An Earlier Meeting - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

After the meal, the young people were naturally left with the battlefield of dirty dishes.

Pei Dan voluntarily rolled up his sleeves and began clearing the table, and Wei Shun naturally followed him into the kitchen.

Wei Qingwen looked tired and went upstairs for her afternoon nap.

Wei Shuqun also returned upstairs, slowly strolling with his hands behind his back.

The large living room was left with only Wang Yuhuan, Huang Xiaozhi, and Yu Wen.

The warm afternoon sun streamed through the windows, and the lingering scent of food still hung in the air.

The three sat in a circle. Wang Yuhuan’s gaze moved gently between the two young women.

“You two… are you both about to start your senior year?” Wang Yuhuan asked with a reminiscent expression.

Huang Xiaozhi nodded vigorously, her ponytail bobbing. “Yes, yes! But we still have a whole year, Grandma! You didn’t know?” Her tone carried a playful, chiding affection.

Wang Yuhuan smiled and patted her forehead. “Look at my memory. I’m getting old, you know. Oh—if I remember correctly, you’re at Yu Zhong High School, aren’t you?” She looked at them both, her eyes full of expectation, as if confirming an important answer.

Yu Wen pursed her lips and smiled, two shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks. She answered softly, “Yes, Grandma. We’re still about two years from graduation, but time flies.” Her gentle, intellectual demeanor looked especially soft in the afternoon light.

Watching her, Huang Xiaozhi felt Yu Wen’s smile flutter over her heart like a feather, bringing a faint, ticklish tremor.

Wang Yuhuan’s gaze shifted to Huang Xiaozhi, with a hint of non-negotiable authority. “Xiaozhi, you go upstairs and rest for a bit. I want to spend some time alone with Yu Wen.”

Huang Xiaozhi was taken aback for a moment, then understood that her grandma probably had something important to say to Yu Wen in private.

Though she was curious, she obediently nodded. “Okay.” She stood up and looked at Yu Wen. “Come to my room to rest later, okay?” With that, she nimbly headed up the stairs.

This was an unexpected blessing for Yu Wen, saving her the trouble of finding a chance to talk to Madam Wang alone.

After Huang Xiaozhi disappeared around the corner of the staircase, Wang Yuhuan gently took Yu Wen’s hand, holding it in her own palm, which was marked by the passage of time, and tenderly stroking it.

Yu Wen didn’t pull her hand away, allowing this touch filled with an elder’s warmth to envelop her cold fingers.

Wang Yuhuan’s hand was old and warm, while Yu Wen’s was young and slender, a stark contrast between them.

Wang Yuhuan gazed at Yu Wen, her eyes filled with an unspoken heartache, as if she was seeing a heavy past through her.

“Yu Wen,” Wang Yuhuan’s voice was low and gentle. “I hope it’s okay for me to call you that. The first time I saw you, I felt like I must have met you a long, long time ago.”

“My daughter, Qingwen, told me your name, and I thought it was such a coincidence. Seeing you in person, my heart… was a mix of surprise, joy, and a feeling I can’t quite describe,” Wang Yuhuan said with a sigh of emotion.

Hearing these words, a strong sense of unreality washed over Yu Wen.

She lowered her head slightly, trying to hide the sudden hot sting in her eyes.

“Grandma,” she looked up, her eyes shimmering with moisture, her voice trembling slightly. “When… when did you see me?” The tears, after all, uncontrollably welled up in her eyes.

Wang Yuhuan saw the broken light in Yu Wen’s eyes, the faint glimmer reflecting the tears.

She reached out and, with her fingertips, very gently wiped away the tear that was about to fall, a look of pity on her face. “If I’m not mistaken, we took a photo together when you were very young. And a few years ago, at the Zhang family’s banquet in City H, that little girl in the simple black dress standing alone in the corner—that was also you, wasn’t it?” By the end of her words, Wang Yuhuan’s own voice was choked with emotion, and her eyes were red.

After her tears were wiped away, Yu Wen’s eyes were even redder.

They all said she was strong, but even the hardest shell can’t withstand the constant pounding of past events.

She was, in the end, still a child who had carried too much and was covered in scars.

Wang Yuhuan continued speaking, her voice like the sound of flipping through a dusty photo album. “What happened when you were a child… it was probably because our family and your Yu family had business dealings. You and Xiaozhi were around the same age, so you got to know each other. Back then, your parents often brought you to our house to visit.”

“Your mother, Yun Chengdie, we all called her Little Yun. She and my Qingwen were very good friends.” Wang Yuhuan’s voice grew somber, filled with deep regret. “Later… after everything happened, we all felt… so heartbroken, so sad.”

“At the time, Qingwen and I rushed over together…” Wang Yuhuan paused, as if unable to recall the scene. “When we saw the place… sigh…” She let out a long sigh and shook her head, everything left unsaid.

“We later heard that you were adopted. We inquired everywhere but couldn’t find you, and we didn’t know who adopted you,” Wang Yuhuan said with a tone of deep regret.

“Later, that old man from the Zhang family invited me for tea, and I saw you at his house. I just felt like you looked familiar, like you, but I didn’t dare to think too much or ask too many questions,” she said, her gaze on Yu Wen complicated.

“The last time we met was at that banquet the Zhang family hosted a few years ago,” Wang Yuhuan’s voice became clear. “I saw you at a glance, wearing a simple black dress, standing alone in the corner like a quiet little bamboo stalk. I heard others call you ‘Yu Wen,’ and at that moment, I was sure it was you.”

Yu Wen listened with great focus, trying to search through the fog of her memories, but they remained hazy.

This was normal; those distant, mundane fragments of daily life had long been washed away by the torrent of time.

Her tear-streaked cheeks were now dry, but a strange warmth welled up in her heart.

She showed a genuine smile, one of relief and a hint of gratitude. “Thank you… for recognizing me. Grandma, I’m so happy.” This feeling of being recognized and remembered made her cold heart ripple with a trace of warmth.

Wang Yuhuan smiled while also raising her hand to wipe the dampness from her own eyes, murmuring, “My child, you have suffered these past years, truly… you’ve had it so hard.”

Those three words, “you have suffered,” struck Yu Wen’s heart like a heavy hammer.

That’s right, how many years have passed without hardship? She pulled at the corner of her mouth, as if mocking herself or trying to comfort the other person. “All this suffering… I’ll just see it as a stumbling block to temper me. You see, I’m… not doing well?” Her tone was forced to sound easygoing, but had that “stumbling block” never tripped her up? The deep fatigue in her eyes betrayed her.

Wang Yuhuan had a keen eye for people. Her weathered eyes saw it clearly.

She sighed, her voice even gentler, with a power to soothe the heart. “Child, if you feel wronged, if you have suffered, if you are tired… just have a good cry. Don’t always keep it bottled up. It will feel better to let it out.”

This sentence pierced the most hidden corner of Yu Wen’s heart.

That’s right, even the right to cry seemed to have been taken from her.

Her adoptive parents hated her crying and scolded her, “Stop crying,” completely blocking her outlet for emotional release.

Yu Wen couldn’t maintain the smile on her face any longer, and tears fell silently, like a broken string of pearls.

Why had she become so fragile and prone to tears recently? If she kept this up, how could she talk about revenge?

It’s not enough. I’m still far from strong enough. I must become stronger, smarter, tougher, more fearless… Otherwise, how can I hope to shake the great tree that is the Zhang family?

She cried silently, and Wang Yuhuan patiently and gently wiped her tears away over and over again.

Yu Wen deeply felt the warmth and acceptance that Huang Xiaozhi’s family gave her.

They seemed to truly treat her like family.

This hand reaching out to her was so warm and powerful.

She grabbed it, holding it tightly. She would cherish every act of kindness and remember every person who had reached out to her in her dark years.

…

When Yu Wen went upstairs, she felt a little lost standing in the quiet hallway.

Which one was Huang Xiaozhi’s room? She hadn’t said clearly.

Helpless, she tried to knock on one of the doors.

Sure enough, the door opened, revealing Wei Shun’s slightly surprised face.

Yu Wen’s heart sank, and embarrassment instantly spread. It’s okay, it’s okay, she told herself silently.

“Yu Wen? What’s wrong?” Wei Shun asked in a low voice, clearly not wanting to wake the person in the room.

Behind him, Pei Dan seemed to be fast asleep.

Yu Wen immediately realized she had disturbed their rest and became even more flustered. “Uh… could you tell me where Xiaozhi’s room is?” Since she had already disturbed them, she might as well ask.

Wei Shun then understood that she was lost. He turned to the side and pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. “Over there. You can go straight in, she probably didn’t lock the door.”

Yu Wen nodded repeatedly in thanks. “Thank you, I’m sorry to bother you! I won’t disturb you anymore. Bye.” With that, she almost ran quickly toward the room Wei Shun pointed to.

Wei Shun watched her leave and gently closed the door.

In the room, Pei Dan was still asleep. Wei Shun himself wasn’t sleepy, so he sat down at the desk, put on his headphones, and started binge-watching a show.

Even though Wei Shun said she could go straight in, Yu Wen still tapped lightly on Huang Xiaozhi’s door as a courtesy.

There was no response from inside, so she must have been asleep.

She carefully turned the doorknob, slipped inside, and closed the door.

The room was dimly lit, with the curtains half-drawn.

The figure rising from the bed was Huang Xiaozhi, her breathing even and long. She was clearly in a deep sleep and had changed into comfortable loungewear.

Yu Wen noticed a small, playful strand of hair resting on Huang Xiaozhi’s lips, trembling slightly with each breath.

She hesitated for a moment, then, with very light footsteps, she carefully walked to the side of the bed.

The mattress made a slight sound as she sat down, but it didn’t wake the sleeping person.

Yu Wen propped her left hand on the soft bed, leaned down, and with her right hand, very gently brushed the strand of hair away from Huang Xiaozhi’s lips and tucked it behind her ear.

From this distance, in the dim light, she clearly saw Huang Xiaozhi’s serene sleeping face—a smooth forehead, thick, curled eyelashes, a cute, upturned nose, and slightly parted, soft lips… so close.

Her fingertips seemed to still feel the silky touch of the hair.

Looking at this defenseless, pure, and beautiful face, Yu Wen’s heart skipped a few beats. If not for her powerful self-control, she would have been unable to resist kissing her.

She was a person of integrity, and she would never take advantage of another person’s vulnerability.

This face, she would hide it in the most secret corner of her memory, treating it as a precious treasure while knowing it was an unattainable luxury.

She originally wanted to lightly touch that delicate cheek, and her fingertips moved, but she ultimately pulled them back, not disturbing the sleeping person in the slightest.

However, the person on the bed seemed to sense the presence beside her, or maybe she hadn’t been in a deep sleep. Her eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Her clear eyes, filled with the fog of just waking up, looked directly into Yu Wen’s eyes, which were so close.

They gazed at each other in silence, and a strange stillness filled the air.

The dim light blurred their expressions but magnified the reflection of each other in their eyes.

Yu Wen was secretly glad she hadn’t done anything inappropriate just now.

Huang Xiaozhi’s mind was still a little fuzzy. She didn’t understand why Yu Wen was looking at her so closely.

She tried to find an answer on her face but only saw a deep sense of calm.

“You…” Huang Xiaozhi’s voice was hoarse with sleep. “Do you want to lie down and rest?” She saw Yu Wen’s propped-up posture and worried her arm would go numb after a while.

She was genuinely just concerned; she had no other thoughts.

Hearing her say that, Yu Wen lay down next to her, on her side, and closed her eyes without saying another word.

But in the slightly cool air, a faint blush secretly crept up her ears. Thankfully, the light was dim, and Huang Xiaozhi didn’t notice.

Yu Wen pretended to be asleep, trying to calm her racing heart.

But Huang Xiaozhi was wide awake.

The person she had been thinking about was lying right next to her. How could she possibly sleep?

She lay on her side openly, her gaze fixed on the contours of Yu Wen’s profile, her closed eyes, and her slightly pursed lips.

She didn’t know how long she watched, only that Yu Wen’s breathing gradually became even and long, as if she was truly asleep.

With her eyes closed, Yu Wen shed her usual mature aloofness. Her features looked especially soft, even a little childlike and innocent.

The room was a bit cold, and Huang Xiaozhi worried she might catch a chill.

She carefully shifted her body, trying not to make a sound, and pulled a corner of her thin blanket over to gently drape it over Yu Wen.

Just as she put it on, Yu Wen unconsciously turned over a little, and the blanket slid down.

Huang Xiaozhi pursed her lips in frustration. She simply sat up and meticulously tucked the blanket around Yu Wen, making sure it covered her shoulders.

Since she was now awake, she quietly got out of bed, changed her clothes, and silently left the room, leaving this small, quiet, and cozy space to the sleeping Yu Wen.

Wearing soft slippers, Huang Xiaozhi tiptoed down the stairs, afraid of waking anyone who was resting.

But when she got to the living room, she saw her uncle, Wei Shun, lying sprawled on the sofa, fully engrossed in a mobile game.

Huang Xiaozhi stood at the foot of the stairs, frowning, and looked at him in confusion, silently mouthing, “Why are you here?”

Wei Shun heard the movement and looked up. Seeing it was his niece, he turned off the game sound.

He saw Huang Xiaozhi’s mouth shape and silently mouthed a reply back.

Huang Xiaozhi didn’t understand what he said, but she thought his mouth movements looked a bit punchable. She walked toward him, her eyes “accusing” him.

Huang Xiaozhi sat on the other end of the sofa and asked in a low voice, “What happened? Did Professor Pei get annoyed with you and kick you out?” Her tone was teasing.

Wei Shun immediately wanted to jump up and argue, but out of consideration for the people upstairs, he kept his voice low. “Can’t you think a little better of your uncle?! I came down here on my own so I wouldn’t disturb his sleep!” He paused, a hint of smugness in his voice. “Besides, would he dare to kick me out? Honestly.”

Huang Xiaozhi was left speechless. She could only give him two thumbs up and mouthed in an exaggerated way: You’re awesome!

She curled up on the sofa, hugged her arms, leaned her head back against the cushion, closed her eyes to rest, and put on her headphones, letting a soothing melody flow through them.

Wei Shun sat up, crossed his legs, and leaned back on the sofa. He looked at his niece with her eyes closed and felt a little bored, so he poked her arm with his finger.

“Hey, let me ask you something,” he said in a very low voice.

Huang Xiaozhi opened her eyes and glared at him playfully. “What? And I’m not ‘hey,’ I have a name.”

Normally, Wei Shun would have started rambling back at her.

But today, he needed her for something, so he held back, offering a forced smile. “Alright, alright, Huang Xiaozhi, my good student, is that better? Your uncle needs to ask for some advice.”

Huang Xiaozhi was unaccustomed to his unusually polite attitude and raised an eyebrow. “What is it? Go on.”

Wei Shun uncomfortably cleared his throat, leaned forward, and brought his face closer. He had a rare look of seriousness and confusion. “Um… last time, when I came home drunk for dinner, Pei Dan was the one who came to pick me up, right? That day… I didn’t do anything particularly outrageous, did I?” He tried hard to recall, but his memory was in fragments.

So that’s what this is about! Huang Xiaozhi immediately became interested.

She scooted back a little, putting some distance between them, and then, with a serious expression, she cleared her throat and sat up straight, as if about to tell a grand story.

“You want to know?” she drew out the words.

Wei Shun nodded frantically. “Yes! More than anything!”

“That night,” Huang Xiaozhi began in a low voice, narrating vividly. “You and my grandpa were drinking so happily that you both got completely wasted. Then, I don’t know which ‘kind soul’ contacted Professor Pei. He came in a hurry. Tsk, his face was not good at all. He looked kind of mad.” She observed Wei Shun’s expression and paused deliberately. “Did you… piss him off?”

Wei Shun began to search for clues in his blurry memory.

He remembered that day was the day after he had decided to give up on Pei Dan. He had already stayed a night in a hotel, so logically, he shouldn’t have contacted him.

“I shouldn’t have… contacted him, right? Who was it that asked him to pick me up?” Wei Shun looked confused.

“You’re asking me? Who should I ask?” Huang Xiaozhi spread her hands. “My mom and I were washing dishes in the kitchen when we heard a knock. When we opened the door, whoa, Professor Pei was standing there with a grim face and said, ‘I’m here to pick up Wei Shun.'” She mimicked Pei Dan’s cold tone from that moment.

“And then,” Huang Xiaozhi became more animated, her eyes sparkling, “he walked up to you and asked, ‘Are you coming or not?’ You were drunk and clinging to the sofa cushion, mumbling, ‘No, I’m not!’ Oh my god, Professor Pei didn’t say another word. He just bent down and carried you out like a sack of rice!” She gestured as she spoke. “You should have seen my mom’s and my faces. We completely lost it! Our jaws almost hit the floor!”

Wei Shun’s face turned into a dark cloud. He sighed and shook his head helplessly. “Sigh… don’t even talk about it. I really did get ‘eaten’ later, completely devoured.” He recalled the aching back and chaotic memories from when he woke up the next day; it was truly unbearable.

He couldn’t understand how he, even when drunk, would only sit in a daze. How could he have done something so “immoral”?

Huang Xiaozhi’s eyes widened even more at her uncle’s astonishing words. “Whoa! Professor Pei is something else! That must mean you really pissed him off!” She began to analyze the situation with great seriousness. “Based on my observation and deduction…”

Wei Shun looked at her, with her Sherlock Holmes-like demeanor, and half-closed his eyes in exasperation. “Stop! Stop! Don’t make things up! It’s not what you think! The situation… is a little more complicated.” He sighed, looking a bit frustrated.

Huang Xiaozhi’s curiosity was fully piqued. “Come on, tell me, what’s really going on between you two?”

She had a hunch there was a major romance plot here, especially remembering that slap Pei Dan gave Wei Shun on the butt that day. It definitely wasn’t simple!

Wei Shun scratched his head. He sat cross-legged, looking down at his fingers, his eyes a little unfocused, as if he were trying to figure out where to start. He had never discussed these private matters with his family, including his niece.

“Well… I like Pei Dan, you know,” he said in a lower voice. “Love at first sight. And so… I started to pursue him.” He looked up at Huang Xiaozhi, and seeing that she was just nodding, waiting for him to continue, he gritted his teeth and went on.

“So I pursued him in every way possible… and then maybe… sigh, I can’t even say… maybe I was just too annoying,” Wei Shun’s tone was a little self-deprecating. “He went abroad to study for a year, and he didn’t contact me for more than half a year, saying the school didn’t allow it… I understood. But during that time, someone told me he was getting involved with a girl over there.” He gave a hollow laugh.

Huang Xiaozhi frowned slightly and nodded, motioning for him to continue.

“And guess what happened next?” Wei Shun’s voice held a trace of bitterness. “My friend, I don’t know how she found out, said she saw him having dinner with a girl, one-on-one, at a restaurant. So I went there. I saw Pei Dan’s side profile, and I saw that I wasn’t the first person he thought of seeing after coming back to the country.” He let out a long sigh and shook his head. “I left without even asking for an explanation.”

Huang Xiaozhi’s brows furrowed even more. Her impression of Pei Dan immediately dropped a notch.

“And then,” Wei Shun’s tone became calm, carrying a sense of giving up. “At that moment, I figured it out. Forget it, I’m not pursuing him anymore. I was just fooling myself; I can’t blame anyone else. I went back and changed into dry clothes, packed a few things, cleaned the apartment, and went straight to a hotel.”

“And then, the next day, I came back for dinner, got drunk, and in a moment of emotional impulsiveness, I came out to my family. That’s pretty much what happened,” Wei Shun said, spreading his hands. “So I really don’t get it. How did he know I was here? And why would he come to pick me up?”

Huang Xiaozhi listened and nodded thoughtfully. “I think… maybe that girl was arranged by his family? Or maybe it was a misunderstanding? Look at the way he looks at you today, his eyes and his actions; he clearly cares about you and likes you.” She tried to analyze. “As for him carrying you away last time… I’m guessing he went home, found you gone, and the apartment empty. Maybe he… panicked? Got angry? Or… more likely, he was angry with himself?” She tried to offer a logical explanation.

The atmosphere was getting pretty serious, but Wei Shun suddenly burst out laughing and slapped Huang Xiaozhi on the shoulder.

“Haha! You’re right, he really does love me,” Wei Shun said, finally showing a look of relief. “I found out later that the girl was actually after Professor Fu! But Professor Fu had gone on his honeymoon with his partner, and Pei Dan was just there as a friend to help explain things and be a shield. Who knew I would run into them just then and misunderstand everything!” He shook his head, his smile a mix of helplessness and relief. “It was all me overthinking things; it had nothing to do with him!”

Huang Xiaozhi felt a sense of clarity after hearing this. Her impression of Pei Dan immediately rose again. “I knew it! Professor Pei is such a good person; he would never do something like that! He really loves you, Uncle. You have to cherish him!”

Wei Shun smiled and patted Huang Xiaozhi’s shoulder, his tone returning to his usual easygoing manner. “Of course! Your uncle knows how to cherish a good thing when he has it!” He even raised his eyebrows proudly.

Huang Xiaozhi stood up. “Alright, I’m going out to buy some things.” She gestured toward the door.

Wei Shun was curled up on the sofa and casually nodded. “Go, go.”

Huang Xiaozhi jogged toward the door. Just as her hand touched the doorknob, she suddenly stopped, as if she had remembered something important. She turned around, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

“Oh, right!” She deliberately raised her voice, making sure Wei Shun could hear. “That day, when Professor Pei was carrying you out, you weren’t behaving and were struggling. He seemed to… um… just casually spanked you on the butt! SMACK! It was a pretty loud sound!” With that, before Wei Shun could react, she quickly opened the door, closed it with a bang, and ran away.

In the living room, only Wei Shun was left frozen on the sofa, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

He instinctively touched his butt and finally realized the truth!

“No wonder! My whole body was so sore the next morning, and my butt hurt so much…” he murmured to himself. He recalled some blurry and intense fragments of that night, and his face turned bright red.

He felt like his whole body was on fire, like a watermelon that had been completely squeezed dry, and he lay motionless on the sofa.