Forgotten Love - Chapter 2
“Shen Qingruan, this joke isn’t funny at all.”
Gu Huaian’s face darkened instantly.
Seeing that I remained silent, he suddenly grabbed the water cup on the bedside table.
He smashed it hard onto the floor.
“Damn it, are you playing with me for fun?!”
Shards of glass flew past my temple.
A sharp pain followed.
Gu Huaian suddenly froze.
He almost lunged forward to press down on my wound.
“I’m sorry, I…”
He looked nervous.
Instinctively, he blew gently on my wound:
“Does it still hurt?”
I shook my head and was just about to speak.
But Gu Huaian’s slightly parted lips stiffened.
He looked as if he’d touched a burning hot potato.
He abruptly pushed me away.
“Shen Qingruan, you and I-no, the thirty-year-old me and you…”
“What… what is our relationship?”
Looking at the barely contained panic in Gu Huaian’s eyes,
I helplessly raised my hand.
The wedding ring on my ring finger touched his.
“Huaian, I am your wife.”
Gu Huaian’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.
A fine sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.
“Huaian!”
Seeing him sway unsteadily,
my heart skipped a beat and I hurried to support him.
My hand was forcefully shaken off.
Gu Huaian collapsed onto the bed.
His tightly pressed lips trembled slightly.
So fragile-just like after that incident all those years ago.
A wave of sourness welled up in my eyes.
I lowered my head and took two steps back.
“I’ll go get the doctor for you.”
It felt as if someone tugged at my clothes, but then suddenly let go.
In a hurried glance, I only caught sight of Gu Huaian’s hand quickly withdrawing…
When I returned, Gu Huaian was no longer in the hospital room.
No one noticed when he had left.
I dialed his number again and again,
but he hung up on me every single time.
The rain outside grew heavier and heavier.
Anxious, I wanted to check the surveillance cameras.
Suddenly, a location flashed through my mind.
……
After so many years, I returned to my alma mater.
It was the weekend, and the senior students were on break.
On the empty playground, Gu Huaian was quietly sitting on the parallel bars.
One foot braced on the bar, the other dangling down.
Through the misty rain, I seemed to see the unruly youth he had been at eighteen.
“Gu Huaian…”
I called out in a daze, meeting his momentarily confused gaze.
“Shen Qingruan, I just looked in the mirror at the hospital.”
“The person in the mirror… really has gotten so much older…”
Gu Huaian tugged at the corner of his mouth.
His dark eyes were as calm as dead water.
“Just last night, I was still on the playground, walking with Lin Jiao and talking to my dad on the phone.”
“We were discussing what kind of surprise to prepare for Mom’s birthday this weekend.”
His voice caught in his throat.
When he spoke again, his voice was clearly trembling:
“But you told me my dad passed away, and it was Lin Jiao’s fault.”
“And you-the person I hated most-actually became my wife!”
“I just blinked, and my whole life changed beyond recognition. I didn’t even get a moment to adjust…”
The pouring rain streamed down Gu Huaian’s cheeks.
For a moment, I couldn’t tell if it was rainwater,
or… his tears.
I silently walked forward.
I tilted my umbrella toward him.
We stood in silence for a long time.
Until the heavy rain gradually stopped.
Looking at the faint rainbow on the horizon,
I suppressed the sorrow surging in my chest.
I reached out my hand to Gu Huaian:
“Let’s go, Gu Huaian.”
“Let’s go home.”
