Back Then, I Adored You

Although more than two months had past, now that Guoguo was recalling it again, she still felt the shock she had felt then, causing her to turn white with fear.

“He was stabbed three times, and because he had been stuck in water that was filled with bacteria, his flesh had split apart so deeply his bones were showing.”

Xu Wennuan’s lips trembled, but she remained silent as she watched Guoguo and waited for her to continue.

Guoguo then told the story in every detail, speaking very slowly as she visualized what she’d witnessed. Whenever she suddenly thought about something, she would even go back to a detail she thought she had finished to add the additional information.

Although Guoguo was tired and her voice was hoarse from having not slept the night before, she spoke with enough clarity that Xu Wennuan understood everything she said. Each word spoken was as if a knife pierced her skin until a drop of blood appeared.

“The person who eventually saved Brother Bancheng was an old doctor, and the surgery took a full five hours…”

“The wounds that Brother Bancheng had on his thighs required thirty-seven stitches… He was so seriously injured that he remained in a coma after the surgery…”

“His legs never recovered after the surgery and various treatments. Instead, they became infected and started to ooze profusely. The doctor treated them repeatedly and tried numerous antibiotics, but there was no improvement for two weeks…”

“Brother Bancheng was in a coma the entire time, and only after the infection started to improve did he finally show signs of regaining consciousness…”

“My aunt was ecstatic. When she first saw him after he woke up, she broke down into wails and began to reprimand him lovingly for scaring the hell out of her. Even my uncle cried. Brother Bancheng was slightly dazed after he woke up. He looked at every single person in the room and, finally, he broke the silence…”

As Guoguo said this, she looked directly at Xu Wennuan, whose hands tightly clenched her clothes as she sat rigidly. Guoguo paused for a few seconds before saying, “He only said one word. ‘Nuannuan.’”

Guoguo clearly saw Xu Wennuan quiver spastically. “He fell asleep again not long after he woke up. He was in better spirits the second time he woke up, though. Probably because he had begun to remember what had happened, because then he asked if you were alright.”

“My aunt originally wanted to ask you to come over to put his heart at ease, but Brother Bancheng wouldn’t allow it. He eventually managed to rest easy when his driver secretly went over to the place where you worked, took a few photos of you, and gave them to him.

“His body began to recover day after day, but the nerves in his thighs never saw any improvement. He couldn’t walk, period, and even after seeking the world’s most renowned doctors, he still couldn’t be helped. Eventually, he could only rely on the wheelchair by the time he was discharged from the hospital.

“Brother Bancheng had always had a good temperament, but after he was discharged, his temperament became even better. He would always smile whenever he met someone. My aunt was initially very worried that he would not be able to accept his paralysis, but she gradually began to rest easier. I always had thought the same as my aunt until one day when I saw Brother Bancheng sink his nails into his thighs. That was when I realized that he didn’t want anyone to know because he himself had not actually accepted the fact that he can no longer walk.

“There were even a few times when he subconsciously tried to stand up from his wheelchair and then fell and ended up with a bloody nose and a swollen face. Since then, Brother Bancheng’s general health has become terrible, and he can easily go into critical condition with just a cold or a flu.”