Chapter 14

 Bai Xunyin, being a girl, couldn't outrun the long-legged Yu Luoyin. 

After running out of the teaching building, Yu Luoyin quickly spotted the slender figure of Bai Xunyin on the playground and caught up with her in a few strides.

He grabbed Bai Xunyin's arm from behind, only to be brusquely shrugged off.

The girl turned around in surprise, frowning when she saw Yu Luoyin.

"What's with that expression?" Yu Luoyin laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Disgusted with me?"

Bai Xunyin's frown eased, and she turned her head away expressionlessly.

"Why are you ignoring me? That's not the attitude of a good student." Perhaps because Bai Xunyin couldn't speak and he had to say more to make up for it, Yu Luoyin, when facing her, always transformed from a cold and refined prodigy into a chatty 'nuisance,' following Bai Xunyin and talking. "I haven't asked you yet, how did the exam go?"

Mentioning the exam only made Bai Xunyin angrier.

She pulled out her phone and typed furiously before shoving it in front of Yu Luoyin's face: "Why did you lie to me?"

Seeing the serious, childish look on the girl's face, Yu Luoyin's shoulders shook with laughter. "When did I lie to you?"

His unrepentant demeanor only fueled Bai Xunyin's anger.

[Your physics scores are clearly very good. Why did you trick me into tutoring you?]

He clearly knew everything she knew and more. Thinking back on the past half month, it was actually Yu Luoyin who had been explaining most of the problems to her.

"Are you stupid? Couldn't you tell I was just finding an excuse to get close to you?" Yu Luoyin's 'plan' being exposed didn't fluster him. He continued to smile lazily yet seriously, causing Bai Xunyin's heart to skip a beat—

"The whole world can see I'm chasing you, but you can't?"

In an instant, a thin veil of ambiguity was shattered by his blunt words. Bai Xunyin's mind went blank, her ears filled with a buzzing silence.

At the edge of the playground, it seemed as though the passing students ceased to exist; Bai Xunyin could only see Yu Luoyin.

She saw his sharp and clean features, and the fire and ice in his dark eyes...

The passionate and straightforward look left her nowhere to hide. Bai Xunyin felt her arm, held by his long fingers, heating up almost to the point of burning.

She stumbled as she pulled her arm back, her face flushed red, the blush spreading to her fair earlobes.

Bai Xunyin frantically typed on her phone for Yu Luoyin to see: [Stop talking nonsense!]

"I'm not talking nonsense." Yu Luoyin, understanding the need to retreat at the right time, smiled lightly. "I'll be going now."

In the future, he would naturally prove his words to her.

The young man, having stirred a calm spring, walked away seemingly without a second thought.

Bai Xunyin stared blankly at Yu Luoyin's tall, thin back, feeling slightly dazed.

All along, Yu Luoyin had always given off this feeling—school heartthrob, top student, these were just labels.

Only those who truly interacted with him would realize that despite his gentle, refined, and elegant appearance, he was actually aloof and unapproachable.

Bai Xunyin wasn't foolish; she understood that a boy frequently seeking contact with her had an agenda. And it was evident what she had to offer.

Even so, hearing Yu Luoyin say he wanted to chase her still felt surreal.

She couldn't quite believe it, perhaps just out of sheer disbelief.

Later, Bai Xunyin would occasionally recall this day and realize that Yu Luoyin had said he wanted to chase her but never mentioned liking her.

At the end of August in Linlan, with the scent of gardenias in the air, the division of the senior classes was finally completed.

Yu Luoyin and Bai Xunyin were both placed in the top class as expected. Amo just made it in too, along with Zhou Xinsui.

However, Lu Ye and Li Yuan, who were average students, were forced to part ways with their idol Yu Luoyin and muddle through in the regular class.

Yu Luoyin would still occasionally toss them practice papers and, during checks, give them a harsh tongue-lashing.

A refined and dignified person, Yu Luoyin's mocking words made the two students, who were otherwise decent, feel intellectually inferior, as if their brains had been squeezed at birth.

Of course, this was only when Yu Luoyin had the 'kindness' and time to guide them.

After the class division, most of his time was spent on Bai Xunyin.

In the soft, humid air of late August in Linlan, the hearts of the senior students burned with tension and anxiety, facing the imminent gaokao in a few months, leading to sleepless nights...

Everyone had a fire in their heart, and the fire in Bai Xunyin's heart was named 'Yu Luoyin.'

It gave her a headache.

Sharing a class meant seeing each other frequently, and on the first day of seat selection, Yu Luoyin somehow managed to sit behind her. During classes, Bai Xunyin frequently felt a poke on her back.

Whenever she couldn't bear it anymore and turned around, she would see Yu Luoyin resting his head on his hand, smiling at her.

His pale skin and dark eyes curved like crescent moons, shining so brightly that Bai Xunyin felt exposed. Yet, he always appeared innocent.

Whenever Bai Xunyin showed annoyance, Yu Luoyin would 'innocently' shrug his shoulders: "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"It's just that this pen won't obey."

He even blamed it on the pen.

"I used to not believe that boys would become childish when they're pursuing someone," Zhou Xinsui said mockingly from the side. "Now I believe it. Yu, you look like a fool."

"Get lost." Yu Luoyin wasn't angry; he just kept staring at Bai Xunyin's slender back, smiling. "I want to."

Their banter made Bai Xunyin blush furiously, and she couldn't help but glare at them.

Their whispers quickly drew the attention of the teacher at the podium.

The self-study session was supervised by Shen Langli. Noticing the commotion, she instinctively reprimanded Bai Xunyin—

"Bai Xunyin, why are you turning your head? You're in your final year of high school, and you're still pulling these little tricks? If you don't want to do your work, go stand in the back!"

Bai Xunyin, stunned by the scolding, pursed her lips and was about to stand up.

"Teacher, it's not Bai Xunyin's fault. I was the one disturbing her." Yu Luoyin stood up before she could, smiling lazily. "If you're going to punish someone, punish me. I apologize for wasting everyone's class time."

"You know you're wasting class time?" Shen Langli frowned, waving her hand in irritation. "Both of you, go stand at the back! Punished together!"

This was exactly what Yu Luoyin wanted. His smile remained unchanged as he quickly went to the back wall to be punished.

Unlike the ordinary classes with students who loved watching the excitement, this top class was filled with focused students. Seeing this scene, they simply continued their work. Only Amo couldn't help but sneak a few amused glances at Bai Xunyin.

Bai Xunyin glared at her helplessly and reluctantly walked to the back of the classroom—keeping a clear distance from Yu Luoyin.

When Yu Luoyin took a step closer, she would move a step away, until they were almost bumping into the windowsill. Bai Xunyin, worried that Shen Langli would notice something strange, had to stop.

Yu Luoyin's clean and fresh scent was close by, making her scalp tingle with tension.

A feeling of 'no escape' enveloped Bai Xunyin.

"This is the first time I've ever been punished to stand by a teacher, and it's with you. How interesting." Yu Luoyin lowered his voice and laughed in her ear. "Do you think we are destined?"

Of course, Bai Xunyin didn't respond. Her pale ears turned pink as she gave him a small shove.

In fact… this was also her first time being punished by a teacher, all because of him.

Bai Xunyin didn't know that Yu Luoyin was deliberately trying to provoke her.

Her angry, flushed face was a refreshing change from her usual calm and indifferent demeanor, and it gave him a sense of achievement.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but continue to tease her. When Bai Xunyin pushed him, Yu Luoyin seized the opportunity to grab her soft, delicate hand in his cool one.

The sudden contact made Bai Xunyin tremble. Instinctively, she stepped back, knocking over a pile of cleaning tools behind her.

The clattering sound seemed to break the atmosphere, and Bai Xunyin hurriedly pulled her hand out of Yu Luoyin's grasp.

"You two!" Shen Langli, now thoroughly annoyed, pointed at them and scolded. "Yu Luoyin, Bai Xunyin, what are you doing? Can't you even stand properly? If you don't want to study, do you think other students shouldn't study either? Get out into the hallway!"

…

Yu Luoyin suppressed his laughter and said with feigned seriousness, "Alright."

He then walked out.

Watching his back, Bai Xunyin felt that Yu Luoyin was doing this on purpose.

He was truly a troublemaker.

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