Are You Addicted?

Since the moment Jiang Yuan"s sight fell upon Bai Luo Yin, she remained silent. She thought that he was contemplating, considering the suggestions that she had put forth. Her face that had been heavily painted with anxiousness and fear, for the past few days, finally allowed a slight smile to manifest up it.

"Son, everything that mom has done, are all for your sake. You don"t have to think about how things are with Gu Hai. After all, he is Mr. Gu"s flesh and blood, his biological son. Even if he remained in the country, he will still be in a relatively safe and reliable position, but you are different. Although Mr. Gu has also thought about you, but in the future, the treatments he gives you will certainly differ, in tens and thousands of miles away, from Gu Hai. Mom, don"t want you to be subjected to nor forced into this position."

After a long while, unable to hear listen any longer, Bai Luo Yin suddenly opened his mouth.

"Jiang Yuan."

Just from hearing herself being addressed in such manner, the smile on her face ceased and stiffened.

"Luo Yin, what did you just call me?"

Bai Luo Yin looked at Jiang Yuan indifferently. His insouciance, frankness and tendency laid out across his face. "Then, what should I call you? Aunt Jiang? Mrs. Gu? Or Madam Gu?"

A disturbingly sallow complexion, almost as if death had warmed over, washed evenly across Jiang Yuan"s beautiful and charming cheeks. This layer of sickness was persistent and hard to cover up.

Bai Luo Yin peered at the pile of doc.u.ments on the table and calmly said, "Can you not make me feel disgusted toward you?"

"Disgusted," this word was like a sharp stake that cruelly and ruthlessly push itself into Jiang Yuan"s chest, stabbing her heart. That momentary feeling of peacefulness that she felt earlier, abruptly, exploded. The color of her lips were drained of all the colors that once adorned it as her trembling figure faced Bai Luo Yin.

The moment she imparted her lips, she sobbed and choked convulsively.

"Disgusted? You say I"m disgusting? In spite of everything I did for you, all you can say is that I"m disgusting? Bai Luo Yin, what in the world…how many kinds of medicine did Bai Han Qi shove down your throat to ensnared you, to make you carelessly slander and condemn your own mother like this?"

"Don"t use your ugly heart to measure other people"s conducts and deeds. Beside you, no one around me are wicked or immoral."

Jiang Yuan exerted all her strength to pulled Bai Luo Yin out of his seat. She hissed and wailed out, an interrogating tone trenched her every question, "You say I"m wicked…immoral? You actually took my good intentions toward you as immoral? Bai Luo Yin, will you only be satisfied after you"ve kill me?"

Bai Luo Yin coldly flung Jiang Yuan"s hand, that had grasped his, away. There was silent pause between each words that sauntered out of his mouth: "Don"t use that motherly love notion to wrap around that egotistical heart of yours again. From the beginning to the end, I never took you as my mother. I never did before, I never did now, and in the future I never will either!"

Jiang Yuan"s body became paralyzed as she stumbled to one side of the sofa, her hand placed against her tightened chest. She was in such grievance that she wished death upon herself.

"Also, in regards to all those things you"ve said about going abroad."

Bai Luo Yin spoke as he picked up the doc.u.ments and data that were on the table. He slowly, one by one, tore each sheet in front of Jiang Yuan"s face.

"Don"t waste your energy doing these utterly pointless tasks again. Did you think an insignificant little girl can deceive me into going abroad? You"ve really thought too highly of her! You"ve really thought too highly of yourself! If I, Bai Luo Yin, want to go abroad in the future, it won"t be through those two filthy hands of yours!"

A big piles of shredded paper suddenly crashed onto Jiang Yuan"s head. They all slowly, but surely, scattered right in front of her eyes and landed all around her. The fruits of her, ten days or more of hard labors, destroyed in one day!

As he made his way to and arrived at the front door, Bai Luo Yin turned his body around once again and glanced at Jiang Yuan"s cold and ashen face.

"Don"t hurt my family again, if I find out a second time, I will make you pay back tenfold!"

When he took his first step out of the room, behind him, a loud and painful sound of sobs transmitted throughout the vicinity. It was as if war had broken out in heaven and the m.u.f.fling sounds of thunders struck this earthly ground. The sound struck rhythmically, one after the other as it shrouded the entire world in the midst of its" thick haze.

Bai Luo Yin"s footsteps were a bit stagnant as he lightly closed his eyes. Once he opened them again, not even the slightest sign of any emotions remained within him.

—

On the fourteen, of the first month of the lunar year, Grandma Bai was released from the hospital and the Bai"s household returned to its" usual tranquility.

In the afternoon, Bai Han Qi and Aunt Zou came back from their trip to supermarket and brought back many gifts. They had planned to go from house to house and present it to the neighbors as an apology. Bai Luo Yin also wanted to accompany them. Since the problems arose because of him, it was only right that he should be the one to go in place of his parents and apologize. But in the end, no matter what, Aunt Zou refused to let him go. She said that no married man"s son should show their face like that because it was not auspicious. So he was forced to remain in the house with Meng Tong Tian.

Meng Tong Tian was quite big kid now. He only likes to play with his toy sword and toy gun. When Bai Luo Yin walked out of his room, he caught sight of Meng Tong Tian handling a fake machine gun while randomly shooting at the trees in the yard.

Noticing that the little boy played with such vigor, Bai Luo Yin couldn"t help but to approach him.

"Give it here, let me see."

Meng Tong Tian very generously pa.s.sed the gun over to Bai Luo Yin.

Bai Luo Yin weighed it in his hands for a second, it was rather heavy. The meticulous workmanship was clearly visible; no matter the size, the weight or patterns, only a few craftsmen could achieve expertise and make fake product pa.s.s off as genuine.

"This gun is pretty good," Bai Luo Yin couldn"t help but praised.

An intensely proud expression tickled across Meng Tong Tian"s face, "Of course. My cla.s.smates always want to exchange and play with it, but I am unwilling to give it to them. Even if they buy those low quality ones, it still can"t be compared to mine."

Looking at Meng Tong Tian"s arrogant manners made Bai Luo Yin want to laugh.

"Must be quite expensive huh?"

Meng Tong Tian"s little head flapped up and down before he replied, "Don"t know. Brother Gu Hai gave it to me."

The color on Bai Luo Yin"s complexion changed once those two characters, "Gu Hai," penetrated his ears. He gave the gun back to Meng Tong Tian and sat to the side. He proceeded to watch Meng Tong Tian happily play around, before he, himself pulled out a cigarette and smoked.

Kids at this age really makes people extremely jealous of them. They were carefree, without any worries at all. Thinking back to when Bai Luo Yin was about that age, he would also scuffle around in the alleyway all day long as well. At that time, who would have thought about their single parent or poverty and other things alike. The entire day was spent foolish playing around and the only thing in his head would be, what can he do to make his life even livelier.

A state of simplicity and purity was truly enriching.

"Brother Gu Hai also bought me many other fun things. It"s all kept in a room over there. I"m don"t want to open them. I must wait until my cla.s.smates get here before I open them. When that time arrives, it will still be new. Let me tell you, you better not sneakily tear them open for me ah!"

Bai Luo Yin was still lost in thoughts as his mind wandered about. Both of Meng Tong Tian"s fist stretched out toward his nose as if to guard off a thief.

Bai Luo Yin softly smiled for a second. He pulled on Meng Tian Tong"s belt and flipped him over which allowed him to turn a somersault.

After Meng Tong Tian steadied his balance, he felt extremely cool, suave, and wanted to try it again.

Bai Luo Yin was unoccupied and bored anyways so he accompanied and played with him for while longer. Finally, Meng Tong Tian became tired and sat down on a little chair situated to the side. While he played with the bullet cartridge, he counted them, looked at Bai Luo Yin and asked. "Why hasn"t brother Gu Hai come over recently?"

Bai Luo Yin appeared dejected as he unenthusiastically replied back, "He"s spending the New Year at his own house."

"After the New Year is over, he will come back?"

Bai Luo Yin twisted his head around to look at Meng Tian Tong and was met with his long-drawn, expectant gaze.

"Why are you looking forward to seeing him?"

Meng Tong Tian nodded his head vigorously in excitement, energy could be seen in every nod, "Because we"re both suffering from the same illness.[1]"

Suffering from the same illness?

Bai Luo Yin painstakingly ruminate on it for quite a while but he still couldn"t figure out, in what ways were Meng Tong Tian and Gu Hai alike.

"We"re both being tormented by love."

Thunder struck at Bai Luo Yin"s internal structure. It wasn"t enough for Gu Hai, himself, to commit those sins, he just had to drag a child into it.

"Last time, we talked for a really long time. Brother Gu Hai spoke about all the pain that was in his heart and I also found out about my own pain. So, brother Gu Hai said that we"re both suffering from the same illness. Afterward, I thought about it for a long while, and what he said was really true."

You f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d! You even went as far as to talk about these kind of things with a kid?

Only Gu Hai would do something like this.

Bai Luo Yin intentionally teased Meng Tong Tian, "Then, tell me, what pain do you have in your heart?"

"Aiii……" Meng Tong Tian seemed rather melancholy again, "I like a girl in my cla.s.s. It seems like, she"s also interested in me but she never admits it."

Since Meng Tong Tian said it in such way, Bai Luo Yin could roughly understand what Gu Hai so called "pain" was, at that time.

"Then, did the pain end and the happiness come yet*2?" asked Bai Luo Yin.

Meng Tong Tian shook his head, "What does that mean?"

Bai Luo Yin finally realized, Meng Tong Tian was just a seven years old kid, how in the world could he understand so many idioms!

"I"m asking you, in the end, did the girl admit it or not?"

Meng Tong Tian shook his head again, "I forgot, I switched a few times already."

Bai Luo Yin, "……"

Not soon afterwards, Yang Meng came over because Bai Han Qi and Aunt Zou had not only gone to their house, carrying a big pile of stuff but also vigorously apologized to them. The problem now was that, at that time, Yang Meng and his parents had stayed at his grandmother"s house all along. They had only gotten back today, so in reality, they didn"t know anything at all about this matter. They were quite baffled to receive such a big pile of things and the person who gave them the gifts had also bow excessively toward them.

"What provoked your dad?" Yang Meng laughed mischievously.

Bai Luo Yin drew a long sigh, his hand hung loosely on Yang Meng"s shoulder with a lazy appearance.

"Two days ago Jiang Yuan came to cause trouble at our house. It was so chaotic that the neighbors in this entire street were restless. My dad thought that since it"s New Year and making the neighbors hear everything was quite bad, so he"s going house to house to apologize."

"Is it necessary to apologize just because of something like that? Your dad is too conscious! Let me tell you, all day my mom would roar about in the yard. There"s not a single day that she doesn"t roar, moreover, she roars because she wants the surrounding neighbors to hear it. If she and my dad were to quarrel at night time, everyone within these five streets could hear them. The next day, it"s as if nothing happened and they would strut proudly out the door and go about with their days."

Bai Luo Yin maintained his usual quietness.

Yang Meng glanced at Bai Luo, who had not made any sound or utter a single word. His eyes shifted back and forth before his elbow to jabbed Bai Luo Yin.

"That"s right, I didn"t get to ask you yet, how are things with you and Shi Hui?"

Bai Luo Yin only replied back with two words, "Completely over."

"Completely over?" an air of surprise and astonishment washed over Yang Meng.

Bai Luo Yin was quite unwilling to discuss this topic. He only told Yang Meng that Shi Hui will probably go back abroad after the New Year is over.

Yang Meng gaze regrettably at his friend; he felt a great pity toward this matter.

"Tell me, why didn"t you cherish such a good opportunity?"

Bai Luo Yin tugged at the collar of Yang Meng"s shirt and faintly said, "Don"t talk about her anymore. Why are you looking for me? It can"t be because my dad went to your house?"

"No, tomorrow is the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar year, the Lantern Festival! Let"s go for a stroll around the temple fair[3] together! Its boring stay home all day!"

Bai Luo Yin thought about it for a while. There"s nothing for him to do at home anyways. It would be better to go and relieve his boredom and drive away all his cares.

"Okay. Then, I"ll go and find you early tomorrow morning."

Translator"s Note:

[1] 同病相怜 – those who have the same illness sympathize with each other or misery loves company.

[2]苦尽甘来 – bitterness ends, sweetness begins; the hard times are over, the good times is just beginning

[3] temples fair – For residents of Beijing, attending a local miaohui, or temple fair, comes second only to the big family dinner when celebrating the Chinese New Year. Typically held at temples and parks, these week-long events combine religion, shopping, culture, entertainment, and food, and are open to all. Temple fairs trace their roots as early as the Wei dynasty, but today they’re lively gatherings, packed with things to do.

Are you Addicted?