Back Then, I Adored You

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“I thought I would only see him once and then never again. I was blessed to become his secretary after applying for an internship at that company. I was his secretary for three months, and then my internship ended. I didn’t sign the employee contract with the company, so I’ve lost contact with him again.

“Mr. S, you asked me what kind of man he is. Hmm…” Qin Zhi’ai paused writing. She tilted her head and looked through the crystal clean window at A High School.

I first saw Gu Yusheng right there for the first time when I was young.

The sun had been bright and hot on that summer afternoon. She had been walking up some stairs with a heavy suitcase and, without even looking at her, he had helped her carry it as he was passing her. He set it down at the top of the stairs and then walked away with a few other boys. When she had looked up at him, she could only see his long and thin figure.

Then time flew by. Years had passed. No matter when she recalled that scene, she always felt excited and happy, just as she had since it had happened so long ago.

Qin Zhi’ai’s expression suddenly became soft. She bit the end of her pen as she reflected on that scene before writing again.

“He is tall and handsome. I still remember the first time I saw him; my only thought had been he was the one I was looking for, no matter how many guys I might meet in the future. Oddly, though, he always looked naturally arrogant for some reason. It might be his personality. He was a soldier like you. He had a very big dream. He’s as handsome as Prince Charming, but he has a bad mouth. He gave me a very bad nickname, little sweetheart. He has many bad habits. He’s addicted to smoking. He has a temper. And yes, he is quite arrogant; he doesn’t just appear so. He does have a very nice name, though.”

Qin Zhi’ai stopped writing and hesitated for a second. She didn’t dare to write Gu Yusheng’s last name, so she only used his first name. “His name is Yusheng. Mr. S, you have said you would like to give us your blessing, that you hoped Yusheng and I would fall in love, get along, and understand one another. I really appreciate your kind words, but I don’t think I can be with him, because I…” Qin Zhi’ai moved her pen on the paper and continued to write more. By the end, her eyes were red.

She finished with a fond goodbye and checked for mistakes. She put the letter in an envelope, stuck a stamp on it, and quietly sat while sipping a cup of honey water. Thinking about the last paragraph of her letter, she became emotional for some time. After calming down, she stood up, paid her check, and left the cafe carrying the envelope.

She dropped it in a mailbox as she walked to the school to find Xu Wennuan, who soon called her on the phone to find her.

Xu Wennuan’s face had no more tears. She ran to Qin Zhi’ai with a smile and put her arm into Qin Zhi’ai’s arm. She tilted her head and talked excitedly as she always did. “Xiao’ai, let’s go shopping. I have not shopped for a long time. After that, let’s go watch a movie, and I’ve not sung karaoke for a long time either. Before we do all of this, we better have a big lunch.”

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

…

For the next few days, Xu Wennuan laughed and joked all day and dragged Qin Zhi’ai around Beijing for fun. It was as though Wu Hao and Jiang Qianqian’s affair had never happened.

They ate at all their favorite food stalls and shopped in all the interesting and well-known districts. They even visited the tourist attractions.

They had both blocked Wu Hao’s number on their phones, so they would have no idea whether or not he was trying to find Xu Wennuan.

What Qin Zhi’ai was aware of was that Xu Wennuan had never cried again since that day they had gone to A High School.

As always, though, the carefree days passed by quickly.

In the blink of an eye, there were only two more days before Xu Wennuan’s wedding with Wu Hao.

That morning after breakfast, Qin Zhi’ai noticed that the wedding planner company had called Xu Wennuan multiple times, but she had never answered the calls.

Qin Zhi’ai had wanted to ask Xu Wennuan about her future plans, but she hadn’t known how to broach the subject when she saw Xu Wennuan’s happy face.

Ten years of feelings and companionship with another was not a simple relationship to forsake, but some couples would have been married for some time by now, and their relationship would be more infused into their blood and bone, thus even more difficult to forsake.

Qin Zhi’ai knew that Xu Wennuan had been merely avoiding the situation by smiling and pretending to act as though nothing had happened. As her best friend, Qin Zhi’ai hadn’t been able to bring herself to burst Xu Wennuan’s bubble of denial. As a result, she had chosen to remain silent and continued hanging out with her friend to keep her company.

After Chinese New Year, Beijing started becoming warmer. Winter jasmines had already bloomed two days ago, and the breeze was not as chilly.

On an exceptionally beautiful day, Xu Wennuan wanted to tour the Botanical Gardens. Qin Zhi’ai agreed to go with her, looking forward to exercise recommended for pregnant women.

In the afternoon, they ate lunch at a farmhouse and, after paying the bill, Qin Zhi’ai had thought that Xu Wennuan would want to tour other places but she unexpectedly requested to head home.

As Xu Wennuan didn’t want to head out again later that night, they dropped by the supermarket on their way home and bought a bunch of ingredients to prepare a hotpot for dinner.

They arrived home by 4:30 p.m. and, as it was still early, they decided to head back into their rooms to rest for half an hour before washing up and preparing dinner.

Barely two minutes after Qin Zhi’ai had gotten in bed, however, their doorbell rang.

Figuring it would be Wu Hao, Qin Zhi’ai didn’t budge from bed.

The doorbell rang a few more times and, just when Qin Zhi’ai thought it had finally stopped, her phone began to ring.

Sliding out from under her covers, she glanced at the caller ID and, surprisingly, it was Gu Yusheng.

She stared at it blankly for a few seconds before answering and, before she could even speak, Gu Yusheng said cooly, “Open the door.”

So it wasn’t Wu Hao knocking on the door?

Gu Yusheng? What is he doing here, though?

As the question popped up in her mind, the doorbell rang again. Throwing back her covers, she climbed out of bed and walked over to the door. After checking through the peephole and ensuring that only Gu Yusheng was there, she opened the door and stuck out her head. “Master…”

Before she could say “Gu,” she spotted Wu Hao and Lu Bancheng standing near the stairs.

So we still haven’t managed to get rid of Wu Hao after all this time!

Without hesitation, Qin Zhi’ai reached out her hand to shut the door.