Are You Addicted?

It finally rained on one melancholic day.

It soon turned into a heavy downpour. Standing at the first floor of the school building while looking at the rain, Bai Luoyin’s heart was nevertheless happy. After craving this for so long, finally this time they could save several hundred yuans of water expenses.

Most students who were living in the school dorms immediately opened their umbrella and returned to their dorms. Meanwhile, the remaining ten or so people were mostly picked up by their parents. Bai Luoyin looked at the wall clock, seemingly in a battle with himself. He estimated that it will still be raining even when the sky had turned dark, so he had better walk home.

Gu Hai was getting ready to walk from the school building when he caught a sight of his own chauffeur standing outside, waiting for him.

“It is raining heavily today. It’s better if you do not take a taxi on your own.”

A slight pleading look could be seen from the eyes of the chauffeur. Nevertheless, Gu Hai was able to tell that he was obviously forced to do so, as it was completely different from the pleading gaze of a parent. There was no sign of concern in his eyes, merely the anxiety of knowing the consequences to something.

Nevertheless, he entered the car.

“Xiao Hai, the general said that today is the mistress’s birthday. He invited you to come home and have a family reunion dinner.”

Gu Hai’s head rested on the car cushion. My mother does not celebrate her birthdays anymore, only the anniversary of her death.

“Send me back to my place.”

“Xiao Hai…”

“I said, send me back to my…” Gu Hai noticed someone outside, stopped his speech abruptly, then extended his hand and gestured to the chauffeur, “Drive slower.”

Outside, in the middle of the heavy rain, Bai Luoyin walked bare-foot on the road, his body was drenched from head to toe. His clothes stuck to his body, forming the outline of his tall and well-balanced stature. His pace was steady and there wasn’t a trace of rush or discomfort in his walk throughout this rainstorm. Soaked to the bone, he crossed the street while wearing that torn uniform, thus exposing bits and pieces of his wheat-colored skin.

The car slowly followed Bai Luoyin, there was no sign that he was aware of being trailed. His hand kept on wiping the raindrops from his face. From Gu Hai’s angle, he could see that Bai Luoyin’s lips had turned somewhat pale.

Gone was his vigorous and lively manner from earlier that day.

Come to think about it, what good could one sleepless night, combined with joking around with him for the whole day, bring?

“Xiao Hai, are we still following him?”

“Just keep on following him.”

“Why don’t you just call him and tell him to get into the car?”

When Gu Hai shoot an icy glare at the driver, he immediately shut his mouth.

The rain continued until Bai Luoyin reached home, from afar Bai Han Qi could be seen standing in the rain while helping Aunt Zou to tidy up the tables and chairs. The alt.i.tude of this place was lower. It was perfectly fine when it was not raining, but when it rains, the whole breakfast stall would be flooded. Thus, no one set up a stall here except for Aunt Zou. She specifically sought a quiet and tranquil place.

Bai Luoyin hurried his pace to help Bai Han Qi pull the plastic cover together.

Bai Han Qi shouted, “Just go inside, I can do it by myself.”

“Stop talking nonsense! Do it quickly!”

Gu Hai’s family car followed him silently, stopping at the entrance of an alley. He sat inside the car, observing Bai Luoyin’s bustling silhouette in the middle of the rain, looking at the pair of father and son quarrelling endlessly about who should carry the heaviest item as both grabbed the item at the same time. That sight filled his heart with a faint warmth. To begin with, perhaps this is how life should be, small yet trivial, instead of using a meal to merely bribe people to come back home.

“Take me home.”

The driver sighed, nevertheless he still drove the car and turned around.

Bai Han Qi handed 20 yuan to Bai Luoyin, “Tomorrow buy some breakfast on the street. With this heavy rain outside, the breakfast stall probably won’t open tomorrow.”

Bai Luoyin wiped his damp hair while returning the money back to Bai Han Qi.

“It’s fine, I can hold my hunger for a while.”

“Just take it!” Bai Han Qi urged even more, “Our family is not that poor that we can’t even eat breakfast.”

“Then, why don’t you give me more? With this 20 yuan, I can’t even eat fully at Aunt Zou’s place.”

Bai Han Qi whacked Bai Luoyin’s head, “You little-!”

After chatting and laughing, Bai Han Qi tossed 50 yuan to Bai Luoyin.

The next morning, Bai Luoyin woke up and tidied up his things, then went to school right away. He didn’t bring the money, it’s not like he didn’t want to take it, but he had really forgotten. Only when he arrived at Aunt Zou’s stall he remembered it was closed today. However, Bai Luoyin hated to turn back. Hence, with a hungry stomach, he continued walking to school.

Bai Luoyin finally arrived at the cla.s.sroom, placing his schoolbag down he saw a big bag filled with breakfast food on top of his desk.

So many foods, who put it here?

This isn’t to tempt me on purpose, right?

“This is for you.”

Bai Luoyin stared at You Qi’s seat constantly. He was still sleeping but Bai Luoyin guessed that he was the sender. Besides him, no one knew that he could eat this much. Every kind of food was inside the bag. There was the Western-style pastry he disliked, bread, sandwich, custard tart, and the like. There was also the food he liked, sesame seed cake with intestines, steamed stuffed buns, griddlecake and porridge with eight toppings…

Well, I’m going to help myself then.