Back Then, I Adored You

That might have been their last dinner.

She had wanted to paint a perfect ending for her stay with him as a substitute, so she had cooked all the dishes she was able to.

She wanted to present her most beautiful side to him, so after she made dinner, she immediately rushed upstairs and took a shower, removing the smell of oil and smoke. Sitting in front of the vanity, she carefully put on tasteful makeup. She also went to the closet to choose a beautiful dress. Like she had been when she was younger and had planned a movie date with him, she was extremely careful.

However, at half past seven in the evening, she sat at the table and waited until eight o’clock, nine o’clock, then ten. She reheated the food several times, but he still hadn’t returned home yet.

Thinking about it, Qin Zhi’ai blinked her eyes, which were a little bit sore, and turned to look at the clock on the wall.

It was 10:43.

He must be busy, but maybe he’ll come back soon.

Qin Zhi’ai looked at the cold dishes on the table. She wanted to get up and heat them again, but when she realized that the frequent heating might change the taste of the food, she just waited patiently for him to come back.

Without her realizing it, it was eleven o’clock in the evening.

Gu Yusheng hadn’t returned yet, not even giving her a call.

Did he forget his plans with me tonight? Should I take initiative and call him to ask?

Thinking of this, Qin Zhi’ai picked up her cell phone and dialed Gu Yusheng’s number.

“Sorry, the number you have dialed is turned off.”

After hearing this reply, Qin Zhi’ai put down the phone, disappointed.

Maybe his phone was turned off for some reason. Wait a moment! After all, the longest that I’ve ever waited for him is fifteen hours. It’s only been three or four hours this time. This isn’t a big deal.

At midnight, the floor clock in the living room made a dull squeak.

He was the one who planned a date with me. In the message, he promised to come. Why isn’t he coming now? Did he fail to keep his promise another time?

Qin Zhi’ai put her hand on the table and couldn’t help clenching her fist, slowly increasing her strength.

At half past twelve, Qin Zhi’ai picked up her cell phone and gave Gu Yusheng a call. His was still turned off, and her face gradually began to become pale.

A few hours before, she had been very hungry, but now, she had no appetite.

She poured herself a glass of water and drank half of it, then couldn’t drink any more. She looked at the place where Gu Yusheng liked to sit when he ate at home. In order to kill time during her boring and long wait, she started imagining what the scene would look like if he had come back.

Fantasies always had ends. At three o’clock in the morning, the villa was still quiet, without any sound of a car.

Not feeling sleepy anymore, Qin Zhi’ai used her fingertips to touch the water and started writing words on the table.

“Gu Yusheng, why are you still not home?

“Gu Yusheng, I’m waiting for you to come home.

“Gu Yusheng, if you don’t come back, you’ll never see me in the future.

“Gu Yusheng, okay, I admit that I want to see you again.”

As she wrote, Qin Zhi’ai’s eyes became a little red. She tried to lift her lips and smile. Then she squatted at the table and started to wait there, falling into a trance.

She witnessed the sky outside the window change from dark to bright, and that’s when she realized that she had waited for him for a whole night.

He won’t come back.

Qin Zhi’ai sighed and stood up. When she had just prepared to collect all the dishes that had been left on the table uneaten, she heard the sound of an engine outside the house.