Chapter 20.

In the following days, Yu Luoyin ignored Bai Xunyin.

There were no more whispered conversations in the safe passage after class, no more ambiguous lunch meetings in the cafeteria, and no more walking together under the pretense of tutoring… Now he was alone, ignoring everyone.

This puzzled Li Yuan and Lu Ye, who even came over to ask Bai Xunyin:

"Yinyin, what's up with Yu-ge recently? Why is he ignoring people?"

Facing their earnest gazes, Bai Xunyin forced a smile and shook her head, feeling a bit lost.

She felt helpless now, not knowing what to do.

In her relationship with Yu Luoyin, he had always been the one in control, from their acquaintance to their ambiguous interactions, and even to now… He controlled everything, and she just followed along.

But now, Yu Luoyin didn't want to maintain this anymore; he didn't want to pay attention to her. Bai Xunyin suddenly didn't know what to do.

She didn't even know why Yu Luoyin was angry. Was it because of Mu Anping?

But she… clearly had nothing to do with Mu Anping. Why was Yu Luoyin so angry just because she didn't tell Mu Anping about their relationship when they had agreed to keep it secret?

Bai Xunyin was also a bit annoyed, but more so, she was anxious and at a loss.

She couldn't help but tell A-Mo about what had happened between them, typing with such force that her emotions were palpable.

"Seriously, what's there to have a cold war about?" A-Mo said, surprised, her mouth agape as she murmured, "Isn't it just that Yu Luoyin is jealous?"

Jealous? Bai Xunyin was stunned.

"Haha, I didn't expect that Yu Luoyin, who seems so refined and mature, has this side to him. Tsk, tsk." A-Mo whispered, "How childish. Yinyin, just coax him a bit."

Coax… Yu Luoyin? Bai Xunyin frowned, feeling troubled.

She had never really coaxed anyone before, especially not a boy.

But A-Mo said Yu Luoyin was angry because he was jealous and was having a cold war with her because of it.

Thinking about this, Bai Xunyin couldn't help but smile a little, a faint dimple appearing at the corner of her lips.

"Oh my, oh my." Seeing this, A-Mo couldn't help but cover her face, finding it hard to watch. "This is so sweet it's killing me. You two are really something."

… Sweet, my foot. Bai Xunyin was speechless. After thinking for a moment, she asked A-Mo uneasily: [A-Mo, are you sure Yu Luoyin is jealous?]

"I'm sure." A-Mo nodded firmly, shrugging and saying seriously, "Otherwise, I really can't think of any other reason."

Bai Xunyin slowly let out a breath, her previously anxious and uneasy heart now filled with warmth, making her feel lively and gentle again.

After evening self-study ended and it was time to leave school, Bai Xunyin finally mustered the courage to go find Yu Luoyin.

She knew that Yu Luoyin, who hadn't been walking her home these past few nights, would always hide in the safe passage to avoid teachers and classmates while having a smoke. So she followed the familiar route.

Pushing open the heavy iron door, she saw his tall, slim figure, his back turned to her.

Hearing the noise, Yu Luoyin turned around and saw the timid girl sneaking in through the door, like an obedient cat.

Yu Luoyin's lips curved into an amused, barely noticeable smile.

His smoking after school wasn't a secret, and many girls had come to him over the past few days… but this was the one he had been waiting for.

Five whole days, Bai Xunyin really had no conscience, only now realizing to come over.

Yu Luoyin flicked the cigarette ash with his slender fingers, looking at her expressionlessly, making Bai Xunyin slightly uneasy, feeling as if the small enclosed space was compressing, making it hard to breathe.

Unconsciously, Bai Xunyin's hand at her side gripped the hem of her school uniform. After a while, she walked up to Yu Luoyin.

Facing his slightly lowered, lazy gaze, Bai Xunyin took out her phone and typed a message to show him: [Are you still angry?]

"Mm." Yu Luoyin responded softly. Noticing her slight frown at the smell of smoke, he extinguished the remaining cigarette on the windowsill. He turned his back to her and said lightly, "Why wouldn't I be?"

-------

Oh no, how am I supposed to coax him?

Bai Xunyin bit her lip and sent another WeChat message: [Yu Luoyin, are you jealous?]

"Yes." Yu Luoyin laughed shortly when he saw the message, admitting straightforwardly, "I am jealous."

For a moment, Bai Xunyin was speechless, staring blankly at Yu Luoyin's tall, slim back.

The safe passage was not big, and his presence there gave a strange, contradictory feeling of pressure and reassurance.

"Bai Xunyin, how can I not be jealous? That guy likes you." Yu Luoyin turned around, his elegant long brows furrowed. His usually gentle, refined, and somewhat lazy exterior was now gone, replaced by a sharp edge.

"You face a guy who likes you and don't introduce me. What were you thinking?"

[It was my fault.] Bai Xunyin didn’t want to argue with him over this, so she straightforwardly apologized. Taking advantage of Yu Luoyin's moment of surprise, she walked over and, in a rare move, hugged him, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

It was as if she were saying: Please don't be mad anymore, okay?

After staring at each other for two seconds, Yu Luoyin couldn’t hold back his smile.

"Really can't do anything about you." Yu Luoyin sighed softly, his long fingers lightly tapping Bai Xunyin’s round nose, "You sure know how to coax people."

It was the first time Bai Xunyin had initiated a hug with him—he couldn't stay angry even if he wanted to.

The little girl's eyes sparkled with joy as she eagerly asked him: [Are you not mad anymore?]

"A little bit still." Yu Luoyin snorted lightly, acting somewhat childishly. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Unless… you give me a kiss, then I won't be mad."

A kiss? Bai Xunyin's face turned red instantly, her heart pounding like colorful fireworks exploding inside her. She stared at him in a daze.

"Dummy." Yu Luoyin was amused by her shocked expression, his long fingers pinching her sharp little chin lightly. His playful eyes were deep and intense. "I meant on the cheek, what did you think?"

He spoke as if he were a gentleman, but his eyes burned with a fiery intensity, as if he wanted to devour her.

Bai Xunyin was both angry and helpless. Afraid that he might still be mad or ask for something more excessive, she hesitated for a moment before tiptoeing and awkwardly kissing his left cheek. Her ears turned red with embarrassment—

She couldn't help it; she didn't want to have a cold war with Yu Luoyin anymore.

Even though this wasn’t the first time doing something like this—she had even initiated a kiss on the day of the pep rally.

But in this kind of time and place, in the school’s safe passage where someone could walk in at any moment… there was always a subtle sense of forbiddenness that made her heart race.

After the quick kiss, Bai Xunyin wished she could dig a hole and hide in it. She lowered her head in self-deception, her white neck bending and exposing a small part of her nape.

So obedient and adorable.

"My girlfriend is so sweet." Yu Luoyin, satisfied with his mischievousness, couldn't help but smile brightly, feeling completely content as he draped his arm around her shoulders and led her out, "I'll take you home."

Seeing him finally not mad and back to his usual relaxed self, Bai Xunyin let out a huge sigh of relief.

Then she thought for a moment and sent Yu Luoyin another message: [I've been taking the bus home these past few days.]

A simple sentence, yet it conveyed her grievance—complaining to him like a spoiled child.

"It’s the boyfriend’s fault." Yu Luoyin, always emphasizing his "status," teased her with a lazy smile amidst her embarrassed look, "I'll be your ride now."

...

This guy is really annoying.

Bai Xunyin watched his back, feeling both annoyed and shy.

Like every girl in her early teenage romance, everything the person she liked did made her weak at the knees, her ears red, and kept her awake at night.

Just like the past few days, because of the "cold war" with Yu Luoyin, Bai Xunyin hadn't slept well.

Now that the misunderstanding was resolved and she could sit on Yu Luoyin's bike's back seat again, Bai Xunyin felt like she was back in that comforting and reassuring space.

That was Yu Luoyin's broad back—just leaning on it made her feel at ease.

*

It was already past nine when they left, and the school was deserted inside and out.

Even though Wulan was a warm river town, the nights nearing November were still chilly. Yu Luoyin pulled out another school jacket from his bag and put it over Bai Xunyin without asking.

"Wear this." Yu Luoyin ruffled her hair, annoyingly taking her hair tie—instantly, her long, black hair cascaded down to her waist, her small, pale face stunningly beautiful in the night.

He seemed to love ruffling her hair and liked seeing her with her hair down.

Bai Xunyin thought quietly, sitting obediently on the back seat, gently wrapping her arms around Yu Luoyin’s waist.

The oversized school jacket almost reached her knees, the sleeves extending well beyond her hands. Bai Xunyin tucked her hands inside, smelling a faint minty scent mingled with a hint of tobacco and sandalwood—Yu Luoyin's unique scent.

Later, when Bai Xunyin recalled this scent, it was almost her earliest, and only, understanding of a romantic interest—something she could never forget.

Bai Xunyin remembered that the night they separated, Yu Luoyin somehow upset her. She ran home in embarrassment, forgetting to return the school jacket. Her mother, Ji Huiying, asked whose jacket it was, scaring Bai Xunyin.

She made up an excuse to cover it up and "secretly" kept Yu Luoyin's jacket.

Bai Xunyin couldn't bear to wash it. Even when they parted, she forgot to return it.

The jacket remained in her wardrobe for a long time, until the white edges turned yellow and it became old, but it was still neatly placed inside.

To her, it wasn't just a jacket.

It symbolized the uncontrollable heartbeats and the wild desires of her youthful days.

During the few months she spent with Yu Luoyin, her diary contained only three words—Yu Luoyin.

Fair and messy, the name was written by the girl's sharp and delicate pen, each stroke hiding unmistakable excitement and affection.

Bai Xunyin thought this notebook filled with Yu Luoyin's name and her girlish thoughts would accompany her for a lifetime, but she never expected to burn it into ashes within a few months.

Youth was messy, and life was unpredictable.

In the world of high school seniors, there is no such thing as winter or summer vacations. It was only a week before New Year's Eve when No. 3 High School conducted the last exam of the semester for the seniors.

To Bai Xunyin’s relief, her grades hadn’t dropped despite dating Yu Luoyin. In fact, they had even slightly improved.

More importantly, in this exam, she scored higher than Yu Luoyin in physics.

Considering all the exams taken since high school, this was the first time she had outperformed Yu Luoyin in physics—even though he still ranked first in the school overall.

“Wow, Yinyin, you did great this time! Your grades are almost better than your boyfriend’s,” Amo exclaimed mischievously, causing Bai Xunyin to hurriedly cover her mouth.

“Hahaha, don’t worry,” Amo laughed, “no one heard.”

Bai Xunyin shot her a glare.

“Come on, let’s go show off to Yu Luoyin,” Amo said, linking arms with her and smiling. “Where is he?”

Bai Xunyin remembered that during the extended lunch break, Li Yuan had taken Yu Luoyin to the back playground to smoke. There was an abandoned restroom in the school’s back playground teaching building, an ideal place for smoking without being disturbed or monitored.

Yu Luoyin had taken her there a few times before. She didn’t mind but knew about the place.

Recalling how Yu Luoyin had mysteriously told her he had a surprise gift for her, Bai Xunyin, usually calm and composed, felt a twinge of curiosity.

After all, it was the first New Year she would spend with a boyfriend, so her feelings were somewhat different.

Bai Xunyin thought for a moment, then pulled Amo along to the back playground teaching building to find him.

The two girls wound their way through the corridors and finally reached the corner of the second-floor staircase. It was there that Bai Xunyin received the most unforgettable ‘New Year’s gift’ of her life.

Before she could step onto the staircase, she heard Yu Luoyin’s clear, deep voice, tinged with impatience—

“Stop asking, will you? What do you think could happen between us? Could we even kiss?”

“The little mute started liking me. The bet is over now, and I’m tired of hanging around her anyway.”

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