Chapter 5 - IP Chapter 5

Incurable Pain | Chapter 5

The time at the beginning and the end of the month pa.s.sed quickly. 

In a blink of an eye, it was already the evening when Bai Xunyin, Bai Xunyin, Sheng Churan, and Zhongqin were a.s.signed on duty again.

There were one or two instances like this every month, and they would lock the cla.s.sroom everytime.

Bai Xunyin didn’t actually want to stay behind while her cla.s.smates left early to avoid being locked in, but if she really left and the cla.s.sroom wasn’t cleaned, she would surely be criticized by their homeroom teacher the next day.

Sheng Churan had close ties with both her family and the school administration, otherwise Shen Langli wouldn’t be so blatantly biased.

It was almost an open secret that Bai Xunyin was locked in the cla.s.sroom; it was a channel for Sheng Churan to vent her frustration.

Everyone around knew about it and was willing to cooperate, even Bai Xunyin herself cooperated. 

Being locked in the cla.s.sroom for a while, waiting for the security guard to open the door for her, was better than having her cla.s.smates and teacher make her feel uncomfortable the next day.

But today, after their cla.s.smates left, Sheng Churan left the cla.s.sroom, locked the door, and unexpectedly approached Bai Xunyin.

Bai Xunyin raised an eyebrow in confusion, put down the chalk in her hand, and looked at them.

Sheng Churan was infuriated by Bai Xunyin’s calm gaze. She gritted her teeth and spoke with a sinister tone, “Come with me somewhere.”

Bai Xunyin shook her head and picked up the chalk to write two characters on the blackboard, “Not going.”

No matter what Sheng Churan had in mind, Bai Xunyin had no intention of going along.

—Cooperating with Sheng Churan’s usual groundless bullying was already Bai Xunyin’s bottom line.

“Do you think you have a choice whether to go or not?” 

Sheng Churan grew angry. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she grabbed Bai Xunyin’s slender arm, forcefully pulling her down from the platform.

None of them grabbed their bags. Stumbling and pushing each other, they “walked” out of the cla.s.sroom.

Bai Xunyin’s arm hurt from Sheng Churan’s grip, and there were clear red marks on her fair skin.

“You better call Lu Ye quickly, tell him that we’ve arranged to meet Bai Xunyin,” Sheng Churan urged Zhongqin impatiently as soon as they reached the corridor. 

“Have him come over and tell Yu Luoyin to come too.”

Finally, Bai Xunyin understood Sheng Churan’s intentions.

She wanted to use her as a way to arrange a meeting with Lu Ye and Yu Luoyin.

But what relationship did she have with Lu Ye? 

Bai Xunyin laughed, forcefully freeing herself from Sheng Churan’s grasp. Sheng Churan, who was happily talking to Zhongqin, was caught off guard and stumbled back a couple of steps.

Sheng Churan frowned, “What are you doing?”

Bai Xunyin didn’t say anything. She turned around expressionlessly then went back to the cla.s.sroom to get her bag, preparing to leave.

“Hey, I’m talking to you, you can’t just leave!” 

Sheng Churan’s spoiled temper came out, and she and Zhongqin blocked Bai Xunyin’s way, speaking with self-a.s.sured righteousness, “If you leave, Lu Ye won’t come.”

…..

Bai Xunyin found it quite amusing.

She lightly pinched her palm, then took out her phone after a moment and typed a message, which she sent to Sheng Churan. 

[Lu Ye and I have no relationship. He doesn’t like me. Using me to get him and his friends to come won’t work.]

Bai Xunyin could tell that Lu Ye was a proud and self-respecting boy, and he didn’t genuinely like her.

The conversation that day had been so clear and thorough. He definitely wouldn’t come again because of her—let alone bring Yu Luoyin along. 

Sheng Churan’s actions were truly unnecessary.

However, Sheng Churan didn’t believe it at all; she was determined to stop Bai Xunyin from leaving.

Sheng Churan hadn’t had the chance to interact with Yu Luoyin for a long time. In the past few days, she couldn’t find him in his usual cla.s.sroom after cla.s.s. She was acting out of desperation.

But Bai Xunyin didn’t want to be treated as a tool to satisfy Sheng Churan’s sweet mood.

Ignoring the two girls’ struggles and the pain from their long nails scratching her arms, Bai Xunyin used all her strength to break free from between Sheng Churan and Zhongqin.

Almost at the speed of a hundred-meter sprint, Bai Xunyin ran downstairs with her lips pressed together. She ran toward the outside of the campus.

Behind her, Sheng Churan yelled in frustration, “Bai Xunyin! You wait for me!”

This was yet another time she had completely offended Sheng Churan. Bai Xunyin could almost imagine that her days in the cla.s.sroom would be even harder to endure from now on. 

But no matter what, at this moment, she didn’t want to stay there.

Bai Xunyin’s mind was like a tangled ball of yarn, all jumbled up.

Afraid that Sheng Churan might catch up, she ignored everything else and ran, almost colliding into someone’s arms.

Almost.

Bai Xunyin narrowly missed stepping on his white sneakers.

The person exuded a refreshing sandalwood scent. His long fingers held onto the stumbling Bai 

Xunyin, and he courtly shifted to the side to help her steady herself.

Bai Xunyin felt a bit ashamed and wanted to apologize. She raised her head and met a pair of pitch-black eyes.

Like obsidian, but they seemed to contain a tinge of warmth, like little stars… like crystals.

It was Yu Luoyin. 

Bai Xunyin remembered his face, but his eyes were even more memorable to her.

Yu Luoyin softly spoke, his voice deep and pleasant, “Are you okay?”

She retreated a couple of steps in a fl.u.s.tered manner. Bai Xunyin bit her lip and pulled out her phone, opening the notes app and carefully typing out the words “I’m fine, thank you” for Yu Luoyin to read.

The past two times she faced his questions, she had been somewhat impolite.

This time she couldn’t be like that again—she had to thank him, even if she couldn’t speak.

Yu Luoyin wasn’t surprised by her typing. His gaze followed her phone and extended to her slender fair fingers and her forearm… 

But her fair skin was covered in fresh scratch marks and nail imprints.

In an instant, Yu Luoyin’s gaze became somewhat solemn.

He reached out and lightly tapped Bai Xunyin’s arm. His voice, which had been somewhat “gentle” just a moment ago, suddenly turned a bit cold, “What’s going on?”

Bai Xunyin was startled, and she instinctively pulled her hand back as if she had been shocked.

The unexpected touch made the fair skin of her ears unconsciously turn a bit redder. Under Yu Luoyin’s inquisitive gaze, Bai Xunyin lowered her head and shook it.

Then, she slightly nodded her head to bid goodbye to Yu Luoyin and turned away.

The sight of the girl in her school uniform running away without hesitation was much like the first two times he had asked her for her name.

Yu Luoyin stared at Bai Xunyin’s slender and delicate figure for a few seconds before slowly shifting his gaze away. There was a somewhat mocking smile at the corner of his lips— 

He had come here for her after receiving “information” from Lu Ye, but the young girl had run away.

So why was he still staying here?

Yu Luoyin let out a sneer and turned around, striding away. His long legs and upright posture were exceptionally striking.

The usually rainy day in Linlan was a sunny one today.

The gentle evening breeze carried a hint of warmth. After Bai Xunyin stopped running a distance away, she was slightly out of breath due to the heat.

Ah Mo’s call came in at this moment, and the ringing sound snapped the girl out of her daze. Bai Xunyin picked up the call absentmindedly.

Fortunately, Ah Mo didn’t need a response from her. She just talked on her own, her voice cheerful and bright.

“Yinyin, I’ve completed the transfer procedures. My dad said I’ll be able to join your cla.s.s next semester!”

“You guys are starting your summer vacation in half a month, right? By that time, I’ll be back in Linlan, hehehe.”

Bai Xunyin couldn’t find words to say, so she could only smile softly on her end of the call.

Her inexplicable restlessness from earlier slowly settled down as she listened to her friend’s words. She suddenly felt that she might have been overreacting just now—

June in Linlan was the hottest time.

So, when Yu Luoyin’s fingertips brushed against her, it wasn’t her imagination.

It was indeed hot, almost scorching.

Ah Mo… 

Bai Xunyin’s lips moved without making a sound. 

Please come back soon.

She missed her.

Ah Mo had been with her since they were in elementary school. They had even been in the same cla.s.s for the first semester of high school.

With Ah Mo around, the high school life that was full of unfamiliarity for Bai Xunyin, who had just lost her voice, wasn’t as difficult to bear.

However, Ah Mo’s parents were businessmen. A couple of years ago, they went to a nearby city to develop a branch company and took Ah Mo with them. They had to be separated and could only communicate through WeChat, meeting up during long breaks.

Fortunately, Ah Mo’s parents had returned to Linlan to continue their careers, and Ah Mo could then return to their school.

Thinking about being in the same cla.s.s as Ah Mo next semester brought a rare sense of 

excitement to Bai Xunyin.

After hanging up the phone, she sent Ah Mo a message, just two words that were short but strong, “I’m waiting.”

With a sense of antic.i.p.ation, half a month pa.s.sed in the blink of an eye, arriving at the eve of 

summer vacation.

The second half of the summer vacation for the second year of high school could be considered the last period of “paradise” for high school students before they enter the devilish ordeal of their senior year.

The tradition at Three Middle School was that during the summer vacation, before entering their senior year, the second-year students had to move their chairs, desks, and study materials from one teaching building to another.

This building was located in the eastern part of the school, secluded from the world, specifically designated as a “battlefield” for the senior year students.

However, students had to move their own furniture and supplies; the school wouldn’t provide any help.

Unfortunately, it was raining on the day of the move, not a light drizzle, but the kind of rain that could soak one’s entire body after just a short walk.

With this kind of weather, moving things was truly torturous.

Bai Xunyin looked at the drizzling rain outside and furrowed her brows in distress.

Normally, in this situation, other girls would find male cla.s.smates to help, while they would stand on the side holding umbrellas, coordinating the “collaboration” of moving things.

However, Bai Xunyin couldn’t find anyone.

She felt a bit embarra.s.sed to ask for help. Even the few boys who had volunteered to a.s.sist her before were called away by the other girls around Sheng Churan.

The boys willing to help were few and far between, and they were overwhelmed by the demand.

Bai Xunyin sighed, a mist of melancholy clouding her moist eyes. After a moment, she held an umbrella in one hand and struggled to lift a chair with the other.

She then stepped out of the sheltered area under the eaves, carrying her belongings to the other building.

However, just as she had taken a few steps, a large patch of her pants got wet, and her hands became so slippery that she could barely hold onto the stool, which was on the verge of slipping from her grasp.

Bai Xunyin clenched her teeth, thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to just go back, take a shower, and have some cold medicine. But first, she needed to move her things. She folded up the umbrella and carried the stool with both hands.

On the long stretch of road, halfway through, the girl’s hair was all soaked, her jet-black locks clinging to her pale face. Rainwater blurred her eyes.

Bai Xunyin put down the stool, panting for breath, and wiped the rain off her face with the back of her hand.

The rain was getting heavier, and she couldn’t afford to waste time.

Just as Bai Xunyin was about to lift the chair again and make another effort to carry it to the teaching building, a strong hand pressed on her shoulder.

It was a long and slender hand, with cold white skin, and the veins on the back of the hand were faintly visible.

A shadow covered Bai Xunyin’s head, and it was an umbrella.

In the midst of the wind and rain, someone inexplicably sheltered her in this small corner.

Surprisingly, Bai Xunyin turned her head slightly, and what she saw was Yu Luoyin’s finely sculpted profile.

He had an expressionless face, one hand holding the umbrella over her, and the other hand moving from her shoulder to the chair, effortlessly lifting the wooden chair.

Sometimes, the strength of a girl and a boy couldn’t even be compared.

“I’ll help you,” he said casually, his gaze indicating for Bai Xunyin to walk in front of him.

His posture was calm and indifferent, contrasting sharply with the girl’s anxiousness.

“Is it not okay?” 

Seeing that Bai Xunyin wasn’t moving, Yu Luoyin chuckled and handed her the umbrella. 

“Hmm, learn from others. Help me hold the umbrella.”

Other girls were all playfully begging boys to help them carry things while they stood beside them holding umbrellas.

But she was being foolish, struggling to carry things all by herself.

A faint blush crept onto Bai Xunyin’s pale face. After hesitating for a moment, she timidly accepted the umbrella that Yu Luoyin offered, and her fingertips unintentionally brushed against his knuckles.

Amidst the wind and rain, she could hardly make out Yu Luoyin’s words clearly — 

But she distinctly heard the pounding of her own heart.