"Are You Still Addicted?" Book One (Addicted Fanfiction)

"The Movie Star Has Returned!"

Yang Meng's day had been stressful. In fact, it was so stressful, he wanted to cry. He had taken on a domestic abuse case in town. A husband was threatening to beat his wife because he suspected she had cheated on him. Yang Meng had pulled up to the house to confront the couple but was surprised to see them outside, causing a scene. He tried to calm them down a bit but the husband threatened to beat him. Poor Yang Meng, even though he was trained in certain situations, he couldn't handle the furious husband. He had to call in for backup, which didn't look good on his part.
Second, he fell in a puddle of water, ruining his well pressed uniform. A few kids laughed at him and he tried to scold them, but they were not intimidated one bit. His authority felt limited. It made him feel powerless, useless, unable to do the things other police officers were able to, without having a single problem.
He was hungry, tired, and about ready to go home, then his phone rang. He frowned and fished it from his pocket. The unknown number confused him for a few seconds until he realized it could be You Qi.
"Hello," he hesitantly answered, "who is this?"
"Yang Meng, I've arrived at the airport. I was wondering if you'd like to meet later for dinner, my treat of course." You Qi said.
The hustle and bustle of the airport traffic hummed in their ear.
"Oh, ok, sure, where do you want me to meet you?" Yang Meng asked.
"It's ok, send me your address and I'll send a limo to pick you up around seven." You Qi offered.
Yang Meng blinked his astonishment. His eyebrows rose and he touched his cheek. Was the guy serious? Sending a limo to pick him up sounded like too much of a hassle!
"Why would you send a limo when I can drive myself?" Yang Meng asked, curiously.
"We have to take a limo because I simply can't be out in public without a few bodyguards." You Qi answered.
Yang Meng felt lost. He didn't understand.
"Also, I've rented out the restaurant for the night, so it'll be just us." You Qi added, casually.
Yang Meng almost fell over, "You've rented the entire restaurant?!" He yelled into his end of the line, "Why would you do that?!"
"If we are out in public, my fans would recognize me. Trust me, that would be a huge problem. We won't be able to enjoy our dinner," You Qi said, "So I'll see you around seven."
Yang Meng's mouth hung open, he was stunned. You Qi hung up and he was left standing in total awe. You Qi had become such a huge movie star that it was difficult for him to live a normal life. Yang Meng shoved his phone back into his pocket and continued to walk down the street. He pondered on what it must be like to live such a lavish life. He wondered if You Qi had enough money to buy himself his very own small island. How much money was he paid to be an actor?

You Qi arrived at his five star hotel, unpacked his things, made a few phone calls to his family members, contacted his producers and staff for updates on their project together, then got ready for dinner. His limo arrived promptly at 6pm. He wanted to buy Yang Meng a gift, so he stopped at a shop. He explained to his driver what he wanted and the well built guy went into the store to retrieve it for him.
It was a good thing that the windows were tinted because the streets were littered with people. There was a good chance that most of these civilians were fans of his.
After a few moments, the driver came back out with two bags. One contained a box with tissue paper, the other was the gift. You Qi's assistant prepared the gift and handed it over to him for inspection. You Qi nodded his approval and they headed to the address Yang Meng had provided.
To his surprise, they pulled up to Yang Meng's childhood home.
"This guy still lived with his family?" Thought You Qi.
He surveyed the area. Even after all this time had passed, the neighborhood looked almost the same. Even with parts of the houses being held up by boards and galvanized pieces. He spotted an elderly woman sweeping her front yard a few houses away and smiled. Yang Meng was a humble person, even in their school days, he had been a simple guy. He treasured the littlest things. You Qi took notice and tried his best to value people who were less fortunate. It was great having millions of dollars and all but he tried to donate what he could to organizations that helped citizens across China.
You Qi sent a text message to Yang Meng's phone, letting him know that he had arrived outside of his home.
A few minutes passed and the front gate opened. Out stepped Yang Meng, dressed casually, a blue t-shirt and jeans. You Qi wanted to burst out laughing at how cautious this guy was. It was as if he were expecting someone to jump out from the shadows and beat him senseless.
You Qi asked the driver to beep the horn and amusingly Yang Meng jumped halfway out of his sneakers.
He spotted the limo and quickly headed towards it and got in.
"You Qi, you look different!" Yang Meng said, eyeing him up and down.
"Is it a good thing or a bad thing?" You Qi joked, smoothing out his outfit and running a hand through his well combed hair.
Yang Meng laughed and nodded, saying, "It's definitely a good thing. So, where are we off to?"
You Qi winked at him, "To a five star restuarant in Beijing, tonight my friend, we are eating in style!"
Yang Meng's excitement showed as they drive off.

The restuarant was truly something to marvel at. Made from the whitest marble with a hint of red trimmings, it stood out amongst its less fortunate neighbors. The doors and window frames were coated in pure gold. Inside, round crystal tables were decorated with multi colored flower arrangements and had candles set up everywhere. The ceiling was painted by an artist whom identity was rumored to be the best in the world.
Yang Meng walked through the room and suddenly felt underdressed. He glanced at You Qi's attire and felt embarrassed. He wrapped his arms around himself as he followed the host to their table.
You Qi noticed how uncomfortable he seemed and asked, "Are you cold?"
Yang Meng took his seat as the host held it out for him and sank down into his chair.
You Qi also sat, asking, "Do you not feel well?"
Yang Meng shook his head and said, "If I had known I was coming to such a beautiful place, I'd have dressed better. I thought we were going somewhere closer to my house." He pouted his lips.
You Qi tried to comfort him, "It's alright, it's just us here. You should wear whatever you want to." Then he did something unexpected. He took off his jacket and unbuttoned his white shirt halfway, deliberately. He also pulled off his tie and shoved it inside of his pants pocket.
"Do you feel better?" You Qi asked, smiling playfully.
Yang Meng sat up straighter and laughed. He nodded and then picked up his menu. After looking at the list of things they had to offer, he turned blue. He put the menu back down and looked uncomfortable again.
You Qi gave him a curious look, "What's wrong now?"
Yang Meng leaned closer and whispered, "These prices are ridiculous, I can't even pronounce half of these things. Can't we have something simple?"
You Qi thought for a moment, then asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Yang Meng thoughtfully said, "Pork dumplings would be nice! Maybe chicken? Or what about a good soup?!"
You Qi listened to his choices and agreed, those choices would be great! It had been a while since he'd eaten dishes that were closer to a home cooked meal.
Then, Yang Meng's expression turned to worry, he said, "Maybe we should just eat here, after all, you've rented this entire place just for us. I don't want it to go to waste."
You Qi rolled his eyes and smiled. Yang Meng looked embarrassed for a few seconds but then turned chipper in the blink of an eye.
"I'll suggest something." You Qi said, looking over the menu once more, "How about this chicken pasta. It's something new, we should try it together."
Yang Meng agreed and then music started to play.

The melody was magnificent! It enchanted them instantly. It flowed through the air and soaked into their souls. Yang Meng was bewitched, looking around to see where it was coming from. He didn't see an orchestra, but did see speakers in ever corner of the building. Their surround sound was top of the line! It made them feel as if they were in a concert. That there were people hidden behind a curtain playing live instruments, out of sight somewhere.
You Qi enjoyed the look in Yang Meng's eyes. It glimmered with light, adornment, fascination, and a hint of the child he used to be in school.
"This music is awesome!" Yang Meng said, as the waiter arrived with a few glasses of purified water.
They ordered and the waiter left. Yang Meng stood up suddenly. He had noticed a humungous fish tank towards the center of the room and wanted to take a look.
You Qi joined him.
The salt water fish tank was vibrant. It's colors rivaled the rainbow and the water looked fresh. It was magnificent to look at. Yang Meng put his face close to the tank and looked at every fish and item inside.
You Qi went to the opposite side to look also. As the music played around them. It felt as if it tugged at You Qi a bit. Every now and again his eyes would drift from the fish to Yang Meng's face. In their school days, Yang Meng would often be compared to a beauty. His features were similar to a women's, even though he mostly kept his hair a mess. They both spotted a fish that reminded them of "Nemo" and their eyes met.
Yang Meng smiled at him through the tank. He was actually having a good time compared to how things were going for him this morning. He was glad he came. He needed this friendly distraction.
You Qi would tell him later that he would be staying in China for quite a while. He was to start shooting his new movie scenes in a week. There was plenty of time to spend with his friends and family.
"How is Bai LuoYin?" You Qi asked from his side.
Yang Meng's face lit up, "He and Gu Hai are doing great! You should visit them as well."
The waiter signaled to them that their food was done and they hurried back to their table. They ate their meals under the symphony of wonderful music and conversations about what they were both doing with their lives these days.
Though it was mostly the same thing over and over for You Qi, little did he know, it was the same boring life for Yang Meng. Though they would never admit to each other just how dull their lives were, they kept chatting away.