3 The past (1)

(The following chapter and the next few are all about what happened 4 years ago. You can skip them and still understand the plot but for better insight, I would advice you to read them) 

Wan Jia's life hadn't been what anyone would ever hope for. 

After leaving, no, being thrown out of her home, she had to fend for herself. She was only nineteen. How could a girl that young fend for herself? 

After exhausting all her life savings, she had resorted to doing odd jobs. Even then, it was difficult to find any decent jobs. 

For some reason she didn't understand, not many people were willing to employ her. Perhaps they thought she was only seeking a temporary position and would be gone once she found a job she was more comfortable with, or someone was playing tricks. 

She chose to believe that someone was playing tricks. Because, really,  why would it be so difficult? 

...

"If you cannot pay the rent before 6pm tomorrow evening, you should vacate the house. There are people who have money and want to lease this apartment." Came the landlord's voice, again. 

She had heard this statement umpteen times and sometimes she would wonder whether the middle aged man was a programmed robot that only knew this statement. 

"Do you understand? Vacate the apartment if you cannot pay up. I pity the fact that you are jobless but this is not a charity!" 

Wan Jia knew she had no right to retort. She was two months overdue.

'Just when I thought nothing else could go wrong' she thought.

However, the devil seemed to really like messing with her.

"But if you can pay the right price then..." He regarded the girl before him. "Not only will I forget about your overdue rent, I will also give you a well-paying job."

'Yet another one of the programmed robot's signature lines.' She sighed inwardly. 

What right price? The old pervert was obviously trying to make her pay with her body. What well-paying job? To work in his strip club as an escort?

'Tsk, may lightning strike you.' she cursed inwardly. There had to be a special place in hell for men who would go as far as want to take advantage of girls young enough to be their daughters. 

The old lecher was still staring, so Wan Jia grunted as a response before running back to the house. If she hadn't been desperate for a place to live, she definitely would never have had to stay in this torturous apartment. 

Beggars would never be chooses, and she wouldn't afford a decent place to live with the little money she had. 

She had only decided to stay here temporarily as she tried to find a job. The owner had even allowed her to move in without paying the standard two month worth of deposit. 

She had been in tears of joy, thinking she had finally found someone kind after encountering several profiteers. If only she had known! 

As for who she should thank for her predicaments, it had to be her parents, obviously. 

They had suddenly abandoned her, even buying her off with money so she would stay away from the family. 

This was not the kind of situation where one would be given millions of dollars to stay away. If she were given such a deal, maybe, just maybe... she would still respect them a tiny bit. 

But the amount of money they gave her obviously couldn't sustain her for long. 

She had stayed a hotel for a few days hoping it was a prank or that her father would change his mind and come back for her. Only later did she realize just how naive she had been. If she ever saw them again, she would give them a piece of her mind. 

Well, there had to be a challenge or two in everyone's life, right? 

...

That evening as she went to buy her groceries, a little boy about the age of ten approached her, handing over a note. "Sister, this is for you. An uncle gave it to me." 

Wan Jia's first reaction was to cower away. This wasn't some melodrama where the so called note would turn out to be stuffed with illegal drugs, right? 

"Hey! Where did he go?" The little boy had disappeared. 

Wan Jia was now even more convinced that there must be drugs in it. 

Making sure there wouldn't be police in hiding waiting to bust her with drugs, she hid the note away. 

'Wan Jia, come on. Don't be ridiculous. What drugs would fit in such a tiny note? It's not even the size of a ten dollar bill!' She scolded herself before heading back to the apartment. 

She had been so eager that she had forgotten to buy her grocery. 

She unfolded the note carefully and read the content. 

[I know what you are going through. 

Meet me in Provence Restaurant, table number 8. 

Friday 11 am.

I can change your life for the better] 

Wan Jia sighed. There always had to be someone out there to take advantage of people's weakness. Her imaginary hell was filling up already. But still, there must be space left for them.

Nonetheless, she found her way to Provence Restaurant on Friday. She didn't have much suspicion because the sender had chosen such a public place. Besides, if anyone were to kill her, there would be nothing to lose. 

Aside from this, even she didn't know what to expect. 

A man desperate for a wife because his parents were forcing him to get married? 

She laughed at the thought. She should stop reading too many novels. 

But when she arrived, what she saw was not a drop dead gorgeous man anxiously waiting for her to arrive so he would propose, but a woman instead. 

And the woman was identical to her. Wan Jia proceeded carefully with a frown. "Who are you? Are we twins?"