Back Then, I Adored You

Gu Yusheng was helpless to describe his feelings after reading A’s letter.

Surprised, excited, happy, touched, sad, unimaginable…

It was all of these and more. His heart was reacting strongly, and he almost fainted.

He well knew how much he was attracted to Qin Zhi’ai. He had tried to be friends with her for the sake of little troublemaker, but he had fallen for her.

He well knew from their correspondence over the past years how much she loved that man, and that man was him.

Once he was sure he was the one, he couldn’t believe it, yet all the feelings accompanying his realization were those of elation. He tried hard to suppress his feelings for Qin Zhi’ai because of little troublemaker, but suddenly he didn’t feel he could suppress them anymore.

He hadn’t anticipated that her writing would take such a turn in just a few hundred words; essentially, she was going to start her new life and fall in love with someone else.

It would be a lie if he said he wasn’t emotional. After all, he loved her. He was sad and jealous and regretful.

She had hidden eight years of love for him with care and in secret. During their correspondence, he had always felt badly for her, as well as for the man who was missing the opportunity to love a most wonderful woman, but he had never thought he would be that man.

That he had not realized that she loved him when she did was shameful, but now being in love with her when she didn’t love him anymore was worse. His emotions hitting him in waves, his hands clenched into fists and his lips tensed. He knew from the bottom of his heart that little troublemaker was important to him, but he still wanted to know why his life was entwined with that of Qin Zhi’ai.

She told me yesterday that she’s not my friend.

In A’s letter, she also mentioned she kept her love for him a secret.

If she was not my friend, why did I give her the nickname little lovemaker?

Gu Yusheng frowned. Little troublemaker was not the first nickname I’d given to a woman.

Qin Zhi’ai could not be just an acquaintance to me.

Did she tell me that she wanted to start her new life and forgot her old life?

Gu Yusheng frowned harder. In high school, Wu Hao knew her and me very well.

Gu Yusheng immediately went back to his desk and picked up his cell phone to text Wu Hao and Lu Bancheng.

That afternoon, Wu Hao had asked Lu Bancheng and him to go out drinking. Gu Yusheng had ignored that text message, but Lu Bancheng had agreed to go.

After he sent Wu Hao a message, Wu Hao replied to him in less than 30 seconds with the address of where he and Lu Bancheng were drinking.

When Gu Yusheng entered the bar, Lu Bancheng and Wu Hao were sitting at a long granite table almost six feet long. They cheered when they saw Gu Yusheng.

On the table was a half empty wine bottle.

Over the past year, Wu Hao had been socializing and drinking so much that it had become difficult to tell when he went from jovial to drunk.