Back Then, I Adored You

Prince Charming Next Door Chapter 1-5

"To me, the perfect love is having you with me for the rest of my life."
-Ye Feiyan, "Prince Charming Next Door"
"When I finally met Gu Yusheng after two years of waiting, I was going to ask him why he stood me up that day. He gave me a look and before I could even say anything, he turned to someone else besides him and asked politely, 'Who is she?' These three simple words almost caused tears to well in my eyes. So, it turned out that the person I had been waiting for could not remember me at all."
When Qin Zhi'ai penned this in her diary, she did not expect that she and Gu Yusheng would ever cross paths again. No one would have expected her to be living in his house in another two years.
On the fifth day of her stay at Gu Yusheng's house, Qin Zhi'ai finally met him.
It was a late night, and while she was sound asleep, she vaguely felt someone lie down beside her. An involuntary shudder went through her and woke her from her sleep immediately.
A man was sleeping beside her.
The lights in the room were dimmed. Qin Zhi'ai could hardly distinguish his features, but she recognized the man as Gu Yusheng.
They hadn't seen each other for two years. The impromptu meeting caused Qin Zhi'ai to be nervous, not knowing what to do. She tried to calm herself down before she asked, composed, "When did you come back?"
Gu Yusheng did not reply her nor look at her. He swiftly took off his clothes, rolling over and pressing her beneath him.
His body warmth was intimidating to her. Qin Zhi'ai had imagined them meeting each other once again, but never would she have thought that it would be in such a situation. Instinctively, she resisted, trying to break away from him.
"Heh..." Gu Yusheng chuckled like he had just heard a funny joke. He suppressed her again without any effort. Holding her chin and forcing her to raise her face, he whispered the most contemptuous remarks in her ears: "Don't pretend anymore. You moved into my house, complaining several times to my Grandpa about me leaving you alone here. Didn't you do all this so I would sleep with you?"
His mockery stunned her into silence. Without realizing what he was doing, he had pulled the quilt off of her, torn her nightgown harshly, and touched her bare skin without any gentleness...
The next morning when Qin Zhi'ai woke up, there was no one around, and Gu Yusheng was nowhere to be seen.
If it weren't for the soreness of her body and the torn nightgown that was scattered on the floor, she would have thought that everything that happened last night was just a nightmare.
She got up, entered the bathroom, and washed herself. She headed downstairs for breakfast after she had changed into a set of clean clothes. As she passed through the walkway, she looked down over the railings to the living room as usual. Gu Yusheng was standing right in front of the glass window, answering the phone with his back to her.
She subconsciously stopped walking as memories of the night before flashed through her mind.
While she was still in a daze, the phone call ended. The housekeeper, standing right beside him, said politely, "Mr. Gu, the car is ready."
As he briefly acknowledged the housekeeper, Qin Zhi'ai came out of her thoughts and watched him as he took his jacket from the housekeeper. He walked over to the door and put on his shoes.
Just before he headed out, he seemed to have recalled something. He stopped again. Without looking at the housekeeper, he said evenly, without any emotion, "Get a box of contraceptive pills later. Give them to her after she wakes up."

Chapter 2: Prince Charming Next Door (2)

His words were like an ice-cold bucket of water that splashed mercilessly onto Qin Zhi'ai.
Her body shuddered and her mind went blank.
She thought that their last meeting two years ago, when he had asked someone else who she was, had already been bad enough. Little did she know that when they met again two years later, it would be even worse.
Qin Zhi'ai stood behind the railing on the second floor. Her eyes were fixed on Gu Yusheng's leaving figure, yet she hadn't managed to catch how he had exited the room at all.
Her chest grew tight, her heart heavy. Every time it throbbed, the pain she experienced left her rooted to the spot.
When Qin Zhi'ai recovered, she could only hear the faint noise of Gu Yusheng's car starting up outside. She was afraid that the housekeeper would suddenly return to the house and see the awkward situation that she was in, so she hastily turned back to the bedroom and closed the door. It was then that she realised that tears had already blurred her vision.
Qin Zhi'ai waited until she had calmed down and the mist in her eyes had cleared up before she headed downstairs, pretending that she had just woken up.
"Miss, you're awake?" The housekeeper saw her and paused his work immediately.
The housekeeper should have been addressing her as "Madam," but Gu Yusheng had forbidden him from doing so. The only choice left was for him to call her "Miss."
Qin Zhi'ai wasn't bothered. She kept a serene expression on her face, responding with a hum of acknowledgment and walking towards the dining hall.
The housekeeper usually returned to his own work during Qin Zhi'ai's meal times, leaving her with her food in peace. Today, however, the housekeeper stayed after he had served her dishes and stood still by the table.
Qin Zhi'ai pretended not to notice any difference from usual. With great composure, she started eating her breakfast.
As she finished the porridge in her bowl, the housekeeper standing nearby grew nervous and looked hesitant, as if he had something to say to Qin Zhi'ai. His lips moved several times, but he didn't manage to make even the slightest sound.
It wasn't until Qin Zhi'ai put down her chopsticks that the housekeeper finally spoke up. "Miss..."
"Do we have contraceptive pills at home?" Qin Zhi'ai didn't wait for the housekeeper to finish his sentence before interrupting him.
She had known what the housekeeper was going to say, yet there are some things that would strip her of her dignity if they came from the housekeeper's mouth. Even though deep down she was perfectly aware that the housekeeper knew how much Gu Yusheng resented her, she was still reluctant to let others embarrass her in person.
Qin Zhi'ai looked at the housekeeper and quietly added, "If we do, please help me find them."
The housekeeper was visibly stunned upon hearing her words, but he kept silent and did what Qin Zhi'ai ordered him to do.
Qin Zhi'ai calmly swallowed the pill. She took a tissue to dab her mouth dry and stood up gracefully to exit the dining hall.
Before she could reach the door, the housekeeper suddenly spoke again. "Miss..."
Qin Zhi'ai stopped and turned around.
"Miss, Mr. Gu said that Old Master Gu will be going to Hainan tonight..." The housekeeper hesitated for a few seconds before he continued, "Mr. Gu also said that now that the person who supports you has left, he wants you not to bother him anymore."
She thought that by taking the initiative to ask for the pills, she would have kept at least some of her own dignity. She hadn't expected that he had given the housekeeper other instructions...
Qin Zhi'ai's fingertips trembled slightly, but she looked as composed as ever, as if the housekeeper's words were meant for somebody else, and lightly asked, "Anything else?"