An Earlier Meeting - Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Back home, Huang Xiaozhi’s heart felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on it, making her feel suffocated.
Wei Qingwen hadn’t returned yet. The house was empty, with only the occasional sound of the wind outside the window.
She went back to her room alone, not turning on the light. She sat on the edge of her bed in the deepening twilight.
Every word Yu Wen had just spoken was like a cold needle, repeatedly piercing her heart.
If that’s the case…
Then how did the young Yu Wen survive in such profound darkness?
Was it by relying on her hatred for her enemies, or simply on her instinct to survive?
Heartache swept over her like a tide, overwhelming her.
She curled her fingers, her nails unconsciously digging into her palms.
She suddenly remembered a distant event—when she was a child, she had gone with her mother to the Zhang family’s home to visit Li Qian.
What a coincidence.
She remembered that the Zhang family had just signed a contract with Wei Shun not long before.
Li Qian, for some reason, enthusiastically invited Wei Qingwen to bring her daughter over.
The coincidence was that the mother and daughter were in H City for a few days for some business. Their trip was low-key, and no one knew about it.
How the Zhang family knew their whereabouts so accurately was still a mystery.
But given that they had just established a partnership, it wouldn’t be good to turn them down.
In the end, Wei Qingwen took nine-year-old Huang Xiaozhi to that gloomy mansion.
In her memory, little Huang Xiaozhi held her mother’s arm tightly. The two of them looked especially small in front of the grand but oppressive gate.
Inside the mansion, a toddler boy ran over and curiously tugged on Huang Xiaozhi’s skirt.
Huang Xiaozhi was startled and immediately hid behind Wei Qingwen.
They were led into the main hall.
Li Qian was leisurely sitting on a luxurious sofa, sipping tea, without even lifting her eyelids.
Huang Xiaozhi remembered that out of politeness, she stood up and said in a clear voice, “Hello, Auntie Li.”
As a result, Li Qian acted as if she hadn’t heard her, completely ignoring her and only exchanging a few pleasantries with Wei Qingwen.
Wei Qingwen’s expression instantly darkened, but since they were on someone else’s turf, she held back her anger, only gesturing for Huang Xiaozhi to sit down.
When she thought back on it before, she just thought the other person was arrogant and rude. Now, thinking about it again, Li Qian’s face was truly disgusting.
Sitting on the sofa, little Huang Xiaozhi couldn’t help but secretly look around.
The mansion gave her an indescribable sense of oppression. The complex and luxurious decorations exuded a coldness. The huge crystal chandelier cast a pale light, and not a single window allowed natural sunlight to enter.
This place didn’t feel like a home. It was more like a meticulously crafted, soulless cage.
She inadvertently looked up at the dim hallway on the second floor.
In her blurry vision, she caught a glimpse of a small figure.
It was a little girl.
She couldn’t see her very clearly. She only remembered that the girl was wearing very simple, even a little old and dirty, clothes. She was completely out of place with the mansion’s luxury and was a sharp contrast to the glamorous little boy downstairs.
The little girl upstairs seemed to have sensed her gaze. Like a startled small animal, she suddenly took a step back and quickly disappeared into the shadows.
Now, sitting on the bed in her dark room, Huang Xiaozhi’s heart felt as if it was being squeezed by a cold hand.
That shabby, cowering little girl in the shadows… Could it be Yu Wen?
No! It can’t be her! It’s impossible!
How could her life be like that? She should be as bright as the sun…
Huang Xiaozhi painfully hugged her knees, curling up into a ball, her face buried deeply in her arms.
Her thoughts uncontrollably sank into the abyss of her eight-year-old memories, carrying heavy questions and gut-wrenching pity.
As she thought, the double impact of exhaustion and emotion made her fall into a deep sleep in the darkness.
…
Upstairs, Yu Wen’s emotions were also in turmoil after Huang Xiaozhi’s hurried departure.
Cold regret wrapped around her like a vine. She began to regret revealing her terrible past.
Why did I say it? What’s the point of saying these heavy and gloomy things? What else can it bring besides adding to the other person’s burden and pity?
A question came to mind: she had been living here for a while, but she had never heard Huang Xiaozhi mention her father. There had never been any sign of an adult male in the house either.
It was as if only she and Wei Qingwen depended on each other.
Her father… Did he disappear? Or…?
She wasn’t sure and didn’t want to pry. Maybe he couldn’t show up for some reason.
Huang Xiaozhi looked so bright and cheerful, like a flower that was carefully watered with love and sunshine.
Maybe the role of “father” wasn’t indispensable in her life’s script.
But she was different.
She and Huang Xiaozhi came from two completely different worlds.
One grew up soaked in love, and the other struggled to survive in the mud.
She couldn’t imagine what would happen if a clean, pure ray of sunshine like Huang Xiaozhi really shone on her own patch of land covered in thorns. Would she be happy?… I’m thinking too far ahead.
They were just… friends for now.
Her childhood? Saying it was “complete” was self-deception, but saying it was “tattered” still had faint fragments of her parents’ warmth.
The deepest memory was her mother’s heartbreaking cries during the car accident, and the warmth of her father’s broad hand when he last touched her head… and then, an endless darkness.
That car accident took away not only her father’s life and her mother’s whereabouts, but also all the light in her world.
Perhaps, at that moment, her whole family had already died.
The one who survived was just an empty shell with the name “Yu Wen.” The one who died was the real Yu Wen.
…
Huang Xiaozhi fell into a long and oppressive dream.
She dreamt that she had returned to the Zhang family’s suffocating mansion eight years ago.
This time, she appeared as a spirit observer. No one could see her. She could finally peek into the corners that were overlooked that day.
She watched her nine-year-old self nervously holding her mother’s hand as they entered. The scene was a replay of yesterday: the arrogant Li Qian, the ignorant little boy…
However, her mind immediately locked onto the second floor as soon as she entered.
Without any hesitation, she stepped onto the stairs that led to the shadows. Each step she took on the cold marble echoed silently.
Fear gripped her as she was about to take the last step to the second floor. What if, what if that figure was really Yu Wen? She almost wanted to turn back.
In the end, she went up.
The light on the second floor was frighteningly dim. Only one high, barred window stingily let in a few faint rays of sunlight, casting a mottled light on the heavy carpet.
The air was filled with dust and the smell of old things. She quickly found the spot where she remembered the little girl standing.
She slowly walked forward. This time, the girl’s face was clearly in front of her.
The pretty, delicate face was covered in a weariness and panic that didn’t match her age. Those eyes, which should have been clear, were filled with fear.
There was a noticeable bruise on the corner of her mouth, and a few scars of varying depths on her exposed arms. Her clothes were faded and stained.
The messy hair on her forehead hung down, almost covering those frightened eyes.
Was she… being abused?
Why did such a young child have to endure this?
Huang Xiaozhi’s spirit felt a suffocating pain.
The little girl seemed to sense something. She suddenly turned her head and “looked” directly in the direction of Huang Xiaozhi’s spirit.
Those tired and alert eyes seemed to pierce through the boundaries of space.
Huang Xiaozhi’s heart sank. The little girl slowly turned around, her entire face exposed in the dim light.
It was the truth she least wanted to face.
This little girl was Yu Wen.
The small, perfectly positioned red mole on her collarbone, like a brand, confirmed her identity—it was the same one she had accidentally seen on the present Yu Wen.
Huang Xiaozhi’s spirit felt as if it were trembling. Her facial features were contorted with intense pain.
It hurts. My heart hurts. It was like being stabbed by countless needles.
The little Yu Wen in front of her seemed to be attracted by the commotion downstairs. She backed away in a panic, step by step, into the deeper shadows of the hallway.
Huang Xiaozhi, in her spirit form, stood there, watching with her own eyes as little Yu Wen retreated to the high window.
The sunlight squeezed through the gaps of the iron bars behind her, but it could only light up a small area at her feet.
Little Yu Wen was completely shrouded in cold shadows, unable to grasp a single ray of light.
How similar was this scene to the present Yu Wen?
Huang Xiaozhi followed her and stood to the side, carefully observing little Yu Wen’s expression.
The numbness hidden beneath the calm that was beyond her age was exactly the same as the present Yu Wen.
Little Yu Wen quietly looked up at the high, inaccessible, light-trapping iron window. There was no expression on her face, like a lifeless porcelain doll.
Huang Xiaozhi’s heart was bleeding: Was she thinking of her mommy and daddy? Was she so wronged that she was about to break? Was she in a lot of pain?
Tears gushed out in the dream and also soaked her pillow in reality.
Little Yu Wen simply extended her small hand, opened her palm, and faced that ray of light that she could never touch.
She looked for a while, then silently put her hand down.
There was still no emotion on her face, as if she had long been accustomed to disappointment. She turned around and silently walked back to her closed door.
Huang Xiaozhi followed her in.
The window in the room was tightly closed. The heavy curtains were drawn shut. The lights were off, and it was completely silent.
Only a faint line of sunlight managed to squeeze through a gap at the very top of the window, casting a slanted light on the cold wall.
Little Yu Wen sat down at the desk with her back to the door. Huang Xiaozhi slowly floated closer and saw her small hand holding a pencil.
An old notebook was open in front of her.
Stroke by stroke, she slowly wrote:
I was born in the light and was pulled into the abyss. I stand in the darkness and look toward the light, an inaccessible, untouchable light.
Huang Xiaozhi’s spirit was deeply shaken by these words.
Could a nine-year-old child write something like this? What kind of despair was she forced into to see through the darkness of the world so early? What kind of heartbreaking “maturity” was this?
She finished writing the date.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!” The bedroom door was violently hammered.
The people downstairs must have left.
The person outside the door had obviously lost their patience and started kicking the door, accompanied by foul curses.
Finally, there was the metallic sound of a key being inserted into the lock.
The door was pushed open violently.
A burly man with a mean face stood in the doorway, holding a thick wooden stick. He menacingly pointed the stick at the small, thin Yu Wen, who had her back to him.
Huang Xiaozhi watched from the side, her eyes wide with fury. Her heart was in her throat.
What was that stick for?!
The man roared:
“You little brat! Trying to sneak away again, huh?! You think you can escape from my grasp? Dream on! Let me tell you, you’re a toy that my brother-in-law and sister bought with a lot of money! Where do you think you’re going? To find your mom who has already turned to dust? Delusional! Dead is dead! Today, I’m going to set a rule for you. You run once, and I’ll beat you once!” As he spoke, he smirked and swung the stick fiercely at little Yu Wen’s back!
Little Yu Wen’s body trembled when the stick came down, but she gritted her teeth and didn’t make a sound.
Only when she heard the words “turned to dust” did her hand, holding the pencil, suddenly tighten, her knuckles turning white.
“Crack!!!”
A dull and terrifying sound exploded in the small room! The stick hit little Yu Wen’s thin back squarely. The force was so great that even Huang Xiaozhi’s spirit felt a sharp pain. She had no doubt that a child this small could be beaten to death!
She wanted to rush over, to stand in front of her, to shout for him to stop… but she couldn’t do anything! She could only watch helplessly!
Her vision blurred with anger and pain.
In the blur, she saw a woman in a luxurious silk nightgown leaning lazily against the door frame. A cruel smile seemed to be on her lips, as if she were enjoying a wonderful play.
Huang Xiaozhi’s spirit struggled in vain. Her limbs were tied with invisible chains, unable to move.
She could only watch in despair as the stick came down again and again, watching little Yu Wen’s small body curl up in pain under the violence…
…
“Ugh!” Huang Xiaozhi suddenly sat up in bed. Her chest was heaving, and she was gasping for air. Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and there were still wet tear stains on her cheeks.
She looked at her phone screen. The glaring light showed that it was eight o’clock.
Someone had been in her room. It was Wei Qingwen. She had quietly come in while she was asleep and tucked her blanket in.
She shook her head hard, unwilling to believe that dream that was too real, too cruel.
Dreams are the opposite of reality! It must be the opposite! That can’t be real!
But her empty eyes betrayed her. She stared blankly at a spot in the void in front of her.
That scarred little girl grew up and became the tough and silent person she was now. It turned out that they had had such a brief and heartbreaking encounter eight years ago, separated by the chasm of light and darkness.
This coincidence… Was fate guiding her to love and warm her?
Huang Xiaozhi painfully closed her eyes and shook her head hard, trying to get rid of the image of little Yu Wen’s eyes, which were prematurely mature and filled with numbness and despair.
A nine-year-old child with eyes like an old person who had gone through a lot. That was the “maturity” that suffering had ground out of her.
The truth of that car accident? The Zhang family’s calculations? How much unknown torment did little Yu Wen endure? She bit her lower lip, almost drawing bl00d.
She let out a deep, helpless sigh. Pity, heartache, sadness… complex emotions almost drowned her.
So much hardship, so much pain, yet she managed to survive and grow into the seemingly calm person she was today.
She was… so strong.
…
Yu Wen also had a dream. She hadn’t dreamt in a long time, and her father had never appeared in her dreams to see her.
But last night, he did.
In the dream, she was nestled on the sofa watching a movie.
A clear and sudden knocking sound was heard. She shuffled over in her slippers to open the door.
The moment she opened the door, her whole body froze.
A man was standing outside the door. A man she missed so much but whose face was blurred—her father.
He looked so young, just as she remembered him.
He was holding a small bag, and he smiled and shook it at her. “My daughter, look what Daddy brought you. Snowflake crisps. They were your favorite when you were little. I don’t know… if you still like them now?” His smile was as warm as the winter sun.
Yu Wen didn’t reach for the bag of snowflake crisps.
She just stared at her father’s face. Her eyes instantly turned red, and tears uncontrollably welled up. She had almost forgotten what he looked like… He finally… finally came to see her?
Why didn’t he come all these years?
Her lips trembled violently. Her voice was broken and tearful. “Dad… why… why didn’t you come to see me? Do you… hate your daughter?” The feeling of being wronged and the longing were like a bursting dam.
The man outside the door still had a gentle smile, with a hint of helpless indulgence. “Silly girl, what are you talking about? Didn’t Dad come to see you?” He reached out and, just like he did countless times when she was little, gently and lovingly stroked Yu Wen’s head.
That familiar touch instantly broke down all of Yu Wen’s defenses.
Her eyelashes trembled violently, and tears rolled down like pearls with a broken string.
Seeing her cry so sadly, the man took a step forward, opened his arms, and gave her a long-lost hug that smelled of sunlight and soap. His broad hand gently patted her back, comforting her. “My good daughter… you’ve suffered…”
Yu Wen greedily soaked up this illusory warmth. However, the man gently let go of her.
“I have to go,” his voice had a hint of reluctance. He walked into the house, gently placed the snowflake crisps on the coffee table in the living room, and looked back at Yu Wen with a deep gaze. “The snowflake crisps are here for you. We… will see each other again.”
After he finished speaking, he turned and walked toward the door.
Yu Wen suddenly came back to her senses and chased after him to the doorway. “Dad!” But the sight in front of her stunned her—the hallway outside the door was no longer the familiar one. It had become a deep, long, dark corridor with no end in sight!
Her father’s figure was not far ahead, his steps calm.
“Dad! Wait for me!” Yu Wen rushed into the corridor, running desperately. She didn’t feel tired. She just wanted to catch up to that figure.
But no matter how fast she ran, her father’s figure was always not far ahead, but it became more and more transparent and blurry, like a mirage, and finally completely disappeared into the dazzling white light at the end of the corridor.
“Dad—!” Yu Wen called out in a heart-wrenching voice, as if she had exhausted all her strength. She slid to the floor against the cold wall. A huge sense of despair and emptiness swallowed her.
Dad’s gone… what about Mom? Is Mom still alive somewhere? This thought was like a faint match, and it was instantly swallowed by a deeper darkness.
Just as she was in despair, a clear, cold, echoing sound of high heels came from a distance, “Clack… clack… clack…”
A pair of bright red high heels came to a stop in her blurry vision.
Li Qian, in a scarlet dress, stood in front of her, looking down. Her gaze, however, went past her, toward the white light that had disappeared at the end of the corridor. Her red lips parted, and the words she spoke were like poisoned icicles:
“You must remember that you are no longer a part of the Yu family. You are the Zhang family’s property, a slave that the Zhang family bought with money. Know your place, and don’t be ungrateful.”
After she finished speaking, she turned and left without a trace of regret, the sharp sound of her high heels echoing as she disappeared at the other end of the corridor, leaving only a striking red figure.
Yu Wen was completely drained of strength and collapsed on the cold floor.
Then, countless figures walked past her indifferently: the mean old lady of the Zhang family, the shifty-eyed Zhang Yulin, the arrogant Zhang Huze, the hurried Wei Qingwen… and Huang Xiaozhi.
Huang Xiaozhi’s footsteps seemed to pause for a moment. She looked down at her, her eyes holding a complex emotion that Yu Wen couldn’t understand.
Then, Huang Xiaozhi also crouched down and silently handed her a clean tissue. She then stood up and blended into the leaving crowd without looking back.
What was this dream… hinting at?
Was it hinting that everyone would eventually leave her? Whether by life or death? Was she ultimately alone?
“Ring-a-ling—”
The jarring sound of the alarm clock was like a sharp blade, rudely cutting through the dream.
Yu Wen suddenly opened her eyes, turned off the alarm, and sat up in the dim morning light. She deeply ran her hands through her hair, her head throbbing.
Why did everyone enter her dreams last night? To remind her of what? To mock her about what?
She frowned and shook off those chaotic thoughts, threw off the blanket, and got out of bed.
She walked to the window and “swoosh” went the sound as she pulled open the heavy curtains.
The cold morning sun instantly poured in, like a golden river, dispelling the darkness in the room and illuminating the specks of dust in the air.
A new day had begun.
…
Both of them had dreams.
One was stuck in the mud of the past. The other was trapped on an island of loss.
If she could be a little luckier, that would be great.
If I could be a little luckier, that would be great.
…
Morning.
The sun shone through the window and onto the desk. Huang Xiaozhi was hunched over, writing furiously, catching up on her pile of homework.
Her phone screen lit up. It was a WeChat message from Su Li.
WeChat:
Cherries: Little One, have you thought about what to do for the arts festival?
Little One: I have no idea yet. What do you think about dancing the peacock dance?
Huang Xiaozhi was the type of person who had a wide range of interests and was a quick learner, but not necessarily a master of all of them.
Cherries: That’s a good idea! It feels like it suits you! You’d look like an ethereal fairy! But it’s up to you. I think our Princess Xiaoxiao looks sparkling no matter what she dances!
Little One: Thanks for the compliment. Say more. I love hearing it.
Cherries: Tsk tsk tsk. Look at you all happy. Let me tell you something serious.
Cherries: Don’t get too excited.
Little One: Say it. I’m calm.
Cherries: I won’t be coming to school after the arts festival next week.
Little One: ???
Little One: What are you doing? Not studying or taking exams anymore? Why aren’t you coming to school?
Cherries: Hehe, I actually got early admission! So I don’t have to take the rest of the exams.
Little One: Really?! What kind of amazing school has such good taste to pick you? Tell me, tell me!
Cherries: It’s a secret! I can’t tell you for now~
Little One: You better not be lying to me. If I find out you’re pulling my leg, humph, you’re gonna get it.
Cherries: How could I! You’re probably busy catching up on your homework at home, right?
Little One: Yeah. A miserable student. What about it?
Cherries: Keep it up! I have something to do, so I’m gonna go~ Talk later!
Little One: Okay, go be busy.
After putting down her phone, Huang Xiaozhi couldn’t help but smile.
Su Li actually got early admission! Although she had heard of such good news before, she was still incredibly happy for her good friend.
Then she thought, why didn’t any school have such a sharp eye to pick me? But then she felt relieved. It’s no big deal. I’ll just ask for leave then.
Speaking of the peacock dance.
Which one should I learn?
She searched for it on a video app on her phone and quickly found a classic performance by a senior dancer.
On the screen, the dancer’s posture was graceful and agile. Every look, every trembling of her fingertips, made it seem as if she had truly transformed into an elegant and proud peacock.
Huang Xiaozhi was mesmerized. She couldn’t help but follow the movements in the video, raising her arms and gently twisting her fingertips, imitating the posture of a peacock stretching its neck.
She felt that learning to dance wasn’t particularly difficult for her.
She was so focused that for a moment, she forgot about the mountain of homework on her desk.
Forget it. There’s still plenty of time anyway. That homework is just some small monsters that I need to defeat. I’ll get it done eventually.
The beautiful peacock dance seemed to have a magical power, attracting her.
She simply stood up and gently twirled and stretched in her room. She didn’t have a gorgeous dance costume. She was just wearing her loungewear and slippers, but her dedication and agile imitation had already faintly outlined the雏形 of a budding peacock.
Her flexible body moved with the music, her toes lightly tapping, and her arms stretching.
It had been a long time since she had so seriously prepared for a stage performance.
Huang Xiaozhi didn’t know if the arts festival performance would be a success, but she had to try to find out.
…
On Saturday morning, time flowed in silence.
On the fifteenth and sixteenth floors, two girls were each immersed in their own world.
One was at her desk, accompanied by homework and dance. The other was in a sun-drenched room, sorting through her thoughts.
They didn’t disturb each other, yet they subtly affected each other’s emotions.
She didn’t know if it was because of those bizarre dreams or because fate was just like that.
Fate is never perfect. Everyone’s life path is vastly different.
Some people seem to be born to walk on broken glass, living a muddled life full of thorns; while others seem to be favored by fate, able to walk on rose petals, singing and dancing happily all the way to the end.
If Huang Xiaozhi could be a little luckier and have a good father who truly loved her, would her life be closer to perfect?
If Yu Wen could be a little luckier, not encountering that meticulously planned car accident and not being dragged into the Zhang family’s abyss, would she also be able to have an ordinary but complete family and enjoy the warm protection of her parents?
If…