Back Then, I Adored You

"Lu Bancheng had expected to see Guoguo at the door, so when he turned and saw Wu Hao, he was also shocked. However, he quickly regained his composure, "Why are you here?"     

Wu Hao stared fixedly at Lu Bancheng's wheelchair and remained silent. Lu Bancheng smiled slightly before he turned the wheelchair with his hands and backed away some distance to make way for Wu Hao. "Come on in."     

Wu Hao took one glance at Lu Bancheng and walked in without saying a word. Right after he closed the door, Lu Bancheng pointed at the shoe cabinet and said, "It's not very convenient for me so look for a pair of slippers in there to change into."     

Wu Hao pursed his lips and continued to remain silent. He followed Lu Bancheng's instructions and retrieved a pair of slippers. After Wu Hao changed out of his shoes, Lu Bancheng spun his wheelchair and moved into the living room. After stopping next to the sofa, he pointed at the dining area and said to Wu Hao who was walking toward him, "Do you want some water? Might have to trouble you to get it yourself."     

Wu Hao continued to remain silent and his eyes locked onto Lu Bancheng once again. After half a minute, he suddenly lifted his feet and strode over to Lu Bancheng in wide steps. Without giving Lu Bancheng the chance to react, he yanked the blanket off Lu Bancheng's legs with great force and pulled up his sports shorts and looked at his thighs.     

When Wu Hao saw three hideous scars on Lu Bancheng's thighs, his body trembled violently. His fingers began to quiver as he held onto Lu Bancheng's shorts. After a long time, Wu Hao finally composed himself and looked up into Lu Bancheng's eyes. "It was you that day, wasn't it?"     

In contrast to the waves of emotions that washed over Wu Hao's eyes, Lu Bancheng's expression appeared to be unusually calm, and he was not in a hurry to answer Wu Hao's question. He didn't know how much Wu Hao knew. If Wu Hao knew nothing and it was a mere conjecture, Lu Bancheng would deny it. If Wu Hao had discovered something, then Lu Bancheng had other plans.     

"You were the one who saved Nuannuan on lunar January 4th, weren't you?"     

Wu Hao spoke again, and he didn't give Lu Bancheng a chance to respond, then continued, "The injuries on your thigh are a result of that night, aren't they? You ended up in this wheelchair because of her, didn't you?"     

Lu Bancheng looked down, "Wu Hao..."     

He didn't manage to finish his sentence because Wu Hao spoke up again and cut him off. "I knew it was you because I..."     

As he spoke, he felt about his pockets. When his hand felt the watch that he had picked up beside Xu Wennuan on the night she had been abducted, he suddenly stopped. He intended to take it out and show it to Lu Bancheng, but another thought crossed his mind. Even though it was just for a fleeting moment and it wasn't something that he expected to do, he still retracted his hand from his pocket and said,"...I saw your car nearby," instead of what he originally planned to say.     

"It was the middle of the night, and you wouldn't have just headed out there on a whim. You followed after her when you witnessed her abduction, didn't you?"     

It seems I can no longer keep Wu Hao in the dark...     

After a moment of silence, Lu Bancheng lifted his head and returned Wu Hao's gaze without answering his question. He then began to say what he had been wanting to say all along. "Since you already know, I do not intend to keep you in the dark. I'll be honest with you. The reason why I let you into my home today is because I have an important favor to ask of you..."