Chapter 10 - IP Chapter 10

Incurable Pain | Chapter 10

Bai Xunyin hadn’t expected that the “fun place” Yu Luoyin mentioned would actually turn out to be a movie theater.

As she followed the tall and slender figure of the boy into the mall and squeezed into the crowded elevator, she was quickly greeted with a stifling and humid atmosphere filled with chattering voices. 

Subconsciously, Bai Xunyin clenched her hand, and her palms became slightly moist with a thin layer of sweat.

Sensing that she might not enjoy being in such a crowded space, Yu Luoyin raised his eyelashes slightly and took a step forward—positioning his body in front of Bai Xunyin, skillfully creating a barrier between her and the surrounding people.

Bai Xunyin was taken aback, her heart slightly moved.

Just like on that rainy day, Yu Luoyin’s back at this moment was like the umbrella that protected her in that tiny corner.

Her tense nerves unconsciously eased a bit. Bai Xunyin let out a gentle sigh and felt that she might have been overly sensitive.

The elevator soon reached the top floor of the mall.

People gradually walked out, and Yu Luoyin glanced back at Bai Xunyin. 

“Keep up.”

Then he raised his own arm. “Do you want to hold onto my sleeve?”

…

“Scared you’ll get lost,” he said contentedly, pleased to see the pale hue of her ears turning pink. He smiled with satisfaction and casually retracted his arm as if nothing happened, continuing to walk forward.

Bai Xunyin followed quietly from behind, her fair neck blushing slightly.

She looked around—

This was the sixth floor of Linlan Business Center, a mishmash of delicate shops. At the end was a movie theater.

Did Yu Luoyin bring her here to watch a movie?

“Want something to drink?” 

Passing by a bubble tea shop, Yu Luoyin stopped and slightly pulled Bai Xunyin back to reality with his soft voice.

She turned her head to glance at the vibrantly decorated bubble tea shop with a long line of people. Shaking her head, she declined.

Yu Luoyin didn’t insist. When the two of them reached the entrance of the movie theater, he bought two cups of cola from the vending machine and handed one to her.

The paper cup of ice-cold cola had a thin layer of frost on its exterior. Holding it in her hand, her fingertips quickly turned chilly.

Biting the straw with her porcelain-white teeth, Bai Xunyin’s gaze remained clear and innocent as she stared at the side profile of Yu Luoyin for a while. 

She then saw him buy a bucket of popcorn and offer it to her—almost as if he were feeding a small animal.

Surveying the movie showtimes on the screen, Yu Luoyin turned to her and asked, “Which one do you want to watch?”

Unable to resist, Bai Xunyin typed out her question.

[Why did you suddenly want to watch a movie?]

Yu Luoyin’s response was simple, just two words, “Wanted to.”

…

Bai Xunyin could only shake her head, indicating that she didn’t mind what they watched.

In the end, perhaps catering to a “girl’s taste,” Yu Luoyin chose a seemingly light and fresh romantic film.

There were many screenings, and they could only enter the theater within ten minutes of purchasing their tickets. Walking through the dim corridor and ascending the steps, they reached the last row.

In the afternoon, there weren’t many people watching movies, and the last few rows were empty.

It was just the two of them, in a spacious and vacant area.

Before the movie began, the quietness around seemed to amplify Yu Luoyin’s shallow breaths, which lingered in the air.

Bai Xunyin’s fingers unconsciously fiddled with the popcorn bucket, making soft rustling sounds.

Fortunately, the movie started quickly, and the darkened theater eased her discomfort.

Bai Xunyin was a serious person. At first, sitting next to Yu Luoyin, she felt uncomfortable watching the movie. She had to force herself. However, as she continued watching, she got engrossed in the movie despite its boring plot.

But in the last row, where they sat, the speakers were too close. When the movie’s mood intensified, the sound became overwhelming.

Halfway through the movie, Bai Xunyin glanced sideways and unexpectedly caught Yu Luoyin looking at her. The white light from the screen brushed over his handsome face, highlighting his well-defined bone structure and his pair of pitch-black eyes that suddenly blinked.

Bai Xunyin was startled, her lips silently formed words.

[Why are you looking at me?]

Her heart raced uncontrollably, thumping loudly.

Yu Luoyin’s gaze was too sharp, even in the dim lighting, she could see him clearly…

Creating an ambiguous and elusive feeling.

“Looking at you.” 

Yu Luoyin’s voice was low and subdued. Despite the sounds around them, his clear voice pierced into Bai Xunyin’s ears with precision, “Looking at you to see when you’ll turn to look at me.”

From the start of the movie until now, nearly an hour had passed, and Bai Xunyin had truly been focused on watching the movie. 

Was he really so inconspicuous?

His somewhat “accusatory” attitude made Bai Xunyin’s scalp tingle. After a while, she silently took out her phone to type.

[Why should I look at you?]

Yu Luoyin found it amusing and messaged her on WeChat—in the guise of using the “contact time for tutoring” excuse, he had already obtained her WeChat.

Communicating through text made it easy to say those slightly “shameless” words. 

[When I go out with girls to watch movies, they always secretly look at me.]

He often went out with girls to watch movies? 

In an instant, Bai Xunyin thought of Sheng Churan.

Bai Xunyin pursed her lips. For some reason, she replied with a hint of emotion this time.

[They are them, it has nothing to do with me.]

After sending the message, she heard a seemingly scornful laugh from the boy.

The phone quickly lit up.

[Are you jealous?]

…

Jealous? 

What was there for her to be jealous of?

Suddenly, the surge of inexpressible restlessness she felt before reached its peak. Bai Xunyin stood up with flushed cheeks.

Ignoring the fact that the movie hadn’t ended and disregarding Yu Luoyin, she walked out on her own.

Afraid that the boy might follow, Bai Xunyin walked quickly, almost running, and hurried to the restroom outside the theater.

Coincidentally, another movie in a different hall had just ended, and there were quite a few people in the restroom, all standing in line.

Bai Xunyin didn’t actually need to use the restroom. She stood in front of the mirror, staring numbly at her reflection—slender and fragile, with cold features. 

She appeared like a dull and melancholic girl.

With someone as bright and fervent as Sheng Churan, with someone like a “little sun” surrounding him, why did Yu Luoyin want to provoke her?

Bai Xunyin wasn’t foolish; she understood very well what Yu Luoyin’s recent actions implied.

Helping her move tables, putting hula hoops around her—it could be passed off as coincidental between classmates. But later, tutoring, watching movies… 

Bai Xunyin couldn’t keep pretending to be indifferent.

She just didn’t understand why it had to be her?

“Huh? Bai Xunyin?”

Just as her mind was in a chaotic state, almost dazed, a familiar voice came from behind. A sweet voice rang tinged with curiosity.

Bai Xunyin turned her head and saw Liu Yufu emerging from the restroom, looking at her with surprise.

“How coincidental.” 

She walked over, stood next to Bai Xunyin at the sink, and smiled as she asked, “Are you also here to watch a movie?”

Compared to what she looked like at school, Liu Yufu seemed much more “gentle” outside, and a faint smile adorned her face.

Compared to the indifferent math class representative in their class, at this moment, she seemed more like a seventeen-year-old charming girl.

Being closer, Bai Xunyin noticed that Liu Yufu had taken off her usual black-framed glasses, replacing them with big, dark-colored contact lenses.

She even had makeup on and was wearing a knit dress that was quite different from the school uniform. She looked gentle and exquisite.

“Who did you come with?” 

Liu Yufu naturally knew that she wouldn’t get a “response” from Bai Xunyin. 

After finishing washing her hands, she touched up her makeup in the mirror and asked as she applied lipstick, “With Lu Ye?”

Her practiced movements left Bai Xunyin a little stunned, but upon hearing this question, she immediately snapped out of it, shaking her head repeatedly.

She quickly typed on her phone for Liu Yufu to see. 

[I have no relationship with Lu Ye.]

“Ha, my bad for misunderstanding.” 

Seeing Bai Xunyin’s hurried clarifications, Liu Yufu couldn’t help but laugh, her voice carrying a hint of ambiguity, “But even if it were true, it wouldn’t be a big deal. It’s normal to be in a relationship. I came here with my boyfriend too.”

…

For a moment, Bai Xunyin was struggling to decide which was more shocking.

“It’s normal for high school students to be in a relationship” or “Liu Yufu actually has a boyfriend.”

Today, Liu Yufu seemed like a stranger to Bai Xunyin. 

Was she still the class representative who only cared about studying?

Moreover, is it really normal for high school students to be in relationships? But the school clearly prohibits early relationships.

“Are you finding it strange? That a bookworm like me could be in a relationship?” 

Liu Yufu seemed to understand what Bai Xunyin was thinking and smiled as she turned her head to look at her, her words astonishingly consistent, “It’s actually quite normal. Nowadays, who isn’t in a relationship? It’s just that you’re not nosy, but the truth is, He Rou and Lu Xue—they both have boyfriends.”

She was referring to the class monitor and the chemistry class representative.

Bai Xunyin couldn’t help but feel a slight shock in her pupils. Just as she was unsure what to 

say, her phone in her hand vibrated.

Picking it up and looking at it, it was a message from Yu Luoyin. 

[Come out, if you don’t, I’ll come in.]

Even from the words, she could sense his anger. Bai Xunyin’s body trembled slightly, and her eyebrows furrowed.

She had an inexplicable feeling that Yu Luoyin was the kind of person who could do anything. 

She couldn’t really let him come into the women’s restroom, right?

Biting her lip, Bai Xunyin typed a hasty farewell to Liu Yufu, who was carefully touching up her makeup. Then, she rushed out in haste.

Liu Yufu raised an eyebrow in surprise—rarely had she seen Bai Xunyin, this usually cold person, display such intense emotional fluctuations. 

After hesitating for a moment, she followed her out.

What she saw was Bai Xunyin’s slender figure walking side by side with a tall and lean young man. There seemed to be an air of nobility about his back.

They took a couple of steps, then paused. It seemed like they were arguing; Bai Xunyin would occasionally lower her head to type on her phone.

This young man’s figure… why did it seem somewhat familiar? 

It looks like she had seen him somewhere before. Could he be from their school?

Liu Yufu squinted her eyes and scrutinized more carefully—she happened to catch a glimpse of the young man turning his head slightly, revealing a part of his profile.

Liu Yufu was stunned. Her heart seemed to skip a beat, and she jumped in shock.

This… wasn’t that Yu Luoyin?

Aside from Bai Xunyin, who was completely oblivious to what was happening outside of studies, which one of their classmates hadn’t paid some attention to Yu Luoyin to a greater or lesser extent?

Especially when Sheng Churan, their classmate, had been loudly declaring her intention to pursue him, Liu Yufu, of course, knew who he was.

But how was it that now Bai Xunyin and Yu Luoyin were together?