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

"Shi Hui."

  “He wants so many children!” Yang Meng said. He paced back and forth in front of Bai LuoYin’s desk and waved his hands in the air as if he were trying to swat a fly.
  “So?” said Bai LuoYin. He sighed, leaned back in his chair, and wondered how his friend even got past all of his security guards. This man must have a secret talent, he thought.
  “So?” Yang Meng yelled and faced him. “I can’t manage even one kid!” He stuck a finger up at him.
  “Can we talk about this later? I have a lot of work to do.”
  “Later? My life will be ruined!”
  Bai LuoYin rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair. He prepared himself metally as his friend went on.
  “If I tell him that I don’t want any children, will he not love me anymore?”
  “No.” Bai LuoYin said flatly. 
  “How can you be so sure?” Yang Meng asked, placing his palms down on the desk and leaning forward.
  “Talk to him. Tell him how you truly feel. Then, you two can work it out. Now, can I please get back to work?” 
  Yang Meng threw his hands up in the air and went on to stress himself out. He doubted himself as a father/mother and found all kinds of excuses not to have children. Finally, he sat down in the chair across from his friend and said, “I don’t know what to do.”
  Bai LuoYin thought for a moment. They stared at each other for longer than two minutes and then he said, “Talk to Gu Hai.”
  “Are you insane?” Yang Meng shouted. He stood up from the chair and looked down at him. “You want me to talk about this with Gu Hai?” 
  Bai LuoYin nodded.
  Someone knocked on the door and Bai LuoYin allowed them inside.
  “Are you okay, sir?” asked a guy holding onto his holstered weapon. He eyed Yang Meng.
  “It’s fine,” Bai LuoYin said and the guy left.
  Yang Meng, unfazed, went on to say, “Gu Hai doesn’t even like me!”
  “That’s not entirely true.”
  Yang Meng eyed him sideways and folded his hands over his chest.
  “Okay. Maybe. But Gu Hai doesn’t like anyone,” Bai LuoYin said, standing up. “I think you would benefit from talking to him.”
  “How?” Yang Meng asked, an eyebrow raised.
  “First of all, You Qi and Gu Hai are close. They get along and I think that their friendship has turned into a brotherhood. If you talk to Gu Hai about what’s bothering you, I think he will be able to help you find a way to communicate with You Qi.”
  “I’m supposed to meet You Qi’s siblings in an hour,” Yang Meng said. He checked the time on his phone and jumped out of his seat. “I’m going to be late!” 
  Bai LuoYin watched as his friend scrambled for the door. 

  You Qi had rented out a restaurant for the evening. His siblings sat at the table, watching him with curious eyes. His sister, You Mei, picked up her glass of water and took a sip. His older brothers, You Chang and You Hu, gave him a blank expression, but smiled at him every once in a while.
  Yang Meng was fifteen minutes late. 
  You Qi checked the time and glanced towards the entrance.
  “Is he always late?” asked You Chang.
  No,” You Qi said. He laughed nervously and eyed the front door again. 
  A minute passed and You Qi breathed a sigh of relief. He watched as Yang Meng hurried through the door, adjusted his black suit, and made his way towards them.
  Yang Meng couldn’t help but look around the restaurant before he reached the table. He loved that the place was so elegant. The huge chandelier that hung in the middle of the room was so big that it took up half of the dining area. There was very little seating for other guests and the round balcony that the tables sat on was something that he had never seen before. As he got closer to You Qi, he noticed that there was a lower level and that there was an entire orchestra playing music below. Everything looked as if it was built in the sixties. 
  You Qi stood up and took his hand as he walked up to them. “Everyone, this is Yang Meng.”
  You Mei’s eyes lit up and her mouth hung loose.
  You Chang and You Hu stood up and shook hands with him and then everyone sat down. 
  Yang Meng bowed his head as he greeted You Mei and she blushed and bowed her own head in turn. 
  “It is very nice to finally meet you in person,” You Chang said.
  “Yes,'' said You Hu, “my brother always speaks about you.”
  For a while, You Chang and You Hu talked about themselves, then they asked Yang Meng a few questions about his life. Yang Meng answered all their questions truthfully and he got to know You Qi’s brothers well. 
  When the waiter brought them the menus, they ordered, and went back to their conversations. You Chang and You Hu were the only ones who asked questions. When Yang Meng glanced at You Mei, she turned her head quickly and pretended to be interested in something nearby. 
  “So, you don’t really have a big family?” asked You Chang.
  Yang Meng shook his head. He was so nervous that his palms were sweaty. He wiped them on his pants and tried to keep eye contact with You Chang.
  When dinner was served, there was a long silence as they ate. The musical composition playing in the background was like food for their ears and it calmed their spirits. 
  “You’re very pretty,” You Mei blurted out and everyone looked over at her. She wiped her mouth with her napkin and gently placed it on the table next to her plate. She looked at Yang Meng and he looked away quickly.
  “You Mei,” You Qi said, as if her name meant stop. 
  She smiled at her brother and said, “What? He is.”
  “He’s handsome,” You Qi corrected her. 
  “I think that he is pretty,” she said. 
  Yang Meng looked over at her and thanked her. He could tell that there was tension between them and he didn’t want anyone to fight over him. He was used to people thinking that he was pretty. He was also handsome, and according to You Qi, sexy. 
  “I have a serious question to ask,” said You Chang and everyone turned their attention towards him. “Now that you two have made it public that you’re a couple, what do you think will happen to You Qi’s career?”
  “Yes,” said You Hu. “This is a good question. China is making some harsh changes when it comes to homosexuality. How will this affect your relationship?”
  “Do you plan on marrying Yang Meng?” asked You Mei.
  Yang Meng felt his pulse rise.
  “When it comes to my career, I’ll take it one day at a time,” said You Qi. “China will never control who I love or marry.”
  “Does that mean you plan on marrying him?” You Mei asked. She sat up straighter in her chair. 
  “Maybe,” You Qi said and looked over at Yang Meng. He noticed that Yang Meng was feeling uncomfortable and took his hand under the table. 
  Yang Meng tried to pull his hand away, but You Qi gripped his wrist and held it tightly. 
  “I don’t think that marrying Yang Meng will be good for your career. In fact, you might lose millions of fans and endorsement contracts,” said You Chang.
  With You Qi’s eyes locked on Yang Meng, he said, “I don’t care.” 
  Yang Meng turned to look at him and their eyes locked. He could see how serious You Qi was. Without any more words, it was written on his face. 
  “You will lose a great deal of money, brother, do you know what you are saying?” You Chang said, his voice rose higher. 
  “You love him that much?” You Hu asked, sounding astonished.
  You Qi nodded. 
  “Would you risk your fame for love?” asked You Mei, sounding as if she couldn’t believe her ears.
  You Qi nodded again.
  “I don’t like this, brother, but I will support you,” You Hu said. He lifted a glass and looked at Yang Meng. “Here is a toast to you! We will welcome you with open arms. If my brother loves you that much, you both deserve to be happy.” 
  You Chang got up from the table and left.
  “Brother!” You Qi called after him.
  “Let him go,” You Mei said. “When you announced your love for Yang Meng on national television, he was furious.” 
  Yang Meng felt as if he would burst into tears.
  “Brother, we are happy for you,” You Hu said. “You Mei and I will love you no matter what. You Chang just doesn’t see this as something that will have a happy ending. He thinks that you are destroying everything you’ve worked so hard to build. Your fame and paychecks may never be the same again, and it worries him.”
  “What do mother and father think?” asked You Qi. “Do they think that I’m ruining my life as well?” 
  You Mei and You Hu looked down at the table. It was all that they had to do to answer his question. It was clear that only two people in his family supported him. “Thank you,” You Qi said. He stood up, walked over to each sibling, gave them a hug, then left with Yang Meng.
  Outside of the restaurant, Yang Meng broke free of You Qi’s grip. 
  “What’s wrong?” asked You Qi.
  Yang Meng quickened his pace. When You Qi tried to catch up to him, he ran. He ran as fast as he could and hopped on a bus that happened to be passing by. He turned just as the doors were closing to see You Qi’s puzzled face, and it broke his heart. He didn’t think that tonight would have turned out to be so horrible. Meeting You Qi’s siblings hadn’t been so bad. It was the reality of their questions that had struck a nerve. He didn’t want to be the reason that You Qi lost everything. 
  You Qi watched as the bus sped away and he was left standing alone on the corner. He shoved his hands into his pants pocket and heard when his bodyguards told a few people to step back. What was going on? Why did Yang Meng run away? 

  Gu Hai sat with Jiang Yifei and Ying Yue on the couch at their place, eating ice cream from the containers, and talking about Shi Hui as if they were gossiping.
  “She asked if he was coming?” Gu Hai asked, licking his spoon. He leaned forward in his seat as if the answer he awaited was something extremely urgent. 
  Jiang Yifei nodded. “I saw her looking towards the entrance more than four times. I believe that she was waiting for him to arrive.”
  “I think she would have only spoken to us until he showed up,” said Ying Yue. 
  “I agree!” Jiang Yifei said. 
  “When they first spoke, did he seem interested?” Gu Hai asked, his words carefully spoken. 
  “Oh, no! Bai LuoYin showed no interest in her whatsoever!” Ying Yue reassured him. 
  “Are you certain?” he asked, digging his spoon into the container and popping a large scoop of ice cream into his mouth.
  “Yes!” said Jiang Yifei, “I got the feeling that Shi Hui was up to something! I don’t know what it is! But I’m going to be watching her like a hawk!” 
  Gu Hai gave her a huge smile. He had always liked her. Now that he knew that she was on his side, he liked her even more. He was pleased to hear that she would be keeping an eye on Shi Hui. He didn’t trust her either. Nope. Not one bit!