Back Then, I Adored You

Her body had almost fully recovered, and after she was discharged she went straight to work at the spa instead of returning home. By the time Xu Wennuan completed the work that had accumulated for the past few days, it was already 7:00 p.m. Having just experienced a gut-wrenching stomachache, she obediently ate some bland food at a Chinese restaurant near the spa before she flagged a taxi and went home.

When she reached the entrance of her apartment building, just before she entered, someone called out to her. “Miss.”

Xu Wennuan stopped in her tracks and turned around. When she saw that it was her neighbor, her lips curled into a smile and she greeted her. “Hello.”

Her neighbor looked as though she had just returned from one of her square dances with her friends, as her forehead was covered with beads of sweat. She hurried over to Xu Wennuan before asking, “Are you feeling better?”

How does she know I was unwell?

Xu Wennuan was slightly surprised, but she still nodded her head. “Yes.”

Her neighbor sensed that she was puzzled, so she walked into the building alongside her and explained with a smile on her face, “That night, a young man ran over here to me in the middle of the night and told me that something had happened to you. He insisted on going from my balcony to yours to rescue you. I noticed that you’re the only one living in your apartment, and I thought that it was already unsafe for a girl to live alone. If I allowed a man into your house, that would be even more dangerous, so I was initially reluctant to let him. But he sounded like he knew what he was talking about, and I was also afraid that something might have happened to you, so I eventually allowed him access.”

So Zero got into my house through my neighbor’s balcony…

Before Xu Wennuan could fully come to terms with the sudden realization, her neighbor spoke once more. “We’re living on the 18th floor. It’s so high up here, and I was scared to death as I watched him flip from my balcony to yours. I was so afraid that he would lose his life if he lost his footing.”

Although a few days had passed, the neighbor still seemed to have a lingering fright. “You didn’t see it for yourself!”

When the elevator reached the 18th floor, Xu Wennuan walked out with her neighbor, who was clearly not done speaking. Instead of opening the door to her apartment, she stood in the corridor and rattled on incessantly.

“Miss, was that your boyfriend? He’s genuinely good to you. Not many men in this world would be so concerned about you to the point of risking their lives. You have to cherish him. You’re not getting any younger, and ultimately you’ll need someone to rely on. You have to trust me: That man is the best for you. I’ve been there and done that, so I know from experience…”

After tactfully saying goodbye, Xu Wennuan entered her apartment. When she saw that the glass on one of the walls in her bedroom was completely shattered, she was utterly shocked. She now understood everything that her neighbor had meant.

Zero must have shattered it that night when he went from her balcony to mine and then couldn’t get inside my apartment.

Xu Wennuan took out her phone and called for a cleaner to take care of the mess tomorrow. She then stepped deftly over shattered glass and walked to the balcony to take a look at the railings.

Other than a few larger streetlights, other objects from this height look pathetically small. It’s at least 250 feet high, and if he had lost his footing he would have died instantly just like my neighbor said…

As this thought crossed her mind, Xu Wennuan could not resist turning her head around to grab a look at the gap between the balconies. They were at least three feet apart. Xu Wennuan’s face instantly turned pale. She then stared at her neighbor’s lit balcony for some time before a thought suddenly formed in her mind.