Back Then, I Adored You

Zero Degrees is no longer the perfect person he used to be—he’s still Lu Bancheng.

Lu Bancheng is also no longer the despicable person he used to be—he’s still Zero Degrees.

She didn’t know if she should treat Lu Bancheng as Zero or continue treating Lu Bancheng as Lu Bancheng himself. So, the only thing she could do right now was to avoid everything.

……

Lu Bancheng returned to Beijing before fully recovering in Lijiang. That night, he had dinner with Xu Wennuan and after sending her home thought about the uncertainty of when they would next meet. Perhaps that would be the last time that they would ever meet and, as he was upset, he drove to Houhai and spent the entire night exposed to the chilly breeze. He also listened to songs and smoked, and by the time he got home the following day his illness had gotten worse.

What ensued was a two-day stay in the hospital. After being discharged, his mother refused to let him continue staying alone. As such, he went to stay at his parents’ house. Under the care of his mother and her helper, Lu Bancheng’s condition finally started improving after being sick for a full week. He stepped on the scale while brushing his teeth in the morning and discovered that he had lost five pounds.

He had greatly recovered in the hospital, and he felt much more energetic than before, but Lu Bancheng wasn’t ready to go out just yet. His mother was extremely happy and made a variety of nutritious meals for him.

On the 15th day he was home, though, Lu Bancheng could no longer stand not having received Xu Wennuan’s reply in the game. He crawled out of bed at five in the morning and drove in the wind and snow.

He went to Xu Wennuan’s house, where he waited until 8:30 a.m. when he saw her driving out. Then, he tailed her discreetly to the spa clubhouse. After parking where he could see her car, Lu Bancheng glanced at his watch.

Ten hours to the end of her shift…

He reclined the driver’s seat and leisurely laid there while playing games on his cell phone waiting for Xu Wennuan to get off work.

……

In January, the hottest news in the business world was that Wu Hao’s company had been successfully listed in the United States. Within one day, his company’s shares increased in value by 10 times, and Wu Hao became a nouveau riche of the business world. The hearts of all ladies were captured by him.

Wu Hao returned to China the day after his company had taken off, and a grand celebration feast was held that evening. Halfway through the celebration, Wu Hao abruptly left the scene. He stood by the roadside in an intoxicated state and smoked half a cigarette while basking in the chilly wind. When he felt more sober, he retrieved his car keys from the doorman, got into his car, and took off. He ended up at a bar he frequented, Nanqing. He parked in front of the doorway of this small bar with not much business, but as soon as he walked in the stylish layout and warm, homey ambience brightened him up.

Wu Hao had fallen in love with this place the very first time he had come here. The boss of the bar was a man named Qin Yinan, and everyone who knew the shopping mall industry well knew that he was a legendary businessman in Beijing from only a few years back.

He had started from nothing and gotten a small company listed but, at his peak, he had withdrawn from that company and become a poor man. As for why he had chosen to give up that company, everyone who frequented this bar knew that it was because of his wife. Wu Hao had met his wife once. She wasn’t insanely attractive, but she had a very gentle temperament.

On the day that Qin Yinan’s wife had made an appearance, some people whispered among themselves and said that she wasn’t worth going bankrupt for.