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Yun Weishan sweeps neatly through the headquarters of Wufeng, expression calm. She ruthlessly suppresses the way her heart tries to slam in her chest; Wufeng's techniques for soothing the body will keep her mannerisms easy and her cheeks unreddened over her black assassin's robes.
This will be the first time she's seen her sister since that fateful day she learned of her existence. Since then, she hasn't been able to see her or Gong Ziyu, always under the watchful eyes of a handler; hasn't been able to communicate with the outside world. Her mixed feelings about Hanya Si resurface every time her handler is too strict- paying attention where he would have left a tiny gap for the self to sprout through- or too lenient, failing to confirm the tiny details that make all the difference for going undetected. She burns with impatience at his incompetence; at the imprisonment; at the lack of connection.
She once would have done anything to protect a little sister.
And here comes the reason she cannot devote herself fully towards liberating her sister, striding toward her with eyes demurely down and stomach slightly rounded. Shangguan Qian, just as beautiful and unruffled and calculating as always.
"Jiejie," Shangguan Qian says, eyes flicking up with that little smile that niggles its way into Yun Weishan's thoughts. If it was entirely fake, she would be able to dismiss it. If it contained real affection, she would be able to exploit it. "Your niece is doing well."
Yun Weishan keeps her face perfectly smooth; does not let her jaw tighten. When they first met again- under the watchful eyes of the head of Wufeng- Shangguan Qian had drawn her aside after.
"Jiejie," she'd begun- insistent, unrelenting- that coy little quirk of her mouth making Yun Weishan's insides twist regardless of how she tried to suppress it. With what? Not hope. Not fear. Not anticipation. Something utterly unique that she had no name for, and resented all the same. "I have good news. You consider yourself a wife of the Gong family, yes?" Yun Weishan's heartbeat had risen for one moment with memories of Gong Ziyu- his unassuming smile, the unfamiliar sense of safety she had accessed by his side- before she forced herself calm. The wedding had never occurred; but once she was gone from here with her sister, they would hold one. Yes, she was a wife of the Gong family. Shangguan Qian had smiled; as if she'd seen through Yun Weishan's lack of reaction to the complex emotions beneath. "Then let me be the one to announce the addition of a new family member," she'd continued, holding a hand to her still-flat stomach in a posture of fake vulnerability. "You will have a niece."
Today she wears robes cut to highlight the barely visible curve of her stomach. Why? Just for Yun Weishan? No; she always thinks deeper, further than that. She must be planning to leave a certain impression on the head of Wufeng.
Very well; Yun Weishan has her own impressions to leave.
"I'm glad," she says mildly. "Please make sure to eat well so that the baby can grow strong."
Shangguan Qian smiles, quiet and secretive. Yun Weishan has some sort of intuitive sense for what Shangguan Qian is aiming for, after all this time; but no sense for how she thinks she'll get there. The head of Wufeng is not an easy woman to kill, nor would the organization easily place itself in the hands of someone just because they managed to eliminate her. But Yun Weishan doesn't think anyone else besides the head of Wufeng is quite as invested in using her sister to keep her under their control- barring Shangguan Qian, that is. If she can orchestrate both their downfalls, the odds are high that she and her sister will be able to slip away in the chaos. And once in the Gong estate, her sister will be well protected.
They arrive at the door to the receiving hall in perfect step; raise their hands in identical bows. The doors open of their own accord, and Yun Weishan raises her head to survey the people inside.
Unexpectedly, there are only two. There she is: the head of Wufeng, who Shangguan Qian certainly must plan to kill. By her side: someone shockingly familiar, the hazy gold of a bronze mirror no longer obscuring Yun Weishan's view of her own face. She is alike to Yun Weishan in every way, excepting her posture and her expression. She cowers slightly, behind the mask of her confidence; an expression of sadness, of fear, underscores her failed attempt at a polite smile. She looks harried; frazzled. What must she make of this world- the one that Yun Weishan navigates through as simply as breathing? What does it look like, this world of killing and poison and lies, to this little mirror of hers that grew up untouched by its requirements?
"Welcome," the head of Wufeng says, old croaking voice issuing from behind her veiled hat. "Yun Weishan-" and Yun Weishan blinks in acknowledgement- "make our guests some tea."
Yun Weishan's sister moves to the tea set by their side, and Yun Weishan has lost one move of the chess game between them: her equilibrium stutters. This is the girl who she impersonated to infiltrate the Gong estate- whose name she stole. Her name is not her own. She cannot see the face of the head of Wufeng beneath the veil, but she feels a smile from beneath it, like sun burning her skin. She sinks into the quiet place of calm that she always occupies while on a mission to recollect herself. Peace. Logic. Planning. She can't let it show that she's lost this exchange.
"My lord," Shangguan Qian says, offering a bow that highlights the swell of her stomach in Yun Weishan’s moment of discomposure. "I have an offering for you."
"You think I haven't already heard?" the head says, cold and amused. “The young master of the Gong family captured- Gong Yuanzhi, was it?”
Yun Weishan stays perfectly still. This, she didn’t know. Shangguan Qian offers a demure smile and a salute.
“Take me to see your prize, then,” the head says, voice vindictive and pleased. Shangguan Qian turns to accompany her out of the hall, still smiling.
“You,” the head says to Yun Weishan as she passes, the breeze of her veil crawling against her skin. “Stay here and speak with your sister, if you wish.”
The door closes behind them; Yun Weishan is left alone with her twin for the first time.
She looks up slowly from her salute, and sees her own face staring back at her- frozen in fear, judgment, and anguish.
She opens her mouth, and realizes she doesn’t even know whether to address her as jie.