As his fingers heedlessly slipped off of the office chair, Gu Hai woke up from a nightmare with his heart racing madly. Being that it was only three o’clock in the afternoon, he had unexpectedly fallen asleep in his office.
In his dream, Gu Hai dreamt that Bai Luo Yin was eaten by a wolf. While he was persistently chasing after them from behind, he looked on helplessly as the wolf tore apart to pieces the flesh from Bai Luo Yin’s body. And every time the wolf ate a piece of meat, it would throw the bone over to Gu Hai. Before the moment he woke up, the only part left in the wolf’s mouth was Bai Luo Yin’s head, and suddenly, his eyes shot open to stare at him.
After more than ten minute of calming himself down, Gu Hai was nevertheless unable to shake off the frightening ambience from that scene.
Why did I have that kind of dream? Gu Hai rubbed his forehead.
For sure, nothing will happen to Bai Luo Yin. I am just worrying too much… Gu Hai constantly consoled himself, once he has wandered around enough by himself, he will come back. He must know that I am waiting for him at home.
Ding dong... the doorbell to the office sounded.
Gu Hai said in a deep voice, “Come in.”
Tong Zhe pushed open the door only to see Gu Hai leaning on the office chair with an extremely fatigued expression.
“The batch of lights that you had rushed to be produce overtime yesterday are all completed now. Do you need some more? Just tell me right now so that I don’t have to come in here to bother you all the time!”
This time, Gu Hai finally shook his head. “No need.”
Tong Zhe heaved a sigh of relief and snorted with a smile. “It hasn’t been easy ah. This phase has at long last come to an end, but what now? What are we going to produce next? As long as it is needed for your wedding, I think we can produce it all in our company. In any case, there are many highly skilled people in the company. Let’s give all the girls an opportunity to show off their talents!”
“There is no need to rush it.”
Gu Hai stood up from the chair and strolled over to the water dispenser to get a glass of water and calm down his mood.
“I personally plotted an outdoor lighting exhibition and the specific location has already been chosen. You can transport all the smart lights that we had recently produced to that location. We will officially start the exhibition tonight.”
Tong Zhe was completely stunned by Gu Hai’s jumping train of thoughts. Aren’t these lights reserved for the wedding? Why are they being used for a lighting exhibition? Not to mention, without such a large amount of bright lights, wouldn’t the entire capital be lit up ah?
Gu Hai faintly asked, “Is there a problem?”
Seeing Gu Hai’s unkempt stubbly face, Tong Zhe did not have the heart to refuse him.
Once he left Gu Hai’s office, Tong Zhe went to actively prepare for this matter as if it was war time. He called for an nth amount of transporting vehicles and took those powerful headlights and the dazzling smart lights, all at the same time, to the site that Gu Hai had rented. Initially, Tong Zhe was worried that the site might not be able to accommodate all the lights. However, after he arrived he discovered that the entire land was so vast that he could not see where it ended in just one glance.
How much did it cost to rent out this land ah!
Just as he was thinking that, someone suddenly gasped beside him. “How much will the electricity bill cost ah!”
When he turned his head to the side, Yan Ya Jing was standing right next to him with a lifeless set of eyes and a slow-speeched expression- also completely stupefied by Gu Hai.
“How come you are here?” Tong Zhe asked.
Yan Ya Jing heaved a long sigh of relief, “Is it just me? There are several hundreds of people behind me ah. They were all sent over by Gu Hai to help oversee the site. He said that the company will not accept any business for the next few days and all commercial activities will be set aside for the time being, so that everyone can concentrate on this exhibition. I really don’t understand what benefits will such an exhibition bring to the company! Although the smarts lights that we produced have always been favored by the public, other companies have also produced the same quality of lights. For him to publicly display this in such a great fanfare, how much can be sold in the end? I don’t think that the cost to display this will be recovered.”
“Sell?” Tong Zhe laughed, “Do you actually think that he had these produced to just sell them?”
Yan Ya Jing’s eyes widened as she stared at him, “Not to sell? If it is not to sell them, then why are they being displayed? Are we just burning money?”
“Didn’t I say it already? He is going to get married and these things will be used to decorate the wedding venue,” Tong Zhe said casually.
Yan Ya Jing’s complexion became pale and her lips trembled as she asked once more, “… really?”
Tong Zhe flicked Yan Ya Jing’s clear forehead with his finger and kindly consoled her. “Just give up!”
With that, Yan Ya Jing grabbed Tong Zhe’s cuff and, unwilling to give up, she asked, “Who exactly is he getting married to? Don’t tell me that it is you, even if you say that, I will not believe you. No matter how nutjob or mentally deranged Gu Hai is, it is impossible for him to marry a man, especially in such a high-profile manner.”
Tong Zhe pinched Yan Ya Jing’s chin while holding a charming smile.
“You will know when the time comes.”
–
Before the early morning sky brightened up, Bai Luo Yin arrived in front of Jokhang Temple, where many people on their pilgrimage were already there; some had even been there since last night. They were all facing the wall of the temple as they kowtowed and chanted the sutras. The stones in front of the temple had been respectfully bowed on by an unknown number of worshippers already, to the extent that it was grinded down and shone a light natural color beneath the first rays of the morning sun.
“I should also pray.”
“They are praying for their afterlife, what are you praying for?”
“I do not need an afterlife, I only wish to be with you in this lifetime”
“On behalf of Buddha, I will help your soul find peace!”
“Hahaha…”
The scene from when they visited this place all those years ago now floated into his brain. Back then, when they were watching those worshippers bowing their heads, it was like enjoying a bustling scene- incapable of even understanding why they would believe in these irrelevant things, while thinking that this was just a type of ignorance and that only those who were empty inside would go there to find a psychological sustenance.
But that day, Bai Luo Yin became a member among them.
I really do not need an afterlife, I only wish to be with you in this lifetime.
A steady stream of worshippers poured in from all directions, and Bai Luo Yin moved into the procession, constantly getting up, raising his hands, and then stooping down… along the way, he did not even how many times his head touched the ground or how many times he kept reciting the prayer in his heart… over and over, until the road before him became vague and only a long shadow of Buddha remained.
–
As night fell, the lighting exhibition officially kicked off and continued until two o’clock in the night. Even when practically no one else entered the venue, the lights were nonetheless resplendent.
“Can we turn off some of the lights?” Yan Ya Jing asked.
Gu Hai responded without hesitation, “Continue keeping them lighted.”
Yan Ya Jing nearly blurted out these few words, “That will cost several millions of yuan of electricity… ”
Gu Hai remained indifferent.
At that moment, Yan Ya Jing suddenly became somewhat downhearted. Is it possible that these lights are really not for sale, but rather will be used for that purpose, like Tong Zhe said?
But if it was for that, then why lighting them now?
Just as she thought that, Gu Hai suddenly strode over and stopped in front of a light and angrily said, “Who placed this here?!”
That loud roar scared everyone there momentarily.
Tong Zhe hastily rushed over, “What happened?”
“Shouldn’t there be an aviation light here? Who placed a floodlight here?” Gu Hai’s cheek ashened.
The manager responsible for the layout of the venue rushed over and cautiously explained, “The aviation light was removed since there was a defect with it, and with no other goods left in the transporting vehicles, I just had it replaced with another light for the time being.”
“Did I say that it could be replaced with a different light?” Gu Hai bellowed again, “Go to the warehouse and bring a new light here immediately!”
When the manager was hesitant to go, another department manager cut in. “Gu Zong, it is already quite late into the night. No one else is going to look anyways, let’s not go back to get it, okay? Honestly, it’s rather inconvenient.”
“If I said to go, then go. Have it immediately changed within twenty minutes!”
With Gu Hai’s powerful and sonorous command, no one dared to go against it.
Although the venue was as bright as daytime, the surrounding ambience was gloomy and bleak instead.
After a long silence, Tong Zhe opened his mouth to ask, “Are you trying to light up the path home for him?”
Apart from that reason, Tong Zhe could not think of any other usage for these lights. That was because, since he picked up the blueprint for a look, the arrangement of these lights had no fixed pattern. When the lights were switched on, they were merely dazzling without any so-called artistry. Therefore, it was only natural for Tong Zhe to assume that the reason why Gu Hai forced the manager to get the correct light was simply because of the difference of brightness between the two lights. Perhaps in Gu Hai’s heart, Bai Luo Yin might miss the brilliant scenery here with just one dimmed light.
Even if that was the case, Tong Zhe nevertheless had to remind him, “Isn’t it a bit too much to do all of this? What if he returns a few days later or during the daytime? If so, several millions of yuan in electricity bill will have gone to waste.”
Even if you want him to feel moved, there should be a limit!
But in Gu Hai’s heart, there was no limit to loving Bai Luo Yin.
Nine years ago, he could do any preposterous thing for Bai Luo Yin- nine years later, he could still do it.
“The electricity expenses will all be paid from my own pocket and not the company’s account. Continue to keep the lights on. Even if he returns ten days later, keep them lit for all those ten days!”
“Then… when he returns, what are we going to do with these lights?” Tong Zhe asked again.
Gu Hai’s sharp gaze rose faintly. “If I can really wait here until he returns, then all these will be donated. Not a single one can be kept.”
Although Tong Zhe did not advocate this kind of behavior as a sacrifice for love, seeing Gu Hai’s action, he nevertheless sincerely admired him from the bottom of his heart.
–
The helicopter Bai Luo Yin flew encountered a bit of a problem midway, forcing him to land in the local area. Just as he was finished with the repairs, a thick fog caught up and surrounded the atmosphere, making it impossible to take off normally- delaying him by a day. By the afternoon of the next day, the thick fog gradually dispersed and Bai Luo Yin was finally able to pilot the helicopter back toward the direction of where home was.
By the time Bai Luo Yin arrived in the sky of Beijing, it was already past ten o’clock at night. This was the fourth day of the outdoor lighting exhibition held by Haiyin High-Tech Company. For three consecutive nights, the venue had been brightly lit for the whole night.
Bai Luo Yin was looking for a landing point from the air, and flying in the night sky, he could only rely on the airport’s indicator lights to distinguish the directions. Flying in such a low-altitude, it was crucial for him to pay attention to the flashing aircraft warning lights on the roof to avoid collision with high buildings.
Just as his helicopter was circling about in the sky, Bai Luo Yin suddenly noticed a spot that was fairly bright. While other areas were lighted scantily, that entire area was illuminated like a facula. The closer the helicopter got, the more dazzling the brightness became to his eyes.
Bai Luo Yin unconsciously flew toward that lighted area. As the altitude decreased, all sorts of lights began to appear at different gradation of layers, with the colors becoming increasingly clearer and more distinct. There were several thousands of lights flashing magnificently on the periphery, practically blinding Bai Luo Yin’s eyes. And then, descending into the next layer, they were completely composed of various kinds of smart lights that were set to suddenly flicker and dim out in an interval of a few seconds. The innermost layer was comprised of aviation lights, which had the brightest luminosity- it was also the first set of lights that had Bai Luo Yin spotted from the helicopter.
The helicopter hovered over the huge curtain of lights; with such an immense field of lights, it must seem like a complete mess to the people below because they could only see the tip of the iceberg. However, it was entirely different for Bai Luo Yin who was floating in the air and could clearly see the patterns transform breathtakingly.
Hearing the rumbling of the helicopter in the night sky, Gu Hai was finally able to use the remote control he had been holding onto throughout the three nights.
Just as Bai Luo Yin was about to start the monitoring equipment to take some pictures, countless strong intensive rays of lights suddenly shot into the helicopter’s windshield. As his line of sight shifted downward, his hand, which was gripping the control lever, froze abruptly.
The aviation lights in the innermost layer were suddenly adjusted to the strongest brightness, before they began to flash at a high frequency- totaling 134 lights that formed eight large characters.
“Bai Luo Yin, let’s get married!” [白洛因，我们结婚吧！]
Bai Luo Yin was stunned, and his line of thoughts could no longer function properly. He did not even know how he managed to make the helicopter descend. All he remembered was that the moment it touched the ground, his heart, that had been wandering about for the last few days, returned back to his body.
When the cockpit opened, it took him a while to adapt to the dazzling intense lights. His eyes then focused on a spot ahead, where a man was standing- Bai Luo Yin walked over with large strides.
Seeing that there were less than two meters of distance between the two, Gu Hai suddenly strode over and grabbed Bai Luo Yin’s collar and ruthlessly punched his cheek.
“Where the fuck did you go for the past few days?”
Bai Luo Yin’s lips moved, but he did not say anything.
In the end, the person that employed the punch unexpectedly cried first, and then forcefully pulled Bai Luo Yin into his embrace and pressed his big hands around his back. He choked with sobs as he angrily rebuked, “I lost half my life from worrying about you. Next time you leave without saying a word, I will fuck you to death when you return!”
The droplets of tears that welled in Bai Luo Yin’s eyes finally rolled down.
Gu Hai collected his emotions and pushed Bai Luo Yin out of his arms, and asked, “Did you see those big characters that were flashing just now?”
Bai Luo Yin made an ‘en’ sound.
“Your answer?” Gu Hai asked nervously.
Bai Luo Yin went silent for quite some time before he eventually spoke. “I cannot give you a child, and you cannot give me a child.”
Stretching out his big hands to cup Bai Luo Yin’s cheeks, Gu Hai stressed out each word. “You are my child. It is enough for me to love you and only you alone in this lifetime.”
Bai Luo Yin was in a daze and became speechless.
Gu Hai placed Bai Luo Yin’s scarred-stricken and deformed fingers in his mouth and nibbled on them. “Didn’t you say that your life was given by me? Then, you are my child. And my life was given by you, so I am also your child.”
After he heard that sentence, Bai Luo Yin could no longer hold back his feelings and cried into Gu Hai’s neck, and bit down firmly on it.