Chapter 1 .

 Lin Lan City, Class 3, Grade 3 of San Zhong.

As the evening glow, resembling a blood-stained scythe, swept across this century-old high school, Bai Xun Yin lay on the desk in the empty classroom, her slender fingertips lightly tapping the cracked wooden surface.

One tap, two taps—she was counting.

There was no clock in the classroom. She estimated that after about three hundred taps, the security guard patrolling the school would notice the lights still on in Class 3 and come to release her.

Being locked in the classroom after school was not a new experience for Bai Xun Yin. She had grown accustomed to it, even finding a bit of "fun" in the situation.

She sat on the chair, her slender legs swinging back and forth, making a rhythmic sound against the desk.

Sure enough, about ten minutes later, Liu Daye, the security guard on patrol, noticed the lights still on in Class 3 and frowned.

He took out his keys to open the door and saw the girl lying on the desk. He felt a mix of emotions. "Little girl, locked in the classroom again?"

Bai Xun Yin stood up with her backpack on, her pale fingers gripping the strap. She smiled at Liu Daye, her serene and graceful face calm and gentle.

Liu Daye managed a smile. "Hurry home now."

Bai Xun Yin obediently nodded and left with her backpack.

Liu Daye watched her slender figure disappear into the distance, then sighed softly. He had worked at Lin Lan San Zhong for many years, always in charge of patrolling the classrooms in the evening.

Over the past six months, he had frequently found the lights still on in Class 3 after school.

Every time this happened, he would open the door and find a girl sitting alone inside, as if waiting for him to let her out.

Initially, Liu Daye found this a bit eerie, but he eventually understood the situation.

This girl was intentionally locked in the classroom by her classmates a couple of times each month. The lights left on in Class 3 were her "SOS signal."

Liu Daye had been quite annoyed at first. He even discussed the issue with Shen Lang Li, the homeroom teacher, mentioning that this practice was not only troublesome for the staff but also dangerous.

Most importantly, it was a form of implicit school bullying. San Zhong had always had a strict school ethos. How could such things be allowed to happen?

However, Liu Daye was surprised to find that Shen Lang Li couldn't control the issue either. After some brief calm, the lights in Class 3 would be left on again within a few days.

Bai Xun Yin couldn't get help because being locked in a classroom didn't constitute "school bullying."

Liu Daye had once told the girl to call out for help loudly next time, but he didn't know at the time that Bai Xun Yin was mute.

She couldn't call out, relying only on the lights as her signal for help.

By the time Bai Xun Yin left the classroom, it was an hour after school had ended. It was past seven o'clock, and the sky in Lin Lan was nearly dark, with only a few remnants of twilight.

At this hour, the school was typically deserted and very quiet.

Her white sneakers made no sound as she walked down the corridor, almost blending seamlessly into the school's tranquil atmosphere. However, as she reached the staircase corner, she heard faint voices.

Besides her, there were other students still on the school grounds at this hour.

A shy, soft female voice, tinged with a barely noticeable sweetness, spoke, "Yu Luo Yin, I have two movie tickets. Could we... go see it together this Saturday?"

Bai Xun Yin paused upon hearing this, instinctively hiding behind the wall.

She had become very sensitive to sounds since losing her voice and recognized the voice as that of Sheng Chu Ran, her classmate.

Sheng Chu Ran disliked her, and Bai Xun Yin, not wanting to have conflicts, thought it best to hide and wait until Sheng Chu Ran left.

"There's a popular movie showing now. It's called..."

"I don't have time." Sheng Chu Ran's words were cut off by a lazy male voice, low and clear, with a hint of minty coolness. "Ask someone else."

"Ah..." Sheng Chu Ran murmured regretfully, "You don't have time? But I really want to watch it with you."

Sheng Chu Ran was usually a rather headstrong girl, but her voice now carried a hint of meekness, very different from her usual domineering demeanor.

Bai Xun Yin was surprised. She looked down at her white sneakers, a vague thought forming in her mind.

Then she heard the boy named Yu Luo Yin reply with the same three words, "I don't have time."

A moment of silence followed.

After a while, Sheng Chu Ran stomped her foot and left, her footsteps sounding furious as she ran away.

Bai Xun Yin sighed in relief, thinking it was fortunate that she left quickly. Otherwise, she might not get home by eight.

Were Sheng Chu Ran and this boy staying at school so late for a date?

Bai Xun Yin pondered, waiting for about five minutes, thinking they must have left by then, before she prepared to leave.

However, as soon as she stepped around the corner, she found herself face-to-face with a pair of dark eyes.

The boy, dressed in a loose school uniform, was leaning against the railing on the steps. The blue and white colors of the uniform barely contrasted with his pale skin. His eyebrows were dark and sharp, with his slightly long fringe blowing in the evening breeze. His piercing gaze was as sharp as an unsheathed sword.

A cigarette was clenched between his thin lips, flagrantly violating school rules.

Bai Xun Yin hadn't expected anyone to still be there and froze in her tracks, feeling a bit at a loss.

The boy was tall and lean, with broad shoulders, and his presence was overwhelmingly imposing.

Yu Luo Yin looked into the girl's deer-like eyes, which clearly reflected his faintly smiling gaze. He spoke slowly, "Eavesdropping?"

"That's not very nice, classmate."

Even though Bai Xun Yin's footsteps were light, Yu Luo Yin had already heard someone approaching from the corner while Sheng Chu Ran was talking to him.

He just didn't say anything, curious to see who it was—and it turned out to be a petite girl.

A rather beautiful girl, delicate and timid.

Yu Luo Yin's teasing tone made Bai Xun Yin's ears turn red, the blush quickly spreading to her white chin and cheeks.

She hadn't expected Yu Luo Yin to know she was there... even though she hadn't meant to eavesdrop.

Unable to speak, Bai Xun Yin shook her head, feeling helpless, her fingers tightening around her backpack straps.

"Hmm?" Yu Luo Yin flicked away the spent cigarette between his lips. His slender fingers casually tossed it into a nearby trash can. "Why aren't you talking?"

Unable to say "I didn't mean to" or "smoking is bad," Bai Xun Yin bit her lip.

The two stood at a distance, "staring" at each other, almost like they were being punished.

The situation amused Yu Luo Yin, who let out a light chuckle.

Bai Xun Yin pressed her lips together, then decided to lower her head and run past him.

"Classmate." As she was about to run down the stairs, Bai Xun Yin suddenly heard the boy call out behind her. "What's your name?"

She paused, her fingernails digging into her palms.

For the first time, she felt powerless about her inability to speak. Even though it might seem rude, she couldn't answer his question.

Bai Xun Yin took a deep breath and turned to face him, her lips silently mouthing a word.

Yu Luo Yin was momentarily stunned, vaguely seeing the girl's pink lips forming what seemed like the word "Yun."

Then, she smiled at him, turned, and continued on her way, her slender figure gradually disappearing into the distance.

Yu Luo Yin realized, belatedly, that this was the first time he had ever asked a girl for her name, almost involuntarily.

And she didn't tell him.

In the end, he felt he had hit a soft, unyielding wall. He chuckled softly, his long eyelashes lowered as he gazed at the boys sweating it out on the basketball court below.

One of the boys, with his school uniform tied around his waist, wiped his sweaty hair and eagerly ran upstairs.

"Yu Ge, how was that game? We really widened the score!" Li Yuan grinned, revealing two small tiger teeth. His sunny face was full of pride. "You missed a great game! Did Xin Sui go to reserve seats at the barbecue place?"

Yu Luo Yin expressionlessly tossed the water bottle in his hand to Li Yuan. "Don't ask me to wait for you after playing next time."

Li Yuan gulped down the water and asked, puzzled, "Huh? Why?"

Yu Luo Yin, hands in his pockets, leisurely walked downstairs, his voice calm but carrying a hint of annoyance. "Too many people offering movie tickets."

Annoying.

"Huh?" Li Yuan was confused for a moment, then mumbled, "People give out movie tickets at our school? Why haven't I ever encountered such a good thing?"

"......"

Third High School was a twenty-minute drive from Bai Xunyin's home. By the time she got home, it was nearly eight o'clock. Ji Huiying saw her return and, while reheating the dishes, complained incessantly.

"It's not even senior year evening self-study yet. Why do you come home so late a few days each month? Your stomach must be starving."

Bai Xunyin paused while changing her clothes. After a while, she pursed her lips, wrote a few words on a piece of white paper, and held it up in front of Ji Huiying:

[Mom, a classmate was tutoring me for a bit. It's okay, I'm not hungry.]

Ji Huiying was taken aback, her gaze shifting from the neatly written words on the paper to Bai Xunyin's small face behind it.

The girl's complexion was ivory white, almost translucent, with delicate and smooth features. Her lips were red and her teeth were white, and when she smiled, she had a bright and beautiful appearance.

But an accident had left her with the inability to speak.

In these two years, Ji Huiying could no longer hear Bai Xunyin's originally clear and pleasant voice. Instead, they had to communicate through writing.

"Well... it's good to study more now." Ji Huiying forced a smile and brought the reheated dishes to the table. "You're in your second year now; it's time to catch up on your studies."

Bai Xunyin nodded and quietly ate her dinner at the table.

Since she lost her ability to speak, Bai Xunyin had understood one thing.

There are some injustices you can't fight against; you can only ignore or even comply to make your life a bit better, at least to prevent worrying those around you—so she never told Ji Huiying about being locked in the classroom.

Life was already tough enough; she didn't want to add to Ji Huiying's worries.

Of course, there were other things... but she could handle them.

Bai Xunyin only checked her phone after returning to her room. There was a string of messages from Amo—

[Baby! My transfer to Third High School is almost done, haha, soon I'll be able to stick with you every day!]

[Why aren't you responding? It's already past six; you should be out of school by now!]

[Were you locked in the classroom again by Sheng Chu Ran because of duty today?]

[Aaaah, she's so annoying!]

...

Amo was the kind of girl who could send over 50 messages in a row, and if you didn't reply, she would keep sending them.

Bai Xunyin had known her since they were kids and understood her too well. She couldn't help but smile and quickly replied—

[No, I just got home.]

[I had extra tutoring today, so I didn't check my phone.]

Likewise, she didn't want Amo to worry.

But speaking of Sheng Chu Ran, Bai Xunyin couldn't help but think of the boy she had just encountered on the school steps.

Yu Luoyin.

Which characters were used for his name? Was it the "Luo" as in Luoyang or the "Luo" as in falling? Was it the "Yin" as in silver or the "Yin" as in singing?

She couldn't figure it out.

But perhaps the only thing she could be sure of was that Sheng Chu Ran probably liked him, and they might even be a couple.

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