Back Then, I Adored You

He took advantage of the opportunity to hold her in his arms. She could clearly feel him holding her tighter than before, and she quietly let him. He had showered in the guest bathroom, so she couldn’t smell any smoke on him. The entire world was silent except his heartbeats near her ear.

Boom… boom… boom… His heart beat with rhythm and force. She could not continue to pretend sleeping, so she decided to act as if he’d just woken her up. She slightly moved her body and raised her hands up to hug him back.

He leaned into her ear and whispered apologetically, “Did I wake you up?”

“Yeah,” Qin Zhi’ai playfully answered, pursing her lips at him. Gu Yusheng answered her wish for kisses and more by pressing his lips on hers and sucking on them. And he did not stop for an extended period of time.

After having sex, Qin Zhi’ai closed her eyes as they kissed until they almost became breathless. As they laid there catching their breath, the bedroom eventually became silent, with Gu Yusheng completely exhausted. Out of curiosity, she playfully flipped his eyelids open; however, she unexpectedly fell deep into his dark eyes.

He was looking at her, quietly and compassionately, as if he could see through her. She started to blush under his stare. Her eyes couldn’t focus because she was so nervous, but he still stared at her.

Qin Zhi’ai felt she could not breathe. She was frustrated and wanted to block his stare with her hand but, when she raised it, Gu Yusheng grabbed her wrist and held it at her ear. Qin Zhi’ai bit her lower lip. She couldn’t help but say, “Yusheng, don’t look at…”

Gu Yusheng had been quiet long enough, so before she could finish with “me,” he said, “Xiao’ai.” Qin Zhi’ai stopped talking and patiently waited for Gu Yusheng to talk.

After 10 seconds, he continued in a low, serious manner. “Xiao’ai, I have one request for you. No matter what happens in the future, don’t leave me.”

His one simple request made Qin Zhi’ai want to cry, but she held back her tears. Having heard his argument with his grandfather last night, followed by him standing outside and smoking all night, Qin Zhi’ai was too emotional to be of comfort to him. At this point, her tears began to flow without stopping.

If he had not responded, they both would have been better off but, when he raised his hand to wipe her tears, she cried like a waterfall and was almost as loud. She felt sure that hormonal changes due to her pregnancy were affecting her emotions.

Gu Yusheng was unprepared to handle her crying so intensely. All he could do was lower his head and kiss away her tears. He kissed her until she stopped. When she’d stopped trembling, he raised his hand up to gently swipe her hair away from her face, which he rubbed with his thumb while saying, “Promise me, okay?”

She slightly nodded, responding with an “okay” before more tears began to fall.

No matter what might happen in the future, they understood that they would neither leave each other nor give up on each other. Having been apart for so many years through their youth, this promise was based on the gratitude they felt for this opportunity to reconnect.