Addicted: Book One - The Inquietude of Youth (1-44)

Chapter 12 - Why is he always sleeping?

Translator: Estreline | Editors: Waitingonadoctor/Sae

Since the day You Qi received that bag of toilet paper, it was as if he was possessed. Before, he blew his nose many times throughout the day, but now it has become even more ridiculous. It was to the point that he used one roll of toilet paper in just one day. Every time after he blew his nose, he would turn around and smiled, just like a little girl who was experiencing puppy love.

By this point, Bai Luo Yin could not stand that absurdity anymore. For someone like You Qi, who stood at a height of 180cm and has a face as handsome as Takeshi Kaneshiro, he was just plain stupid.

"I already told you I'm not the one who bought those toilet paper for you. Could you please stop doing this to me?"

Feigning ignorance to those words, You Qi continued to blow his nose.

In the end, feeling like he had no choice but to accept it, Bai Luo Yin finished his assignments early without raising his head. Before long, his eyelids became heavy with tiredness and as they began to shut, his head too sank low on the desk before he fell asleep.

Truth be told, no one would dared wake him up. Half of the class's female students were only interested in You Qi, while the other half, can be described as nerds, who for the majority of their free time, would play their games. In effect, while everyone else was busy conversing with one another or playing, Bai Luo Yin's sleeping form goes unnoticed.

But of course, everything has an exception.

There was one person who was currently not doing anything. Normally, when that person does everything, it was quick and to the point. While his fellow classmates, needed at least two classes to finish their assignments, he only needed half an hour. For the majority of the time, You Qi never remained still in his seat and would always move left and right. Thus, it was only natural that when Gu Hai looked in that direction, he would look straight past him. In turn, the first person Gu Hai saw every time was not You Qi, but Bai Luo Yin.

Why is he sleeping again?

Keeping his eyes on the sleeping firm, Gu Hai began to ponder on what Bai Luo Yin does every night.

How can he be sleepy all the time? Is he really sleeping, or just pretending to be? But, if he was really sleeping, then how can he get the answer right every time he was called by the teacher?

"Who are you looking at?" A voice of someone standing in front of him asked.

For just a moment, Gu Hai's eyes went from Bai Luo Yin to the person, a girl. It was hard not to notice that this girl had a really exquisite appearance. Her voice was a sweet mixture of Hong Kong and Taiwanese accents, that when spoken would certainly give the listener goosebumps.

"Do you know him?" Gu Hai asked while pointing at Bai Luo Yin.

Xiao Xuan's brows rose slightly when she looked at Gu Hai. "Who doesn't know him? He was the most handsome guy in our class. I had even asked him out once, but it's honestly such a pity that he didn't fall for me. I'll tell you this, he's an extraordinary person, moreover, he is really clever. You'll slowly learn more about him later."

That single sentence from Xiao Xuan, certainly interest Gu Hai.

"Then, has he always been sleeping like this?"

"Of course! Every day before and after class, he always sleeps. Oh, I'll tell you a secret, but you can't tell anyone. Bai Luo Yin doesn't have a mother."

When Gu Hai heard those words, his heart felt like it was being pierced by a formidable force and the only sensation he felt was pain.

No mother.

It's a tragedy for a child to not know what it feels like to be in a mother's arms.

"Are you feeling hot? You're sweating." Xiao Xuan asked as she picked up a small fan. With a beautiful posture, she started to wave the fan in front of Gu Hai, causing the boys around them to cough.

With just one intense stare from Gu Hai, the group of boys immediately went silent.

After class ended, Gu Hai gingerly made his way towards Bai Luo Yin's desk and looked at where said boy's stationery were placed. Lying there were a translucent worn down fountain pen, a water-based brush, and another attractive looking fountain pen that he used regularly for practice. Along with those writing utensils, there was also a fifty cents bottle of writing ink which seemed to have nearly reached the bottom. The ruler that he had did not have scales marked along the edges. Finally, at the edge sat a simple stationery pouch. Stuffed inside his drawer was his two straps school bag. Looking at it, the straps had torn off several times and the threads used to stitch it up came in multiple colors, some of which were brighter than others.

Truthfully, it's not that Gu Hai has not seen a poor person before. But, this was the first time he saw someone with the nerve to display his poverty without an ounce of restraint.

At the end of the day, a military car was parked quietly underneath a large tree not too far from the school main gate. Originally, no one was permitted to park there but this car's license plate was marked with the region's highest authoritative symbol. Don't mention parking under a tree, even if it was parked on top of the tree, no one would dare tow it away.

"I've told you many times. There's no need to pick me up. I'll take a taxi by myself." Gu Hai's patience has always been extremely low towards this person.

The driver just smiled and nodded, "Isn't it just because we're afraid you might get into an accident?? The traffic around here is really poor, and the taxi drivers doesn't have a good character either. What's going to happen if they trick you? Come, get in the car, my little master. The General and you both have similar temperaments. Listen, it's not worth it to waste time."

Trying not to roll his eyes, Gu Hai's gaze swept towards the school gate. He suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure ahead and let his gaze linger on it for a while. Then, he quickly took a few large strides and crossed the street. Before the driver could even react, he hailed a taxi and left.