Back Then, I Adored You

Lu Bancheng didn’t brake until he reached the hospital. After parking the car, he hurried out to go open the passenger door, collected Xu Wennuan in his arms, and ran to the emergency room.

The staff in the hospital immediately brought a stretcher over when they saw him carrying Xu Wennuan inside. He laid her on the stretcher and then anxiously waited for the medical staff to take Xu Wennuan back to the ER ward.

The hospital was extremely quiet that late at night. Lu Bancheng leaned against the wall and stared at the dark sky through the window for a long time before the ER doors opened and Xu Wennuan was pushed out by two nurses. She quietly laid on the stretcher with an IV needle in the back of her hand.

Lu Bancheng ran two steps forward and grabbed the rails of the stretcher. After they pushed her into a room, she was transferred to the bed. One of the nurses discussed her condition and care to Lu Bancheng and then told him to press the alarm next to the bed if he had any questions. After checking the IV on Xu Wennuan’s hand and making sure she was doing okay, the nurse left the room. Lu Bancheng pulled up a chair next to the bed and watched Xu Wennuan’s sleeping face for a while before he turned to check the IV bag.

The nurse returned at 3:00 a.m. to check on Xu Wennuan. She waited in the room for a minute before she took out the IV needle from Xu Wennuan’s hand. Lu Bancheng then carefully tucked the blanket around Xu Wennuan after the nurse left. He reached his hand out to feel the temperature on her forehead and, when satisfied she was not hot anymore, he leaned back on the chair and closed his eyes to get some rest.

Having had a long day, It did not take him long to fall asleep. Throughout the night, though, he kept waking up because of the discomfort of sleeping while sitting. On one of these occasions, he sheepishly opened his eyes while changing his position again when he heard a soft sobbing sound.

Lu Bancheng paused for a second before he turned to Xu Wennuan, who was sleeping with her eyes closed but with tears running out from their corners. The frightened expression on her face indicated that she was having a nightmare.

Lu Bancheng immediately woke up fully. He reached his hand out to wipe her tears and worriedly called her name. “Nuannuan?”

Xu Wennuan did not hear him calling her and continued to cry in her sleep. As Lu Bancheng was about to shake her a bit to wake her up, he heard her murmuring, “No, no… Please… Don’t…” Then she reached her arms out and swung them in the air as she screamed, “Don’t touch me! Please! Don’t touch me! Please! I’m begging you!”

As she cried out loud, her body trembled. She sounded so pitiful and humble. “Can you please, please… I will pay you back. Please! I will pay you back!”

She started to cry again as she talked, and more tears than before now ran down her face. Her body also trembled even more, like a falling leaf on a windy autumn day. Lu Bancheng froze next to the bed as he watched Xu Wennuan struggling in her dream.

She’s not having a nightmare; she’s remembering when I forced her to have sex, all because I was jealous and acted on impulse.

It happened such a long time ago, but she still can’t shake it off.

At night, does she often feel so helpless? Does she struggle and cry a lot when she sleeps?