Back Then, I Adored You

Qin Zhi’ai picked up her phone to see who was calling her. She was surprised when she saw the number. She answered, “Hello. What’s up, Bro Bancheng?”

“Have you had dinner yet?” Lu Bancheng sounded as if he was driving because she heard beeping on the call.

“Not yet. What’s up?” Qin Zhi’ai said.

“Great. I’ll be at your place soon.” Lu Bancheng checked the time and said, “Can you be downstairs in 10 minutes? Let’s have dinner together.”

It was the first time Lu Bancheng had ever asked her to have dinner. Qin Zhi’ai was shocked and didn’t respond to Lu Bancheng as she silently held the phone to her ear.

Lu Bancheng sensed her doubt and immediately explained, “Aren’t you leaving tomorrow? We’re friends, right? I would like to have a goodbye dinner with you.”

After pausing a second, Lu Bancheng asked, “Xiao’ai, you don’t think I’m not your friend, do you?”

“No.” Qin Zhi’ai did not turn his invitation down after his question. Instead, she said to Lu Bancheng, “I’m going to wash my face, and I’ll see you in 10 minutes.”

Lu Bancheng took Qin Zhi’ai to a restaurant famous for its 100-year history, and they ordered hearty, non-spicy food. Lu Bancheng wanted to order some quality wine, but because Qin Zhi’ai didn’t drink he ordered one of their best teas instead.

They settled in to enjoy the view across the restaurant’s expansive bank of windows. Located near the Forbidden City, its lights cast a beautiful glow across the night sky.

The waitress quickly brought their tea to the table, and Lu Bancheng poured a cup for Qin Zhi’ai, who smiled and thanked him.

Lu Bancheng looked up to smile at Qin Zhi’ai and then looked down at the table again as he poured a cup of tea for himself. After taking a sip, he said, “I had planned to ask Bro Sheng to dinner tonight with us, but he had some family emergency and couldn’t make it. Nuannuan I couldn’t get a hold of, and Haozi isn’t here because I assumed you wouldn’t want to see him given his issues with Nuannuan. And that is why you are with me alone for dinner tonight.”

Qin Zhi’ai looked down and smiled. She put down her empty cup and thought for a moment before asking, “Did grandpa Gu wake up from his coma?”

“Huh? How do you know about that?” Lu Bancheng looked at Qin Zhi’ai in surprise as he was pouring more tea.

“I found out yesterday when I called Master Gu.”

This made sense, given that Qin Zhi’ai was Gu Yusheng’s secretary for a few months. And they knew each other socially because their close friends had been dating for so long.

Lu Bancheng said “oh,” and Qin Zhi’ai told him what she knew about Old Master Gu. He in turn answered Qin Zhi’ai’s question. “I was at the hospital this afternoon and the Old Master has not woken up yet. He was not doing well and babbling a lot of nonsense.”

“Has Gu Yusheng thought about alternative ways to help his grandfather?” Qin Zhi’ai asked.

“He invited two specialists from overseas and a traditional Chinese doctor to join the medical team,” Lu Bancheng said.

“Oh,” Qin Zhi’ai responded. After a while, Qin Zhi’ai asked, “Is Master Gu alright?”

“Not good.” Lu Bancheng shook his head without any hesitation, saying, “He was the only family member left for Bro Sheng. He is definitely not doing well with his grandfather being this ill. Bro Sheng and his grandfather haven’t gotten along for more than a year because of Xiaokou but, because of his grandfather’s grave condition, he’s going to have to agree to marry her no matter how much he doesn’t want to.”

“Marry her?” Qin Zhi’ai frowned. “Weren’t they married a long time ago?”