Chapter 3 - IP Chapter 3
Incurable Pain | Chapter 3
Yu Luoyin looked like he was watching a farce. Only the corners of his lips slightly hooked up in a sarcastic arc.
On the contrary, behind him, Li Yuan was afraid that his sneakers would get wet.He immediately jumped to avoid it and screamed, “Dang*! Who spilled the bucket, it’s too uncivilized ah!”
*T/N: “我去” is a milder slang variation of “ 我肏” which means f**k
Sheng Churan’s bright eyes clearly flashed a trace of panic after hearing these words. Her slender fingers twisted the sleeves of her school uniform uneasily.
She looked at Yu Luoyin from a distance, afraid that he felt that she had no ‘moral integrity*’.
*T/N: “公德心” means civic-mindedness or morally civilized
“Bai Xunyin!”
On the contrary, Zhongqin’s reaction was extremely fast. She took advantage of the fact that Yu Luoyin and the three of them might not have seen it just now.
She blatantly dumped the pot* on Bai Xunyin, saying righteously, “What’s wrong with you? Can’t even carry a bucket?”
*T/N: “把锅” means to push the blame to others
“Umm, right!”
Sheng Churan was nudged by Zhong Qin. As if waking up from a dream, she hastily exclaimed, “You got your classmates’ shoes wet!”
Bai Xunyin was too lazy to bother with them.
In fact, she noticed that the boy downstairs was Yu Luoyin.
Otherwise Sheng Churan would not have been so “shy”
But she didn’t want them to push things on herself for more than once or twice, so she couldn’t be bothered.
The girl lowered her eyebrows, turned around and went downstairs without saying a word. Her steps were very light.
She quickly walked to Yu Luoyin, bent down to pick up the bucket, then left quickly without stopping, not giving a single look to the others from beginning to end.
Yu Luoyin’s gaze unconsciously followed her, and vaguely saw the veins protruding from the young girl’s arm carrying the bucket.
This girl named Bai Xunyin wore a long ponytail, and her broken hair fell on the sides of her cheeks which blocked her small face, and he couldn’t tell what she looked like now.
But Bai Xunyin’s slender swan neck and protruding butterfly bones* were particularly conspicuous, as well as her slender waist…
*T/N: Scapula/ shoulder blades
It made people inexplicably feel that this girl couldn’t carry that heavy bucket.
“Yu Luoyin!”
Bai Xunyin walked a few steps away. She could faintly hear Sheng Churan’s smiling voice, “Your trouser legs are wet, hurry up and change into another. It’s almost time for class…”
Bai Xunyin’s delicate brows frowned slightly, and feet sped up even faster.
When she reached the side of the unoccupied pool, she gasped heavily and squatted down a little weakly.
The afternoon sun was blazing, and its brilliant light shone almost everywhere, except for the pool behind this wall. Bai Xunyin crouched and shrunk there, as if she were like a small mushroom covered in moss.
In fact, there were many unspeakable dark sides in her heart, but she was afraid that she would not be able to control these brooding thoughts.
Is life always so hard? Or is it better to wait and grow up?
Bai Xunyin unconsciously thought of this movie line, and laughed a little stunned-
During the time she was able to speak, she really didn’t feel that life was this hard.
After mulling over the matter negatively for a while, Bai Xunyin slowly stood up with her knees propped up.
The vulnerability on her face fleetingly disappeared. She wore a cold facade as she filled the water with an expressionless face and walked back to the class step by step.
Two minutes before class, Bai Xunyin brought the water back to class. Her fingers were strangled, and she felt a little sore and weak when she returned to her seat to get a pen.
Strangely, Sheng Churan was crying on her desk while Zhong Qin and a few other girls panicked beside her, comforting-
“Ran*, don’t cry. Yu Luoyin didn’t say anything just now.”
*T/N: Short for Churan
“Yes, he won’t blame you. There’s no evidence, why did he say that you kicked the bucket down?”
“That’s right. Yu Luoyin’s just the type of person who would always speak strangely.”
“It’s just, I really don’t know what Ran likes about him. Isn’t he just a little bit handsome…”
“Shut up!”
Sheng Churan raised her head. Her fair face reddened, glistening with stubbornness.
She said angrily, “I just like him, and you are not allowed to say bad things about him!”
Sixteen and seventeen-year-old girls were often desperate and defiant when they liked a person.
Like a moth to a flame, knowing full well that it is easy to burn to death, but still coveting the unattainable light.
Bai Xunyin didn’t like Sheng Churan very much. But at this time, she also admired her courage.
If it was her…
She probably won’t dare to like a person so unreservedly.
At noon, it started drizzling again.
Lin Lan was a rainy city. It rained twice every three days, so umbrellas were almost a must for everyone- the whole school was smokey and wet.
Therefore, the canteen of the Third Middle School was very unpopular. At noon, students were afraid of getting their uniforms wet with water vapor. They all had take-out food when it rained, and only a few people walked hundreds of meters to the canteen.
But Bai Xunyin was not accustomed to the heavy oil and salt from takeaway food. So, even when it rained, she still went to the cafeteria with her umbrella.
There were only a few people in the cafeteria, cold and quiet. Bai Xunyin felt that it was just right, and her mood became even lighter.
She took her meal card to the window and simply swiped two dishes, then found a corner and sat down to eat quietly.
The plastic chairs in the cafeteria were very cold, and Bai Xunyin felt frozen as soon as she sat down. Her brows frowned slightly, only feeling that this meal was also cold.
The ends of the young girl’s ponytail hair was slightly wet, and tiny water droplets spread to her white short sleeves, wetting a small portion near her shoulder blades.
The people in the cafeteria were very quiet. Only intermittent sounds of skirmish talking sprang once in a while. After Bai Xunyin ate for a moment, a few figures damp and cold from the rain walked inside.
Mixed voices of joking boys resounded, which instantly broke the silence around them-
“Brother Yu, why come to the cafeteria to eat? The food here is strange and unpalatable, we can just go outside the school to eat skewers.”
“Li Yuan, stop it. There’s just a little time for lunch break, what would you even do off-campus?”
“What about at night?”
“Don’t fool around, let’s first go and see if there’s braised pork ribs…”
Bai Xunyin looked down at the braised pork ribs on her plate. When she took it just now, the cafeteria aunt said that it was the last one…
These boys came late.
She glanced up nonchalantly, pinching her fingers on the chopsticks.
The backs of those boys, she knew, were the figures that appeared downstairs when she was arguing with Sheng Churan a while ago.
Among them, Yu Luoyin was there. The young man’s thin, tall figure, and slender fingers, were very recognizable.
Bai Xunyin bit her lip unconsciously. She looked away and continued to eat her own meal.
But subconsciously, she felt like sitting on pins and needles. Maybe because today, the cafeteria felt too quiet and spacey, with only her…
Bai Xunyin was not the kind of girl who was afraid of loneliness. She didn’t need to be accompanied to go shopping, watch movies, or even go to the bathroom.
But she kind of didn’t want others to pry into her loneliness.
Worst of all, those four boys had finished their meal and were actually sitting in a spot not far from her, only two tables away.
Even the knuckles of Yu Luoyin’s chopsticks were clearly visible.
Bai Xunyin suddenly felt that this cold meal was even more difficult to swallow. She lowered her eyes, uncontrollably, and heard the boys’ conversation——
“Brother Yu, you’re really ungentlemanly in your speech aren’t you? That little girl in class three was about to cry because of you.”
“Indeed, that was too ungentlemanly.”
“But that Sheng Churan was indeed a little scheming. I saw that she kicked the bucket down, and the girl next to her…”
“Hehe, maybe all beautiful girls are lying and capricious.”
It turned out that they knew, no wonder Sheng Churan cried like that.
Bai Xunyin listened, and couldn’t help but laugh a little.
Out of the four boys, the other three more or less liked to chat and talk a bit during dinner.
But during the whole process, Bai Xunyin did not hear Yu Luoyin speak.
They ate quickly, and it took only ten minutes before they finished and left.
It wasn’t until they left the entrance of the cafeteria that Bai Xunyin slowly breathed a sigh of relief – she also didn’t know what she was inexplicably nervous about.
But in short… She preferred to stay alone.
Just as her eyes retracted, she inadvertently glanced at the table where the boys had eaten just now.
Her eyes paused.
A meal card lay alone in a chair, forgotten.
The meal cards in Third Middle School were all registered under their real names. When she walked over and picked it up, there were three big characters written on it.
Bai Xunyin hesitated for a second, then chased out with an umbrella.
The boys were tall and long-legged, walking extremely fast. Bai Xunyin couldn’t shout ‘wait’, and could only run and chase.
In the end, she didn’t have time to get the umbrella. Her face became crimson while running in the drizzle and she chased after them breathlessly. Her black hair was a little wet, and the wet strands stuck to her cold white and small side face.
It wasn’t until she ran very close that the boys in front stopped and turned their heads as if hearing some movement. When they saw Bai Xunyin catching up, they were a little surprised and looked at each other——
“Classmate.”
Li Yuan took the lead and spoke, seeing Bai Xunyin’s eyes light up, “How can I help you?”
Bai Xunyin pursed her lips. Her thin white little hands were spread, and there was a black meal card lying on the palm of her hand. The girl’s fair palm was lined with two red marks.
She then handed the card to Yu Luoyin.
The latter froze slightly, and after a moment reached out to take it. His slender fingers traced over Bai Xunyin’s cool, wet palm.
Yu Luoyin stared at the young girl in front of him. She had ebony hair and white skin, red lips and white teeth, and her eyebrows seemed to be soaked by dewdrops.
She was bright like the stars.
A trace of vague interest flashed Yu Luoyin’s dark eyes, “Thank you.”
Bai Xunyin smiled gently, two small dimples loomed on her lips. The young girl’s eyes were bright, and she nodded slightly to them before leaving.
“Wait.”
Yu Luoyin stopped her and asked lazily, “What’s your name?” ”
When those words came out of his mouth, not only Bai Xunyin, but even the three boys next to him were stunned.
This was the first time …… Yu Luoyin had taken the initiative to ask a girl’s name.
But what they didn’t know was that this was actually the second time, and both times he asked the same person.
Bai Xunyin bit her lip. And after standing stiffly in place for a long while, she simply lowered her head and ran away from Yu Luoyin.
The girl’s footsteps were fast. Her ponytail wildly fluttered in the wind with her movements, and she didn’t even turn back once.
“This girl chased us all the way just to return the meal card?”
Lu Ye couldn’t help but laugh. He looked at Bai Xunyin’s back and sighed, “This girl is really pure ah, energetic and full of vigor.”
“Twice.”
Yu Luoyin shook off Lu Ye’s arm on his shoulder. His face sank a little, and his slender fingers raised up, “I asked her name twice, but I was ignored.”
Bai Xunyin’s face was hard to forget. And after seeing her, Yu Luoyin naturally remembered that time before when he got no response when he asked her the same question after school.
……
After a moment of silence, Lu Ye almost dropped his jaw in shock, “No way, there are still girls who can ignore you twice?”
“But why did you take the initiative to ask her? It can’t be …… hehehehehe. ”
He couldn’t help but laugh when he finished pointing it out.
“She shouldn’t have done it on purpose, she just couldn’t speak.”
Zhou Xin pushed down his glasses, and his amber eyes behind the lenses were calm and unperturbed, simply recounting a fact, “This girl is in the same class as Sheng Churan. She’s the mute girl in the third class.”
“Dumb?”
Li Yuan was stunned, “She is that little dumb school flower? That girl named Bai Xunyin? ”
Every year, the students of the Third Middle School who moved up the second year would conduct a boring selection on who their school flower* and school grass* would be in their school forum. It was considered as a painless relief from their boring and stressful study lives.
*T/N: “校花/校草” roughly translates to the school’s belle and hunk
But this year’s selection was very ‘sensational’ – because the girl who got the most votes was but a little mute, who single handedly shook off Sheng Churan’s title.
Just based on a photo secretly taken by a student, Bai Xunyin’s photo was actually not very clear. But the blurred photo didn’t diminish the ponytailed girl’s pure and heavenly beauty.
Because of this, Bai Xunyin once caused many students to come to the third class as ‘onlookers’. Gradually everyone also found out that she was a mute girl.
The ‘mute school girl’ thing has been buzzing around the school for a while, and several people like Li Yuan have heard about it. But they were not gossipy people, and no one came to see the legendary “mute school flower” specifically.
No one expected that this little dumb was a really good-looking person, not just a gimmick made up by those students. She was much better than Sheng Churan.
Bai Xunyin, it turns out that her name is Bai Xunyin.
Yu Luoyin silently recited her name, remembering the girl standing next to him when Sheng Churan kicked the bucket at the staircase before.
It turned out to be Bai Xunyin.
The girl’s arms carried the bucket, tired and bruised.
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.