This is an extremely brainless and frivolous behavior that she absolutely will not allow.
"Don't worry about that. These students practically stay in school for nearly twelve hours a day, all under my watchful eyes. If something were really going on, how could I not know?"
Upon hearing Gu Yuan's words, Yu Shen couldn't help but laugh confidently, saying, "Early romance? That's absolutely impossible. Yu Luoyin is not that kind of child."
There was a hidden trace of melancholy in Gu Yuan's eyes, which she politely smiled away, saying, "Thank you for your concern, teacher."
Leaving the school under the setting sun, her first action was to call her assistant with a serious tone: "Help me check Luoyin's recent spending records, bank cards, credit cards—check everything."
*
Amo felt something was off about Bai Xunyin.
From resting after school until late self-study sessions, whether buying meals or discussing topics, the latter always seemed somewhat distracted.
It was as if Bai Xunyin was pondering something, her beautiful eyes vacant, mechanically eating her boxed meal bite by bite.
"Hey, hey." After the evening self-study ended, Amo couldn't help but pull Bai Xunyin to a corner, whispering, "What's wrong with you tonight? You seem off."
Bai Xunyin, wearing a thin school uniform under a thick coat, couldn't withstand the March cold winds of Linlan, shivering the moment she stepped outside. Her petite face turned pale with a hint of redness on her nose, evoking a sense of pity.
She waved her hand to reassure Amo that she was fine, then pulled the younger girl to the bike shed to retrieve their bikes together.
This routine had been ongoing; after school, Amo accompanied her to get her bike, the two reluctantly parting ways at the school gate...
And then Yu Luoyin silently followed her, every day.
But today, it seemed different.
When Bai Xunyin and her arrived, they coincidentally met Yu Luoyin also coming to get his bike. In an instant of eye contact, both of them unconsciously looked away.
Yu Luoyin, expressionless, pushed out his bike. With the bell ringing, he swiftly mounted it without a word and rode away, not even turning his head once throughout.
As their bikes brushed past each other, a gust of wind stirred up, reminding her of when she first met Yu Luoyin—yes, he should be like this.
Cold, aloof, not easily approached; this was truly him.
Thus, all those gentle and tender past encounters seemed truly fake. Bai Xunyin's lips curled into a relieved smile.
"Damn, what's Yu Luoyin acting all high and mighty for? It's like we owe him money!" Amo couldn't stand Yu Luoyin's arrogant attitude, venting, "Clearly, he's the one sticking to you day in and day out—hey, wait, why isn't he following you today?"
Amo ranted on, only realizing this point after the fact.
Bai Xunyin fell silent for a moment, then took out her freezing cold phone from her pocket and typed for Amo to read: [Amo, I talked things over with him.]
[I hope this time we can truly break free from each other, without interference.]
With that said, she had said everything she needed to.
Bai Xunyin laid the harsh truth before Yu Luoyin—her pursuit of ideals was destined, but she feared avoiding him.
Yu Luoyin didn't know if some things could only be experienced once in a lifetime, gone if missed.
Because his life had always been smooth, he didn't know how to react when faced with 'setbacks', feeling bewildered like never before.
His mind numb, he mechanically circled back and forth as usual, riding for nearly forty minutes in the cold wind of midwinter night back to his rented house.
After stiff fingers moved a bit, Yu Luoyin entered the passcode, and unexpectedly saw Gu Yuan sitting on the sofa in the brightly lit living room, his brows unconsciously twitching.
"You're back so late?" Gu Yuan wasn't surprised he returned here; in fact, she received Yu Luoyin's recent spending records two hours ago, knowing he secretly rented a house and hadn't been home in half a month, so she knew he would come back here.
That's why she chose to wait here.
"Night study ends at half-past nine. From your school to this rented house—son, your taste isn't bad." Gu Yuan chuckled slightly, her tone slippery, continuing, "It's at most a ten-minute ride from your school to this house. It's been an hour now. Where did you go?"
Yu Luoyin couldn't help but frown. Since childhood, what he hated most was Gu Yuan's 'all-business' teacher-like demeanor every time she saw him.
It was as if she always wanted to educate him, make him report. Every time they met, Yu Luoyin couldn't help but resist, speaking with a sting.
"No footsteps in the temple without reason. What are you here for?" This time was no exception, thanks to Gu Yuan's 'careful teaching' since childhood, Yu Luoyin knew how to stay calm like her, putting on a refined appearance and saying the most piercing words: "I'm surprised you remember you have a son, only now knowing I rented a house outside."
Gu Yuan pursed her lips and fell silent, and the room fell into a strange silence.
Yu Luoyin chuckled lightly, as if nothing had happened, and casually walked to the refrigerator to take out a bottle of ice water, drinking half of it in one go.
Gu Yuan looked at him steadily, a phrase like 'don't always drink cold things, it's bad for your stomach' circled her tongue but didn't come out. Instead—
"Why don't you accept the guaranteed admission quota from Lan University?"
"Oh, is that why you're here? Who knows?" Yu Luoyin walked over, half-leaning on the soft leather sofa, indifferent smile: "Maybe because I don't want to go to Lan University."
"Nonsense." Gu Yuan's face stiffened, each word as rigid as a meeting in a conference room, systematically analyzing pros and cons: "Lan University ranks top three nationwide in chemical engineering, wasn't that your intended major?"
"And besides, Lan University is local, making everything from living to commuting more convenient for you."
"Moreover, going to Lan University was your own idea before. If your actions don't match your words..."
"Mom, can you stop for a moment? I need some quiet time." Yu Luoyin looked up at the snowy white ceiling, dazedly saying, "I'm tired today."
Whether it was the confidence completely shattered by Bai Xunyin in the afternoon or the inability to resist accompanying her all the way back home just now, physically and mentally, he was exhausted.
"Yu Luoyin, what's wrong with you?" Seeing his lazy and dispirited appearance, Gu Yuan stood up in anger.
Her slender fingers tightly grasped the bag in her hand, resentful: "What state are you in now? Is this how a senior high student should be?"
Yu Luoyin smirked dully, "What state should I be in?"
Should he always be rational, composed, wearing a vacuum mask that keeps people away? Everyone would have moments of confusion and weakness, right?
"You should of course accept the guaranteed admission to Lan University and prepare for university studies!" However, Gu Yuan wouldn't allow it. Her incessant voice attempted to decide everything for him: "Instead of being clueless like now, Yu Luoyin, are you trying to provoke me?"
Yu Luoyin remained silent.
"... Your father and I are both busy with work, and we may have neglected to care about you in this aspect." Seeing his uncooperative attitude, Gu Yuan sighed softly, her tone slightly softened: "But this isn't a reason for you to act recklessly, Luoyin. Don't you remember what I told you? Indulgence is the beginning of a person's downfall. In any case, I won't allow you to be irresponsible to yourself."
"Mom, please stop." Yu Luoyin's expressionless face, with a hint of shallow coldness in the corners of his eyes and brows: "I'm tired. Please leave."
Gu Yuan frowned, sitting still in place.
"You still want to talk about the guaranteed admission quota?" Yu Luoyin raised his eyebrows mockingly and chuckled, "I don't want it. Do you think I can't get into college without it?"
"You," Gu Yuan was stunned, murmuring, "Isn't this unnecessary?"
"I'm willing to." Yu Luoyin waved his hand defiantly, pointing towards the door, "Please."
...
Gu Yuan understood Yu Luoyin's temper and knew that arguing with him in his current state would only lead to a fight. She reluctantly stood up quietly, but when she reached the door, she couldn't help turning back—
"Yu Luoyin, do you think this unnecessary gesture of yours is cool? Or does it fit the casual attitude of you boys?"
"Instead of taking the guaranteed admission, you insist on taking the college entrance exam yourself? I admire your confidence, but you seem to have forgotten that unexpected things can happen in life."
"Fever, flu, traffic jams, nervousness during the exam, and so on can all cause 'unexpected' events during the college entrance exam!"
"Ideals and goals in life shouldn't be casually wasted. Some people may only have one chance in their lifetime to seize their dreams and make them come true. Once missed, it's over. You'll understand this later."
Gu Yuan finished in one breath, and with a resounding bang, she decisively slammed the door shut and left.
In the silence of the room, Yu Luoyin slowly opened the eyes he had just closed.
["Some people may only have one chance in their lifetime to seize their dreams."]
["Once missed, it's over."]
So, should he seize it?
Bai Xunyin would be over if missed, and Yu Luoyin firmly believed in this.
But the girl clearly stated in the afternoon that she chose ideals over him.
If he were to pursue it... wouldn't that be too self-degrading?
Nearly a month later, Yu Luoyin finally couldn't help but light a cigarette, his clear eyebrows tightly furrowed.
Or... forget it. Anyway, Bai Xunyin annoys him. Yu Luoyin thought aimlessly, feeling empty inside.
But every time he closed his eyes, the gentle smile of the girl and the cruel past kept flashing in his mind, like watching a movie.
Yu Luoyin's eyelashes trembled slightly. By the time the cigarette burned out, he made a decision contrary to what he had just thought—damn, isn't this pursuing someone who doesn't want him? He's being pathetic.
Gu Yuan's words were like a wake-up call, calming down Yu Luoyin's restless and tangled heart in the afternoon, and also made a decision closely related to his future life direction.
He wondered if she would regret it when she found out the truth someday.
*
In the following week, Bai Xunyin was no longer entangled by Yu Luoyin.
Perhaps because he took her words to heart and understood that they were destined for different paths, all interactions were unnecessary, so she let it go.
Bai Xunyin breathed a sigh of relief, but she wasn't particularly happy either because there were things at home that worried her.
For some reason in recent days, Ji Huiying seemed to be hiding something from her—leaving early and returning late, radiating an unmistakable sense of unease. Bai Xunyin even occasionally saw her checking the family's savings passbook...
Counting money wasn't frightening, but it was scary to secretly count it when there were only the two of them. If she, who depended on Bai Xunyin, could conceal something, then it definitely wasn't a simple matter.
When Bai Xunyin thought about this layer, her mind buzzed, and her first thought was to silently and urgently write a note to Ji Huiying: [Mom, is Dad not feeling well lately?]
Bai Hongsheng had always been physically stable, but since the last accident, Bai Xunyin was always worried about sudden bad news.
"No, no, what are you thinking?" Ji Huiying denied hurriedly, her eyes darting around, "Your father's condition is very stable."
She involuntarily repeated the same behavior without realizing it, obviously she was agitated to a certain extent.
But their lives recently had been as usual... What was Ji Huiying so agitated about?
Bai Xunyin's delicate eyebrows furrowed with worry, unable to resist continuing to write on the paper hastily: [Mom, what's been going on with you lately?]
"Stop asking, Yinyin, can you go back to studying?" Ji Huiying rubbed her temples, sometimes unable to suppress her restlessness, and sometimes forced a smile.
She pushed Bai Xunyin back to her room, constantly saying, "There are only three months left until the college entrance exam, Yinyin, you just need to study well, don't worry about anything else."
The more Ji Huiying said this, the heavier Bai Xunyin felt in her heart.
It felt like the person closest to her was hiding something, and she had nowhere to vent her frustration. She even thought about telling Amo about Ji Huiying's recent abnormalities, but every time she was about to speak, she felt she couldn't say it.
Things she couldn't figure out herself, how could Amo, that straightforward girl, understand?
Moreover, at such a crucial moment, causing trouble for others was a crime. Bai Xunyin didn't want Amo to worry with her.
She could only silently swallow all her doubts and pretend to be calm, playing along with Ji Huiying's 'act'.
But this superficial 'peace' was shattered completely on the weekend.
On Sundays, senior high school students usually had half a day off. Bai Xunyin was worried about Ji Huiying's recent state and wanted to spend this half-day resting at home with her. She refused Amo's invitation to make up classes together.
However, when Bai Xunyin rode her bicycle into the narrow alleyways of Ajun, she saw Ji Huiying being cornered against the wall by two tall figures!
Bai Xunyin's mind buzzed, and without hesitation, she rang the piercing bicycle bell and rushed over—
"Damn it! Where did this lunatic come from!?" The sudden appearance of a white figure rushing over startled the two menacing big men. They barely avoided the bicycle wheels and immediately started cursing loudly, "Are you blind? Didn't you see there are people here?"
"Yinyin! Why are you back? Weren't you supposed to be at extra classes?" Ji Huiying's heart pounded with fear and anger as she shielded Bai Xunyin behind her.
She looked at the stubbornly pale face of the girl and urged incessantly, "Don't mind them, quickly go back and do your papers..."
"Oh, Mrs. Ji, is this your daughter?" The leader of the men glanced up and down at Bai Xunyin, then suddenly grinned, "Not bad looking for a young girl."
"Yinyin!" Ji Huiying's body trembled slightly, shouting sternly, "Go home!"
But Bai Xunyin remained frozen in place, her clear eyes staring blankly at the man before her.
That voice, the familiar tone... She recognized it—they were the same loan sharks who had chased them three years ago!
Just seeing them brought back the image of Bai Hongsheng leaping from the eighth floor. Bai Xunyin felt a chilling familiarity surge through her, her teeth unconsciously grinding together.
"Mrs. Ji, telling your daughter to go home won't work. We know your address." The man laughed indifferently, his narrow eyes looking sinister and fierce, "If you don't give us the money, we'll come every day. If it affects your daughter's college entrance exams... who do you think will suffer more?"
Bai Xunyin snapped out of her daze and understood immediately.
So, Ji Huiying's recent anxiety and insomnia, even her secret glances at their savings book... were all because these debt collectors had come back.
Clearly, they had decided to harass them during this critical period, making Ji Huiying fearful of disturbing Bai Xunyin's mood before and after the exams, forcing her to pay up.
Bai Xunyin's hands clenched into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms.
"You... you can't be so unreasonable." Ji Huiying had always been gentle and cultured, accustomed to reasoning calmly even when agitated, her face turning pale, "The court has cleared our debts with you after what happened to my husband..."
"Damn it! What court?" The man interrupted her angrily, coldly sneering, "Can the court manage me coming here for a 'stroll' in this crappy neighborhood every day? It can't! Your husband owed me so much money back then, and you think his death settles it? Whether you give us the money or not, you figure it out yourselves!"
With that, the man left casually with his entourage.
Both Ji Huiying and Bai Xunyin returned home with heavy hearts.
After hanging up her bag, Ji Huiying sighed as she looked back at the pale-faced girl, comforting her softly, "Yinyin, don't be afraid. If they come again, we'll call the police. There will be a solution."
But whether the police would intervene was uncertain.
Bai Xunyin understood this principle, but she didn't want Ji Huiying to know she knew everything, lest she worry. So, she just nodded.
Orphans and widows were the most easily bullied, especially two women seen as weak and useless by the world.
Bai Xunyin could almost predict the debt collectors' intentions. She felt that they would easily extort money for safety and compromise indefinitely, but...
A cold light flashed in Bai Xunyin's amber eyes. She opened a drawer and took out a knife—this Swiss army knife had been given to her by Bai Hongsheng. When necessary... it could save her life.
For the first time at seventeen, the young girl considered touching the sharp edge, harboring a resolve she had never spoken of to anyone.
Was life always this difficult? Or would it get better when she grew up?
Bai Xunyin asked herself this question again, then smirked softly.
Fate was a bastard, and life was just that tough.
The next day, after school, when she saw the two debt collectors at the entrance of the alley in the neighborhood, Bai Xunyin wasn't surprised—ever since she spotted them yesterday afternoon at their neighborhood gate, she knew they would come looking for her.
Vampires and parasites only liked to bully the weak, and she seemed even 'weaker' than her mother.
Bai Xunyin pushed her bicycle to a stop in front of the two tall men, her eyes cold.
"What's with that expression, little girl?" The man couldn't help but laugh at her fearless demeanor, "We just wanted to chat with you. Heard you're a good student?"
He spoke as if to reach out and touch the girl's chin.
However, the next moment, a piercing scream that sounded like a pig being slaughtered echoed through the quiet alley in the late night—
"Damn it!!! Fuck!!!"
The man covered his bleeding hand, blood spreading into his eyes, his gaze as bloodthirsty as ever as he cursed angrily at Bai Xunyin, "You damn bitch! How dare you bring a knife!"
But Bai Xunyin paid no attention, recklessly slashing at the man's hand with the Swiss army knife. In the midst of his screams, her first instinct was to run.
She had to run! The faster the better! She had to get out of this narrow alley!
With each frantic stride, cold wind filled Bai Xunyin's lungs, the burning sensation intensified, yet she could still hear the urgent footsteps behind her getting closer and closer.
It felt like they were about to catch her, plunging her into the despair of an endless abyss—
But then someone grabbed her!
"Bai Xunyin!" Yu Luoyin, who still quietly escorted her home every day, had just bought a bottle of water at the alley entrance. Before he could leave, he saw the girl rushing out as if fleeing from a flood or a beast.
His pupils contracted sharply, and his immediate reaction was to drop the water and rush over to grab her, "What's wrong!?"
..................................................................................................................
Previous Next
Comments
Post a Comment