Back Then, I Adored You

Following the realness of the sensation and taste of tears in his mouth, his sluggish brain finally managed to ascertain that he was not dreaming.

His slow-beating heart suddenly started to show signs of beating more normally. Slowly, the rhythmic thumping grew increasingly strong.

While his body ached terribly, his full consciousness was returning to him.

Hasn’t she boarded the plane and left by now? Why has she returned?

And she’s even weeping so pitifully…

Is she crying because of me? Did she scream my name out in alarm moments ago out of fear that I would leave this world once and for all?

Does she know what it feels like when a ray of light suddenly shines into the pitch-black world?

His heart was enveloped by warmth and passion, and his body began to fill with a stream of energy, the type that felt like a life force.

Oh. So… so this is what an ardent love feels like.

Your departure can make me plunge into a hopeless abyss.

And your return can bring hope back into my universe.

Little sweetheart, can I take your sorrowful weeping as a sign that I still have a place in your heart?

Little troublemaker, you once had feelings for me and, even now, you still seem to, don’t you?

Xiao’ai… do you know what I’m thinking of now?

My thoughts are full of the most beautiful love and of how I was reborn because of you.

She was crying but as he gazed at her tear-stained face, the corner of his lips curled up slightly.

Lifting up his hands, he wanted to wipe the tears away from her cheeks but, unfortunately, merely to open his eyes was a feat that drained him and he had no strength left to wipe her tears.

Beyond wiping the tears from her face, he also wanted to ask her why she hadn’t left.

Did she choose to stay because of me?

He moved his lips a few times with great difficulty but, ultimately, he couldn’t speak. He could only slightly blink his eyes and weakly smile at her.

Accompanying his smile was blood trickling down the corners of his lips.

Qin Zhi’ai’s cheeks were wet with tears, she again tried to speak but was still too hoarse to be comprehensible. He didn’t know what she was trying to say, but he could sense her panic.

To Gu Yusheng, Qin Zhi’ai’s current state was the most wonderful sight in his world. The corner of his lips raised higher until, eventually, a clear smile formed across his face.

More blood oozed from the corners of his lips and, as he was laying down, flowed back into his throat, making him choke and cough violently, spewing out more blood in the process.

The sight of the scene made the helplessly weeping Qin Zhi’ai stupefied, and she momentarily forgot about crying. After some time, she finally reached out her hand and wiped the blood away from his lips.

As her fingers touched his face, he could clearly feel her tremble.

Did I give her a shock?

While he was delighted about her concern and worry for him, he could not bear to scare her.

Silently gritting his teeth and forcing himself to lift his hand up, he held the hand that she had placed on his lips. He knew that he could not speak much and, after organizing his thoughts for a moment, he neatly summarized, “Go back to Hangzhou…”

What she didn’t know was that his instruction was to spare her should he become unconscious and Old Master Gu might rouse before him, giving Liang Doukou an opportunity to instigate something against Qin Zhi’ai.

Gu Yusheng’s body convulsed after powering through those four words, and his grip on her hand began to weaken along with his increasingly feeble body. His lips were as drained as his face.

He was aware that he was likely slipping into a coma, and while the sound of the ambulance was getting closer, it seemed to be farther away at the same time. He had one more thing to say to her before he lost consciousness.

He took several breaths before saying strenuously in a low voice, “Wait for me to rouse.”