Back Then, I Adored You

Initially, Qin Zhi’ai was distracted but, as she walked 50 feet farther, she stopped abruptly, turned her head around, and glanced again at the pharmacy behind her.

It was still early, and the pharmacy hadn’t opened yet. Qin Zhi’ai was mesmerized by the flashing neon advertisements for some time, coming to terms with the implications of having unprotected sex with Gu Yusheng.

She had caught a cold the morning she returned home after her night with him. Her illness had been so extreme that she had conveniently pushed that night’s events to the back of her mind, perhaps to avoid having to consider the consequences she might face—namely, pregnancy. The thought was sobering.

That night, he had come three times, thus increasing the chances of pregnancy.

Furthermore, three days and three nights had passed since then, making use of the morning-after pill ineffective by now.

Qin Zhi’ai subconsciously rubbed her flat belly.

What are the chances that I’m pregnant?

What would I do if I conceived a child?

Qin Zhi’ai’s heart was filled with anxiety. She stood by the road in a trance for a long time before she continued wandering to get breakfast.

She got her food to go, and on her walk back home she became almost panicked over the possibility she could be pregnant.

Stepping into her house, she made a beeline for her room without bothering to remove her shoes. She grabbed the calendar on her desk and started flipping through it.

Seeing that her period would begin in two days, based on the dates she had marked, she was relieved and her heart finally relaxed.

Fortunately, the night she had had sex should be a safe one—with a low chance of becoming pregnant. Those few days were the safest of her cycle. With such a low chance of pregnancy and having only had sex on that one night, she might not necessarily be pregnant.

……

For the next three days, she heard nothing from Gu Yusheng.

Qin Zhi’ai realized that he had been so drunk that night that he might have no recollection of what had happened after he woke up that morning.

Even if he did have a vague memory of it, she had removed all traces of her presence before she left, so he would likely presume it had just been a dream.

Although Qin Zhi’ai knew that no one would even suspect that she’d had this secret affair, she was still on edge when she returned to work after being sick.

As she reached the office, she realized that Gu Yusheng was absent, causing her clenched fist to loosen up.

Having taken three days off, her work had piled up. Xiaowang also continued to assign her new tasks every day, so she was extremely busy for three full days before finally catching up.

Gu Yusheng did not show up in the office until the afternoon of the first day of the New Year holiday. Upon arrival, he went straight to the conference room without saying a word to Qin Zhi’ai or even stepping into his own office.

When his meeting ended, he signed some urgent documents in his office and then immediately left.

Xiaowang remained in his office and organized the documents on the desk before calling for Qin Zhi’ai.

He handed Qin Zhi’ai the documents that Gu Yusheng had signed, pointed out a problem with one, and tasked her with some additional work items. After they were done discussing business, Qin Zhi’ai was leaving until Xiaowang stopped her. “Secretary Qin, wait a moment.”