Lin Chang closed the door behind her. Dai Lu peeked out from the bathroom basin, hearing the door. Seeing Lin Chang out of breath and kind of shocked, she quickly came out and indignantly asked.
"Hey Chang'er, where did you wander off to?"
Lin Chang raised her hand, indicating for her to let her catch her breath. Dai Lu stood impatiently with her hands on her waist. A few seconds went by, and she again said,
"That's enough catching of breath. Tell me."
Lin Chang, now settled a bit, said,
"I wanted to look around. Got lost and somehow reached a back gate to this place, I guess. This guy seemed filthy rich and wanted to get in, but the guard had some issues, maybe, so they were arguing. Anyways, I left, but suddenly a strange thing happened."
Dai Lu, who was listening carefully, asked, "What happened?"
Lin Chang, "The place got covered with a thick fog. Felt unusual to me. But I kept walking, but then I heard a noise as if someone was following me. I panicked a little, so I started to run aimlessly because I couldn't see anything in front due to the thick fog. Then he appeared in front of me out of nowhere."
Lin Chang paused, but Dai Lu shot, "Who?"
Lin Chang, "I don't know who that was. He was tall, his complexion was smooth as jade, and his eyes—his eyes were light in color. I was so shocked that I stumbled backwards, almost falling down. But he caught me. But that is not the strangest part. He looked at me and called me Wei Ying."
Dai Lu, "Haaaaaaahhh? Wei Ying? Who's Wei Ying?"
Lin Chang, "How am I supposed to know?"
Dai Lu, "Well, that seems strange." She paused and then spoke again, "Maybe you look like someone he knows, or he has a problem in the head."
Lin Chang, "Someone he knows? That can't be. Too good to be plausible. But hey, 'problem in the head' sounds more logical."
Both looked at each other for a second and burst out laughing. Lin Chang laughing her heart out is something Dai Lu never imagined witnessing, so she looked at her best friend with much surprise, yet her heart was feeling happy.
The Zhu Mansion
Old Lady Zhu sat quietly on the balcony of the sprawling Zhu Mansion, sipping oolong tea from her traditional teacup. It has been almost a decade since she retired from being the matriarch of the Zhu family (addressed as Tai-furen), letting her son Zhu Yan take the role. A storied Chinese family with deep roots in statecraft, diplomacy, and moral philosophy, the Zhu family's legacy can be traced to the Song dynasty, at least on record. Once imperial advisors, the Zhus have seamlessly transitioned into modern politics, education, and cultural influence. But there are whispers and rumors of their legacy dating even back, but there are no family records to substantiate the claims. The family itself has never expressed any knowledge either.
Ye Meilan, the old matriarch of the family, is an upright, wise, sharp-witted, and spiritually attuned woman who has played a very crucial role in raising her two grandsons after her daughter-in-law Dai Huan's death. But as the years passed, with her breath a little shorter and her nights longer, she had made her decision to hand over the responsibilities of the Zhu family legacy to her son Zhu Yan. Ye Meilan was the first woman in Zhu family history to have become a matriarch after her husband Zhu Yifan's death.
At present her life revolves around her youngest grandson, Zhu Yichen. Her elder grandson Zhu Jie is the perfect heir apparent. A top graduate from Tsinghua in political philosophy, Zhu Jie has been the model of an upright, disciplined, and refined gentleman who has been extensively groomed to become the future heir of the Zhu legacy. Zhu Yichen is, however, a sharp contrast to his older brother. He is impulsive and arrogant and has zero interest in pursuing academics like Zhu Jie. He has always been interested in music and has carved out quite a career in the world of entertainment. An ace at playing the guitar and a top-notch freestyle dancer, Zhu Yichen plays soccer as a hobby. But somehow his knack and interests do not align with the traditional structure of the Zhu family legacy, which is why Zhu Yan has always been critical of Yichen trying to reprimand him all the time.
Ye Meilan, on the other hand, has doted on Yichen more than Jie. The reason behind her affection towards him is partly because Dai Huan died giving birth to him. Which is also the reason why Zhu Yan is always critical and comparatively more distant towards him. Lady Meilan understood her son's plight when she discovered him to be cold towards a crying baby, Yichen, in the crib. She quickly picked up the distressed crying baby and gave Zhu Yan a stern disapproving look before walking out of the room. Since then, she has kept Yichen by her side, bringing him up with utmost love and care. Even when Yichen expressed his desire to drop out of university to pursue dance and music, Ye Meilan approved it, overriding Zhu Yan's vehement opposition. 27 years have passed since then, and Zhu Yichen still unanimously reigns in his grandmother's heart.
"Qǐng ān! Zhu taifuren!" (Greetings, Lady Zhu!).
Ye Meilan's face lit up like the stars as she looked at her beloved grandson. She quickly put down her teacup and stretched her hands out to embrace Yichen with a warm hug.
"My baby! You look tired. You shouldn't be travelling like this, and that too on a bike?"
Yichen assuredly spoke, "No, nǎinai, I am absolutely fine. Don't worry about me."
Ye Meilan, "You must be tired. Come, I have already made preparations. Dinner is ready down the hall."
Yichen smiled and accompanied his grandmother down to the spacious dining hall. At Ye Meilan's behest, the chefs crafted every dish to suit his refined palate. A few days ago, Yichen had a violent accident. He was scheduled to perform in a music festival. While returning to the hotel after his performance, his bike skidded and went headlong into a transport truck. As the truck toppled, the delivery items in it came out, breaking and crashing. The impact of the collision threw Yichen off, and he hit his head, and he lost consciousness.
Later, when he woke up in the hospital, his assistant was by his side.
Yichen weakly asked, "What happened?"
His assistant said, "Sir, you had an accident. You were conscious for a whole day. Luckily it was just a head concussion, nothing too severe."
Yichen's head was slightly cramped. He placed his forehead and calmly asked with his eyes closed, "Where is this place?"
The assistant replied, "We are at the hospital, sir."
Yichen: "No, I mean the place; the city?"
The assistant's reply made Yichen jerk open his eyes, and he murmured the name again…YILING!