Back Then, I Adored You

Upon finding Lu Bancheng’s phone number, Xu Wennuan instinctively wanted to press the dial button. Just when her fingertip was about to touch the screen, she hesitated.

How strange… I borrowed some money from him, and telling him that I want to return it to him is a very natural thing. Yet, why do I feel so nervous and uneasy the moment I think about speaking on the phone with him?

Xu Wennuan gulped forcefully and ultimately chose to send Lu Bancheng a text message. She wrote, “Hello, this is Xu Wennuan. I wanted to ask, Are you back in Beijing?”

While studying more reports, Xu Wennuan picked up her phone to glance at it from time to time, but 30 minutes later there was still no reply from Lu Bancheng. The act of sending him that text message had initially soothed her feelings, but now they were stirred again.

Why isn’t he replying to me? Could it be that he hasn’t recovered from being sick and is now unconscious or something? But that can’t be… The doctor said that it’s just a cold and it’s no big deal…

As Xu Wennuan pondered over it, she couldn’t help but type another message. She wrote, “Let me know if you’re back in Beijing, and I can return the money…”

Before she could finish composing it, however, there was an incoming call. As she had been in the middle of typing, Xu Wennuan accidentally answered the call before getting the chance to look at the caller ID. When she glanced at the screen and saw the words “Lu Bancheng,” her breath stopped.

Since she had already answered his call, she couldn’t hang up, so she lifted her hand to her chest before holding the phone to her ear. She said, “Hello?”

Lu Bancheng was silent for two seconds before he responded, “I’m sorry. I just saw your message because my phone was turned off.” Right after he spoke, Xu Wennuan could vaguely hear an airport announcement in the background on his end.

His phone was turned off. Could it be that he was on the plane when my message was delivered?

Xu Wennuan couldn’t help but ask, “Are… You back in Beijing?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“Great. Let me know when you’re free, and I’ll come over to return your money.” After that, realizing she had just said the same thing that she had in her text message, she said, “Or, you can also tell me your bank account number and I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Lu Bancheng remained silent on the other end of the phone and did not speak. Xu Wennuan sensed he was unhappy about something, but she wasn’t sure what it was.

Did I say something wrong?

As she was reflecting, Lu Bancheng finally said, “I’m driving back to the city now. I heard from Xiao’ai that you’re working at the spa. I’ll be passing by, so I’ll contact you when I’m getting close, and you can come downstairs to meet me.”

After a pause, Lu Bancheng added, “Is that okay?”

Because Xu Wennuan owed him money, she naturally went with his suggestion. “Sure,” she said.

……

When Lu Bancheng called again, Xu Wennuan had just finished going through all her statements. After hanging up, she went to the bathroom, glanced at herself in the mirror, and removed her hairband to comb her hair. Once she returned to her office, she grabbed the envelope she had prepared earlier from her drawer, stuffed it into her bag, and headed downstairs.

The moment she stepped out of the entrance, she caught sight of Lu Bancheng’s car parked on the side of the road with both headlights flashing.