IP Chapter 51
Incurable Pain | Chapter 51
“Yu Luoyin, do you still like me?”
This simple sentence, ten words, Bai Xunyin typed and deleted in the chat box, deleted and typed again. She could almost imagine Yu Luoyin’s teasing black eyes as he watched the other party continuously inputting in the chat.
But she just couldn’t bring herself to ask.
Bai Xunyin wasn’t afraid that Yu Luoyin’s answer would disappoint her; she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to respond to his answer.
If Yu Luoyin said yes, what should she do?
Cut off ties decisively?
No, although Bai Xunyin was conflicted, she now knew she definitely couldn’t bear to do that.
Acceptance by default?
That wouldn’t work either… She wasn’t ready.
They had split so cleanly six years ago, with no contact between them since. And now, she had just returned to Linlan for a month and yet they were already reconciling?
That seemed too unrealistic.
In six years, she didn’t understand what Yu Luoyin had become now, and Yu Luoyin didn’t understand her either.
So in the end, Bai Xunyin simply responded to him with silence […]
Fortunately, Yu Luoyin didn’t continue with the ambiguous teasing from earlier, but instead asked her, “During lass reunion, can I see you there?”
Bai Xunyin squinted, thinking about the ‘rumor’ that he would be there, and inexplicably replied, “Yes.”
The matter of changing her mind happened in an instant.
Originally, Bai Xunyin hadn’t planned to attend the class reunion at all, but in just a few minutes, she changed her mind.
Most of the high school seniors from six years ago were now just entering the workforce, generally without fame, money, or time, and far from the point where they could ‘show off’ to each other. So the location for the class reunion was very simple.
It was set at Yulou Chun next to Third Middle High.
‘Yulou Chun’ sounded elegant, but in reality, it was a relatively affordable barbecue restaurant with a large space, capable of accommodating hundreds of people.
Back after work, Bai Xunyin rushed over and found out that the reunion wasn’t just for their class but also for several other senior classes. A large group of ‘students’ had taken over the entire second floor.
As she was going up, she almost collided with someone.
“…Bai Xunyin?”
The man who met her ‘head-on’ not only didn’t avoid her but also spoke with a very teasing tone.
“You’re here too?”
Bai Xunyin raised her gaze and, from the man’s silhouette, found the shadow of a boy who used to follow behind Yu Luoyin frequently—his name was probably Li Yuan?
She politely nodded, “Hello.”
“Hello, so you’ve returned to Linlan from the north?”
Li Yuan, for some reason, had a smile at the corner of his lips that seemed a bit sarcastic. He looked down at Bai Xunyin from a higher position.
“I didn’t believe it when Ah Mo said you were back. You’re willing to leave that dump?”
His aggressive tone made Bai Xunyin uncomfortable, and she pursed her lips for a moment, regretting her decision to come.
Yu Luoyin’s friends not welcoming her wasn’t surprising to Bai Xunyin. After all, in their eyes, she should be the image of the ‘stepmother of Snow White’, the one who caused Yu Luoyin’s initial misery.
So in the face of Li Yuan’s sarcasm at the moment, Bai Xunyin didn’t get angry either. She just politely said, “Guangdong University is not some dump. Mocking others won’t make you any better, just like at school.”
Li Yuan, who didn’t even get into a prestigious university back then, couldn’t help but pause.
He suddenly realized that Bai Xunyin appeared soft and vulnerable but definitely wasn’t a ‘kind’ person. Instead, she seemed like a cat with the claws of a leopard hidden beneath her surface.
Otherwise, Yu Luoyin wouldn’t have been so obsessed with her for so many years, unable to stop, like a madman.
With a short laugh, Li Yuan quickly bent down to apologize before that guy noticed, “Sorry, I was a bit too harsh just now… Please come up.”
He said, turning slightly and even made a comical gesture of ‘please’ by bending down.
Bai Xunyin went upstairs and immediately spotted Yu Luoyin’s trace in the spacious hall. Perhaps because the man was too eye-catching, even though he was dressed casually.
She saw Yu Luoyin sitting on the long sofa, casually crossing his legs and looking at his phone absentmindedly, surrounded by a group of students wanting to talk to him.
Next to him was a woman holding a wine glass, intending to toast him, wearing a luxurious suit with a curvaceous figure, and her exquisite and charming makeup on her half-revealed side of the face… Sheng Churan?
After all these years, she hadn’t changed much.
Bai Xunyin noticed that Sheng Churan still had the same infatuated look in her eyes as before when she looked at Yu Luoyin, feeling somewhat amused.
Time was something that could dilute and forget everything, but the feeling of ‘love’ remained unchanged, just like Sheng Churan’s unilateral persistence towards Yu Luoyin.
Li Yuan followed behind Bai Xunyin and noticed her pause. He followed her gaze with some doubt and suddenly felt a big alarm bell ringing in his mind.
Oh no, if Bai Xunyin misunderstood something, wouldn’t Brother Yu be furious?
“Brother Yu!” Li Yuan immediately shouted loudly, attracting the attention of half the room.
He deliberately patted Bai Xunyin’s shoulder and smiled, “Look, our big doctoral student!”
…
Who spread these rumors?
Bai Xunyin accepted the scrutiny from all directions expressionlessly, avoiding Yu Luoyin’s gaze at the beginning and casually finding a seat in the corner.
Back in school, few people knew about her and Yu Luoyin’s relationship. Her most fAh Mous image in high school was just a ‘mute’.
She was used to keeping her presence to a minimum.
However, what Bai Xunyin didn’t know was that this was her self-judgment of her own image.
In fact, many students’ impressions of Bai Xunyin back then were of a quiet academic achiever, a stunningly beautiful school flower. Due to Sheng Churan’s bullying, who relied on her family background, many students tacitly isolated her.
But now they were all adults, and no one could intimidate anyone else anymore. Many former classmates, seeing Bai Xunyin still as beautiful as before, couldn’t help but approach her one after another, feeling like the air around them was refreshed.
Yu Luoyin, watching from not far away, gradually became inscrutable with his dark eyes.
“Yu Luoyin, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”
Sheng Churan’s face turned extremely unpleasant the moment she saw Bai Xunyin. Few people knew about Yu Luoyin and Bai Xunyin’s affairs back then—but she happened to be one of them.
The jealousy that pierced her heart like a knife back then felt vividly recalled every time she thought about it now.
Everyone can’t forget their secret crush, unrequited love, or first love. For Sheng Churan, Yu Luoyin was the embodiment of all three, the light she couldn’t attain.
However, this light… only liked Bai Xunyin, and even retaliated against her because of Bai Xunyin.
If only there were no Bai Xunyin, this thought kept flashing in Sheng Churan’s mind whether it was in senior year or throughout these years.
Illogical resentment could make a person’s mind become twisted—just like Sheng Churan. She didn’t resent Yu Luoyin for his cold words and actions that trapped her in the classroom back then; instead, she stubbornly resented Bai Xunyin.
She still liked Yu Luoyin persistently. Sheng Churan chose a local university for college just to be closer to Yu Luoyin. She even knew that Yu Luoyin was interning at the hospital now and often secretly went to see him.
Sheng Churan vaguely knew that her behavior was somewhat abnormal, but she couldn’t control herself.
For so many years, she secretly followed Yu Luoyin, but never dared to appear in front of him until today’s class reunion, where she could ‘openly’ approach him to talk.
Sheng Churan looked at Yu Luoyin’s as ever clear and refined face, his obsidian-like phoenix eyes. She felt her voice trembling as she asked knowingly, “How… How have you been?”
But Yu Luoyin just pursed his lips, as if he hadn’t heard her at all, and suddenly stood up.
As he moved, Sheng Churan’s wrist trembled, and a few drops of champagne splashed onto her skirt.
She frowned in annoyance, quickly pulled out two tissues to wipe the hem of her skirt, but when she looked up again, Yu Luoyin had already left that corner of the room, heading in the direction of… Bai Xunyin.
Sheng Churan’s fingers holding the tissue tightened unconsciously, and for a moment, the feeling of resentment almost reached its peak.
Bai Xunyin used to be somewhat ‘lively’ before eighth grade, but then became increasingly cold and aloof. Now, she spent all her time in the research institute’s laboratory, playing with herself, exuding an aura that kept others at bay.
So she wasn’t good at dealing with, nor could she cope with, a group of people surrounding her.
Especially these unfamiliar people who acted like they knew her well.
The faces of these old classmates in front of her seemed to transform into mischievous little demons. Their mouths kept opening and closing, trying to ‘connect’ with her. Bai Xunyin wore a mechanical smile on her face, responding numbly.
Her mind wandered, wondering why Ah Mo was working so late today and still hadn’t come to rescue her?
At this rate, she might just leave halfway…
Just as she was thinking, Yu Luoyin came over.
The chaotic crowd, seeing the man’s spontaneous approach, automatically made way for him, inexplicably clearing a path.
So Yu Luoyin walked over and sat next to Bai Xunyin in a relaxed and lazy manner, his whole demeanor exuding a faint smile.
It had been six years, the first time he was so close to Bai Xunyin, sitting beside her. The scent that belonged only to her wafted faintly to his nose, and Yu Luoyin felt exceptionally satisfied.
Even his sharp temperament softened considerably.
The surrounding classmates felt somewhat inexplicable, yet they also felt that this bizarre and harmonious atmosphere—just because Yu Luoyin was sitting here, they felt it wasn’t right to continue bothering Bai Xunyin with their conversation. They dispersed in twos and threes, and no one noticed that since Yu Luoyin sat down, Bai Xunyin’s back had involuntarily tensed up.
Yu Luoyin leaned back on the sofa, his obsidian-like gaze fixed on the slender figure of the young girl.
Bai Xunyin was wearing a deep gray wool sweater, somewhat close-fitting, easily outlining her slender waist and even her well-shaped butterfly bones…
But when he closed his eyes, he felt like Bai Xunyin was still wearing the school uniform from back in junior high.
The simple scene, the clothes, made her more enticing than any female lead he had seen in any movie.
And the ponytail the girl used to tie up back then was now gently scattered behind her shoulders.
Only a few stray strands near her ear didn’t behave, standing up slightly. Yu Luoyin subconsciously reached out to help her, but Bai Xunyin happened to turn her head.
In an instant, his long fingers inadvertently touched the girl’s tender and rosy lips.