Back Then, I Adored You

As she stirred the half-eaten mango tapioca, she realized why Gu Yusheng had asked her to have dessert. She had not known that her body double could not eat mangoes.

Liang Doukou shifted her eyes. “Yusheng, you might have misunderstood me. I did say I didn’t like mangoes, but that didn’t mean I can’t have any.”

She continued defending herself to a silent Gu Yusheng, who took his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed some buttons on the screen.

Liang Doukou’s phone rang twice on the table.

Without looking, Liang Doukou knew who had just sent her the text messages. She glanced at Gu Yusheng and hesitated before she picked up her phone to look at the screen.

It was a message from Gu Yusheng.

Liang Doukou paused her fingers on the screen for a few seconds before opening the messages.

Gu Yusheng had sent her two pictures. She zoomed in on them. One picture was of Zhou Jing and her at the entrance to Zhou Jing’s complex. The other picture was her body double holding trash bags at Gu Yusheng’s house.

The two pictures were shot within three minutes of each other. At first smiling at seeing herself in the photos, she quickly frowned.

Two pictures of me in two different places far from each other at the same time. How could Gu Yusheng have gotten these pictures? Has he suspected for a long time ago? Has he investigated me and discovered my secrets?

Liang Doukou began to panic as she tried to explain the pictures, but she was failing. She continued trying while looking directly at Gu Yusheng, but her words became so incoherent that she stopped talking.

Gu Yusheng did not want to hear excuses. He got directly to the point. “If you don’t want to answer my previous question, it’s all right. I’ll ask you another question. What is her name?”

Liang Doukou did not move her lips at all this time. She remained silent but visibly thinking about what to say next—how to handle Gu Yusheng.

Gu Yusheng did not urge her to answer his question. He waited for her. He waited for ten minutes.

Having finally calmed down while considering her answer, Liang Doukou finally said, “Yusheng, these pictures do not mean anything to me. It must be someone who tried to set me up. I…”

Gu Yusheng cut her off. “You don’t want to answer my question.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to answer—It’s…”

Gu Yusheng interrupted her again, this time changing the subject. “Is everything in the house yours?”

Liang Doukou did not follow where Gu Yusheng was going with this question, but she eventually nodded and said, “Yes.”

With no warning, Gu Yusheng kicked his chair out from under him and walked out of the room.

Liang Doukou’s mind reeled. If he finds out I had a body double, he won’t let it go easily. Is this why he changed the subject?

Liang Doukou suddenly heard a loud noise outside of the window. Now she knew why Gu Yusheng was acting so strangely.