Back Then, I Adored You

As he said this, he reached his hand over to her. When the tip of his fingers came into contact with hers, her body froze and she shrank her hand back subconsciously. Lu Bancheng did not pull her hand forcefully but he kept his hand there and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m only taking you home.”

She stared into his eyes for some time before she looked down and gazed at his hands. He didn’t rush her and waited good-naturedly with patience. After some time, she eventually reacted and slowly lifted her hands to place in his palms. Lu Bancheng then gripped her hands and protected her by his side before he slowly guided her toward the entrance of the bar.

When they passed by Jiang Qianqian, who was still shocked and confused by Lu Bancheng’s appearance, she finally reacted. Lifting her head up, she gazed at his profile and called out, “Brother Bancheng…”

Before Jiang Qianqian could finish her sentence, Lu Bancheng suddenly jerked his head around, and his sharp and harsh eyes met hers. “Who are you calling your brother? I’ve never had such a shameless sister such as you! Stop trying to pretend that we’re close. It’s a complete insult to me!”

Everyone there knew Lu Bancheng, and they were also aware that he was acquainted with Jiang Qianqian, who’d even bragged about Lu Bancheng in front of them. Now that he was so mercilessly sarcastic toward her in front of so many people, Jiang Qianqian’s face instantly turned pale before it burned red.

When Jiang Qianqian used to bully Qin Zhi’ai for pretending to be Liang Doukou, Lu Bancheng had witnessed how overboard Gu Yusheng could go in his rage, and he had felt worried that it would affect the relationship between their families but, now that he was the first party involved, he finally understood why Gu Yusheng would grab hold of Qin Zhi’ai’s hand to slap the other party without the slightest bit of hesitation.

Because when he’d seen the girl whom he loved so dearly bullied, that rage had far exceeded what it had ever felt like when he himself was the one who was only insulted, and it was impossible to swallow that level of anger. In the heat of that moment, no one would ever stop to consider if the reaction might affect the family, because in that moment, one would wish to be completely unrelated to the other family!

He wanted to leave with Xu Wennuan after he was done criticizing Jiang Qianqian but, after some thought, he could not hold back on his anger and added, “Jiang Qianqian, I’m warning you: Stop bothering her. I’ll give you a heads-up up right now. If you dare do it again, you’ll see no end with me!”

……

After exiting the bar, Lu Bancheng led Xu Wennuan over to his car and pulled open the door. Just when he was about to help her into the car, Xiao Qin called out to her from nearby. “Sister Wennuan!”

Lu Bancheng paused and turned to look at Xiao Qin, who jogged all the way over and handed Xu Wennuan’s purse to her. “Sister Nuannuan, here’s your bag.”

Lu Bancheng accepted it for Xu Wennuan and thanked her. In turn, Xiao Qin smiled and waved goodbye. Lu Bancheng watched Xiao Qin jog to the side of the road and leave after she flagged down a taxi before he started the car and slowly drove off.

As he drove her home, Xu Wennuan sat in the passenger’s seat with her arms hugging her shoulders. She leaned into the backrest and stared out the window with a dazed look in her eyes. She remained silent throughout.

Even when the car stopped at the foot of her apartment building and Lu Bancheng told her they’d arrived, she continued to show no response. Lu Bancheng’s heart ached badly, and he stared fixedly at her small, pale face for some time before he called out once again. “Nuannuan, we’re here.”