PAIN - CHAPTER 13:
The rules for elite placement at No. 3 High were different from other schools.
There were twelve senior classes in total, around three hundred and sixty students.
After the first assessment of the semester,
the top sixty scorers would be split into Class One and Class Two
both “honors” classes, built to polish the best until they shone.
But even among the elite, the first thirty and the second thirty were two different worlds.
Even if Yu Luo Yin hadn’t said those words to her, Bai Xun Yin would still have aimed for Class One.
Her grades had always hovered within the top ten of the school.
As long as she performed normally, Class One was hers for the taking.
What she didn’t expect was that Yu Luo Yin’s grades were even higher.
After that day behind the field, she had been dragged back to the classroom
by a frantic A Mo and then gone home.
But before leaving school, something had compelled her to stop by the teacher’s office.
She asked Shen Lang Li for the ranking charts from the past two years’ exams.
In the past, she had only glanced at her own scores, never paying attention to anyone else’s.
But now… she wanted to know Yu Luo Yin’s.
If he told her to make it into Class One, then surely he was confident about his own results.
Back home, she spread the ranking sheet on her desk and searched for his name.
Ten minutes later, she sat there in silence, slightly stunned.
From the first year until now, Yu Luo Yin had ranked within the
top three of the entire school every single time.
Even at his “worst,” he never fell below fifth.
Compared to him, she was still a little far behind.
Her brows knit together, a faint spark of unwillingness glinting in her clear eyes.
The funniest part was that his best subject was physics.
And yet he’d asked her to tutor him in it.
That jerk.
The memory of those quiet afternoons in the library suddenly felt like being tricked,
and the thought fueled her determination.
When the placement exams began the next day,
Bai Xun Yin attacked the physics paper with fierce focus,
checking every line, every number twice.
Just once, she wanted to beat him.
She had studied his old papers. His physics scores were usually
seven or eight points higher than hers not much, but in the world of
final-year exams, even a single point could stretch like a whole field between two runners.
If she pushed herself, maybe just maybe she could catch up.
When it was all over, her thin shoulders ached from the tension.
A Mo, who’d been in another exam room, came bursting in the moment it ended.
Yin Yin! How did you do? Those key questions you marked for me all came up!
I think I might actually break into the top thirty!
Bai Xun Yin smiled faintly and typed on her phone.
We’ll both make it into Class One.
I think so too! A Mo grinned and threw an arm around her shoulder.
Then, of course, she couldn’t resist gossiping.
I was in the same room as Sheng Chu Ran.
That idiot finished her last paper in ten minutes and left early.
Bet she went to wait for Yu Luo Yin.
Bai Xun Yin paused, wordless.
A Mo’s gossip radar was relentless.
Ever since learning about Sheng Chu Ran’s very public
crush on Yu Luo Yin and the fact that he had Bai Xun Yin’s WeChat
she’d been piecing together every rumor she could find.
Her conclusion: Sheng Chu Ran was throwing herself at someone who didn’t care,
while Yu Luo Yin clearly cared about Bai Xun Yin.
It made Bai Xun Yin’s head hurt. Every time she heard those two names in one sentence,
she wanted to run.
Come on, A Mo said, tugging her arm. Which exam room is
Yu Luo Yin in? Let’s go watch the show.
Sheng Chu Ran’s probably making a fool of herself again.
Bai Xun Yin shook her head, ready to leave,
but A Mo pouted dramatically. Don’t make me go alone.
Please, just come.
And before she could resist, she was dragged all the way to the far end of the corridor
right to Yu Luo Yin’s exam room.
Perfect timing.
Sheng Chu Ran really was there, waiting outside, with her friend Zhong Qin beside her.
A Mo’s grip tightened, dragging Bai Xun Yin just as students started to file out.
Yu Luo Yin appeared among them, his school bag slung over one shoulder,
hands in his pockets, lazy as ever.
Sheng Chu Ran’s face lit up instantly.
She stepped forward, smiling too brightly.
From where Bai Xun Yin stood, she couldn’t hear what they were saying.
Yu Luo Yin’s expression was cool, detached, the faintest trace of impatience flickering
between his brows as Sheng Chu Ran blocked his path.
Even from a distance, they looked like a perfect match the tall,
elegant boy and the bright, lively girl.
They were both good-looking, both admired, both normal.
Something sharp pricked at Bai Xun Yin’s chest.
She lowered her gaze and turned to leave.
But A Mo wasn’t about to let that happen.
Hey, Yu Luo Yin!
Her voice rang down the hallway, cutting through the chatter.
Heads turned. So did he.
The moment his dark eyes met Bai Xun Yin’s, she froze, startled,
caught between panic and something else she couldn’t name.
He hesitated too. Her eyes were full of flustered light,
as if she’d been caught peeking into something forbidden.
For the first time, Yu Luo Yin found her reaction—interesting.
Finally, she was looking at him.
But before he could say anything, Bai Xun Yin shot A Mo a furious glare,
jerked her arm free, and ran.
Yu Luo Yin frowned, tossed his bag to Lu Ye, and brushed past Sheng Chu Ran to go after her.
Yu Luo Yin!
Her voice cracked, raw and humiliated. She’d had enough of being ignored.
In front of everyone, eyes wet, she demanded, What is your problem?
He stopped, turning back slightly, his tone clipped. What did I do to you?
From the start, she had been the one chasing him.
He hadn’t promised anything, hadn’t led her on.
Why did she act as if he owed her something?
There were plenty of people who liked him. He couldn’t be responsible for everyone’s heart.
You don’t even look at me, she said, voice trembling.
But the moment Bai Xun Yin shows up, you run after her.
You even gave her your WeChat!
She bit her lip, voice rising with anger.
What does she have that I don’t? Bai Xun Yin she can’t even talk!
The word mute sliced through the air.
Yu Luo Yin’s eyes darkened, the line of his jaw tightening.
Do you know what makes you different from her?
he asked, his tone sharp, almost cruel.
I’m not worse than her, Sheng Chu Ran snapped, blinking away tears.
Confidence is fine, he said softly, a faint, humorless smile touching his lips.
But if your mouth is only used for gossip,
then it’s not much better than silence, is it?
He left her standing there, stunned and trembling,
as he strode past the watching crowd.
As he passed A Mo, who was grinning at the chaos she’d just witnessed,
he murmured under his breath, almost a sigh of thanks.
Thanks.