代练牛

Chapter 216 Meeting Chen Yulan! (1)

It was a man, boldly approaching her with his bare torso exposed, sending a chill down Chen Yulan\'s spine.

Biting her trembling lips, she made up her mind to escape from his unsettling presence.

This foreign city, cloaked in darkness, held the potential for unseen dangers, and there was no one to protect her... or so she thought.

Just as desperation began to take hold, her worried gaze landed on a woman standing near the man, filling her with a surge of relief. "They don\'t seem like robbers," she quietly reassured herself.

As the misty scene became clearer, Chen Yulan\'s instincts told her that these two were not a threat. Nevertheless, she maintained her guard, struggling to appear indifferent as she stood there, tightly gripping two shopping bags in each hand, her heart pounding in her chest.

Her narrowed eyes followed their determined approach, causing a flicker of unease to ripple through her.

Zhang Wei, now just a few meters away, could clearly make out the worry etched on her face, prompting him to squint his eyes in concern, and instinctively, he accessed the status window before him.

=========

Status:-

Name: Chen Yulan

Age: 24

Body Rank: Mortal

Cultivation Level: None

Bloodline: None

Spirit beast: None

Cultivation talent: Poor Talent

Spiritual root rank: Divine Spiritual root

========

[Such a waste, no talent depsite having divine roots.]

The system\'s remark, deeming Chen Yulan\'s divine roots as wasted talent, made Zhang Wei\'s eyebrows involuntarily twitch.

Doubt crept into his mind as he questioned the system, seeking confirmation, \'Is she truly Yulan?\'

In a teasing tone, the system replied, [Host, you are free to approach and attack her. The cover of night and deserted streets ensure that your actions won\'t be noticed.] The system\'s response indirectly solidified Zhang Wei\'s suspicion, leaving him both unsettled and perturbed.

"You appear troubled. Can I be of assistance?" Zhang Wei stepped forward, his voice gentle, and Wu Xue closely shadowed him.

"Hm?" Chen Yulan, who had skillfully ignored them until now, turned her gaze their way. For a fleeting moment, her face revealed emotions that startled both of them.

"No, I\'m alright. Someone will arrive to pick me up soon," she replied, offering a polite smile before redirecting her attention.

However, even a brief glance at Zhang Wei\'s exposed abdominal muscles caused a faint blush to grace her cheeks.

She mentally reminded herself that it was always wiser to avoid contact with strangers.

Wu Xue narrowed her eyes, but then, as she glanced at Zhang Wei, she understood the situation.

If a half-naked man approached her at night, she too would harbor suspicions.

Just when she was about to take matters into her own hands and request the use of a phone, Zhang Wei spoke up, "Are you Yulan?"

"??"

"??"

Two women swiveled their heads simultaneously, expressions etched with confusion, as Zhang Wei\'s revelation hung in the air like a new mystery.

"You know me?" Chen Yulan, slightly caught off-guard, inquired, her voice laced with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

Zhang Wei responded with a nod, a faint but warm smile breaking across his face. Retrieving his wallet, he smoothly produced his ID card and handed it to her, his name boldly displayed for her inspection.

Chen Yulan accepted it with a reserved grace, her eyes, windows to a thousand unspoken emotions, locked onto the name etched on the card.

She whispered his name under her breath, as if testing its resonance in the night.

Meanwhile, Wu Xue, the vigilant companion, leaned toward Zhang Wei, her curiosity piqued. "Hey, do you really know her?" she prodded.

Zhang Wei nodded in affirmation, his gaze fixed on Chen Yulan. "She should be an acquaintance," he replied, mysteriously.

Chen Yulan\'s eyes fluttered like the wings of a startled bird, alternating between the ID card and Zhang Wei\'s face.

Her eyelashes seemed to dance with uncertainty as she repeated the motion, creating a rhythmic pattern of bewilderment.

Then, as if struck by a bolt of lightning, her mouth formed a perfect \'O\' of shock.

"Y-You are Aunt Mingzhu\'s son? Zhang Wei!" The revelation hit her like a bolt of lightning, and her eyes widened in recognition.

Suddenly, the pieces of a long-forgotten puzzle fell into place, and she remembered his face.

Zhang Wei\'s faint smile held a touch of nostalgia as he enveloped Chen Yulan in an embrace.

She was slightly startled by his sudden closeness, but her arms weakly found their way around him before they parted.

Yet, even in that fleeting moment, something unique lingered in the air—a subtle fragrance, a trace of her essence that now clung to him.

As he finally absorbed her face, he couldn\'t help but be surprised.

The young girl he remembered had blossomed into a grown-up beauty before his eyes, a transformation he hadn\'t anticipated, considering the last time they had met, she was merely seven years old.

Wu Xue, unable to fully grasp the unfolding family reunion, muttered, "Is she your relative?"

Zhang Wei nodded, his gaze briefly distant as he explained, "She\'s my cousin, one year younger, the daughter of my late mother\'s older sister."

Wu Xue\'s eyes flickered as she absorbed the word "late." Her curiosity gave way to a sudden silence, an unspoken acknowledgment of the pain hidden beneath that single word.

Zhang Wei didn\'t feel compelled to elaborate further. His mother\'s family had never been a part of his life, and he had no intention of delving into that past.

Chen Yulan, on the other hand, couldn\'t contain her astonishment any longer. "How are you alive!?" she blurted out, her astonishment evident.

This unexpected question left Wu Xue slightly irked. \'What does she mean by, how are you alive?\' she silently cursed, her expression darkening.

Chen Yulan\'s inquiry seemed to hint at something she didn\'t quite understand, and it didn\'t sit well with her.

Despite her confusion, Wu Xue was growing closer to Zhang Wei after today\'s incident.

Someone speaking ill of him, even if it was his own cousin, ignited a spark of protectiveness within her.

Chen Yulan, sensing the discomfort in the air, quickly clarified her words. "I-I mean, they announced you died alongside Uncle Tao. What really happened seventeen years ago, cousin?" Her voice trembled with genuine curiosity.

The revelation sent a ripple of unease through Zhang Wei. He cast a cautious glance around and, with a subtle motion, pulled Wu Xue into the shade with him.

His sigh held a weight of years gone by as he responded, "What else did they say?" He had never bothered to inquire about the details of that fateful day when he left the village seventeen years ago.

Chen Yulan hesitated for a moment before relaying the information, her voice tinged with bewilderment. "T-The police announced there was a robbery in your home, and it escalated into a fight in which both you and Uncle Tao were killed." Her recollection was vague, the memories of that incident clouded by the passage of time.

"So, It is like that..."

Zhang Wei nodded solemnly, his gaze distant as he pieced together the fragments of a long-buried past.

It seemed the police had been content to sweep someone\'s seemingly insignificant death under the rug, hastily labeling it as a robbery and closing the case.

Seventeen years ago, Zhang Wei had called Heilong Village home, living there with his father, Zhang Tao.

His mother, Chen Mingzhu, had passed away shortly after his birth, leaving behind only faint, hazy memories that he could barely grasp.

As for his father, Zhang Tao, the man had been a tormented soul, consumed by his grief and taking it out on his young son through abuse.

One fateful day, Zhang Wei in frustation pushed Zhang Tao backwards, causing Zhang Tao to stumble and fatally hit his head.

With the death of his father, Zhang Wei had fled the northern province, seeking refuge in the central province.

There, he had reinvented himself, adopting a new identity as an orphan and toiling for years to build a new life.

Chen Yulan, as Zhang Wei had mentioned, was indeed the daughter of his first aunt, the eldest sister of his late mother, Yao Mingzhu.

And Chen Yulan wasn\'t alone in her family; she had an elder brother, Chen Dong, whom Zhang Wei faintly recalled as a typical embodiment of a good-hearted person during their earlier encounters.

These two cousins of his had regularly visited him during his times of solitude, offering their assistance even though their own circumstances were far from affluent.

Chen Yulan\'s father, Chen Daozi, earned a meager income working at a government school teaching primary children, most of which seemed to disappear into alcohol expenses during the nights.

As far as Zhang Wei remembered, it was Yao Lin, Chen Yulan\'s mother, who took on the dual roles of both mother and father for her children, managing household chores and maintaining stability in the family despite their financial hardships.