Back Then, I Adored You

He sent the message, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea. She didn’t respond.

Lu Bancheng continued to call her, but still she didn’t answer. He then stepped down hard on the accelerator and sped to Xu Wennuan’s company. Once there, he discovered that she was on leave for the day after speaking to the receptionist.

When he returned to the car again, Lu Bancheng got a call from his secretary to remind him that he had 10 minutes until his meeting. He responded, “Cancel the meeting,” and then ended the call.

He continued to try to reach Xu Wennuan as he drove around looking for her, relying on his understanding of her to figure out her whereabouts.

……

“To me, the best occupation you can ever ask for in your life is to be Gu Yusheng’s wife.”

Some say that the final stage of love is merely kinship but, even after having a daughter with Gu Yusheng, their relationship was still as fresh as it was when they had first gotten together. He still, for instance, would randomly surprise her in touching ways.

Qin Zhi’ai stared at the note, at the sentence Gu Yusheng had written, as her fingertips brushed against the occupation inscribed on the nameplate. The words “Gu Yusheng’s Wife” filled the entirety of her heart with warmth.

The reality behind these words is so beautiful.

“What are you looking at?” The door behind her was pushed open as Gu Yusheng’s elegant voice drifted to her, returning her to her senses. With the note in one hand and the nameplate in the other, she spun around to look at Gu Yusheng.

Gu Yusheng had raised his hand to loosen his tie, and only then did he realize what she was looking at when he saw what she was holding. He walked toward her with a laugh. “What do you think? Is this arrangement satisfactory for you?” asked Gu Yusheng.

Qin Zhi’ai stared at Gu Yusheng who was closing the distance between them. Her breath was a little unsteady.

The two of us have been together for such a long time, but whenever I look at him I regress to being my teenage self and feel butterflies in my tummy. He makes me feel so helpless…

After internally reprimanding herself, Qin Zhi’ai tilted her head and curled her lips at Gu Yusheng standing before her. “That depends on how much you’re going to pay me.”

Gu Yusheng stared into her eyes for two seconds before he moved forward. He reached out and grabbed her waist as he bent slightly to whisper into her ear. His tone was sweet and playful, which stirred her. “Give me a kiss, and I’ll pay you.”

Qin Zhi’ai’s pale ears flushed, and her long, curled eyelashes fluttered before she shut her eyes. Gu Yusheng found his way to her lips and kissed her gently before she could speak.

They were frequently intimate or, rather, excessively so, but every time he touched her he would become the young man he was at the start of their relationship again—impulsive and full of desire.

The kiss alternated between chaste and passionate and, toward the end, went beyond just their lips. He only managed to suppress his desire for a while and then tore himself away from her by pushing her back with his arms.

He stared at her delicate face and studied it for a moment. Then, he raised his fingers and caressed her cheek gently as he said in a low voice, “If I have to pay you every time I kiss you, I will go bankrupt.”