Back Then, I Adored You

Guoguo felt as if she was choking, and she suddenly felt terrible. Lu Bancheng gradually tightened his grip around her wrist as he continued calling out with greater agitation, “Nuannuan… Nuannuan…”

Eventually, Guoguo realized that something was wrong with Lu Bancheng’s voice. She turned her head to look at his face and noticed a rash breaking out on his cheeks. She frowned and reflexively reached out her hand to feel his forehead. He was shockingly hot.

Since when did he start burning up? Was he maybe not asleep but passed out from the fever?

Guoguo anxiously reached out her hand and shook Lu Bancheng’s shoulders. “Brother Bancheng? Brother Bancheng?”

She called out his name a few times, but he showed no signs of waking up and continued repeating, “Nuannuan… Nuannuan…” Guoguo was so anxious that tears began flowing from her eyes. She continued to call out Lu Bancheng’s name a few times before she then hurried over to the landline to call 120.

The ambulance arrived quickly.

…

Although Lu Bancheng had a high fever, it was caught early enough that it had not damaged his lungs.

After the doctor gave him an injection and instructed Guoguo on what to watch for, he left the ward. Guoguo then sat by Lu Bancheng’s bedside to keep watch and change the towel on his head from time to time.

Throughout the night, Lu Bancheng was restless and called out Xu Wennuan’s name numerous times. His fever only subsided when the sky was gradually brightening, and he finally fell into a deep slumber.

As they’d had no time to gather anything before leaving for the hospital the previous night, they had no clothes to change into, so when Guoguo was assured that Lu Bancheng was fine and would probably sleep for some time, she drove the car back to his apartment to retrieve some items.

When the elevator reached Lu Bancheng’s floor and the doors opened, Guoguo instantly spotted Xu Wennuan squatting against the wall by the stairs with her eyes closed.

Her face was shockingly pale, and her eyes were red and swollen from having cried so hard.

Guoguo stood dumbfounded in the elevator until the doors began to automatically close. She finally returned to her senses and hurried to press the open button. She then quickly walked out of the elevator and stopped in front of Xu Wennuan. “Ms. Xu?” she called out in a low voice.

Xu Wennuan did not appear to have slept well in the cold, hard-floored hallway, as she instantly opened her eyes, but they were foggy-looking in addition to being red and bulging.

“Ms. Xu, why are you sitting here?” Guoguo bent down and extended her hand to grab hold of Xu Wennuan’s elbow and pull her up from the floor. After Xu Wennuan steadied herself, the first thing she said after recovering from her drowsiness was “thank you” and then eagerly, “Where is Lu Bancheng?”

Right. She could only be here to look for Brother Bancheng… But he told me not to reveal anything about him to Xu Wennuan…

Guoguo bit her lower lip and didn’t speak. Based on Guoguo’s expression, Xu Wennuan guessed her concern. “I understand that he told you not to let me know anything, but I already know everything.”

Guoguo’s eyes widened and, while she still didn’t speak, it was clear from her expression that she was puzzled about how Xu Wennuan knew.

“You guys are not in the kind of relationship that I had imagined, are you?” Xu Wennuan then proceeded to ask, “Could you tell me how he has been living through this?”