Back Then, I Adored You

Old Master Gu was clearly triggered by Gu Yusheng’s unrelenting attitude and he, too, followed suit. “Are you pushing me? Alright then, I will announce my stance, as well!”

“I absolutely forbid you to be with that woman! As long as I’m alive, I will never acknowledge her as the granddaughter-in-law of the Gu family!”

Old Master Gu was furious, to the point he began to cough violently and his body was quivering. Because his grandfather had only been recently discharged from the hospital, Gu Yusheng subconsciously reached out to support him but, before he could touch him, Old Master Gu whacked his arm away with his cane.

Breathing heavily, he pointed at Gu Yusheng and said furiously, “She can dream on about having a grand wedding ceremony. You can wait until I’m dead to make whatever arrangements you want. You are out of my sight and out of my mind anyway!”

After throwing out a slew of cruel remarks, Old Master Gu turned and walked over to his car. Yanking open the door, he got into the backseat but, before the driver closed the door, Qin Zhi’ai could still vaguely hear him coughing miserably. Through the car windows, she could see Gu Yusheng’s hands balled into fists on the other side.

As the driver walked around the car, he politely said goodbye to Gu Yusheng and then got into the driver’s seat. As the car slowly rolled out of the villa’s driveway, Gu Yusheng stood frozen where he was; he retained his stance even after the car had completely disappeared.

Qin Zhi’ai did not call out to Gu Yusheng. They stood for some time, he in the courtyard and she upstairs behind a window. When he did finally move, he began digging for a pack of cigarettes from his pockets. Once he found it, he lit one up, and began to puff on it silently.

Watching him finish one cigarette after another, Qin Zhi’ai felt her eyes stinging, and she found it difficult to breathe, as if something heavy was weighing down on her chest. She did not dare imagine what Gu Yusheng was thinking about in this instant or how terrible he must have felt.

One heartache was the only family member he had left in the world, and the other was his lover with whom he had fallen deeply in love three times. Letting either of them down was painful. She did not dare think too deeply about how she would have reacted if she were in his shoes—how she might have to choose between her mother and Gu Yusheng.

At the crack of dawn, Gu Yusheng, who’d been standing in the courtyard all night, finally moved. Seeing this, Qin Zhi’ai silently closed the window and scrambled back into bed.

She knew that Gu Yusheng must have guessed that Old Master Gu would head over to the villa when he had anxiously prepared her for bed last night. The reason he hadn’t allowed Old Master Gu into the house was because he did not want her to overhear his tirade. She understood Gu Yusheng’s protectiveness over her and, no matter how much she knew about his predicament, she was happy to pretend to be unaware, because she wanted to be as considerate to him as he had been toward her.

What does it mean to love someone?

It means knowing how to cherish him and support his good intentions.

After half an hour of lying in bed, Qin Zhi’ai could feel Gu Yusheng climbing back into it silently and gently as she pretended to be fast asleep. When he was settled, she moaned softly and tossed over into his arms.