Are You Addicted?

"You"re doing it all wrong. Look at me."

Gu Hai stood up and facing the magnificent sea that surged forth against the delicate sands, he shouted loudly.

"My name is Gu Hai, male, 18 years old, from Beijing. The person sitting down beside me is my wife. Two days ago, last year, we fell in love with each other and made it official. It"s been a year already since our journey together started! Despite the ups and downs and the constant disasters thrown at us, we will not surrender or hesitate to advance bravely."[1]

To his side, Bai Luo Yin watched as the plumes of Gu Hai"s breath billowed out and quickly dissipated into the air. The voice was unexpected. It was loud, with an agreeable trace of huskiness and a hint of more power than the once frail body could produce. Hearing it in such close proximity to him, Bai Luo Yin wanted to bury his entire being into the sand.

After divulging this supposed secret, a sense of relief also tugged at Gu Hai"s mind. A small smile drew back the corner of his lips as he looks down at Bai Luo Yin with provocation. "Do you dare?"

The underlying meaning to those three words were, "are you as bold as I am?"

"Why wouldn"t I dare to?" Bai Luo Yin also stood up and shouted loudly, "My name is Bai Luo Yin, male, 18 years old. My family lives in Beijing, Xicheng district on the most brilliant Lane 48. I am a third-year student studying at Beijing X High School, Cla.s.s 27, who"s also a rather bad youth. Standing beside me is my wife. After enduring his shameless hara.s.sment, out of compa.s.sion for his mental state, I took pity and decided to marry him into my family. Since my father-in-law does not agree to us being together, this marriage has yet to be settled. But, I am wholeheartedly devoted to my wife"s love. Regardless of whether he will continue to have this mental illness or not, I will never betray or leave him in this lifetime!"

Gu Hai immediately started to laugh. The laugh was not only in his voice, but it also welled in his eyes, in the way his face changed into that vision of relaxed joy and unrestrained mirth. Yet, truly, it wasn"t only in his face either. His laugh came from within the core of his being.

You little b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you got me.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Gu Hai went on to shout, "Gu Wei Ting, I"m telling you, even if you send a whole army troop with thousands of men to hunt us down, I will still say those same words from before. If I firmly believe in someone, no one can even think of changing it! If I firmly believe in a relationship, no one can even think of tearing it apart! If I firmly believe in these feelings, no one can even think of destroying them!"

"Gu Wei Ting!……" Bai Luo Yin shouted those words but then he halted.

Raising his head, Gu Hai turned to look at him with great expectations.

"I f.u.c.ked your son!"

Gu Hai ground his teeth as his big hand quickly reached out to pinch the back of Bai Luo Yin"s neck. Bai Luo Yin burst into a spell of smiles before laughter rang out from within his throat. The laugh came from him like a newly blossomed flower - timid at first then it grew a bit at a time. Gu Hai watched him attentively. The other boy wasn"t done yet though. He could tell, from the way Bai Luo Yin rolled his eyes back to the sky and half bit his lips. It was all too apparent, from deep inside his chest came a great shaking motion that caused his facial muscles to grow tight. Gu Hai"s brows rose, waiting.

In moments, Bai Luo Yin"s laugh was more like fully blossomed flower petals being thrown into the brilliant sky then falling around on everyone nearby with unrestrained gales that debilitated him to a stomach-gripping breathless picture of glee. Gu Hai wanted to maintain the sternness sheathing from his face—since after all he was the one being laughed at—but before long, his mouth twitched upwards and he too fell into a spell of laughter.

"All these setbacks will not wear down our fighting spirit!"

"No difficulties will stop our footsteps!"

"We"ve joined together to oppose a common enemy!"

"We will never waver!"

The two shouted until all the oxygen in their lungs was nearly depleted.

All the people nearby practically walked away from them, leaving behind only a man who stayed firmly in his spot. The two simultaneously moved their gazes toward him.

The man merely looked at them and laughed inarticulately, "You two are really stupid!"

As a result, the two stupidly cute boys took this man and threw him into the sea.

Gu Hai took out a video camera that he had turned on before and showed Bai Luo Yin the video playback of what happened a moment ago.

"You actually recorded it?"

Gu Hai looked at him happily while saying, "Of course! This kind of mutual understanding is rare."

Bai Luo Yin stretched his head over for a look. The silhouettes of the two people on the screen were painted with exuberant youth and liveliness.

"Say, when we look at this a few years from now, will we be terrified by ourselves?"

"We won"t."

Gu Hai placed his hand firmly on Bai Luo Yin"s shoulder, "It"s rare to have a chance to be silly in life. To not be silly or make a mistake means to not have lived a youthful life."

The sea water rose, and the few tourists that were scattered around started to depart the area. Afterwards, Bai Luo Yin and Gu Hai found a restaurant and ate a great meal comprising of the most delicious seafood. On their way back, they bought a tent and two bed comforters to set up. They intended to spend the night on the beach so that they can watch the sunrise at dawn of the next day.

In the evening, as usual, Bai Luo Yin gave Bai Han Qi a phone call, briefing him on their current situation as well as inquiring about any new circ.u.mstances at home.

"Gu Hai"s father hasn"t gone over to look for you yet?" Bai Luo Yin asked.

Gu Hai also moved in closer to listen.

"No, he hasn"t. It has been unusually calm for the last two days. No one has come at all."

Bai Luo Yin did not feel at ease, "You"re lying to me, aren"t you?"

"Why would I lie to you? Listen here, it"s really calm and peaceful in the house right now," replied Bai Han Qi.

Hearing those words, Bai Luo Yin was extremely puzzled.

According to logic, it shouldn"t be like that!

After putting the phone down, Bai Luo Yin faced Gu Hai and asked, "Do you think my dad is telling us the truth?"

"From the sound of it, it doesn"t seem like a lie."

Bai Luo Yin"s brows pulled close to each other forming a frown as he thought to himself.

What is Gu Wei Ting planning to do?

"That"s enough. Don"t think about it so hard. Let"s worry about it when it happens. Look, the sea breeze is really gentle tonight and the moon hanging high in the sky is quite luminous against the darkness. With such a beautiful scenery like this, there is no need for my wife to go and think about those troublesome matters. It is better to accompany your husband by being very romantic for a while."

Hearing those nauseating words, Bai Luo Yin simply grabbed Gu Hai"s head and pressed it into the sand.

After working hard for half an hour, the tent was finally set up.

Being annoying as usual, Gu Hai pinched the smalls of Bai Luo Yin"s waist, "Come here, sit on me."

Truth be told, being underneath Bai Luo Yin was Gu Hai"s most erogenous and preferred position. In this arrangement, not only could he reap some benefits by not having to do much, but he could also directly observe and enjoy Bai Luo Yin"s erotic expressions.

But, of course, this was also the posture that Bai Luo Yin despised the most. A while ago, Gu Hai had talked until his face turned blue in order to persuade Bai Luo Yin into giving it a try. From then on, he has been so fond of it that it was getting out of hand.

"That won"t do." Bai Luo Yin refused his beckoning immediately, "The tent is not high enough. If I sit up, my head will hit the roof of the tent."

Gu Hai was not willing to give up, "We can remove the tent!"

Once he finished saying that, he quickly went to untie the knot around the tent stake.

Noting this, Bai Luo Yin quickly took hold of Gu Hai"s hand, "You"re being f.u.c.king stupid again. Believe it or not, I"ll take advantage of the time you"re sleeping and throw you into the sea?"

"Even if we don"t take the tent apart, people will still know what we"re doing inside. Instead of letting them watch from the outside, we might as well let them see it directly. Not to mention, there"s no one here! It"s awkward having a tent covering us. Having the moon and stars in the sky above our head is a lot more romantic!"

Bai Luo Yin"s hand firmly gripped the frame beneath as he angrily said: "I want to go home."

Gu Hai immediately admitted defeat, "Fine, fine, fine. We"re not going to do that. Just lay on me……"

The sounds of their bodies colliding against each other during s.e.x consumed the tent while alluring gasps spread out and mingled with the breeze that whistled by. It was fast and slow, relaxed and tight, then soft and rough……in the meantime, the b.a.l.l.s of flames that radiated from their bodies rushed out wildly along the open flaps of the tent and traveled toward the surging waves. They crashed against the surf and were repelled back before settling calmly on the surface of the sea.

In the deep of the night, the two embraced each other tightly to sleep. Even though there was only one tent to cover them, they were still able to sleep soundly.

In the early morning of the next day, the sky was still painted in a canvas of darkness when Bai Luo Yin awoke with errant excitement.

After he finished putting on his clothes, he grabbed the camera and made his way out of the tent with a small smile tugging the corners of his lips.

Meanwhile, Gu Hai slept very vigilantly. The moment he became aware that the s.p.a.ce beside him was cold and empty, his eyes immediately shot open bringing him out of his slumber.

At this time of the day, dusk was slowly waning in the open sky and their surroundings were filled with cold fog. Gu Hai stepped on the soft sand and walked towards Bai Luo Yin one step at a time. Once close enough, he reached out and encircled his hands around Bai Luo Yin"s waist from the back. He tightened his hold just a bit, making sure the loving warmth from his body spread before he rested his chin on Bai Luo Yin"s shoulder.

"The sky is still dark…" Gu Hai"s lethargic voice drifted into Bai Luo Yin"s ears, tickling it.

"Who waits until daybreak to see the sunrise?"

Nuzzling closer, Gu Hai"s lips were now glued to Bai Luo Yin"s warm cheek. He rubbed against it for the longest time, feeling the soft and familiar skin.

"Quick, look!" Bai Luo Yin exclaimed as he pointed towards the vastness that spread in front of them.

Gu Hai lifted his head and looked up. A streak of rosy red clouds emerged in the distance just above Bai Luo Yin"s finger. It slowly changed to a deeper shade as it dispersed across the horizon, creating a colorful glow in the sky. Soon, the sun rose halfway, causing the surrounding clouds to be engulfed in an array of scarlet hues. The sunlight gradually became brighter, blending the sky and the sea into one beautiful scenery meant only for them to view. A pleasant feeling of warmth draped their bodies to the point that their bones became soft and ridden with happiness……

"Come, let"s take a picture."

Gu Hai lifted the camera and placed it in front of their faces.

With their backs facing the sea and their heads resting upon the sunrise, they snuggled their faces close to each other. As they looked at the camera lens, mischievous smiles bloomed on their faces, exposing a secret, mutual understanding that only existed between them.

Once the photo was taken, they looked at it with curious eyes. Within seconds, Bai Luo Yin laughed joyfully as he glanced at Gu Hai.

"Why does it feel like a buddhist ceremony?"

"Have you ever seen such a handsome buddhist monk before?" Gu Hai proudly praised himself, "Later on, I"ll use it as my laptop"s wallpaper."

It was from this day on that Gu Hai"s photo alb.u.m had one more picture of his exuberant smile.

Not far from where Bai Luo Yin and Gu Hai were, was a pair of lovers being photographed in their wedding outfits. The bride had on a glamorous wedding dress as she stood atop a large reef posing in various postures while the groom shifted back and forth beside her. Just right below where they were standing, a photographer and a consultant touched base. They talked–their voices were inaudible–while moving their hands in all sorts of positions.

After watching them for a moment, Gu Hai thought of something and spoke.

"That woman looks really ugly. If she wasn"t wearing any makeup, what would she look like?!"

Glancing at Gu Hai, a seemingly annoyed Bai Luo Yin gave him a shove, "Why do you care what other people look like?!"

Seconds later, the two walked side by side towards their own tent.

Just as they finished tidying up their belongings and prepared to leave, they suddenly heard shouts reverberating not too far from where they were. Curious, their eyes followed the source of the commotion. They discovered a crowd of people swarming the area where the couple were previously having their wedding photoshoot. Judging from the sounds, it looked like an incident has occurred.

"Come on, let"s take a look," said Bai Luo Yin.

Giving each other a quick glance, the two placed their belongings down and sprinted towards the disturbance.

As they approached the area, they came to realize that the bride had fallen into the sea. Gauging from the photoshoot earlier, it was most likely due to her excessive posturing and carelessness that caused her to fall from the reef.

Normally jumping in to rescue someone was not a difficult task but the crucial point was, it was winter then. Who would actually dare to heedlessly jump into the cold water? Moreover, the bride was wearing a wedding dress that seemed to weigh more than ten kilograms. Even worse, once submerged, the wedding dress soaked up the seawater and became even heavier. When the bride had just fallen into the sea, two men began to pull her gown in an attempt to save her. But due to the increase in weight, they were nearly dragged into the water as well. Ridden with apprehension and seeing no other options, they gave up.

In no time, the groom was driven crazy with anxiety as he watched his bride sink deeper into the sea. He stood on the same spot at the top of the reef and let out a heart wrenching howl. He completely had no idea of what to do! Unfortunately, at this time of the day, the lifeguards had yet to wake up. From the looks of it, by the time they arrive on the scene, the bride would have been dead already.

Unable to look on, Gu Hai took off his watch and cellphone and pressed it against Bai Luo Yin"s chest for him to hold onto.

"Wait for me right here!"

Bai Luo Yin"s eyes widened slightly as fear visibly drew across his face, "You want to go down?"

Without answering, Gu Hai quickened his pace and made way towards the seash.o.r.e. Just as he tore of his shoes and jacket and prepared to jump into the water, Bai Luo Yin pulled his hand back at full tilt. He then asked with a hint of worry tracing his voice, "Are you sure that it"s safe?"

Instead of saying anything else again, Gu Hai jumped directly from the reef into the ocean beneath.

In such cold weather, Gu Hai had jumped directly into the sea without having done any prior warmups. The group of bystanders were terribly shocked as they watched this event unfold. They thought silently to themselves.

Does this young man not want to live anymore? There"s no need to go to such lengths to save someone! Is he just asking for a death wish?!

Complying to Gu Hai"s words, Bai Luo Yin stood waiting. His eyes lingered on Gu Hai"s form from the moment he jumped to when his body entered the water. Although he was unable to see them, he could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead that were rolling down the side of his face. His chest tightened, making way for a nameless feeling to wring his heart.

If something were to really happen, he would also follow after him and jump in. Everything else can just be as it is.

Meanwhile, Gu Hai swam while dredging about the water. At this point, the bride had already sank deeper. Concentrating, Gu Hai swam further out a few more meters. Suddenly, he sensed something unnatural in the current and plunged deeper into the sea.

All the bystanders ash.o.r.e inhaled a deep breath of cold air as they looked on. The photographer muttered to himself, almost incoherent. "That young man is very kind. It"s sad that he died like that."

Hearing those words, Bai Luis Yin’s complexion immediately turned a pasty white. He quickly climbed onto the highest section of that reef and looked out, with focus, at the surface of the water. His eyes, barely blinking, scanned the area from one vast corner to the next. Ridden with worry and anxiety, he felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat.

Gu Hai, you must come out!

"Young man, you shouldn"t be depressed and take things too hard!"

A couple of seconds later, Bai Luo Yin was pulled down from the reef by a foolish man, who continuously plead with him at the top of his lungs.

"Young man, I failed to stop him from doing such a stupid and dangerous thing because I didn"t have the time. Don"t you dare follow him and imitate such a disastrous move! Having the heart to save someone is a great thing, but you also need to act according to your capabilities. I"m only able to tell you this, restrain your grief. He is a good person!"

"That"s impossible! He will not die!!"

Bai Luo Yin bellowed out in anger as he resentfully shook off the person holding him.

Just as he flung the person"s hands away, Bai Luo Yin heard an exclamation crying in surprise from the side.

"He"s out. He"s actually coming out!"

Scrambling, Bai Luo Yin hastily ran over to the spot that Gu Hai emerged from.

At first, Gu Hai wanted to pull the bride along with her wedding dress to the sh.o.r.e. However, he realized that carrying both was too heavy of a burden for him. In the end, he dove deeper under the water, grabbed the dress and forcefully tore it apart. After he managed to free the bride from the tangles of her leaden garment, he proceeded to support her as he swam towards the sh.o.r.eline.

Once they were ash.o.r.e, the lifeguards also rushed over to a.s.sist one by one. The bride was lifted onto a stretcher and quickly given CPR. A moment later, she regained consciousness and cried out that it was cold. Hearing her, the emergency personnel quickly covered her with a thick blanket. Soon, the bride"s emotional tears fell from her eyes.

Once Gu Hai caught sight of this scene, his heart was instantly relieved. In the end, all his efforts were not in vain.

Bai Luo Yin immediately wrapped the jacket, that Gu Hai had previously taken off, around him while urging him to change out of his cold and wet clothes.

Out of nowhere, a swarm of reporters rushed over. As soon as they got out of the car, they bee-lined over to the site of the incident.

As the news people questioned him, the groom pointed towards Gu Hai. It was evident that he was emotionally moved as he spoke to them. "It"s that young man. He"s the one that jumped into the water and saved my girlfriend!"

As a result, several reporters turned toward Bai Luo Yin and Gu Hai and ran over towards them as if trying to chase them down. The two had just set up their tent again and were about to change their clothes when suddenly they were surrounded by a throng of reporters and cameramen.

"h.e.l.lo, I heard that you saved a person just now. Excuse me, may I ask, are you a local person? What is your name?"

The moment Gu Hai and Bai Luo Yin noticed the video cameras, their complexions changed.

Without saying anything, they exchanged a quick glance, took one huge step backward and jetted off into the distance. With the reporters wildly in pursuit, Gu Hai and Bai Luo Yin didn"t bother to take their belongings or change out of their clothes. It was in this manner that they escaped without looking back.

Unable to run any longer, the reporters soon stopped and gasped for air.

"That"s strange. There are actually still selfless people out there that does something good like this without leaving their names behind just like Lei Feng……"[2]

Translator"s Note:

[1]勇往直前 – literal : to advance bravely {do not confuse this idiom with "Advance Bravely" 《势不可挡》《Irresistible》}

[2] Lei Feng [雷锋] – Léi Fēng (18 December 1940  - 15 August 1962) was a soldier of the Chinese army in Communist legend. After his death, Lei was characterized as a selfless and modest person devoted to the Communist Party, Mao Zedong, and the people of China. In 1963, he became the subject of a nationwide posthumous propaganda campaign, “Follow the examples of Comrade Lei Feng.” Lei was portrayed as a model citizen, and the ma.s.ses were encouraged to emulate his selflessness, modesty, and devotion to Mao. After Mao’s death, Lei Feng remained a cultural icon representing earnestness and service. His name entered daily speech and his imagery appeared on T-shirts and memorabilia.

Are you Addicted?