Back Then, I Adored You

Wu Hao continued to wait until the woman came out of Xu Wennuan’s apartment building and left in the taxi. Only then did he start his car and drive off slowly in the night. While he cruised along the dark streets, an especially strong thunderstorm began, greatly reducing visibility and forcing him to slow down considerably. Twenty minutes later he was still crawling along when suddenly, through the dense streaks of rain on his windshield and fast-moving wipers, he saw the gates of A High School. He slammed on his brakes and steered the car to the curb.

Wu Hao got out of the car with an umbrella and stepped gingerly through the puddles of water as he walked toward the school gates. Other than the lights at the gates and in the field, it was pitch black everywhere else at the school.

After entering the school grounds, Wu Hao merely stood at the lamppost directly opposite the gates. He lit up a cigarette and looked at the different school buildings as memories of his youth surfaced in his mind.

He had first seen Xu Wennuan when she was with Qin Zhi’ai, whose appearance had caused a stir among all the boys in school since she had first enrolled. Xu Wennuan’s appearance was less eye-catching, yet her face and silhouette filled the dreams of his 18-year-old self.

He had gotten together with her shortly before her final exams. She had been incredibly stressed out studying and afraid she might do poorly, but he had complained to her incessantly about how much she was studying. He had finally broken into the sophomore teacher’s office and stolen the papers for the final exams, solved the problems overnight, and given her the solutions the next day.

After he had graduated from high school and gone to Shanghai, every month he had returned to Beijing to visit her without fail. He had even brought her presents, all paid for with the money he had earned from working. After her entrance exams for college, she had gone to Shanghai to be with him. His heart had been extremely moved when he had met her at the train station. At that moment, he swore that he would treat her well for the rest of their lives.

As they had grown older, their love had no longer been just about simple sweetness; it had also involved issues about their livelihood. He had begun to think about their future. When he had first started his own business, it had been tough but, when he hadn’t been able to sleep at night, he would stand by the window alone smoking a cigarette while thinking about her and how everything was worth it. She had truly taken a place in his heart.

It had crossed his mind to continue hiding the truth from her and to will time away with her like this. Someday, he would still be able to move her. But tonight, when he had watched her cry so hopelessly in the restroom at the bar, he had experienced more heartache for her than if he had been jealous.

In the corporate world, it was impossible for one to climb to the stage he was at if one was not heartless. He could even be that cold and heartless toward Jiang Qianqian, with whom he shared his bed; however, he simply could not bear to be so cold to Xu Wennuan.

When they had dated during the days of their youth, she had initiated taking their relationship a step farther, but he had not been able to bear laying his hands on her. He had felt that she was still young and that he would taint her if he touched her.

Initially, when he had used Jiang Qianqian to set up the trap, he had thought that he would be resolute enough not to give up until he had won her over. A few days ago, though, when he had seen the wheelchair-bound Lu Bancheng with his own eyes and heard Lu Bancheng say those things, he had felt ashamed, yet he had still kept to his selfish plan.

Tonight, though, her desperation and helplessness had easily swayed him.