Copycat - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

◎Danger in the Snow◎

Zhou Ziyan’s sprained ankle was checked at the hospital. After the X-ray confirmed there were no broken bones, the doctor only prescribed some topical medication. In less than two weeks, Zhou Ziyan was back to her lively self.

In the kitchen.

Zhou Ziyan frowned, looking down at the recipe. After confirming everything was in order, she poured the oil into the pan with a look of someone going to their doom. The moment the oil hit the pan, it immediately splattered. Startled, she instinctively dropped the spatula and backed away.

“What do we do, Wen Jiao? Maybe I should pull the plug.” A few drops of oil had splattered on her forearm. Zhou Ziyan clutched her arm, looking terrified, as if she had seen a monster.

Wen Jiao stood beside her and sighed helplessly. She picked up the discarded spatula from the counter and walked to the splattering pan. Zhou Ziyan quickly grabbed her. “Don’t go! The oil is hot, it’ll burn you!”

“It’s fine.”

Everyone knew Zhou Ziyan was rich, but Wen Jiao really hadn’t expected her to be so inept at life. On the way back from the red-crowned crane habitat last night, they passed a wetland. The withered yellow reeds were frozen over by the heavy snow. Zhou Ziyan curiously asked the tour guide if they were rice paddies, which drew a round of laughter from the tourists.

Wen Jiao lowered the induction cooker’s heat and poured a little more oil into the pan from the oil jug. Zhou Ziyan looked horrified. “Why are you adding more?” Wen Jiao said nothing, calmly adding the oil to the pan. The oil splattered for a moment but quickly subsided. Wen Jiao again turned the heat down, and when the oil was hot, she added the cleaned fish. The tender fish was fried to a golden brown on both sides, and a faint aroma wafted from the pan.

Under Wen Jiao’s guidance, Zhou Ziyan mixed a bowl of sauce. Under Wen Jiao’s encouraging gaze, she held the lid in front of her face and poured in the ginger, garlic, and other ingredients along with the sauce. The fish released a mouth-watering aroma. This time, the oil didn’t splatter. Zhou Ziyan was stunned, her beautiful almond eyes lighting up with surprise. Wen Jiao nodded at her reassuringly. She took the spatula again with renewed effort, painstakingly flipping the fish. Wen Jiao assisted her by adding water to the pan. The alluring fragrance of the stewed dish instantly filled the entire house.

When they were serving the food, Zhou Ziyan stood very close to Wen Jiao, almost resting her head on Wen Jiao’s shoulder. She smiled happily, like a satiated orange cat stretching its limbs in the sun. Wen Jiao looked down at the fluffy head. “You’re this happy just from cooking?”

Zhou Ziyan rested her face on her hand, grinning foolishly at her. “I’m not happy because of the cooking. I’m happy because I’m doing it with you.” If time could stop, she would even want to freeze this very moment.

Wen Jiao: “…”

Wen Jiao was startled by her directness and deliberately avoided her naked gaze, only saying, “…Hurry and eat.” Her ears unconsciously flushed with an unnatural crimson.

“Okay.” Zhou Ziyan had just picked up her chopsticks.

“Buzz—” The phone on the table vibrated. She looked at the lit-up screen.

[Incoming Call] Zhou Na

Zhou Ziyan’s eyes dimmed slightly. When Wen Jiao glanced over, she quickly darkened the screen, not letting Wen Jiao see who was calling.

“What’s wrong?” Wen Jiao asked.

“Nothing.” Zhou Ziyan smiled.

She picked up a piece of fish and placed it in Wen Jiao’s bowl. “Hurry and eat. We still have to drive to the hot spring resort today. It’s so far away, and the road is just desolate forest. You’re the main driver, so you need to eat well to get your strength.”

After they finished eating, Wen Jiao went downstairs to warm up the car first, leaving Zhou Ziyan to lock the door by herself.

In the bedroom.

Zhou Ziyan clutched her phone, hesitating for a long time. In the end, she still called back her sister’s missed call. The call was answered quickly.

“Hello?” A not-so-clear female voice came from the other end of the line. There was a lot of noisy chatter around her, and even the clinking of glasses. Zhou Ziyan thought that Zhou Na might be at a social event and wanted to get straight to the point. “Sister, it’s me. Why did you call? If it’s not urgent, let’s talk on WeChat.”

The person on the other end was clearly stunned to hear her voice. Zhou Na’s tone was urgent. “Don’t hang up, wait for me. I’ll go somewhere else to talk.” The sound of high heels clacking on expensive tiles was urgent, and Zhou Ziyan’s heart sank with a bad feeling.

Zhou Na went outside the banquet hall. After the surroundings quieted down, she demanded, “Where have you been? Do you know the family is going crazy? They can’t find you anywhere. Hurry back. There’s a celebration banquet at the Cheng family tonight, and you, as the fiancée, must be there.”

Zhou Ziyan was silent for a moment. “Sister, I told you.” “I don’t like Cheng Junfeng, and I don’t want to get engaged to him. Besides, I’m in Province B, so there’s no way I can get back tonight.”

“You’re in Province B?!” The woman on the other end of the phone became obviously agitated. “Why did you run off to a place like that? Such a backward city.” “Wait, didn’t Zhou Shansheng freeze your card? Where did you get the money?”

Zhou Ziyan pursed her lips and lied. “I borrowed money from someone.”

“Impossible.” Zhou Na said flatly. “I’ve already spoken to the families of all those rich second-generation kids you know. It’s impossible for them to lend you money, not even a hundred dollars.”

Zhou Ziyan bit her lower lip. “The money was lent to me by my classmate at A-University.” Zhou Na was stunned for a moment, not expecting that answer. After a brief thought, her frown deepened. She hadn’t expected Zhou Ziyan’s admission to A-University to bring such uncertainty to the family. Her sister, who had always been obedient and compliant, had started to form a circle they couldn’t completely control because of one rebellious act.

Zhou Na softened her tone and started to play on their emotions. “Xiaoyan, you can’t be so willful. You have to consider the family. Your sisters all went through this. The Cheng family has the technology we need, and the Zhou family has the liquid funds they need. Besides, Cheng Junfeng himself is an excellent person. He’s a perfect match for you, isn’t he?”

“Think about it. Since you were a child, what you ate, what you used, what you wore—which of them wasn’t the best? Luxury cars, mansions, yachts—what did the family not buy for you if you wanted it? The new products from all the major brands were delivered to you first, weren’t they?”

“Why can you have all this? It’s all because you’re a member of the Zhou family.” Zhou Na lowered her stance and advised, “Yanyan, a part of the Zhou family’s assets is also yours. Even if you really don’t like Cheng Junfeng, it’s not too late to get a divorce after the company’s development stabilizes.”

The other end of the phone was silent for a long time, so long that Zhou Na wondered if the person had hung up. She lit up the screen and saw that the call was still ongoing, but the breathing from the other end was getting heavier.

“What if I don’t want this inheritance?”

…

Outside.

Zhou Ziyan opened the passenger door and got into the warm car. Wen Jiao pressed the clutch, started the car, and casually asked, “What took you so long?”

Zhou Ziyan’s movements froze for a moment. She forced a smile. “I had an upset stomach.” Wen Jiao looked at her slightly red eyes. “Is it serious? Do you need to go to a pharmacy to buy some medicine? The hot spring hotel is in a very remote town, and medical facilities probably won’t be convenient there.”

Zhou Ziyan shook her head. “It’s fine, not serious. Let’s go.”

The winter sun shone on the frozen ground. The snowplow emitted a low rumble, collecting the thick snow into a storage box. Deep ruts were left in the snow, revealing the original black asphalt road. Wen Jiao drove on the highway. There was still unmelted snow on both sides of the road. Zhou Ziyan was buckled in the passenger seat, staring out the window, looking preoccupied. This made Wen Jiao a little unaccustomed. Zhou Ziyan was usually reserved, but she always seemed like a little sun when she was with Wen Jiao. Cheerful. Warm. A sun that only looked at her.

Wen Jiao took a tangerine from the car’s glove compartment and placed it in the preoccupied girl’s lap. “Feeling car sick?”

Zhou Ziyan was stunned for a moment, then pursed her lips and shook her head. She held the tangerine in her hand. The golden-yellow peel gave off a refreshing citrus scent that was invigorating. Since Zhou Ziyan had gotten car sick the last time, Wen Jiao had prepared car sickness medicine and fresh fruit in the car.

Thinking of what Zhou Na had just said, Zhou Ziyan’s grip on the tangerine tightened suddenly. The yellow juice of the tangerine seeped out of the peel and onto her hands, cold and chilling. Zhou Ziyan suddenly spoke.

“Wen Jiao.”

“Mhm?” Wen Jiao looked ahead, turning at the first bend of the highway. “What’s wrong?”

“If one day I…” Zhou Ziyan bit her lower lip, unable to speak the words. Wen Jiao’s calm eyes looked over. “What?” Zhou Ziyan turned her face away, her eyes lowered. “…Nothing.”

She had actually wanted to ask if Wen Jiao would still be willing to be her friend, or even more, if she ever lost her money and wasn’t a rich heiress anymore. Zhou Ziyan looked at the lonely and vast snow outside the window. Through the glass, she could even smell the coldness of this hard land. She had really wanted to ask for the answer to that question without any hesitation. However, just like her past twenty years, she became cowardly at the last moment. She was afraid of getting a negative answer.

Since childhood, her life had been tightly intertwined with the family. She had felt grateful, and she had also felt pain. She had even secretly resisted, but the gifts of fate come with a hidden price. This connection by bl00d was something she could only escape from in death. Zhou Ziyan’s eyes dimmed. “Wen Jiao, I might have to go back to…”

Time seemed to freeze at that moment. The tires screeched sharply as they braked. Zhou Ziyan was suddenly pushed forward by an invisible force. The seatbelt tightly held her chest, bringing a suffocating pressure. “What’s wrong?” Zhou Ziyan’s voice was panicked.

“We’ve been stopped.”

Wen Jiao stared at the van blocking them through the windshield, her expression grim. Five or six middle-aged men with paunches and yellow teeth got out of the van. Wen Jiao pressed the lock button on the console. Zhou Ziyan grabbed Wen Jiao’s arm, her lips trembling slightly.

The leader of the men had a scar on his face. He held a cigarette in his mouth and walked over swaggering, tapping on the car window. The man pressed the burning cigarette against it, and the ash fell through the gap in the window. He looked impatient. “Pay the protection fee, or we’ll smash your car.”

Hearing that they just wanted money, Zhou Ziyan was relieved and immediately said, “Why don’t we just give it to them?” The road was sandwiched between desolate woods. There were only a few abandoned factories in the distance. It was still about twenty kilometers away from the hot spring resort. The sun had already set, and it was pitch black all around. They could only hear the sound of the engine. Even though they were in a car, they couldn’t help but be afraid.

Wen Jiao’s original plan was to drive out directly. Although the van was across the road, there was a gap. However… the risk was too great and could easily enrage the robbers. She looked down at the hand gripping her arm. Zhou Ziyan tried to hide her panic, but her trembling body gave her away.

Wen Jiao pondered for a moment and agreed to her suggestion. She said, “We might not have enough cash.” Wen Jiao opened the clip in the car. There were only five red bills and a thick stack of coins inside.

“It’s okay, we can try… try. We can just transfer them more if it’s not enough.” Zhou Ziyan’s voice was a little shaky. Wen Jiao looked at her and gave the back of her fair hand, which was clutching her wrist, a soothing pat. “Then let’s try what you said first. Let go of me. This is a manual car. I need both hands on the console to ensure the car can start immediately in an emergency.”

Zhou Ziyan obediently let go. Suddenly, there was a tapping sound on the glass next to her. The robber had walked from the driver’s side to the passenger window. Zhou Ziyan was startled. The hand she had just released immediately grabbed Wen Jiao’s wrist again. She bit her lower lip, not daring to make a sound, afraid the robbers would discover there were two defenseless girls in the car.

The robber’s tone became more and more impatient, and he threatened, “Are you going to give us the money or not? If you don’t, my brothers will start smashing.” “Bang, bang, bang—” The frequency of his knocking increased, and the hammer-shaped tool was poised on the glass. The girl in the passenger seat fearfully shrank her neck into the collar of her down jacket. Wen Jiao leaned close to Zhou Ziyan’s ear and said in a voice only they could hear, “Don’t be afraid. Now, roll down a small gap in the window and hand the money out. If he complains it’s not enough, I’ll start the car immediately, and we’ll drive out from the edge of the road.”

Zhou Ziyan nodded seriously, rolling down a small section of the window. The gap was narrow, and the people inside the car couldn’t be seen. Her fingers, clutching the cash, trembled as she handed the money out. The robber outside the car first saw a pair of pampered hands with a stack of bills between the fingertips. Then he noticed the diamond ring on the ring finger. The deep, melancholy sapphire shimmered in the dim snow and the yellowish car lights. The lead robber narrowed his eyes. They’ve found a jackpot.

“This little bit isn’t enough!” The robber laughed. He tightly grabbed the four fingers that were extended, trying to pull the ring off her ring finger. Zhou Ziyan immediately leaned back with force and pulled her hand back, but the sapphire ring on her ring finger slipped off and fell into the snow, creating a hollowed-out hole. Her sharp intuition made her realize the malicious intent in his tone. Zhou Ziyan quickly rolled up the window. “Let’s go, they…” They’re going to rob us.

Before she could finish her sentence, the car, whose rear wheels were stuck in the snow, suddenly started. Wen Jiao turned the steering wheel. The old sedan’s engine made a huge roaring sound. The oil mixed with the fuel burned violently, and they could even smell a strong burnt smell inside the car. “Stop them!” The robber standing next to the window roared at his companions.

The sedan accelerated at an extremely fast speed towards the gap on the right side of the van. The road was narrow, only half the width of the car. As it drove onto the side of the road, the front right wheel of the sedan instantly lifted into the air. In the violent jolting, the sedan was pushed out of the narrow side of the road by inertia.

“Damn it!” The robber cursed, picked up the sapphire ring from the ground, and rushed to the back seat of the van, cursing, “You a-holes, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and chase them!”

Under the immense impact, Zhou Ziyan could only press her back firmly against the seat, gripping the handle next to the window with both hands and closing her eyes, trusting Wen Jiao’s driving skills. When she opened her eyes, the car had already broken out of the encirclement and was driving on a wide road. She let out a sigh of relief, suppressing her urge to vomit. “Are we safe?”

“Not yet.” Wen Jiao looked at the van chasing them in the rearview mirror. “They’re still chasing us.” Zhou Ziyan was stunned for a moment and looked back at the rear window. Sure enough, the large gray van was accelerating rapidly, at a very high speed, and was hot on their heels. The van soon caught up to a distance of less than two meters from the car, with no intention of slowing down. It was about to crash into them.

Zhou Ziyan was so anxious she started to cry. “It’s all my fault. I had to wear so much jewelry when I went out. If it weren’t for me, these robbers wouldn’t have targeted us. It’s all my fault…” Wen Jiao glanced at her, eased up on the gas slightly, then quickly floored it. The sedan jolted on a slope on the flat snowy ground. Zhou Ziyan’s shoulder was tightly held by the seatbelt, and her nose almost hit the dashboard. The accelerating sedan once again put some distance between them and the van.

“Don’t apologize.” Wen Jiao’s tone was calm.

Zhou Ziyan’s eyes were red. “But it’s all because of me…”

“The fact that he saw you had money and had malicious intentions is because he is greedy and malicious. The one at fault is him, not you.” Wen Jiao said, “Stop crying, call the police now and tell them our situation.”

Yes, the most important thing now was not to reflect, but to call the police. Zhou Ziyan trembling took out her phone and dialed the police, explaining their situation. The police told them to keep their phones on. The nearest police station to the hot spring resort was thirty kilometers away, and it would take some time for the police car to arrive.

Zhou Ziyan put down her phone. “The police told us not to stop. They’re contacting the nearby police station to get the vehicle’s driving information, and the police car they sent will be heading our way based on the phone’s GPS.”

Wen Jiao judged the distance of the van in the rearview mirror and then looked at the fuel gauge, which was flashing urgently. She pursed her lips. “We can’t keep driving.” Zhou Ziyan was stunned. “What?”

Wen Jiao sighed. “The car is about to run out of gas.” Along with her sigh, a warning sound came from the car.

“Low fuel, please refuel as soon as possible—”

“Low fuel, please refuel as soon as possible—”

“We can only take a gamble.” Wen Jiao looked at the nearest potentially inhabited place on the GPS. It was their original destination before they encountered danger—the hot spring resort.

“Boss!” The robber driving the car looked at the passenger seat. “They turned. They’re heading toward the hot spring resort.”

“Isn’t that perfect?”

“Follow them.” The man called “Boss” was the same leader from before. He was toying with the dove’s egg-shaped sapphire. A few of his younger brothers in the back seat, who were holding clubs, leaned over and looked at the sapphire. “Isn’t that just a rock? How much can it be worth?”

The robber sneered and flicked his finger at the guy’s head. “You don’t know a thing.” “The price of this ring is more than all of your life savings combined. Those two people in the car are definitely rich.”

The younger brother covered his head. “How rich can they be driving such a beat-up car?”

The robber said, “Heh, rich people are just experiencing life, that’s all. We got lucky. If they were driving a luxury car, we wouldn’t dare to stop them.” After all, when rich people go out, they always have a few bodyguards with them.

The sedan drove into the hot spring resort area. A blizzard swept through the resort. Cold snowflakes covered the car’s windshield. The ground was a vast expanse of white, with only the faint lights of the resort in the distance. A sign on the side of the road showed that the hot spring resort was 200 meters away. Through the windshield, they could even see the misty steam rising from the resort’s hot springs.

Zhou Ziyan slumped against the seat and let out a deep sigh of relief. “We’re saved.” Wen Jiao didn’t stop immediately but drove around the outside of the resort until the last drop of fuel was consumed. Only then did she unlock the car doors. Zhou Ziyan immediately got out of the car and held Wen Jiao’s hand.

“…Wait.”

“They’re catching up.” Zhou Ziyan was anxious, pulling Wen Jiao to run toward the resort at the fastest speed. Wen Jiao glanced at the van that had stopped in the parking lot in the distance, a little hesitant, but the lights of the resort lit up in the vast white snow and forest, like a lighthouse symbolizing hope.

Wen Jiao held Zhou Ziyan’s hand back. They ran toward the resort with all their might.

The hot spring resort.

The two of them stepped onto the wooden stairs. The old wooden boards creaked. There was a big “Demolish” sign on the wall of the dilapidated snowy mountain villa. The withered weeds were revealed where they stepped on the vast white snow. The villa had been in disrepair for years, and weeds grew everywhere.

But a light was on in the darkness.

Wen Jiao and Zhou Ziyan looked at each other. Their clasped hands tightened suddenly, and they turned around almost at the same time.

“Where are you running?!” The lead robber exhaled a puff of smoke, threw the cigarette into the snow, and rubbed his frozen red hands, revealing a sinister smile. Wen Jiao held Zhou Ziyan’s hand and took a step back, with one foot already inside the wooden house.

“Sorry, there’s no way out either, little sister.”

A female voice came from behind them. Wen Jiao turned her face to the side. A sharp-looking woman with her arms crossed was smiling at them. In her hand was a sharpened knife with a pointed tip that was designed to kill.

They were in a difficult situation.

Wen Jiao frowned, holding Zhou Ziyan’s hand and slowly moving toward the only side without people. Unless absolutely necessary, she didn’t want to use her last resort, because… it would only cause them both to get hurt. There were many robbers. They were also moving toward the side, and they would be surrounded again soon. There really was no better way. Wen Jiao’s left hand reached for the handle of the fruit knife in her jeans.

Just then, the girl who had been holding her hand tightly suddenly let go. Wen Jiao was stunned.

“Zhou Ziyan?” Wen Jiao frowned and reached out to grab her. This was not a time to be delayed. One more action could lead to total disaster.

Wen Jiao grabbed nothing. Zhou Ziyan suddenly pushed her hard, with all her strength, pushing her to the very outside. Wen Jiao stumbled in the snow and hadn’t even regained her footing when Zhou Ziyan lunged at the woman standing in the abandoned villa, snatching the knife from her hand with astonishing speed. It happened in an instant.

“Nobody move!”

Zhou Ziyan’s voice trembled. She held the knife in one hand and tightly held the woman’s neck with the other, pointing the tip of the knife at the woman’s carotid artery. The woman’s legs trembled, and she subconsciously pushed against the arm with her hands, trying to reduce the pressure on her neck. She was so nervous she stuttered. “I’m not… not moving. Little sister, don’t be so agitated.”

“Go.” Zhou Ziyan’s eyes were red, making it hard to tell if it was from fear or the adrenaline rush. “Go, go, I’ll listen to you. Don’t be so agitated!”

A scorching heat came from her neck, and the woman was stunned for a moment. She suddenly realized. The girl who had taken her knife was not talking to her.

Zhou Ziyan stared at the figure in the distance. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her voice was hoarse.

“Wen Jiao, run.”