Chapter 32: Have We Met Before? (3)

Hot search trending topic: #Cheng Yujin is Yu Wei's little tail#.

I glanced uncertainly at Cheng Yujin at the sight of the weird topic, but he encouraged me to take a look at it with a smile. Curiously; and with a heart full of trepidation, I tapped on the topic.

Cheng Yujin had made a post on Weibo to clarify that there was no plagiarism. In his post, he highlighted that both Yuni Qianjin and Yu Wei were both pen names of the same author, and that he was a huge fan of this author. He also expressed his excitement that he finally got to meet the author in person after so many years of following her stories.

Although he had only posted three hours ago (while I was asleep), there were already thousands of comments and reactions from his fans, my book fans and passers-by. Even right now, new comments and posts were still appearing.

Some of Cheng Yujin's oldest embers commented and posted that they could vouch for him. One of them, Username WhiteMoonlight_ChengYuJin, posted a screenshot of a post by Cheng Yujin from 2013 promoting Yuni Qianjin's story and images of posts from 2016 to 2023 making references to Yu Wei's latest web novel titles in witty, subtle and clever ways. The dates of those posts were around the time that I published the first chapters of those web novels. This post was how the hashtag #Cheng Yujin is Yu Wei's little tail# came about.

There were also many replies to WhiteMoonlight_ChengYuJin's post.

Zuishengqing: It's normal for authors to change pen names like how people change their usernames for accounts. All Yu Wei did was to change her pen name. Yuni Qianjin and Yu Wei have not stepped forward to clarify anything. Maybe there was nothing to clarify in the first place—they are the same person.

Daidai Xiaoxigua: Maybe it is Yuni Qianjin who is Jin-ge's fan. Her pen name is their CP name. She used the same Yu from Yu Wei, which must be related to herself, and the same Jin from Jin-ge's name.

Heyibeibailianlücha: @Daidai Xiaoxigua If Yuni Qianjin is Jin-ge's fan, and Jin-ge is Yuni Qianjin's fan, and they have never met in real life before until now, will this become our Jin-ge's legendary love that transcends space and time?

Daidai Xiaoxigua: @Heyibeibailianlücha Our family's gege better grasp this opportunity lest he loses it to the universe.

My face flushed with embarrassment and I quickly closed the application—what kind of comments were these! Cheng Yujin held up his phone in one hand to scroll through the comments section under his post while munching on a fry in his other hand.

I raised a brow at him. "You're my book fan?"

Cheng Yujin looked up and tilted his head to one side as a smile danced on his lips. "I'm hoping to get a picture with you and your autograph later, Yu Wei-dada."

"Hold on," I said, searching for his post for a second confirmatory look. "What do you mean by Yuni Qianjin and Yu Wei are both pen names of the same author? Yu Wei is my pen name, alright, but I am not Yuni Qianjin and I did not write—whatever that book title is."

He leaned back and gave me a piercing gaze. "You are Yuni Qianjin, and you wrote whatever that book title is," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

My face contorted into a baffled frown. I watched him skeptically as torrents of thoughts flooded my mind, one of which was that Cheng Yujin might have used money (or misused authority) to buy Yuni Qianjin's silence. Shaking my head to rid that awful thought, my lips twisted into a grimace.

Cheng Yujin remained composed despite my visible discomfort. He handed me what appeared to be a small handmade card with a watercolour painting of lavender floors on the front cover. "Returning this to its rightful owner."

Taking the card with both hands, my eyes widened in disbelieving recognition.

Not only was this my painting style, but I also seemed to remember that I had painted these lavender flowers—in a dream.

Flipping open the card which edges had softened and tinged with a sepia of age, I couldn't help but let out a whispery exclamation under my breath: "This is—!"

There was a short message addressed to Tan Qing—in my handwriting—composed of Yuni Qianjin's login details to her online writing account. The password was "luyujuan07". The writer had signed off as "Lu Yujuan, 2013 July 14".

"How did this card come about?" I asked Cheng Yujin, my eyes searching him for an answer. "I met Tan Qing-jie in 2013. But I have never given her this."

"But Fake Shen Yan did."

"Who is fake Shen Yan?" I questioned, my own suspicions floating in my head.

Cheng Yujin sat silent, studying me with an enigmatically wistful look.

"Also you," he said at length.

Inside my mind, a flood of flashbacks of my dreams where I had transmigrated into another person's body and time travelled to the year 2012 inundated me. That's right—in that dream I was called Shen Yan. And as Shen Yan, I had died saving Cheng Yujin.

I dropped my eyes, evading his lingering gaze. Staring at the card in my hand, I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry.

Did this mean that what I thought was a dream, was not merely a dream after all?

***

The elevator doors opened into a hallway with marble flooring beautifully veined with patterns of opulence. Following behind Cheng Yujin, we walked past sleek doors fitted with digital door locks, each one looking identical to the one before. The uniform lack of individuality hinted at the exclusive privacy which the luxury apartment offered to its residents.

We stopped at a door identifiable to visitors only by its unit number; but we knew the owner of the private sanctuary behind the door.

After our dinner earlier, Cheng Yujin informed that Tan Qing had not made a hotel reservation for me. Instead, she hoped that I wouldn't mind putting up at her apartment. Being offered the opportunity to be a guest at my idol's house, I was certainly willing. Moreover, Tan Qing said that she would be returning tonight and I had many questions for her.

Cheng Yujin entered the passcode and unlocked the door. As I entered the apartment after him, the lighting came on and a spacious living room adorned with plush furnishings in neutral hues and artful accent pieces unfolded before my eyes. Behind a cream fabric sectional u-shape sofa, which rested on a large textured light brown rug along with a pair of black and white marble coffee tables, the floor-to-ceiling windows looked out onto a panoramic night view of the cityscape.

After admiring a potted plant atop a grey marble plant stand, I stood in front of the built-in alcove shelves which displayed various of trophies and awards which Tan Qing had won over the years. As I studied the framed photographs of Tan Qing on the shelves, a glass of water entered by field of vision. Taking the glass from Cheng Yujin, I looked at him meaningfully.

"Are you sure this is Tan Qing's apartment, and not yours?"

He gestured at the photographs. "Of course this is her house. Why would I display photographs of her if it were my house?"

I lifted the glass of water in my hand and pointed to the guest slippers on my feet. "I was just thinking that you must be very close to Tan Qing given that you know the password to unlock her door and where things in her house are located."

For a moment, Cheng Yujin seemed to be at a loss for word; then his expression relaxed and he chuckled: "I had a one-time password from Tan Qing. These days, digital locks have this function for generating one-time passwords. And she told me to give you these slippers and get you some water and whatever else you need."

"Oh," I murmured, "I don't know much about digital locks."

Cheng Yujin continued looking intently at me, a faint questioning smile on his lips. "Why, are you jealous?"

"What?"

"I'll head off first. Tan Qing should be back soon," he said, his smile growing wider. Then, reaching out a hand, he lightly stroked my head before turning away to leave. "Don't need to send me off. Rest well tonight and don't think too much. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning to take you to the company—there, I'll explain more to you."

Long after the door had closed behind Cheng Yujin, my eyes stayed fixed in the direction of the entrance of Tan Qing's apartment. It was only until I received Tan Qing's call that I was jolted out of my reverie.

"Yujuan, I'm about fifteen minutes away from home now. Yujin just told me that he has already settled you down. We'll see each other very soon!"

***