Back Then, I Adored You

Because Zero was no longer in Shanghai, it was pointless for Xu Wennuan to remain, so she checked out of her room in the afternoon. After booking a ticket for Yunnan like she had initially planned, she left straight for the airport. Airspace regulations then delayed the flight for six hours and, by the time she reached Yunnan, it was already one in the morning.

After checking into her hotel, she took a hot shower before climbing into bed. All day her chest had felt stuffy from her not managing to meet Zero, and now the sensation was making it impossible for her to sleep. She forced herself to close her eyes, but she was unable to doze off.

Xu Wennuan turned on the light in the room and found her phone. When she entered the game, Zero’s dark profile picture made her feel even more restless. She exhaled deeply and threw her phone down on the bed. She draped a shirt around herself and began pacing around the room.

This hotel was unique in its décor, and Xu Wennuan noticed a vintage radio on the table next to the sofa. With no expectation, she turned it on and was amazed to hear her favorite radio program from the past, “My Days of Youth: My Story.” The host had a magnetic voice, giving rise to his fanbase popularizing the phrase “a voice that can make one’s ears conceive.” It was raspy yet gentle, and when he spoke to his listeners his words would touch the deepest corner of their heart.

Since she couldn’t sleep, Xu Wennuan cozied up on the sofa and began listening intently to the program. Even though she hadn’t listed to it for a few years, it was still interesting and thought-provoking. As she hugged onto a pillow, the corner of her lips could not help but curl up into a smile. The host’s voice was still crisp and pleasant and suddenly she felt the desire to tell someone about everything that she had experienced over the past years.

Maybe I can truly let go of the unpleasantness from my past if I can lessen its burden by speaking about it out loud to someone…

Xu Wennuan’s picked up a pen and wrote down the host’s phone number. She then picked up the hotel’s landline phone and called the number on a whim. Being already midnight and so many asleep, the host answered.

…

Wu Hao’s business meeting that night didn’t end until two in the morning. His head was throbbing after having drunk so much alcohol. After getting into his car, he muttered, “Head home,” to his driver and then closed his eyes.

The traffic was exceptionally smooth at midnight and the car coasted smoothly on the road. Bored, the driver turned on the car radio and began tuning through the stations when eventually Wu Hao heard a familiar male voice and suddenly said, “Let’s listen to this station.”

The driver threw him a puzzled look through the rearview mirror before his hand shrank back from the radio. He placed his hand on the wheel as the host’s compelling, wise voice began reverberating in the silent car cruising down the highway. Wu Hao opened his eyes and stared out the car window.

Back then, when I was starting my company, and Xu Wennuan accompanied me to Beijing to support me… When I’d come home in the early morning hours, I’d find her having fallen asleep listening to this program to relax her mind and body…

The host answered an incoming call on the radio, “Hi, how are you? How do I address you?”

“You can call me Xiao’yi.” Despite the alias she had given, Wu Hao immediately recognized Xu Wennuan’s voice.

“Hello, Xiao’yi. Are you ready to tell us the stories of your youth now?”