Back Then, I Adored You

She found a comfortable position and couldn’t help but shut her eyes. Soon, she was asleep again.

The temperature was exceedingly low on that rainy night. Lu Bancheng stared at Xu Wennuan sleeping with her head tilted through the rearview mirror, and her curled-up body made her look like she was cold. With the engine inoperable, he couldn’t turn on the heat in the car, so he worried that she would catch a cold from sleeping like that.

He removed his coat and turned around to drape it across her body. Although his movements were gentle, he woke her up; just as he placed his coat on her body and was about to adjust it slightly, she suddenly opened her eyes and sat erect.

Her reaction was the same as the day he had asked her for a divorce more than a year ago. It had been on his mother’s birthday, and she had accompanied him to his parents’ house. That afternoon, she had fallen asleep in his bedroom, and when he had tried to cover her with a blanket, she had reacted the same way, springing up suddenly. Then, she had retreated far away from him before she had finally relaxed. Her behavior had made him feel like he was a monster.

Lu Bancheng’s fingers froze as he knitted his brows. He quickly let go of his coat and retracted his hands. Afraid that she would misunderstand him, he explained softly, “I was afraid that you’d catch a cold.”

Xu Wennuan was still sleepy when she heard his statement, and it was only then that she discovered a coat was draped around her body.

He was just covering me with his coat, but my reaction was a bit too much…

Apologetic feelings surfaced in Xu Wennuan’s heart. She curled her lips at Lu Bancheng and said softly, “Thank you.”

Lu Bancheng did not speak. He went back to his original position and leaned against the driver’s seat, widening the distance between himself and Xu Wennuan, who shut her eyes once again.

With every breath she took, all she could smell was Lu Bancheng on his coat. Even though she was very drowsy, she could not fall asleep. There wasn’t anything specific in her head, but her thoughts were all jumbled, and her eyelids kept twitching. She incessantly adjusted her sleeping position, as well.

Her signs of discomfort did not go unnoticed by Lu Bancheng.

Does she not dare sink into sleep now because I got too close to her? If not for today’s unusual situation, there’s no way I would have appeared in front of her and disrupted her life…

Lu Bancheng lifted his gaze once again and glanced at Xu Wennuan. She had already opened her eyes and was staring at the raindrops falling against the window. He wondered what was on her mind.

Lu Bancheng pursed his lips and lowered his eyelids. He was silent for a moment before he said, “Just sleep if you’re tired. Don’t worry—I won’t come near you again.”

His sudden words struck Xu Wennuan as strange, and she was taken aback as a result. Noticing her lack of reaction, Lu Bancheng thought that she didn’t trust him. He hesitated for a moment before tossing his car keys onto the empty seat beside her. Then, he grabbed an umbrella, opened the door, and got out of the car.

As the door shut with a thud, Xu Wennuan turned her head to look at the car keys beside her. She slowly comprehended what Lu Bancheng had just said.

He’s afraid I think that he wants to take advantage of me, so he told me not to worry and gave me the car keys before getting out of the car himself…