An Earlier Meeting - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

With his superb driving skills, Zhong Li shook off the tailing cars.

He drove the car into a narrow alley and stopped.

Yu Wen pushed the door open and got out, vigilantly scanning her surroundings.

In front of her was a dilapidated old neighborhood. The paint on the walls was peeling, and the air was filled with a damp, moldy smell. Zhang Yunzhen lives in a place like this?

Zhong Li locked the car, exchanged a look with Yu Wen, and gestured for her to follow.

Yu Wen lowered her head and followed him into the dim stairwell.

This old building was very old. The mottled walls told a story of time. It was probably much older than Yu Wen, and even older than Zhong Li.

They climbed two floors and stopped in front of a mottled wooden door on the far left. Zhong Li raised his hand and knocked.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The first time he knocked, there was no movement inside.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

After the second knock, the door opened with a creak.

Behind the door was an old woman. Her hair was a mix of white and gray, and it was in a low bun. The years had carved deep wrinkles on her face. Her expression was cold, and her tone was flat. “Please come in.”

Zhong Li looked at her. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember her name.

When Yu Wen walked in behind him, her gaze quickly swept over the old woman. Her heart jumped—Grandma Wang?!

The old woman’s cloudy eyes also lingered on Yu Wen’s face for a moment. Her wrinkles trembled slightly. She had clearly recognized the child she hadn’t seen in years, who had now grown into a young woman.

But now was not the time for reminiscing.

Although the outside of the house was dilapidated, the inside was barely livable.

After entering, they turned left into a cramped little living room. By the balcony, a woman with her hair down sat in a wheelchair with her back to them.

That must be Zhang Yunzhen.

The woman in the wheelchair slowly turned her head. The moment Yu Wen saw her face, her pupils shrank—she was so similar! At first glance, she almost thought she was looking at Zhang Yulin.

But on closer inspection, the two had completely different auras.

Zhang Yunzhen was in a wheelchair, but her eyes were sharp as blades. A half-smile played on her lips.

She stretched out her hand, palm up, toward the sofa. “Please, sit.”

Zhong Li and Yu Wen sat down as they were told.

Yu Wen’s gaze fell on the silent old woman next to them. She said softly, “Grandma Wang.”

The old woman nodded slightly in response.

Zhang Yunzhen operated the wheelchair herself and glided smoothly to a stop in front of them. She looked at Zhong Li with a familiar smile. “Brother Li, long time no see.” She stretched out her hand.

Zhong Li did not shake her hand. He just responded calmly, “Long time no see, Miss Yunzhen.”

Zhang Yunzhen seemed to have heard something interesting. She chuckled softly and covered her lips with her hand. “You’re joking, Brother Li. I’ve long since cut ties with the Zhang family. I’m no longer a member of the Zhang family.”

Yu Wen remained silent, her sharp eyes observing every subtle change in Zhang Yunzhen’s expression.

Zhang Yunzhen’s gaze turned to Yu Wen, and her smile deepened. “Sister Yu Wen, you haven’t changed at all. You’re still as composed as ever.”

Yu Wen took off her mask and showed a perfect smile. “Sister Yunzhen and Sister Yulin really look like they were carved from the same mold.”

Zhang Yunzhen shook her head and chuckled. Her voice was filled with self-mockery. “She is my biological sister, after all. We’re twin flowers, born from the same womb. How could we not look alike?” As she spoke, she pushed her wheelchair to the balcony.

Outside the window, the sky was gloomy, and the light was dim. “You two released those messages, didn’t you? The Zhang family… has already started watching you?”

Yu Wen also got up and walked to the edge of the balcony. She looked down, and a fine drizzle of rain began to fall.

“Zhang Yunzhen, the neutral one,” Yu Wen said bluntly, her voice clear. “Who will you choose to help?” She didn’t have time to beat around the bush.

Zhang Yunzhen looked up at Yu Wen, who was much taller than her. Her eyes were calm and clear. “We have a common enemy, don’t we? Strictly speaking, shouldn’t we be partners? What do you think?” Her voice had a calmness that came from seeing through the world.

A hint of appreciation flashed in Yu Wen’s eyes. “Yes, partners.”

Zhang Yunzhen maneuvered her wheelchair closer to Yu Wen and looked up at her. “You’re not a member of the Zhang family. I know who you are. I’ve seen enough over the years. I’ve seen the secrets of the past, I’ve seen you in the past, and I’ve seen how you’ve gotten through it all…” She paused, and her tone became a little more complex. “You’re very capable. I admire you.”

Yu Wen understood. It seemed that Zhang Yunzhen had not been completely uninvolved all these years.

She no longer looked at Zhang Yunzhen. Her gaze was on the gray sky outside the window. “Then, tell me the story of you and your sister?”

Zhang Yunzhen let out a short laugh and also looked out the window, her hands resting on the armrests of the wheelchair. “You know, in that era, twins were a taboo. They only claimed to be expecting one. But they still gave birth to us.” Her voice suddenly turned cold.

“The outside world only knew that the Zhang family had one daughter. They chose to let my sister be the one to show her face, while I… was hidden in the shadows, like a backup tool. If something happened to her, I had to step in, learn everything about her, and imitate her appearance.” Her voice was filled with helplessness and cold sarcasm.

The three people in the room listened quietly.

“The year she was in the car accident, I took her place. But you didn’t notice… that was a little surprising to me. They didn’t tell you. I learned everything my sister knew, because in the eyes of the world, ‘Zhang Yulin’ had to be alive. When she was ‘well rested,’ I had to retreat back into the shadows…” She turned her head, met Yu Wen’s scrutinizing gaze, and forced a smile.

Yu Wen also smiled, but she threw out a shocking statement. “Are you Zhang Yunzhen or Zhang Yulin? Or are you two singing a duet in different places today?” The words were pointed, implying that there were more than four people in the room.

The smile on Zhang Yulin’s face instantly froze. Her body stiffened imperceptibly, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.

This was a completely different person from the quiet Yu Wen she remembered. “You… what are you talking about? I’m Zhang Yunzhen—” Her defense sounded a little weak.

At that moment, Zhong Li took out his phone. The screen clearly showed a contact—Zhang Yulin. He pressed the call button.

“Ring—”

In the silent room, a phone suddenly rang.

The sound came from “Zhang Yunzhen’s” bag. She was Zhang Yulin.

In fact, Yu Wen had recognized her as Zhang Yulin at first glance.

Imitating Zhang Yunzhen? She was more than willing to play along.

Zhang Yulin’s face turned pale. She fumbled to take out her phone from her bag. She lost her grip, and the phone fell to the floor with a “thud.” She looked at the phone on the floor, her expression a mess.

Yu Wen watched the scene with a cold eye and raised her voice. “Sister Yunzhen, how much longer are you going to listen from inside the room?” She was sure there was someone behind the door.

The closed bedroom door was pushed open.

A woman with a sharp short haircut, operating a wheelchair herself, glided out—this was the real Zhang Yunzhen.

The real Zhang Yunzhen’s face had no pretense of gentleness, only a blade-like coldness and sharpness.

These sisters were not good people.

Zhang Yulin lowered her head, her voice dry. “You… how did you know I wasn’t…”

Yu Wen walked over and patted her shoulder. The force was light then heavy. “Because I’ve met her. When you were in that car accident, I pretty much knew.” The truth was often buried deep in the heart.

Zhang Yunzhen coldly swept her gaze over everyone and said to Zhang Yulin, “Sister, you should rest. I’ll talk to her.” Her voice was completely different from Zhang Yulin’s.

She had planned to use the “twin flower” identity to fool them, but she had clearly underestimated Yu Wen.

Zhang Yunzhen gave a look to Grandma Wang. Grandma Wang understood and silently pushed her wheelchair to Yu Wen.

At this time, Zhang Yulin finally bent down to pick up her phone. She looked at the two of them and silently walked to the sofa to sit down.

Zhong Li had already quietly turned on the recording device.

Yu Wen looked at Zhang Yunzhen in the wheelchair. Her missing legs silently told a cruel story of the past.

Zhang Yunzhen moved her wheelchair herself, looking at the gloomy sky outside the window. Her expression was stiff. “The weather is about to change, isn’t it.”

Some of Zhang Yulin’s previous words were true—Zhang Yunzhen was indeed no longer associated with the Zhang family.

The Zhang family had created an accident to “get rid of” the hidden danger that she was, and they took her legs.

Just two legs, Zhang Yunzhen’s eyes were filled with cold hatred, without any regret.

She turned her head and looked up at Yu Wen. “Ms. Yu… you’ve grown up so much.”

Yu Wen leaned down and moved closer to her ear. Her voice was extremely low, but every word was clear. “Yes, number 002 has also fallen to this state. Of course, I had to grow up… otherwise, how can I get revenge?”

Number 002—Zhang Yunzhen!

Upon hearing this code name, Zhang Yunzhen’s pupils shrank fiercely. Then, she turned her head, actively revealing her ear. A smile, almost crazy, appeared on her lips. “Number 002 is still alive… isn’t that incredible?” The smile was a mix of excitement and a repressed fear.

Yu Wen whispered in her ear, “Of course, partner.” After saying that, she straightened up, and a meaningful smile also bloomed on her face.

Zhang Yunzhen looked out the window again. Every word she said was like a bomb:

“Zhang Huze… is not the Zhang family’s biological son.”

This sentence made everyone present, including Zhang Yulin on the sofa, look shocked.

Only Yu Wen’s shock was hidden deep in her eyes, and she remained calm.

Zhang Yunzhen continued, her voice as cold as a knife. “Li Qian was messing around with a wild man outside and got pregnant by accident. That idiot Zhang Ji, the timeline didn’t even match up, and he still believed it was his! Li Qian was able to stay just like that. Anyone with a brain would have checked… I really don’t know how those two old people could have given birth to such a useless person as Zhang Ji!” Her tone was filled with contempt and schadenfreude.

This was right.

This was the Sister Yunzhen she remembered.

Back then at the Zhang family’s, Yu Wen had heard her and Li Qian arguing through the door. Every word was a stab to the heart.

No matter how much Zhang Yulin imitated her, she could never show the sharpness and ruthlessness that was in Zhang Yunzhen’s bones.

Zhang Yulin was poison wrapped in honey, gently corroding you. Zhang Yunzhen was a blade shown directly, hurting others and herself.

The sound of crisp applause rang out in the room—it was Yu Wen.

“Clap, clap, clap, clap…”

“Wonderful! Sister Yunzhen is so right! Zhang Ji’s brain is nothing but a decoration. To have ‘smart’ daughters like you two is truly his ‘blessing’ from his ancestors!” She spoke with a double meaning.

Yu Wen looked at Zhang Yunzhen, took a piece of paper from her bag, and gently placed it in her lap. Zhang Yunzhen still had her back to them, facing the window.

“Since we’re partners, we need a way to communicate. We’re being watched. You two should be careful, too. Let’s stop here for today.” Yu Wen said, turning to walk to the door and nimbly putting on her mask.

Zhong Li quickly put away his device and followed her.

Grandma Wang stood in the corner. Her gaze had been fixed on Yu Wen since she came in and had not left.

The little girl from back then has grown into this…

After Yu Wen and Zhong Li left, Zhang Yunzhen picked up the piece of paper in her lap. On it was a phone number—a well-known number.

Zhang Yulin was still sitting on the sofa. The three people in the room were silent, as if bound by an invisible rope.

The story, perhaps, was just truly beginning here.

Zhang Yulin was originally in City H. She loved her sister deeply and was worried about her, so she lied to Li Qian, saying she had a show in Country M, and rushed to City A to meet with Zhang Yunzhen.

How could they not have been in touch all these years? Seeing Zhang Yunzhen, who had lost her legs and was confined to a wheelchair, Zhang Yulin almost broke down.

And at the moment she saw Zhang Yulin, Zhang Yunzhen showed the most genuine smile she had ever had in her life.

Twin flowers, connected by bl00d. They were each other’s true family.

Compared to their so-called parents, they knew how to cherish each other more.

The combination of a sharp blade and gentle poison was the most lethal.

No one knew that within the Zhang family, there was a pair of ruthless twin flowers.

Now, they would be combined in Yu Wen’s hands to form the sharpest sword.

…

Yu Wen and Zhong Li quickly went downstairs and drove back. It was not safe to stay there for long.

She needed to go home to organize the information and wait for new intelligence.

She believed Zhang Yunzhen was smart and knew what to say and what to keep to herself. But sometimes, smart people can be too clever for their own good. She had to be vigilant with everyone around her, including her new allies.

She had to rely on her own judgment to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

The most unexpected thing was the appearance of Grandma Wang. It seemed she was taken away from the cage of the Zhang family by Zhang Yunzhen.

Zhang Yunzhen and Zhang Yulin, while similar in appearance, were two completely different people inside.

Zhang Yulin was meticulous and used underhanded tricks. Her acting skills were superb. She appeared to be fragile on the outside and was good at sweet-talking and deceiving people.

When you thought she was a harmless little white rabbit, you had already fallen into the web she had meticulously woven, being led by invisible threads. She was a venomous creature with a soft fur coat. Underneath her harmless exterior were deadly barbs and a potent poison.

Zhang Yunzhen, on the other hand, was sharp and outspoken. “Ruthless” was her label, but she also contradictorily retained a hint of kindness. If there wasn’t still a faint light in her heart, she would have become the perfect “number 002” from the “experiment base.”

That most filthy pit in City A—a research institute that conducted experiments on humans. It was a place where Li Qian personally sent her own daughter. There, all emotions were worn down, and any emotion on her face was the same expression: coldness and calculation.

Threats were useless against her. Before you even spoke, she had already thought of ten ways to retaliate.

The two sisters, one was as meticulous as a spider weaving a web, and the other’s mind was as quick as a lightning strike. And they had one thing in common: they were both top-notch actors.

Yu Wen herself was not confined to either open or covert battles.

She could do both. But she preferred to set up her plans in the shadows, watching her enemies fall into the mud step by step, panicking, and ultimately being beyond salvation.

She would perfectly hide herself in the deepest shadows, and then—applaud silently for this destruction.

…

After Yu Wen and Zhong Li left, the two people in the room looked at Zhang Yunzhen.

Zhang Yunzhen’s wheelchair was still facing away from the living room, facing the window.

The sound of the rain got louder, hitting the glass. Her voice had no emotion, and it was as cold as a machine. “Sister, are you going back to Country M?”

Zhang Yulin looked at her sister’s lonely back. Her gaze fell on her empty pant legs, and her heart was in pain. “I’m not going back. Are you… telling me to leave?” Country M was meaningless now. It was better to stay in City A and do something “useful.”

Zhang Yunzhen slowly turned her wheelchair to face them. Under her shoulder-length short hair, a cross-shaped scar on her collarbone was faintly visible. She forced a smile with no warmth. “How could I? Welcome, Sister, to my place.” The smile was empty and fake.

Grandma Wang stood to the side. Her brow had been furrowed ever since Yu Wen walked in. At this moment, she was even more worried.

Zhang Yunlin walked to Zhang Yunzhen’s wheelchair and asked softly, “After all these years, what was it like to see Yu Wen for the first time?”

Zhang Yunzhen in the wheelchair glanced at her, her voice still flat and emotionless. “A little shocking. In a place like that, she not only survived but also grew up to be… a better chess player than us.”

That was true.

Living under the same roof, they were well aware of the filth of the Zhang family.

The fact that Yu Wen could survive and grow in such an environment was a miracle in itself.

Zhang Yulin lowered her head to look at her sister. “She is indeed deep and her methods are ruthless. But at least for now, we’re partners, aren’t we?”

At least for now, their interests were temporarily aligned.

The room was filled with silent calculations. The three of their minds combined could probably crush all their enemies.

…

The three of them returned to another of Zhang Yunzhen’s residences. Grandma Wang now followed Zhang Yunzhen and was her personal nanny.

As soon as Zhang Yulin entered, she went to pack her things. Since she had decided to stay, she needed to settle in properly.

Only Zhang Yunzhen was left in the living room, a lonely figure.

She took out her phone and entered that well-known number to add Yu Wen on WeChat. Since Yu Wen had given it to her, she must have something to say.

Yu Wen, who was at home, was waiting for this moment. She was sure Zhang Yunzhen would contact her.

The friend request was accepted.

WeChat:

Wen: Sister Yunzhen, do you have something to ask?

. : No. I just want to chat with you.

Wen: Okay. About what?]

. : What do you think… Zhang Yulin is like?

Wen: Sister Yunzhen, you’re asking me to get myself killed. (accompanied by a helpless emoji)

. : Don’t worry. It’s just between you and me.

Wen: I can’t say for sure. In short… be cautious with her. Right now, we are the chess players, and she… may not be content with just being a pawn.

. : I understand.

Wen: Sister Yunzhen, you trust me so much?

. : It’s not that I trust you. It’s that I trust the reality I’ve seen.

Wen: Mm. Better to be safe.

. : Mm.

Wen: Then I’ll get back to my work.

. : Okay.

The conversation was concise, and the message was delivered. Talking too much and revealing too much would be a threat to herself.

Zhang Yulin’s ambition was too great. It was almost overflowing from her carefully disguised gentle exterior.

Yu Wen believed she was good at reading people.

Her intuition and observation told her that the final chess player in this game could only be herself. She would not allow anyone else to get involved.