Chapter 26.

 Bai Xunyin and Yu Luoyin stood in front of Yu Shen's office desk, separated by at least a meter. The expressions on their faces were equally grim.

Yu Shen glanced between them, feeling somewhat relieved but also uncertain how to address the situation. He was quite certain these two students were not romantically involved.

Having taught for decades, Yu Shen had seen his fair share of early relationships among students. He knew well the signs of students in their final year of high school who were "dating." Typically, there would be furtive glances and stolen moments of sweetness that couldn't be hidden...

However, the demeanor of these two students before him was different. They seemed distant from each other, almost like enemies.

Yu Shen was less concerned about them being romantically involved and more worried if there was some unresolved issue between them.

After some consideration, he cautiously asked, "Both of you are in the same class. In the last exam, Yu Luoyin ranked first and Bai Xunyin third. Your performances were commendable. Have you ever discussed academic matters together?"

Yu Shen's probing was indirect, but Bai Xunyin was perceptive enough to understand why they were called to his office.

The girl hesitated for a moment, then shook her head decisively.

Her anxious attempt to distance herself cast a shadow over Yu Luoyin, who remained silent with a dark expression.

If he were more reckless, perhaps some overly dramatic gesture in front of the teacher could have captured Bai Xunyin's attention. Whether disdainful or cold, at least she would notice him, instead of ignoring him like a toxic gas cloud she wanted to avoid.

—But Yu Luoyin couldn't do that. He dared not.

Just moments ago, seeing the word "hate" on her phone screen in the hallway felt like a deep-rooted thorn jabbing at his eyes.

"No communication?" Yu Shen observed Bai Xunyin's prompt denial and Yu Luoyin's cryptic silence. Perplexed, he furrowed his brow. "Then why have I heard that you two often sit together at lunch, discussing questions?"

Bai Xunyin understood. Someone must have mentioned to the homeroom teacher about her and Yu Luoyin possibly having an early romance.

She had followed the rules for over ten years of schooling and was experiencing such questioning for the first time. The young girl couldn't help but feel nervous, her nails digging deep into her palms.

"Teacher, if you have something to ask, please ask directly. Don't beat around the bush. We're high school seniors; we don't have time for this," Yu Luoyin lazily interjected, pretending impatience as he glanced at his watch. "Do you really think we look like we're in a romantic relationship? Is it even possible?"

Yu Shen was momentarily speechless.

He couldn't help but look at the two students before him again—they seemed to carry a burden beyond what should be expected at their youthful age, as if the term "romantic involvement" couldn't possibly apply to them.

Perhaps the stress of their final year in high school was taking its toll. Maybe the gossip wasn't trustworthy after all. After all, both of them were top-performing "good students."

After some thought, Yu Shen waved them off wearily. "Alright, you can go back to class now."

Bai Xunyin breathed a slight sigh of relief. She couldn't find words to say and simply bowed politely to Yu Shen before leaving the office without looking back.

Throughout the encounter, Yu Luoyin didn't give a single glance to the male student beside him.

Yu Luoyin took a deep breath, silently pinching his finger bones.

He was accustomed to this repetitive action to cool his temper. By the time he pressed down on all ten fingers, his anger had subsided.

Confident in his lack of wrongdoing, Yu Luoyin now felt a sense of helplessness for the first time.

He didn't even know how to handle Bai Xunyin anymore.

By the time evening self-study ended, the bruises on his face had begun to fade, leaving only faint traces of discoloration that still looked somewhat alarming.

When Yu Luoyin returned home, he was immediately noticed by Yu Shitian.

Recent chaotic events had caused Yu Luoyin to forget it was Saturday—time for the Yu family's usual dinner gathering.

Upon entering home, he unexpectedly heard Yu Shitian's piercing voice, causing him to involuntarily furrow his brow.

"Cousin?" Sure enough, Yu Shitian glanced at him and covered her mouth, widening her eyes in exaggerated surprise. "My goodness, who did you get into a fight with?!"

Even Yu Luoyin had a day when he got into a fight, a rarity indeed! Yu Shitian's exclamation immediately drew the attention of nearby elders, including even Gu Yuan.

...

Yu Luoyin was on the verge of throwing Yu Shitian out.

The pent-up frustration in his heart could almost destroy the world. He furrowed his brow, trying to bypass the crowd to go upstairs, but it was too late.

Gu Yuan's crisp footsteps in high heels approached him, carefully examining his face. Her sharp, beautiful eyes showed both anger and concern, her voice slightly tense as she asked, "What happened?"

Yu Luoyin frowned and impatiently walked around her. "It's nothing."

The tall, slender figure clad only in a school uniform jacket showed no signs of being bothered by the freezing December weather, but Gu Yuan's brow furrowed tighter and tighter as she continued to look at him.

Although she was busy with work and rarely came home, and although Yu Luoyin had always been indifferent in his interactions with her... Gu Yuan could still keenly sense that something was not quite right with him lately.

However, with so many people around now, it wasn't appropriate to directly question Yu Luoyin.

Gu Yuan pondered in her heart, maintaining a smile on her face as she turned back to continue greeting others.

Yet, she couldn't stop thinking about this matter. When the event was almost over and she finally had a moment, Gu Yuan quickly seized Yu Shitian and took her to a corner.

"Hey, what are you doing, Auntie?" Yu Shitian was busy looking at her phone, pouting without lifting her head: "I'm about to meet friends to watch a movie. If we don't leave soon, we'll be late!"

Young people nowadays have diverse interests, seemingly busier than even national presidents with their daily schedules.

Gu Yuan had spent almost her entire life doing research in the office. She had a cold and aloof personality, finding it hard to tolerate the extravagant and meaningless lifestyles of these young people nowadays.

But now she needed help from someone, so she unusually refrained from lecturing Yu Shitian.

"Don't go. Go and ask your brother what's wrong." Gu Yuan covered Yu Shitian's phone with her hand to prevent her from staring at it and said in a deep voice, "I feel like something's been bothering him lately. Go and subtly ask him about it, see if there's anything going on at school."

Yu Shitian paused for a moment at Gu Yuan's words, turned her head to look at her in confusion, and said, "Auntie, why don't you ask him yourself?"

"He can't be bothered to talk to me at all. Why should I provoke him?" Gu Yuan chuckled briefly, her voice tinged with self-mockery, "When you go ask him, don't mention that I sent you. Forget about the movie for now. I'll give you some pocket money later."

"Oh..." Yu Shitian rolled her eyes and thought about it before reluctantly agreeing, "Fine."

Actually, what really persuaded her to give up the movie wasn't the pocket money promised by Gu Yuan; she didn't lack money. Rather, Yu Shitian recalled how urgently Yu Luoyin had asked her to rush to get him a bracelet not long ago on the third day of the lunar new year.

At that time, she had jokingly teased Yu Luoyin about pursuing a girl, and he hadn't denied it.

And these past few days, Yu Luoyin's mood had been strange, with highs and lows, smoking angrily with a bruised face... It was quite intriguing, and Yu Shitian had an intuitive feeling it had to do with that 'mysterious girlfriend.'

Her cousin, who had been adored by everyone since childhood, had never been this 'embarrassed' recently.

This embarrassment wasn't about his appearance but about Yu Luoyin's recent mental state as a whole, which made Yu Shitian unconsciously curious.

She agreed to Gu Yuan's request and quietly climbed upstairs. Standing outside Yu Luoyin's bedroom door, she knocked softly.

From inside came a cold voice, "Go away."

...

Oops, it seems the enemy's mood is very volatile.

Yu Shitian shuddered and suddenly had the urge to flee—but she resisted it and stood still for a while before timidly saying, "Cousin, it's me. I've come to return your credit card."

The voice inside the room remained indifferent, "No need."

"Don't say that. You know the card won't stop swiping when it's in my hands." Yu Shitian thought for a moment, then smiled faintly, "If I accidentally exceed the limit, it wouldn't be good if Uncle found out."

In terms of spending, Yu Yu rarely allowed Yu Luoyin to spend recklessly. He managed his finances quite strictly.

If there were any expenses beyond the limit, the information would pop up on his phone.

Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Yu Shitian 'successfully' heard the impatient voice from the room, "Come in."

She breathed a sigh of relief and pushed the door open with a smile—only to be almost overwhelmed by the room full of smoke. She felt like she could turn into a pink smoked pig right where she stood.

"Cough cough cough, Brother, why have you been smoking so much lately? Geez." Yu Shitian frowned, waving her hand disdainfully as she coughed and opened the window. A rush of cold air came in, instantly refreshing the room.

"Stop talking nonsense." Yu Luoyin sat on the edge of the bed, his elbow casually resting on his knee. He held an unlit cigarette between his slender fingers. When he raised his eyes to look at her with his dark and dangerous gaze, he said in a harsh tone, "Why did you come in?"

Having long sensed that Yu Shitian wasn't just here to return the card.

Yu Shitian wasn't ashamed to be found out about her ulterior motives. She shrugged nonchalantly, walked over to the swivel chair at the computer desk, and casually spun around while asking, "Cousin, have you recently had a fight with your girlfriend?"

Despite Yu Shitian usually being silly, the question she asked now was surprisingly precise and hit the mark.

Yu Luoyin immediately felt more irritated. He directly crushed the cigarette butt with his fingers. Despite Yu Shitian's surprised expression, he remained unmoved.

"...Do you have fingers made of iron?" Yu Shitian couldn't help but sarcastically comment, "Are you sick or something?"

Yu Luoyin didn't refute her. He felt like he was indeed sick, and not lightly at that.

If he wasn't sick, why would he be so restless and uneasy right now because of a little deaf-mute girl?

"What's wrong with you, cousin?" Yu Shitian looked at Yu Luoyin's expressionless face and saw a self-deprecating smile tugging at his lips. She couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy, "Did you get dumped by a girl?"

...

Yu Luoyin asked expressionlessly, "Can you shut up?"

"Ah, is that so?" Instead of quieting down, Yu Shitian burst into laughter. She annoyingly put her feet on the chair and leaned toward Yu Luoyin, eager to ask, "You actually got dumped? What kind of girl is she? Did she slap you in the face too?"

Her curiosity was piqued by this revelation.

"Who would dare dump me?" Yu Luoyin smirked coldly. "It's me who doesn't want her."

From beginning to end, he had always been the one in control of the relationship. He initiated the approach to Bai Xunyin, started dating her, and now he was just slightly off course... He was simply not accustomed to it.

There was no such thing as feeling down or heartbroken after being 'dumped'. He was just temporarily uneasy, that was all.

Yu Luoyin stubbornly continued to find excuses to brainwash himself, while his black eyes stared vacantly at the ground, clearly distracted.

"Are you talking about that girl you gave the bracelet to a few days ago?" Yu Shitian scratched her head in puzzlement. "What exactly happened?"

She was genuinely curious.

Yu Luoyin paused for a moment, then squinted his eyes as if pondering something.

He didn't understand Bai Xunyin's sudden change in attitude, nor did he comprehend her unusual insistence and concern about the bet—maybe girls understood girls better?

He couldn't tell anyone else about these things, but revealing a bit to Yu Shitian didn't seem to matter.

After thinking it over, Yu Luoyin briefly explained the situation and the current state of affairs.

When he finished, he saw Yu Shitian staring at him dumbfounded.

Yu Luoyin frowned at her confusion. "What's wrong?"

"...And you're asking me what's wrong?" Yu Shitian didn't even call him 'brother' anymore, standing up and stomping her feet impetuously. "Yu Luoyin, you're really despicable!"

"Yu Shitian." Yu Luoyin's expression darkened, staring coldly at her. "What did you call me?"

"...Brother." Yu Shitian quickly corrected herself, not daring to provoke further. But what she heard just now continued to bewilder her, echoing insistently in her mind and chest. She couldn't help but speak some harsh truths:

"Honestly, you're really despicable."

"How could you joke about a bet like that when a girl made such a big decision to date you? And now you're surprised she's upset? It's like you've got a severe case of 'straight male syndrome'!"

Yu Luoyin's brows furrowed thoughtfully, his black eyes filled with genuine confusion.

"At first, it was because of the bet, but later it wasn't," he insisted stubbornly. "Why fixate on the initial reason?"

"Brother, you really don't understand what girls think." Yu Shitian sighed, looking at him with an unteachable expression. "Let me ask you one question: after the truth came out, did you apologize to that girl?"

Yu Luoyin couldn't help but hesitate.

Thinking back, after the incident, he and Bai Xunyin did break up, they had physical confrontations, exchanged harsh words... but he really hadn't apologized.

Perhaps subconsciously, he felt he didn't need to apologize for that.

Murmuring to himself, Yu Luoyin asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"How could you not have done anything wrong? Making a girl sad is already wrong." Yu Shitian saw Yu Luoyin's reaction and knew he hadn't apologized. She said seriously, "Regardless of whether you think your joke about the bet was wrong, it really hurt that girl."

Yu Luoyin fell silent for a moment, his slender fingertips hesitatingly curling up. "Will an apology really make a difference?"

He felt that Bai Xunyin's current attitude was unusually resolute.

"Who knows? It's better than not apologizing at all. She didn't even get a 'sorry' from you." Maybe girls really understood girls better; Yu Shitian felt that if she started dating a boy only to find out later that it was because of a bet, she might have murder in her heart.

"Brother, you're so handsome. What are you afraid of?" Yu Shitian looked at Yu Luoyin's stunned expression and sighed softly. "If you sincerely apologize and sincerely coax her, maybe that girl will forgive you. But you can't act all high and mighty!"

She was someone who understood her older brother quite well—Yu Luoyin seemed gentle and cultured on the surface, but in reality, he was full of arrogance. Ordinary people couldn't stand it.

Now that he had made a mistake, if he went to apologize while maintaining an air of superiority, the girl might never forgive him!

Yu Luoyin thought about it quietly for a moment, and it seemed like he nodded slightly.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, bathed in moonlight, he looked like a delicate sculpture, lonely and fragile.

No matter what kind of boy he was, he couldn't escape the torment of the word 'love'. Yu Shitian, who was always deep in her thoughts, wasn't surprised that her older brother was like this.

Yu Shitian sighed involuntarily, having understood what she needed to know and preparing to leave.

But as she walked to the door, she was stopped by Yu Luoyin's clear voice. "Wait."

"Hmm?" Yu Shitian turned her head. "What is it?"

Yu Luoyin looked at her, almost smiling but not quite. "My mom asked you to come and ask me about this, right?"

Yu Shitian: "..."

"Don't tell her what you just said." Yu Luoyin flicked the cigarette butt into the trash can. Even the light tap on the plastic bag sounded crisp, making Yu Shitian shiver. "Otherwise, be careful."

...

Truly a mother and son who were alike in every way—they knew each other's little secrets and schemes, manipulating them into being 'pawns'.

Yu Shitian still wanted to keep her life, so she hurriedly nodded. "Okay!"

After Yu Shitian left, Yu Luoyin relaxed, half-leaning against the head of the bed. Subconsciously, he wanted another cigarette.

But when his fingers touched the cigarette case, he inappropriately remembered something that happened before with Bai Xunyin in the safety corridor.

Yu Luoyin didn't like to smoke when he was in a good mood or even at school. He didn't smoke often before, either. He couldn't even smoke more than two cigarettes a day recently.

That day, when he was being sneaky with Bai Xunyin in the safety corridor, he suddenly felt like smoking. He thought that no classmates would come here, so his restless fingers reached into his pocket for the cigarette case.

But as soon as he took out one and was about to put it in his mouth, the girl's brows furrowed.

With her fair face and exquisite features, she looked delicate and lovely. Her black eyebrows slightly furrowed, she looked strange and pitiable.

Yu Luoyin couldn't help teasing her and asked softly, "Don't like me smoking?"

[I like the faint smell of tobacco mixed with the scent of pine wood on your body.] At the time, the girl sent him a message, earnestly saying, [But I don't really like you smoking. Smoking is bad. Could you not smoke anymore in the future?]

Yu Luoyin didn't know that from the first time Bai Xunyin saw him, she saw him smoking, and she had always wanted to say these words to him.

At the time, he felt that her adorable and earnest concern was fresh and interesting, so he smiled and readily put the cigarette away.

Strangely enough, since then, he really hadn't smoked as often.

People who spend a long time together will inevitably influence each other unconsciously.

But now that Bai Xunyin didn't want him anymore, he had no choice but to pick up smoking again.

Yu Luoyin lowered his eyes slightly, looking at the cigarette case in his large, slender hand, and after a while, he lightly flicked it into the trash can.

Quit smoking, apologize.

He wasn't good at either, but he could try both.

...............................................................................................................

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