Back Then, I Adored You

After pausing for a second, Lu Bancheng was afraid Xu Wennuan was going to ask for the person’s phone number so he answered her concerns: “The donors are volunteers, and your father’s donor has requested anonymity, so it would be difficult to get his information except through my friend.”

Before signing off for the night, Lu Bancheng made a final request. “Oh, right, can you give me the phone number of your father’s doctor. I’ll forward his doctor’s number to my friend in case the donor has any questions for him.”

After putting away his cell phone, Lu Bancheng turned off the light and tucked himself under the blanket. He fell into deep thought as he laid flat on the bed with his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

There are so many people in this world who need a bone marrow donation, and so many people are on the list willing to donate, but there are so few matches. It’s a miracle that my marrow matches that of Xu Wennuan’s father.

I’m just helping her father out, perhaps even saving his life. I just can’t let her know that it’s me. Using my identity as “Zero” is fortunate and a straightforward way to offer the help.

I told Xu Wennuan I wanted to cut her out of my life when she aborted our baby, but even though I said that I well knew that I would not be able to. This time, though, is different. I’ve made up my mind. From now on, I won’t bother her anymore and will stay out of her life completely. This way, I won’t provoke her anymore, nor hurt her.

With this resolve, Lu Bancheng’s expression drastically changed as sadness crawled across his face.

I hadn’t realized until this moment that I really never loved her; I only had a crush on her back then.

I only thought of myself first and never put her first back then.

Real love is giving, not possessing. Real love is about making compromises to make the other person happy.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can change now about my relationship with Xu Wennuan, because I now have finally learned what love is.

Lu Bancheng slightly moved his sore eyes before closing them. Unsure how long he had laid in bed with a calm face, he brought up his left hand to cover his chest. The corners of his eyes were moist, and then tears slowly formed.

…

The surgery date was set for July 8th. On that day, Xu Wennuan thought she would see her father’s donor, but he was already in surgery by the time she arrived at the hospital. After the surgery, the donor was wheeled out through a back door. When Xu Wennuan tried to get some information from the doctor and nurses about the donor, they kept his information confidential.

…

The surgery was a success. Father Xu did not wake up for 8 hours under the influence of his pain medication. The doctor continuously monitored him and declared him to be doing well after the surgery.

Later that day, her father was asked to remain in the hospital for further observation. By the seventh day of his stay, he looked definitively better. With this life-threatening crisis finally over. Xu Wennuan became relieved and happy. She had remained with her father in the hospital throughout his stay and finally went home at 10 that night.

After taking a shower, she got in bed and, just as she was about to fall asleep, her cell phone started to ring. She fumbled around for her phone with her eyes closed in the dark. When she found it, she brought it in front of her face and only then opened her eyes. When she saw the caller ID, her face suddenly changed.