Copycat - Chapter 30 

Chapter 30

◎Never Forgive a Betrayal◎

A City, Tech Summit.

Zhou Ziyan, in her fine dress, stood in the center of the crowd, looking a little flustered. In the three years since the transfer of power and the rise of new elites, many of the women attending the tech summit were new faces she had never seen before.

In front of her were two graceful young women. One, with bangs and a doll-like appearance, was wearing a pink evening gown; the other, in a white cheongsam with her black hair parted to one side, had a cold and proud demeanor. They were chatting away.

“Have you heard? The keynote speaker at the tech summit tonight is going to be the young CEO Wen.”

The woman in the cheongsam adjusted a stray hair by her ear: “Of course. That’s why I’m here.”

“No wonder, I never see you at parties.” The woman with bangs said with a fake smile. “Could it be that your family wants you to get a marriage alliance with the Wen family?”

The woman in the cheongsam glanced at her. After a moment, a mocking smile appeared on her lips: “That’s right.”

Zhou Ziyan’s fingers, holding her wine glass, tightened slightly. Just then, a gasp came from in front of her. The doll-like girl covered her mouth with one hand and frantically pulled on the cheongsam-clad woman standing next to her.

The lights in the entire hall dimmed, and Zhou Ziyan’s heart sank. Then, a warm yellow spotlight shone on the stage ahead. Accompanied by cheers and thunderous applause, a figure that was all too familiar to her walked out.

The wine glass slipped from her hand and fell. Amidst the cheers, it was so inconspicuous that even the two girls standing in front of her didn’t notice it. But Zhou Ziyan clearly saw Wen Jiao’s light gray pupils look over.

Past memories rushed into her body like a tide. Zhou Ziyan felt her arms freeze, and a strange, damp sensation seeped into her bones, making her spine tremble from the cold.

A financial female host in a black suit walked out from backstage, a flawless smile on her face, with a microphone in her hand. This was followed by some familiar interview opening remarks, heating up the already lively atmosphere.

“Are you all right?”

A cold voice interrupted Zhou Ziyan’s wandering thoughts. She quickly looked up to find the source of the voice. The proud woman in the white cheongsam was looking at her with a slight frown.

Zhou Ziyan shook her head, her voice as quiet as a mosquito: “I’m fine.”

She saw the subtle worry in the other woman’s eyes, but the summit had already started, and the two people in front of her quickly turned back around.

Zhou Ziyan stood in place, her borrowed high heels stepping on the shards of the wine glass. She just stood there, quietly listening to the person on the stage speak. Over the years, Wen Jiao had become a lot more composed, but her demeanor was even more indifferent. Even when the host’s questions made the whole audience laugh, she only cooperated with a slight curl of her lips.

A short interview quickly came to an end. The beautiful host on stage, with her broadcaster’s voice, looked down at the audience: “Next is the Q&A session. Does anyone have a question they’d like to ask?”

The female host blinked, giving a suggestive look at the audience: “CEO Wen is a very busy person in both the finance and tech industries.”

Her tone was playful and slightly teasing: “Even for an official tech summit, it took multiple invitations for CEO Wen to agree to attend. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity~”

The audience immediately erupted. Reporters were the first to rush forward and snatch microphones. The attendees in the front row were not to be outdone. For a moment, the scene was a little chaotic. Even the experienced female host was taken aback, not expecting her one sentence to cause such fierce competition.

For their usual financial interviews, they would have to find a plant in the audience beforehand. The host awkwardly tried to maintain order, her gaze searching for the person the organizer had arranged, only to find that person had already been pushed to the back by the swarming crowd.

The host looked to Wen Jiao for help. Seeing that her expression was indifferent and her gaze was directed towards the center of the hall, she suddenly had an idea.

“Bai Yue.” The doll-like woman in the crowd poked the slender waist of the person next to her. Her voice was a little strained: “Why do I feel like CEO Wen is looking at me?”

Bai Yue looked up and her eyes met the woman’s on the stage. For a moment, she was also stunned, but it wasn’t long before she frowned: “No, she seems to be looking at the person behind us.”

The two of them turned around in unison and saw a back that had already turned away.

People maintaining order had already arrived. Amidst the sound of police sirens and bright flashlights, the chaotic crowd quickly calmed down. The female host who had caused the trouble quickly stood up and found the most obvious target in her line of sight.

“Alright, let’s pick that beautiful lady in the black mermaid dress to be our lucky person tonight!”

Zhou Ziyan’s departing footsteps paused. All eyes in the vicinity fell on her. She stood in place, not moving forward, but also unwilling to turn around.

The female host on the stage struggled to maintain her smile: “Madam, you can come closer to the stage to receive the microphone.”

“Madam, did you hear me?”

“Madam.”

Whispers gradually began to rise from the crowd. Some of the new elites at the tech summit had once visited and even flattered the Zhou family, and they immediately recognized who she was.

“Why is it her? The third young lady the Zhou family sent to get a marriage alliance with the Cheng family.”

“What third young lady? The Zhou family went bankrupt a long time ago. Their villas have been sealed off. They have no right to attend this year’s summit. How did she get in?”

The harsh whispers grew louder and louder. Even the female host, who wasn’t familiar with the gossip of the elite, subtly sensed that something was wrong. She was about to smooth things over and choose someone else to ask a question, but the guest of honor tonight spoke up on her own initiative for the first time.

Although the content was not to her liking.

“That’s enough,” Wen Jiao said, giving a dismissal.

With that, the star of the night stood up, ready to leave.

The surroundings were silent. Just as Wen Jiao took a step into the shadows, she heard a woman’s voice from the crowd. It wasn’t loud, but it was surprisingly resolute.

“Wait.”

Wen Jiao’s steps paused, and she subconsciously looked at that back.

However, another person walked towards her.

Bai Yue snatched the microphone from the host’s hand and walked onto the stage in her high heels. Her gaze was fixed on Wen Jiao, but her peripheral vision glanced at the two people in a corner of the audience who were talking with looks of astonishment on their faces.

The professional female host quickly re-organized the proceedings: “Miss, what question would you like to ask CEO Wen?”

“I met CEO Wen a long time ago at a tech conference in M Country,” Bai Yue said. “Cloud Whale Tech’s technology is one of the best in the world, but what’s even more amazing to me is CEO Wen herself. She has an elegant demeanor like an orchid and is so young and accomplished.”

The female host buttered her up: “It seems this lucky audience member is a little fan of CEO Wen. It’s clear that she’s been following Cloud Whale Tech for a long time. So, what question do you have for CEO Wen?”

Bai Yue’s gaze glanced at the audience. After a moment, she turned her attention back and clenched her fingers as if she had made up her mind: “My question is very simple.”

“It’s rumored that CEO Wen likes women. I want to ask if that’s true,” Bai Yue’s voice trembled, but she spoke very coherently. “If the answer is yes, then do I have a chance to invite you to dinner tonight?”

Female host: ???

The audience was in an uproar.

Ren Yingying’s expression was annoyed. She walked over to her elder and complained: “I knew it. Bai Yue didn’t come to this party with good intentions. How annoying. She got ahead of me.”

The elegant woman patted her on the shoulder to comfort her. She took out a comb from her handbag and helped her daughter comb her messy bangs: “What are you afraid of? CEO Wen hasn’t said yes yet.”

“My daughter is so beautiful. How could she lose to a little girl whose father and mother don’t love her?”

Ren Yingying snorted, but her mood improved significantly.

The focus of the entire crowd’s discussion shifted to Bai Yue, the eldest daughter of the Bai family, publicly confessing her feelings to the new tech elite, CEO Wen. No one cared anymore about the person the host had actually wanted to ask a question to.

Zhou Ziyan pinched the hem of her dress and looked at the stage. It was very far from the stage, so far that she could only clearly see Wen Jiao’s slightly blurred profile in the warm light. She had a rare expression of astonishment. Against the light, she clearly saw the graceful girl in the cheongsam with a face as red as bl00d.

She was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt that this scene was a little familiar.

A long, long time ago, the first time she expressed her feelings to Wen Jiao was a scene like this too, but it was more subtle. The implicit question was filled with her inexpressible inferiority.

Wen Jiao was giving a speech as a freshman representative, and she had asked her if she had any expectations for her emotional life in university. Wen Jiao had answered her like this: “I hope everyone can put their heart and soul into their passionate careers and achieve something great, so that our alma mater can be proud of us.”

The silent venue made Bai Yue a little anxious. She felt her calves trembling uncontrollably. The slit in her cheongsam was on the inner side of the stage, so the people below couldn’t see her tense muscles. Only her high heels made a continuous squeaking sound as her calves trembled.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

Bai Yue closed her eyes in despair. This gamble was a huge embarrassment. She tried her best to squeeze out a decent smile: “That’s okay, CEO Wen. I was presumptuous. I hope Cloud Whale Tech can do better and better in the country.”

Wen Jiao smiled and looked at the person in front of her: “I have other plans for tonight, but I wonder if you would be willing to give me your contact information? Maybe there will be a chance for us to have dinner together another day.”

Bai Yue was stunned.

The female host quickly pushed her shoulder: “Hurry up! CEO Wen has her phone out!”

In the audience, Ren Yingying’s nails dug into her crocodile skin bag, clicking back and forth to vent her frustration.

After the summit ended, Bai Yue still had a dazed expression, but her phone now had a white profile picture on it.

“You’re amazing. You’re my daughter, after all!” A man who looked like a nouveau riche came over. He rubbed his hands together and patted Bai Yue’s shoulder hard: “Now that you can get in with the Wen family, who would even care about the Li family’s meager offerings?”

Bai Yue came to her senses and hid the disgust in her eyes: “I told you a long time ago that the Li family wasn’t good enough and that I could find someone better, but you didn’t believe me.”

“Alright,” the man took out a cigar and clipped off the cap. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Although CEO Wen is a little interested in you, you might not be able to win her over. I’ll put a hold on the wedding with the Li family for now.”

Bai Yue’s fingers, holding her phone, suddenly tightened.

As the banquet dispersed, Bai Yue stood among a group of waiters, hesitant to leave. In a moment of distraction, her body swayed, and she almost lost her balance. It was then that she looked down at her feet.

Several pieces of the shattered wine glass were stuck in the leather soles of her high heels.

“…The person CEO Wen looked at just now?”

Bai Yue frowned deeply.

Late night.

Zhou Ziyan carefully changed back into her rented clothes. After the store owner inspected them, she got all of her deposit back, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry for the next three months.

Just as she finished changing into her own clothes, an unexpected guest arrived downstairs.

Cheng Junfeng paced back and forth in the gazebo inside the apartment complex. He was running his hands through his hair, over and over: “I went through so much trouble to get you such a good spot, but Wen Jiao didn’t even notice you?!”

Zhou Ziyan’s face didn’t change color and her heart didn’t beat faster: “Hmm.”

“Give up on going through Wen Jiao.”

A bright moon hung high in the sky, but the wooden gazebo was gloomy, as if the cold moonlight had deliberately bypassed the place where she was.

Zhou Ziyan lowered her eyelashes: “I know her.”

“Wen Jiao will never forgive a betrayal.”