Are You Addicted?

For the past few days, Bai Luo Yin has been staying at Gu Hai"s place. He had repeatedly demanded to return to the military base, but Gu Hai forcefully stopped him every single time. The excuse Gu Hai gave forth was: "If I don’t see Xiao Yin Zi make a full recovery, I won"t let you go". Of course, ensuring that Xiao Yin Zi was properly taken care of was not enough; he must completely make it up to Xiao Hai Zi for all the days that it was owed. 

During the daytime, Gu Hai would drag Bai Luo Yin into the car to accompany him to work. At noon, they had lunch together and once the night sky rolled in, Bai Luo Yin would be brought back home without a single scratch. Unsurprisingly, Gu Hai would even follow Bai Luo Yin to the bathroom, afraid that little master would run away if he was careless. 

In the past—since Gu Hai had always come and go at the company independently—the female employees were already accustomed to seeing his charming yet unruly silhouette. Until now… he brought someone with him every day. He would have his hand wrapped around that person"s back when coming into the company, then again when leaving. What"s more, they were inseparable for 24 hours a day. Anyone with eyes should be able to come up with some sort of idea. 

Bai Luo Yin conveniently utilized that time to inspect the progress of the project. Therefore, he followed Gu Hai to the workshop every day, and would occasionally make some suggestions. During the initial negotiation of the collaboration, Haiyin High-Tech Co. Ltd. was actually not the primary collaborator of the project. However, under the conspiracy of those two—husband and husband—practically all of the core components are now manufactured at Haiyin High-Tech Co.

In Gu Hai"s word: All the money I earn now will eventually be yours. We must not let any opportunities go over to others.[1]

That afternoon, Gu Hai was once again busy working frantically in front of the computer while Bai Luo Yin sat idly to the side like an arrogant boss. 

"Gu Zong, this is the latest draft of the design proposal for your perusal please."

Gu Hai received the doc.u.ment and examined it carefully a few times then calmly said, "Come here for a look, these areas need to be adjusted."

The female employee immediately bent down which allowed half her body to be plaster on the desk, exposing her collar wide open. Gu Hai only needed to lift his eyelids and he would be able to see that s.e.xy cleavage and a pair of shining white steam buns. 

Bai Luo Yin narrowed his eyes and casted a glance in their direction, then simply closed his eyes again with an unconcern expression.  

Soon, the female employee nodded, expressing she understood what needed to be done while smiling like a blossoming flower before she walked out swinging her hips suggestively.  

As soon as the door closed, Bai Luo Yin immediately let out a light cough.

Hearing it, Gu Hai turned to the side and asked, "What"s wrong?"

Bai Luo Yin hooked his finger, "Come here, I have something to say to you."

Gu Hai had yet to sense the danger closing in on him as he sat down beside Bai Luo Yin and placed his hand over his shoulder. Then he leisurely said with a hint of joy in his voice, "What did you want to say to me?"

Without any warning, Bai Luo Yin"s hand slithered straight inside Gu Hai"s shirt. Gu Hai purposely responded in a reluctant yet welcoming manner, "Don"t mess around, we"re at work." Although he said that—in reality—he earnestly hoping that Bai Luo Yin would not take his hand out. 

Bai Luo Yin"s hand quickly made contact with Gu Hai"s nipple. When he pursed his lips deviously and fiercely twisted that little nub with his strong fingers twice, he instantly saw the muscles on Gu Hai"s face tensed.

"Ahhh…"

Gu Hai firmly gripped Bai Luo Yin"s wrist as his brows tightened as he spoke, "Don"t be so hardcore."

"You must be full seeing those "views" every day, right?" Bai Luo Yin said, without loosening his hand. 

"Stop twisting…it"s going to fall off if you keep doing that." Gu Hai continued with a bitter expression, "If it really gets twisted off, what will you eat later on?"

"There are so many beautiful and capable ladies in your company, can"t you just let them produce another one and put it back on?" With that said, he continued his tyranny on the other nipple.  

Gu Hai cupped Bai Luo Yin"s cheeks before speaking in an exasperated yet playful tone. "I"m telling you, let go now, you hear? I"m very sensitive there. If you insist on continuing and I can"t control myself anymore, I might f.u.c.k you right here, right now."

After if in the midst of a challenge, Bai Luo Yin still did not loosen his fingers.

The second Gu Hai felt the pain, he instantly pressed Bai Luo Yin down on the sofa. Bai Luo Yin—after holding back his anger from seeing those female employees hover over Gu Hai all day long[2]—held his breath and just as he was about to turn the situation around to his advantage, the door suddenly opened and a pair of beautiful legs appeared in his line of sight. Looking up, he saw a familiar face emerged.

Having walked in on such a scene, Yan Ya Jing awkwardly smiled, "What are the two of you doing?"

Gu Hai stood up as Bai Luo Yin took his hands out of his shirt. The two then pretended as if nothing had happened and returned to their respective positions.

Once he sat down at his seat, Gu Hai began to lightly tap on the desk. Having not completely recovered from being aroused by Bai Luo Yin a moment a go, his gazes still carried a hint of frivolousness as he looked at Yan Ya Jing.

"Have you finished your work?"

The expression in Gu Hai"s eyes pushed Yan Ya Jing"s mind to the edge of a cliff—provoking her to stand still in astonishment—she couldn"t help but look down to examine her own outfit. What the…I don"t see any problem!

"Why are you looking at me with that kind of expression?"

Gu Hai became confused, "What expression?"

Yan Ya Jing watched attentively as the heat in Gu Hai"s eyes decreased bit by bit. "Nothing, I wanted to discuss about the terms and conditions of our collaboration with TianRui Corporation. I just had a conversation with their executive a moment ago…." Yan Ya Jing sat beside Gu Hai and earnestly briefed him on business matters in details.

Having been in the office for the last three to four days, Bai Luo Yin noticed Yan Ya Jing was the only one that did not intentionally or otherwise attempt to seduce Gu Hai. On the surface, their relationship appeared the most ordinary—but in actuality that was precisely the reason why it was not in the least ordinary. When any other female employee came in, Gu Hai would always be the one to bring up an issue. However, whenever Yan Ya Jing came, she talked for the majority of the time while Gu Hai listened. It was to the extent that he would not question a lot of the matters and completely trusted her to make the decisions and do what was needed.

Their mutual understandings of each other were truly envied by onlookers.

"That"s right, last time you asked me what type of medicine was effective for reducing the appearance of scars…" Yan Ya Jing took out a small bottle from her pocket as she spoke, "Here, my older brother had found an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor to prescribe this. Apply the ointment three times a day and if it"s effective, we can ask the doctor for more."

The corner of Gu Hai"s lips rose slightly, "Thanks, how much is it?"

"You don"t have to. Is there still a need to mention "money" between the two of us?" Yan Ya Jing smiled helplessly.

Gu Hai waved the bottle in his hand, "Then, thank your brother for me."

"Hey, why don"t you try a bit to see how effective it is?"

Gu Hai twisted the cap open, poured a bit of the powdery ointment on his finger then applied some on the scar on his forehead.

"That"s not how you apply it." Yan Ya Jing couldn"t help but to smile. "Look, the powder fells on your brows. You have to wet your forehead first." With that said, she used a wet paper towel to wipe Gu Hai"s forehead, then using her finger, she gently applied the powdery ointment until it was completely even.

Silently looking at them from the side, Bai Luo Yin saw the scar that he had seen countless times—but never once thought of treating—currently being delicately taken care of by Yan Ya Jing"s gentle hand. The scar was from the car accident back then that was in all reality caused by him but now someone else"s hand was a.s.sisting in getting rid of it. If Yan Ya Jing took the initiative to get the medication of her own free will, it wouldn"t matter at all. However, the truth was still the truth and that was, it was Gu Hai who had asked her to buy it.

Why has he never asked me to do anything for him?

Even after Yan Ya Jing took her leave, Bai Luo Yin was still lost in his own thoughts.

When they returned home that night, Bai Luo Yin demanded to cook for the first time ever.

Gu Hai was extremely touched by that! The wish he had for all these years was finally going to be fulfilled today. Therefore, he took out a video recorder to track every move of the entire journey. From shopping for the food, washing, chopping the vegetables and cooking it. He even filmed it from many different angles in high resolution as to not miss out anything. There were many times when the flames from the stove had spurted on the lens, but he still stood persistently at the same position.

"Get out of here! You are in the way," Bai Luo Yin said, giving Gu Hai a firm kick.

However, Gu Hai did not budge, "I"m scared you might burn yourself."

"Go stand somewhere then! I"ll call you if there"s a fire to put out!"

As soon as Gu Hai walked out, Bai Luo Yin immediately took revenge by throwing half a bottle of soy sauce and a big cup of hot pepper flakes into the frying pan. He himself became so choked by the heat and ingredients that he ended up seeking refuge on the balcony for a while. After all the dishes were cooked, Bai Luo Yin"s face had turned into the color of the soy sauce.

"It"s time to eat!" Bai Luo Yin called out.

Gu Hai lowered his head for a look only to see that all the food looked the same; black to the extent that it would cause anyone"s hair to stand on ends. Fortunately, there were lightings in the kitchen, otherwise—if there was a power failure—it would be difficulty to locate the food.

Bai Luo Yin"s smile could make a person terribly nervous. "Hurry up and eat!"

In a tentative manner, Gu Hai used the chopsticks to pick up a piece of Chinese cabbage and placed it in his mouth. With just the first bite, he immediately felt a stream of air rush fiercely from his nostril to his brain, numbing his tongue of all taste in mere seconds.

"How is it?" Bai Luo Yin asked.

With difficulty, Gu Hai forced out a smile. "Not bad, is there rice?"

"Nope. There are so many dishes yet it"s still not enough for you? How about I"ll go back and make some soup?"

Gu Hai, "…."

"You have to eat it all! I need to record it!"

While saying those words, Bai Luo Yin grabbed the video recorder and aimed the lens at Gu Hai ready to record the look on his face while he ate. The pitiful Gu Hai choked to the point his tears nearly burst out but—he still stuffed his face until his cheeks looked chubby as he incessantly showed off his happiness in front of the recorder lens.

Slightly confused, Bai Luo Yin wondered just how bad the food he made tasted. He was going to take a seat sit and have a taste but Gu Hai sternly stopped him. "Don"t touch it. It"s all mine!"

Right after, the bowl and chopsticks were confiscated.

Watching Gu Hai force himself to swallow those unpalatable food, Bai Luo Yin"s heart suddenly trembled.

After dinner, Gu Hai pulled Bai Luo Yin to sit down on the sofa. As soon as he opened his mouth, his tone had a mixture of both Shan Tian Fang[3] and Ma San Li.[4]

"How exactly did you get these scars on your hands?"

Turning his hands around repeatedly, Gu Hai looked at Bai Luo Yin"s hands, covered with large and small scars. Every time the old scars were yet to fully heal, new scars would appear. The most frightening were Bai Luo Yin"s fingernails. There will always be two layers of nails that twisted and buckled on the fingers. Gu Hai would feel extreme heartache each time he saw it.

"I often make modifications on machines, so it"s hard to avoid getting cuts from the steel plates."[5]

Just as he finished those words, Bai Luo Yin then watched as Gu Hai pick up the small bottle Yan Ya Jing had given him earlier. Then after he moistened Bai Luo Yin"s hands with a wet towel, he carefully applied the powdery medication on all the scars on the back and palm of his hands.

Seeing that, Bai Luo Yin"s heart instantly tightened with pain. There was no longer any hint of relaxation in his eyes.

"You asked Yan Ya Jing to help you get this prescription just to cure my hands?"

Gu Hai gulped down two large mouthfuls of water then asked, "What did you think?"

Hearing that, Bai Luo Yin did not utter another word.

Around two in the morning, Gu Hai had only slept for a short while when he sensed the person in his arms suddenly got up. Thinking that Bai Luo Yin went to the bathroom, he didn"t think much of it. However—after waiting for half an hour and no one returned—his heart tightened and he secretly thought to himself, did Bai Luo Yin sneakily run away? As a result, he quickly got out of bed to search for him.

In the end, he found Bai Luo Yin on the balcony. That guy actually only had his underpants on as he sat cross-legged on the floor with slightly narrowed eyes that made him look remarkably like a handsome Buddha.

"Yin Zi, what are you doing here?" Gu Hai asked with a fright.

Without lifting his head, Bai Luo Yin simply said one word: "Reflecting!"

Gu Hai crouched down and looked at Bai Luo Yin with an incomprehensible expression.

"What did you run here to reflect on instead of sleeping at this time of the night?"

"To wash away my sinful soul!"

Translator"s Note:

[1] We must not let any opportunities go over to others (肥水不流外人田) - alternatively: lit. don’t let one’s own fertile water flow into others’ field / fig. keep the goodies within the family (proverb)

[2] hover over Gu Hai all day long - this part was not worded this way in the novel, but the next sentence part indirectly implied it so we added it there for clarification.

[3] Shan Tian Fang (单田芳)- born in 1935, was a famous 评书 (Pingshu) or 说书 (story teller). In Chinese culture, Pingshu was one of the forms of entertainment in ma.s.s culture in China

[4] Ma San Li (馬三立 ) – born in 1914, famous Chinese comedian in the traditional "crosstalk" style (duo dialogue between two performers)

[5] Bai Luo Yin"s hands were damaged at the end of Book One when he removed the steel plate that struck Gu Hai. That is the main reason, but what he said in regard to damages from working on planes is also true.