Back Then, I Adored You

Even though she had not been the one who had personally caused Jiang Qianqian to miscarry, Xu Wennuan had still been present when it happened. The two of them had been drifting farther apart, until now—Now, they were on the path of no return.

With his lips tightly pursed, Wu Hao stared at Xu Wennuan for a long time before he spoke. “Nuannuan, do we really have to break up?”

Xu Wennuan gave a few firm nods while tears were falling down her cheeks. “Yes, we have to.”

“Nuannuan, I know that I’ve let you down, but you’re the only person in my heart and the only person I love.” Wu Hao’s voice trembled as he spoke, and his eyes were turning slightly red.

“I know that you care about me from the bottom of your heart, but there is no way we can continue to walk down this path together. We can no longer return to who we once were. Those good memories are the only things we have left—” As Xu Wennuan spoke, she leaned forward on the table and started crying out loud. “Wu Hao, if you truly feel that you’ve let me down, break up with me. This is the only thing I ask of you right now…”

Wu Hao lifted his hand and covered his face. After a long time, he sighed heavily and dropped his hand. His jaw remained clenched until he finally said, “Nuannuan, if this is what you really want, if this is really the last thing that I can do for you, and if you’ve really thought things through, then I will grant you your wish.”

The corners of Wu Hao’s eyes grew damp. He dabbed at them with his fingers and waited for his voice to grow more stable. “I will arrange for a lawyer to contact you tomorrow and transfer some company shares to you.”

“There’s no need to do that, Wu Hao. We’re not married, and that’s your money. I have no reason or right to take it…”

No reason or right…

These words pierced through Wu Hao’s heart like a knife. It was so painful that his heart skipped a beat. After a long while, he nodded slightly and answered, “Okay.”

Xu Wennuan did not speak as her tears continued to flow uncontrollably. Wu Hao turned away instead of looking at her tear-stained face. He stared out the window for quite a while, watching the illusion of their younger selves walk through the school gates happily in their uniforms. His chest tightened, and he couldn’t help but close his eyes. Shortly after, he said, “I have someplace to be, so I’m taking off.”

Xu Wennuan still did not speak. Wu Hao summoned the owner, settled the bill, and left. Xu Wennuan waited for his figure to disappear completely before she lost all control of her emotions. She sprawled across the table and cried like a child.

Not long after that, someone appeared outside the cafe window. His gaze was fixed on Xu Wennuan, whose shoulders were heaving. He clenched his hands into fists with such strength that the veins on the back of his hands popped out.

……

Two months later, Qin Zhi’ai had fewer than two weeks left before her due date. Whether her stress was caused by her upcoming first labor or by paying too much attention to the news about casualties on the border, she was constantly in a perturbed state of mind.

After dinner, she sent Gu Yusheng her last text message for the night and then crawled into bed early. As she slept, she dreamed that Gu Yusheng was being sent back to Beijing from the front in a coffin. He would not wake up no matter how much she cried and screamed.

“Yusheng! Yusheng!” In what seemed to be the final part of her dream, Qin Zhi’ai suddenly sat up in bed.