Are You Addicted?

After last night’s call, Gu Hai said everything that he wanted to say from the bottom of his heart. He immediately had a really good sleep that night. In the morning, Gu Hai went downstairs with Gu Yang. Gu Yang went to get the car while Gu Hai waited for him at the entrance.

Then, a bicycle came over and stopped right in front of Gu Hai.

Gu Hai was surprised. He didn’t think that Bai Luo Yin would take the initiative to look for him first after he scolded him so much last night. It seemed that his wifey cannot always be spoiled. Sometimes, a couple of scolding is beneficial for their emotional interaction. Gu Hai felt a little proud of himself inside, but he didn’t show it on his face. His imposing manner from yesterday still remained in his gaze at Bai Luo Yin.

“Why did you come here? Don’t you feel ashamed riding such a broken bicycle?”

In other words, don’t you always place us in two different strata? Today, I’ll do what you always do to me, make you feel hurt, and let you experience how it feels like to have your goodwill treated as ill intentions.

Bai Luo Yin intentionally didn’t argue with Gu Hai. He took out a bag of food, there were warm stuffed buns inside. He stretched them out towards Gu Hai without any expression.

A sweet smell struck the nose!

Gu Hai’s eyes followed the bag and his mouth was wide opened, but he pretended that he didn’t look at it.

“What is that?”

Bai Luo Yin took out a bun and stuffed it in Gu Hai’s mouth.

“Steamed buns. I bought them from Aunt Zhou just now. You haven’t eaten these for a few days right?”

“Why did you buy these for me?”

Gu Hai said that as he chewed his bun. The words he said did not match with his mouth’s movement.

“If you don’t want to eat then just give it to me.”

Bai Luo Yin was just about to keep the bag when Gu Hai reached his hand out to s.n.a.t.c.h them. Actually Bai Luo Yin just wanted to tease Gu Hai. Upon seeing Gu Hai grabbed them of his own accord, Bai Luo Yin casually let him have the buns.

One luxurious car slowly stopped in front of them

Gu Yang lowered the car window and looked at Gu Hai.

“Do you still need me to drive you to school?”

Gu Hai was chewing, so it was inconvenient for him to speak. He immediately shook his head.

Gu Yang shifted his gaze towards Bai Luo Yin. Bai Luo Yin gave him a smile. The car window slowly went up. Bai Luo Yin’s smile pierced through the bulletproof car window.

Many years later, Gu Yang still remembers that smile.

It’s just like a natural diamond. It looks dazzling on the surface, but it is solid and impenetrable inside.

One week later, Gu Yang went back already. Bai Han Qi and Aunt Zhou’s wedding day is finally here.

Sat.u.r.day early morning, the alley on Bai Luo Yin’s house was bustling with activities. There were two big red “喜”[1] word pasted at the doorway, several colored lights was hung on the locust tree at the entrance, so many red firecracker papers scattered on the ground…

Bai Han Qi brought his son, his G.o.dson [2], and the people from his office department to go pick up his bride grandly. [3]

When they arrived at Aunt Zhou’s house entrance, they were blocked by a group of aunties, also some of the waitress from Aunt Zhou’s restaurant. Aunt Zhou was from a rural area, and those aunties are her families. Don’t look at how gentle they usually are, now each one of them is fighting fiercely to make things difficult for the groom.

“The red envelope[4] is too thin.”

Bai Han Qi squeezed himself through the crowd and headed towards inside, he finally saw that small opening at the door with great difficulty. Just when he was about to get inside, several aunties blocked him again.

“Sing, sing!”

Bai Han Qi scratched his head, its been so long since the last time he listened to a song. He turned his head to Bai Luo Yin, only to find him putting on an I-want-to-help-but-unable-to-do-anything expression.

“I will leave you, quietly.. Please wipe away the tears in your eyes……” [5]

Everyone was dumbfounded, big brother, today is your wedding day, why are you singing this kind of song?

Bai Han Qi was embarra.s.sed, “I just know this one song!”

Someone inside the house yelled again, “Let your son to sing then.”

For the sake of his father’s lifelong happiness, Bai Luo Yin was forced to sing with a loud yet gentle voice in front of everyone. Supposed if the bridesmaid inside were to be replaced with Gu Hai, don’t even say this one door, even 10 thick walls would be pushed away by Gu Hai.

“Still won’t let us go inside?” Bai Han Qi yelled anxiously, “The song is finished already, let me see my wife and bring her back with me.”

“No, you have to do 100 push up now.”

The groomsman shouted at the top of their voices, “Do you want to kill Lao Bai?”

“If you can’t do it then find someone else to do it.”

This time, Bai Han Qi’s adopted son joined. Gu Hai was dressed in a slim-fit Western style suit. He helped his father and did the push-ups within one minute, but it was as if the push-ups didn’t affect him at all.

“He really is strong!” Several woman’s hearty laughters can be heard from inside the house.

Bai Han Qi rubbed his forehead, then smirked, “Now are you going to let us inside or not?”

The bridesmaid were still unwilling to give up. They forced Bai Han Qi to read out a few pages of written pledge, they forced Bai Han Qi to guess some riddles, until finally they asked him this sharp question.

“Who do you love most in your lifetime?”

Bai Han Qi was dumbfounded, his groomsman beside him were urging him, “Answer it quickly! Say that you love your wife the most.”

The aunties inside the house were talking all at once, “Just answer the truth, no need to deceive us…”

Bai Han Qi smiled fatuously, “My son.”

Bai Luo Yin’s smile froze for a few seconds, then he punched Bai Han Qi’s back, angrily said, “Dad, aren’t you silly?”

The groomsman beside him were also complaining, “Lao Bai, what are you saying now at this time?”

Bai Han Qi looked so honest and naive, “Didn’t they ask me to tell the truth?”

The aunties inside the house didn’t feel satisfied with his answer too, the house was in an uproar, “How can this be okay? You only have your son in your eyes, if our Xiao Zhou get married with you, won’t she suffer?”

The door that was opened suddenly closed again tightly, Bai Han Qi was so anxious that he sweat all over. Bai Luo Yin clenched his fist, he stepped forward and knocked on the door.

“Mom, open the door. The person that my dad loves most in this world is you.”

Aunt Zhou inside was startled, then suddenly she became restless. She was really touched that tears glistened in her eyes. She ran barefoot towards the door, urging his sisters, “Quick…. Open the door quickly.”

The afternoon banquet was held in Dong Lai Shun[6] Restaurant. After that they went back to the courtyard at the evening, only their close families and friends remained. Tens of people sat on the round tables, they were divided into 5 tables. They drank, they ate a big bowl of noodles, they gave toast to each other.

Aunt Zhou’s son was coaxed by everyone else, they asked him to call Bai Han Qi with “dad”. This kid’s small mouth is quite firm, but when he was given a money, he immediately turned his head towards Bai Han Qi, then called him ‘dad’ with his piping voice. Bai Han Qi bursted into loud laughter, he pulled him into his embrace and kissed him.

Bai Luo Yin drank so much that he became drunk, he was walking unsteadily, then he kicked the stool that Yang Meng and You Qi sat, angrily said, “Have you give the gift money already?”

You Qi and Yang Meng glanced at each other, they just laughed.

“You haven’t give any money and you still dare to eat here!”

After Bai Luo Yin finished scolding them, he turned his body around, and walked towards Grandma Bai and Grandpa Bai to crack a joke with them. Both of them wore a Tang suit, their faces were red.

Grandpa Bai even took out his Erhu [7] and played it, joyous sounds lingered on the alley for a long time.

Gu Hai went out to park his car, and when he came back he saw that Bai Luo Yin was standing near Bai Han Qi’s bedroom windowsill. He held on to the windowsill, and glanced inside. It was unusually lively, a group of men were teasing the newlyweds on their wedding night. They shouted and laughed over and over again.

Gu Hai stood beside him. He was looking at Bai Luo Yin quietly, at his moist face, and his raised lips. He didn’t know whether Bai Luo Yin was crying or laughing.

This expression of Bai Luo Yin, in Gu Hai’s eyes, was extremely lovely.

…..

“Uncle, I’ll bring Yin zi back to my place.” Gu Hai smiled winsomely at Bai Han Qi.

“It’s so late already, just stay here, I’ve prepared the room for you.”

“We’re going to ruin your good thing later!” Gu Hai laughed, then helped Bai Luo Yin to get on the car.

After they exited the lift, Bai Luo Yin leaned on Gu Hai’s back, and said that he wanted to go to the rooftop. Gu Hai didn’t enter the elevator again, he went upstairs by the stairs instead, and carried Bai Luo Yin on his back. Teardrops suddenly fell from Bai Luo Yin’s eyes. At first he was quiet, but his voice became louder and louder. By the time when night sky shrouded the top of their heads, he began to cry bitterly……

Bai Luo Yin’s tears flowed from his cheek, to his jaw, until finally it fell onto Gu Hai’s neck.

Since he had never seen Bai Luo Yin’s feeling went beyond control like this before, Gu Hai felt that his heart was torn to shreds. Gu Hai pulled Bai Luo Yin into his embrace, he caressed his head gently and softly, coaxing him, “Yin zi, don’t cry. You dad is still your dad. No matter how many times he get married, he will still love you the most.”

As someone who had been through the same experience, Gu Hai really understand why Bai Luo Yin is feeling sad.

“There’s no one who will cook such an awful food for me again.”

Gu Hai looked at Bai Luo Yin, didn’t know whether he has to laugh or cry, “Do you still want to eat his food?”

“There’s no one who will drop my underpants and my clothes into sewer again. No one will apply hemorrhoid ointment on my mouth again…”

Gu Hai, “……”

Bai Luo Yin laughed in his tears, then he laid himself on the ice-cold cement ground.

Gu Hai helped Bai Luo Yin to get up then pulled him into his embrace again. He wiped the tears on Bai Luo Yin’s face with full of love, gently said, “I can cook for you, I guarantee that it will taste even worse than your dad’s; I can wash your clothes, we can buy a lot of underpants, we can wash it then throw them away one by one….. I can promise you that, in this world, except your dad, no one would treat you

better than I do.” [8]

The night sky gradually infiltrated Gu Hai’s eyes, it was filled with determination and tenderness. Perhaps tomorrow morning, Bai Luo Yin would tell him that he didn’t remember anything. But Gu Hai won’t be able to forget this moment forever. At this night, on the rooftop, one guy was crying his heart out to him, saying that he wants to be loved.

Translator Note:

[1] two ‘喜’ : means double happiness, usually for weddings ceremony.

example at the pic at the side

[2] G.o.dson: Gu Hai XD

[3] 迎亲 (Ying Qin): is a tradition in Chinese wedding where the groom brought a lot of people with him and went to the bride’s home to pick up and escort her before the wedding.

[4] 红包 (Hong Bao): red envelope usually contains money as a gift.

[5] This is a song called “大约在冬季 (Perhaps in Winter) by Dave w.a.n.g released in 2003.

[6] 东濥顺 (Dong Lai Shun): I honestly have no idea so i googled and i think this is a restaurant in Beijing, correct me if im wrong thank you~

[7] 二胡 (Er Hu): Chinese two-strings fiddle. Example is pictured on the side.

[8] Can I complain?! In the novel Gu Hai said “除了你爸，没人比我对你更好” which means: except your dad, no one would treat you better than I do. I prefer the series version better where Gu Hai said “no one would love you more than I do.” >.

Are you addicted?