Back Then, I Adored You

She did not want him to leave.

Not crying on the day he left took all her strength. Gu Yusheng’s heart hurt deeply every time he thought of her and the baby.

Qin Zhi’ai was touched by what Gu Yusheng said. Her eyes felt warm. She pursed her lips on the camera and said, “I want you to come back in one piece.”

“Yes, I will.” Gu Yusheng responded. His answers were always short on the phone, but he was always paying attention.

Qin Zhi’ai casually chatted with Gu Yusheng as any couple would when spending time together. She talked so much that she got thirsty. As she got and went to get some water, her camera caught the clothes hanging up on the balcony. They were men’s clothes, including underwear and socks.

Well, I’m not home, and there are only three women living there. How could there be men’s clothes hanging in the house?

Gu Yusheng could not help frowning. He did not suspect Qin Zhi’ai of cheating on him because she was pregnant, so he considered other explanations. The most likely one he could figure out, he asked about. “Is your brother visiting you in Beijing?”

“No.” Qin Zhi’ai walked with a glass of water in her hand and took a sip. She shook her head and murmured, “I didn’t dare tell my mom that I’m married and about to deliver a baby. How could I ask Jiayan to come and make him keep the secret?”

If those clothes don’t belong to Jiayan, then…

Gu Yusheng’s heart jerked, making him ask directly, “Then whose clothes are those hanging on the balcony?”

Qin Zhi’ai didn’t understand his question right away, and then she expressed shock for a few seconds, before turning toward the balcony to take a look. She took the glass from her mouth and realized what Gu Yusheng was asking. “Oh, they’re yours.”

My clothes? But I’m not home. Why is she washing my underwear and socks? And I wouldn’t need that many if I were home…

Qin Zhi’ai detected that Gu Yusheng was suspicious, so she further explained, “A few days ago, I was watching TV with the housekeeper. We saw the news that a pregnant woman’s house was broken into, and he and her baby were killed. I know our neighborhood is safe, but, you know, pregnant women worry about everything. I didn’t feel completely safe, so I came up with this idea with the housekeeper. If those burglars think there’s a man living in the house, it’ll scare them away.”

Gu Yusheng’s heart felt like it had been stabbed.

She’s seven months pregnant and only has two more to go, yet I’m not going to be there for her.

Qin Zhi’ai had no idea what Gu Yusheng was thinking. She was proud of her anti-burglary system and wanted to show it off. She put down her empty glass and walked him through her thinking. “I only wanted to wash one pair of socks, but I thought it would seem scarier to pretend to have 10 guys in the house, so that’s why I asked the housekeeper to hang up 10 pairs of socks.”

The pain Gu Yusheng felt was overwhelming and prevented him from speaking right away. Finally, he came up with something to mirror her optimism. “So, you took all my underwear and exhibited all of it on the balcony. Qin Zhi’ai, do you think it is appropriate to hang all your husband’s underwear out in the wind and show them to other women?”

As if grounding herself, Xu Wennuan had not left home since the day Jiang Qianqian had lost her baby.