Addicted: Book Two – Chapter 12

The Beautiful and Enthusiastic Girl

Translate: Sae | Edit: Nancy

Three days later, Bai Luoyin found some time in his busy schedule to go to the blind date. It surely goes to show that Major Bai attached some importance to this meeting.

The appointed girl arrived at the coffee shop ahead of time and chose a seat by the window. 

From time to time, she would gaze at the simple scenery outside to ease the nervous feeling that was welling in her chest. When she glanced again, a military vehicle slowly came into her line of sight, calling her heart to beat wildly. She had already found out early on that Bai Luoyin was a soldier, so the person sitting in there, could it be…

The first person to get out was the driver. When the girl shot a glance over only to see an extremely average looking face, she felt a bit disappointed. But then she thought a man who was too handsome was not necessarily good either. Since a person’s charm encompassed many aspects, it was better to get to know him first before making any rash judgments.

Soon, the girl quickly shifted her gaze back.

Bai Luoyin entered the coffee shop and looking at the seating number that the girl had previously provided, he went directly to find it.

 “Hello, I’m Bai Luoyin.”

Hearing the voice close to her, the girl promptly lifted her head for a look, and in that split second, she froze on the spot in a dumbfounded manner.

An extremely handsome, charming and confident looking officer has actually materialized right in front of her with his tall and pugnacious stature, undeniably impeccable appearance, overbearingly powerful presence, and with lips softly curved upwards, exposing a rather robust and gently smile. Having previously seen the average face of the other man, and now comparing the two, Bai Luoyin’s exceptionally striking appearance was made even more prominence.

The girl’s heart leaped with ecstasy. This kind of feeling was like single-handedly winning the lottery.

“Hi, I’m Di Shuang,” the girl said as she stretched her hand out toward him.

Bai Luoyin courteously shook her hand, feeling the dampness that took solace on her palm.

While the two continued on with a simple chat, Bai Luoyin’s impression of Di Shuang was pretty good. Her actions were natural and unrestrained, more so on the graceful side, and when she spoke everything was clean and orderly. With just one look, it was obvious that she was a wise and farsighted woman. Di Shuang’s impression of Bai Luoyin was even better. Not only was he handsome, but his style of conversation was also remarkable. Although he did not say much when he did, every word and sentence were well articulated. Even more so, his simple gestures seemed to be attached to a powerful magnet that made it impossible to resist its charming temptation.

“This is my first blind date,” Di Shuang said laughing lightly. “At first, I thought that something like a blind date is unreliable, but it seems I made the right decision in coming today.”

As he listened to Di Shuang bluntly convey her affections, Bai Luoyin also chose not to beat around the bush and sought to clarify his own situation with her. 

“I probably won’t be leaving the military for the time being, so if you sincerely want to be in a relationship with me, you need to be mentally prepared for solitude.”

Maintaining a smile, Di Shuang nodded her head. She had long been captivated by his presence so no matter what he said, she could not hear or retain any of it. 

Then Bai Luoyin went on to say, “I’m normally extremely busy with work. It can take a few weeks as bare minimum or even up to a few months where you might not be able to see me?”

Di Shuang held onto the same smile as before, “It doesn’t matter. I can wait.”

Bai Luoyin continued to inundate her, “I often have urgent missions that must be prioritized, and it could possibly be life-threatening.”

“I’m not scared. I will silently support you from behind.”

Hearing her determination, Bai Luoyin held his head. “I don’t think we are suitable.”

This time Di Shuang was not able to keep her smile, “Why?”

“Honestly, you’re a bit too good for me. I don’t have the heart to waste your time. Think about it, if one day you become my wife, every day you’re only going to bear this burden and hardship without complaint from me, and I, won’t be able to even give you any warmth.”

“I’m not as good as you think I am,” Du Shuang said, interrupting Bai Luoyin. “Before meeting with you, I was still secretly in love with the president of the company I work at.”

“Oh?” Bai Luoyin’s brows slightly pulled together.

Noticing his expression, Di Shuang quickly explained herself. “No, it’s not like that. I just wanted to say that in reality, my qualities are not as good as you think. I also have many limitations. You may not have personal freedom, but I also don’t have it. While the military doesn’t allow you to go out as you please, my company also doesn’t allow us to date.”

“There’s a company like that?” Bai Luoyin asked with a rather bewildered tone, “What kind of work are you engaged in?”

“I’m an accountant in the finance department of a science and technology company.”

“Why can’t accountants date?”

Di Shuang’s beautiful red lips parted, “It’s not that accountants are not allowed to date, all the staffs in the company are not allowed to. If we really want to, we have to get approval from higher management. Any potential spouse must have established a connection with the company’s business. If we were to just casually date anyone as we please, we will be fired.” 

“Isn’t your company’s protocol to demanding?”

That was the first time Bai Luoyin had heard of such a system being implemented. 

Di Shuang nodded her head again, “That is why I’m saying, the two of us are really suitable to be together. We both possess the necessary conditions for a hidden relationship.”

Bai Luoyin looked sternly at her, his voice resolute, “Dating needs to be talked in a serious manner. Even if we only know each other for a short while, our relationship must be transparent. I cannot concur if my girlfriend has to forfeit her career for me.”

A sense of urgency crept up Di Shuang’s face as her eyes ran towards the scene outside the window. But suddenly, a miraculous halo of light flashed in her mind. 

“I can apply for approval through the higher management since you fit the qualifications needed. Seeing that we’re a military enterprise and you’re a military officer, it will definitely be helpful towards the development of our company. The president will surely agree to this.”

As if realizing something, Bai Luoyin silently narrowed his eyes just the slightest and quietly asked, “What’s the name of your company?”

Di Shuang proudly said the whole name out, “Beijing Haiyin High-Tech Co. Ltd.”

Bai Luoyin, “…”

When Di Shuang saw the sudden change in Bai Luoyin’s complexion, she thought that he had some sort of prejudice against her company, so she hastily followed up with an explanation. 

“Our company’s operations comply with the government’s standards. And although our president only recruits women, our company has never had any unwritten rules.”

It’s better not to explain.

Seeing how Bai Luoyin’s expression changed for the worse, Di Shuang’s heart felt colder.

“Bai Luoyin, I’m going to say some unpleasant words. Although you have great qualities, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be able to find a suitable match. Even if everyone in Beijing is laid out for you to freely choose, each and every person that is suitable for you are all in our company. You are not the only one with those qualities. Some even have better qualities and conditions than you, and they all want to find young and beautiful women who are also well-educated and can take on responsibilities as their wife. In the end, they couldn’t find anyone better after walking out our company’s door.”

A complicated smile ran up Bai Luoyin’s lips. “Since you put it like that, why does it feel like your company is raising women to be a high official or rich merchant’s mistress?”

“You can say it like that!” Di Shuang said, not the least evading the subject, “But, our company is raising them to be a proper wife, an officially wedded wife. Our company absolutely do not raise them to be the mistress!” 

Bai Luoyin was amused by Di Shuang’s words causing him to laugh lightly.

When Di Shuang saw Bai Luoyin laughed, her mood changed for the better, and even her tone softened by a lot. 

“Actually, I wanted to tell you. Even if you’re not with me, you’ll definitely end up with another woman in our company. Aside from the differences in our appearance, everything else about us is the same. Since we’re all your type, why not choose someone that’s readily available?”

Bai Luoyin, “…”

The two chatted joyfully for their first meeting, but since Di Shuang had work in the afternoon, she left earlier. Bai Luoyin instructed the chauffeur to take Di Shuang to the company first. When Di Shuang got out of the car, the smile on her face was like that of a blooming flower. 

This scene happened to be witnessed by Xiao Tao.

At first, Xiao Tao did not want to be too inquisitive about someone’s business, but the man in question was Bai Luoyin, and she personally had a very deep impression of him. Initially, she was captivated by him back at the banquet hall, and then she had the chance to converse with him for the project collaboration. Xiao Tao’s greatest impression of Bai Luoyin was the intense coldness that surrounded him, a person like him was extremely unapproachable. Hence, when she saw that Bai Luoyin had taken the initiative to bring Di Shuang back to the company, she found it exceptionally alarming.  

As a result, she quickened her pace and entered the same elevator as Di Shuang. 

“Who was the man from earlier?” Xiao Tao asked, showing no sign of backing out. 

With flushing cheeks, Di Shuang readily replied: “My boyfriend.”

Hearing those words, Xiao Tao’s heart was immediately dragged into sorrow. Although she had no interest in Bai Luoyin, it was said that women tend to have a very strong inclination towards jealousy—whether true or not. 

Which part of me is inferior to you? Why would such a handsome officer be attracted to you?

Consequently, this grand news spread throughout the company like wildfire. 

Since it has been busy and adding that Yan Yajing had a family matter to prioritize, Gu Hai was not in the mood to take anything else into consideration nor show any interest.

In the end, seeing that Di Shuang was still in good standing, Xiao Tao could no longer refrain herself. Taking advantage of the time that she was reporting her work progress, she mentioned the matter to Gu Hai.  

“Gu-zong, have you heard that our accountant, Xiao Di, from the finance department is dating?”

Gu Hai expressionlessly nodded his head, “I’ve heard of it.”

“Then, how come you’re not taking care of this matter, huh? She has disregarded company protocols. If you don’t take any measures to punish that behavior, I’m afraid no one will abide by those rules later on.”

Gu Hai shot Xiao Tao a glance, “I will definitely handle it when I have concrete evidence.”

“I personally saw it!!” Xiao Tao accidentally blurted out.

Seeing her reaction, Gu Hai coldly snorted: “Do your eyes count as evidence?”

Xiao Tao turned slightly away with embarrassment and did not utter another word.

“The preservation of a company’s good atmosphere does not only depend on what the eyes see but also on what the mouth says.” 

With only those few words, what little courage Xiao Tao was completely scared off.

After Xiao Tao took her leave, Gu Hai leaned back into the office chair with his eyes slightly narrowed while he looked at the fine patterns on the ceiling. For some unknown reason, he thought of the delicate lines that weaved out Bai Luoyin’s lips. Since their quick meeting in front of the company at that time, he has not heard any news from him for several days now. 

An unsettling feeling rested in his heart again, seemingly beckoning to dig its way out.

Gu Hai pressed lightly on his chest as if giving himself a silent reassurance.

You must continue to hang in there!

Before long, the rumor regarding Di Shuang quietened down. But, on this particular Friday, while taking the opportunity to visit Liu Chong, Bai Luoyin decided to drive to Gu Hai’s company to visit his girlfriend. At that moment, it was also time for everyone to leave work, but Bai Luoyin did not time it like that intentionally—he just happened to finish his own business.

Seeing him, Di Shuang braced herself into the arms of a man in front of a multitude of public glares. More importantly, said man was someone that everyone had personally seen and greatly admired.

With that, a raging uproar broke out in front of the company entrance in just a split second.

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