, Bai Xunyin learned about the causes and consequences —

For more than two years, although there were no signs of Bai Hongsheng’s bodily functions recovering, they had remained stable. Today, for some unknown reason, he suddenly needed emergency treatment. Logically speaking, a person in a stable vegetative state wouldn’t have such a drastic fluctuation for no reason.

Later, the hospital reviewed the surveillance footage and questioned all the medical staff on duty today, only to find out that the incident occurred because a newly arrived nurse was overwhelmed with work and accidentally used the wrong medication while administering intravenous fluids to Bai Hongsheng, resulting in the sudden deterioration of the patient’s condition.

It sounded like a comedy of errors, but in this messed-up world, accidents happen all the time.

The young nurse was already terrified, collapsing in the hospital corridor like a pile of mud, whimpering. Everyone was busy with rescue work and had no time to pursue her responsibility.

The only silver lining in this misfortune was knowing the cause of Bai Hongsheng’s sudden deterioration, which enabled them to trace the problem and treat it.

Ji Huiying was so shocked by the sudden turn of events that her mind went blank. She hastily notified Bai Xunyin, fearing that if she missed it, she might not have a chance to see Bai Hongsheng for the last time.

Back when Bai Hongsheng had his accident, she hadn’t seen him in his last healthy state, and she had always regretted it. Ji Huiying didn’t want Bai Xunyin to experience the same regret.

Some things, once missed, become lifelong regrets.

Fortunately, by the time Bai Xunyin arrived, Bai Hongsheng’s condition had gradually stabilized.

Two students in school uniforms rode their bikes into the hospital courtyard. When they stopped, Yu Luoyin felt his right arm, which had just been bandaged, almost numb.

Whether it was intentional or not, he was indeed injured. The school nurse had instructed him not to exert himself or damage the wound during this time, but…

Just by gripping the bike handle quickly in the biting cold wind, he made a heroic sacrifice.

Yu Luoyin merely glanced at the blood oozing faintly from the bandage before hastily following Bai Xunyin’s slender figure into the hospital building.

There weren’t many people in the hospital building at this time. He followed Bai Xunyin, who was familiar with the route, all the way to the door of the operating room on the eleventh floor. From a distance, he could see the red light still flashing above the operating room.

Bai Xunyin’s face was as pale as paper. She ran over and grabbed Ji Huiying, who had her back to her.

The latter was stunned for a moment. As soon as she saw Bai Xunyin, her eyes, which had been holding back tears, immediately filled with tears, and she felt her legs go weak.

“It’s okay… The doctor just came out and said your dad is temporarily out of danger.”

Supported by Bai Xunyin and sitting on the public bench outside the operating room, Ji Huiying stared at the ground in a daze, as if she had lost strength, and said softly, “But he still needs to be observed in the ICU for twenty-four hours. Don’t worry…”

Upon hearing this, Bai Xunyin felt the heavy weight in her throat settle with a ‘thump’, and she was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

She stood up and walked to the door of the operating room, her clear eyes staring unblinkingly at the red light above the operating room.

It was like a novice driver staring at a traffic light while waiting for it to turn green, stubbornly waiting for it to change from red to green, with a naive stubbornness.

The girl’s profile, with her chin slightly raised, was delicate, and the light in her eyes was fragile yet determined.

Yu Luoyin didn’t enter, he leaned against the hospital corridor pillar and watched from afar, unconsciously recalling a scene he had witnessed before.

It was during the summer vacation a few months ago.

At that time, he hadn’t ‘won over’ the girl yet and was in the phase where Bai Xunyin inexplicably ignored him after watching a movie together.

At that time, Yu Luoyin was also indifferent and lazy, and didn’t feel like going out for the remaining few days of the short summer vacation.

However, he couldn’t resist the repeated invitations from Lu Ye and Li Yuan, saying that they wanted to have a final celebration before school started again. So, he went out once.

Pa.s.sing through Huannan Street, a snack street filled with various delicacies, the two of them said they wanted to buy something to please the girls. Yu Luoyin didn’t feel like accompanying them and couldn’t stand the scorching sun, so he simply hid in a nearby bustling milk tea shop.

Coincidentally, he ran into Bai Xunyin there.

But it was only a ‘coincidental encounter’ on his side.

The girl was wearing a light-colored floral dress, and her waist-length hair was loosely braided into a fishtail braid, giving her an extremely pure appearance—yet her brows were lightly furrowed, her fair arms wrapped around the girl next to her, her eyes filled with a silent plea.

Oh, there was also Ning Shumo that day, the clumsy girl wearing the uniform of a milk tea shop employee, as if she had clashed with a customer there, and the small shop was in chaos.

But amidst the clamor like a vegetable market, Bai Xunyin seemed to bring a sense of purity and tranquility with her, making people feel inadvertently softened and calmed.

The girl couldn’t speak, but clumsily protected Ah Mo, her clear eyes staring at the few girls who were intentionally causing trouble until the shop owner came out to resolve it.

Yu Luoyin dismissed the idea of ordering a lemonade, leaning against the door with a smile in his dark eyes as he watched this farce unfold before him.

He saw that the owner seemed to want to deduct Ah Mo’s wages because of this incident, and the little girl was unhappy about it. She typed something on her phone and silently ‘argued’ with the unreasonable boss several times.

At that time, Bai Xunyin was the same as she is now, neither humble nor overbearing, with a stubborn and resolute gaze in her clear tea-colored eyes.

Yu Luoyin suddenly became curious about what kind of person Bai Xunyin really was and what kind of life experiences she had gone through to become the person she was today.

She seemed gentle as water, yet once she made up her mind, not even nine bulls could pull her back.

She seemed fragile and delicate, yet unexpectedly strong when faced with unexpected challenges.

…

Yu Luoyin’s thoughts wandered unintentionally until the sound coming from the operating room door brought him back to reality—the green light was on, the surgery was over.

A group of doctors and nurses pushed Bai Hongsheng, who was unconscious with an oxygen mask, out, constantly apologizing to Ji Huiying.

“I’m sorry, really sorry, this accident was entirely our fault as medical staff,” the attending physician said sincerely as he held Ji Huiying’s hand.

“Please rest a.s.sured, our hospital will bear all the expenses for this surgery and postoperative treatment.”

Ji Huiying remained expressionless, releasing her hand from the attending physician’s touch as she calmly said, “Thank you for your trouble.”

The attending physician paused, feeling somewhat embarra.s.sed, and gave a weak smile.

Not far away, Yu Luoyin witnessed this scene and suddenly had a feeling of enlightenment—he felt like he knew some of the underlying qualities in Bai Xunyin’s character.

With a silent smile, he swiftly moved over to offer his a.s.sistance.

“You…” Ji Huiying saw Yu Luoyin suddenly appear and noticed his school uniform, slightly taken aback.

“Who are you?”

Bai Xunyin also paused, completely forgetting that Yu Luoyin hadn’t left yet. In fact, she had forgotten that Yu Luoyin had brought her here in the first place. Her mind had been blank, only thinking about Bai Hongsheng in the operating room.

Now, being asked by Ji Huiying, she wasn’t sure how to introduce Yu Luoyin.

“h.e.l.lo, Auntie,” Yu Luoyin took the initiative to introduce himself, the smile on his refined and handsome face was both gentle and sunny, almost irresistible to all ‘middle-aged women’.

“I’m Bai Xunyin’s cla.s.smate, and I just brought her here.”

If Yu Luoyin were deliberately trying to win someone’s favor, almost no one could resist.

Ji Huiying was naturally captivated, looking at Yu Luoyin with astonishment and tenderness in her eyes.

“Oh, you’re Yinyin’s cla.s.smate. Thank you for your help.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Yu Luoyin smiled.

“Bai Xunyin is always lending us her exercise books at school. She’s a good student, and all the answers are correct. Those of us who sit close to her have greatly benefited from it.”

…

Bai Xunyin finally understood what it meant to tell textbook-level lies.

Was this person incapable of telling the truth?

Bai Xunyin felt somewhat annoyed but struggled to find words to interrupt. She could only watch helplessly as Yu Luoyin described their relationship as “very good,” effectively fooling Ji Huiying.

Ji Huiying said, “Then, Luoyin, since you brought Yinyin here, have you had your meal yet? Where do you live? If it’s not far, why don’t you come to Auntie’s place for a meal?”

Bai Xunyin was completely stunned, hurriedly taking out her phone to stop it, but—

Yu Luoyin readily agreed, “Sure, Auntie. My home is very close to the school. Thank you.”

…

In just a few words, he inexplicably agreed to go to her house for a meal.

Bai Xunyin’s mind buzzed with anger. Her initial reaction was to coldly reply, “We’re not even close,” and show it to Ji Huiying.

But when she turned to look at Ji Huiying’s immensely relieved smile, she found it difficult to extend her hand with the phone.

Bai Xunyin knew Ji Huiying was always worried about her relationships with cla.s.smates at school. She was afraid Bai Xunyin, being quiet, would be discriminated against or bullied. Yu Luoyin’s appearance undoubtedly served as a rea.s.surance to Ji Huiying, and her smile was genuine.

How could Bai Xunyin cruelly deny her mother’s genuine happiness?

After all, Ji Huiying didn’t know that Yu Luoyin was the last person Bai Xunyin wanted to face in the entire school.

If it weren’t for the special circ.u.mstances today, he shouldn’t have been here…

With a silent sigh, Bai Xunyin silently put her phone back in her pocket, deciding to endure it.

It was just a meal’s time, and she didn’t want to worry her mother.

But when Ji Huiying wasn’t looking, Bai Xunyin walked up to Yu Luoyin and held out her phone in front of him—

“Leave after you finish eating. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Yu Luoyin was taken aback for a moment. After a moment, he looked at the tense profile of the girl and smiled teasingly, whispering, “Are you afraid I’ll say something wrong?”

But Bai Xunyin didn’t buy into his ambiguous remarks. She coldly stared at him and said, “Stay away from me.”

Yu Luoyin knew that Bai Xunyin was avoiding him like the plague at the moment. Ignoring the twinge of pain in his heart, his smile dimmed slightly.

Then, he obediently distanced himself “a bit.”

But he still shamelessly stuck close to her.

Once Bai Hongsheng was settled, Yu Luoyin followed Ji Huiying and the mother-daughter duo back to their cramped alleyway residence.

For as long as he could remember, Yu Luoyin had always lived in well-lit, prime-location high-rise apartments. He had never encountered neighborhoods like Ajun Street—so… authentically rustic.

There was an unguarded gate anyone could enter, with no sense of security whatsoever. The dimly lit hallways had motion-sensor lights flickering on and off, and various cooking smells wafted through the air, creating an indescribable mixture of scents.

And that was just the beginning.

Bai Xunyin’s family lived on the seventh floor of a building without an elevator. The old, narrow, and steep staircase made going up and down a real struggle.

Yu Luoyin had never condescended to use his own legs to climb stairs other than the three floors in the school building. He felt extremely uncomfortable for a moment, but thankfully, he was physically fit enough to climb all the way to the seventh floor without breaking a sweat.

As for Ji Huiying and Bai Xunyin, they were already accustomed to it.

“Luoyin, come in quickly.”

Opening the door, Ji Huiying smiled apologetically at Yu Luoyin.

“The house is a bit small.”

Indeed, this place, smaller than his own home and even smaller than the apartment he rented in Sanzhong, felt like a fish tank. But after Yu Luoyin entered with some awkwardness and changed his shoes, he couldn’t help but look around curiously.

Because this was where Bai Xunyin had lived.

With a quick glance, he conservatively estimated that the floor area of this house was only about 50 square meters. The living room was furnished with old-fashioned, simple sofas and coffee tables, without even a television.

It could be considered extremely plain.

There was one unexpected thing—the living room balcony had a cheap, old piano, probably the only “luxury item” in this dim and gloomy house.

Yu Luoyin looked up at Bai Xunyin, who was still standing by the entrance.

Curiously, he asked, “Do you play the piano?”

Bai Xunyin pursed her lips, avoiding his gaze, and after changing her shoes, she walked back to the bedroom by herself. The door briefly opened and closed, and not even a shadow could be seen.

Yu Luoyin couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, letting out a sigh of loss.

The girl still didn’t want to acknowledge him, but…

The slender figure leaned against the wall, scanning the cramped room in front of him. To the left of the small living room was the connected kitchen, where Ji Huiying could be seen busily cooking.

Only the mother and daughter lived here, giving off a somewhat chilly atmosphere—but at least it felt warmer than their own home.

“Luoyin, do you have any dietary restrictions?”

Ji Huiying finished cutting vegetables and asked him, poking her head out from the kitchen. “Like onions, ginger, garlic, or anything like that?”

“No.” Yu Luoyin smiled and pretended to be obedient.

“I eat anything. Thank you, Auntie.”

Ji Huiying worked for a government department and often encountered young people like Yu Luoyin. But it was rare to see a teenager as elegant and polite as him.

She couldn’t help but smile, “No problem, it’s not a bother.”

Yu Luoyin watched Ji Huiying turn back to continue cooking, feeling shameless for feeling somewhat pleased that Bai Xunyin’s mother seemed to like him.

This smile froze when he spotted a cardboard box in the corner of the living room.

The large box seemed to be filled with waste paper and cardboard, still not full after just being filled. Yu Luoyin glanced at it and easily saw those brightly colored plastic packaging papers inside.

At first glance, these things looked garish and gaudy, but they were very familiar, as if…

“All these things belong to Yinyin. They seem to be some packaging materials, I don’t know what they’re used for.”

Ji Huiying happened to come out of the kitchen with a kettle of water and saw Yu Luoyin staring at the things in the box without blinking. So she followed his gaze and said a few words to him about the things inside the box.

“Before, she treated these plastic papers like treasures, placing them on the desk. But recently, she suddenly threw them into the waste paper box. I don’t understand.”

Perhaps the thoughts of a young girl are delicate and capricious, liking something new in a moment.

Ji Huiying didn’t understand the story behind these plastic papers, simply thinking, “Sit down and have some water,” before putting down the kettle and turning back to the kitchen.

This time, Yu Luoyin rarely showed a hint of impoliteness. He couldn’t muster the energy to continue dealing with Ji Huiying.

His eyes seemed to be enchanted, still fixed on those brightly colored plastic papers, as if trying to poke holes in those innocent packaging papers.

He certainly recognized what they were—these were the packaging papers from the “peace fruits” he had given Bai Xunyin before Christmas.

Yu Luoyin just couldn’t believe it.

Those “peace fruits” were just something he bought on a whim from a roadside stall near the school after hearing Li Yuan’s urging, knowing that girls received peace fruits on Christmas Eve.

How could he have imagined that something he casually gave away, something he didn’t even consider valuable, would be treasured like a precious gem by the girl?

He realized that he had been cherished by Bai Xunyin, once upon a time.

And now, those “peace fruits” had been thrown away by her.

Yu Luoyin felt like his heart had been struck hard, aching with bitterness.

These few pieces of packaging paper hit him like a blow to the head, waking him up to what he had lost—a tender and innocent girl’s heart.

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