Copycat - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

◎Fleeing to a Barren Land◎

After their passion subsided, Zhou Ziyan got out of bed barefoot. She closed the window, which had been letting in rain, and looked up at the quiet, distant starry sky. She turned her head to look at the woman lying on the head of the bed and said softly, “Do you have anything you want to say to me?”

“Go to sleep early.”

Zhou Ziyan’s eyes dimmed, and she silently turned off the bedroom lights.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and her biological clock woke the sleeping person on time. Wen Jiao opened her eyes and subconsciously reached for the side of the bed. It was empty. She didn’t think much of it.

It wasn’t until she went downstairs and searched the entire villa without finding Zhou Ziyan that her expression finally became a little serious. She made a call and summoned all the staff who were on duty that night.

The housekeeper, who had rushed over, asked breathlessly what had happened.

Wen Jiao’s expression was gloomy. “Pull up all the villa’s surveillance footage immediately. Contact the staff at the airport and train station.”

Last night.

“Miss, this is the place.”

Zhou Ziyan hadn’t expected the villa to have a place like this. Ren Li had taken her to an underground tunnel that the maids had accidentally discovered while working. It led directly to a beach in the suburbs.

Ren Li used a key to open the door to the underground tunnel. “There are no surveillance cameras here. You can leave with peace of mind.”

“You can leave with peace of mind.” At this point, Ren Li’s voice choked up a little. “You saved Ren Li’s only family member, but Ren Li can only send you this far.”

Zhou Ziyan looked up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Ren Li, I’m the one who should be saying thank you.”

“If I hadn’t insisted on leaving here, you wouldn’t have risked losing your job to steal the housekeeper’s key.”

Ren Li shook her head, her expression a little stubborn. “I was only able to stay at the Wen family because of you, Miss.”

The sound of urgent shouts could be heard from outside the underground tunnel. Ren Li quickly stuffed a backpack into Zhou Ziyan’s arms. “Miss, you have to go.”

Zhou Ziyan stepped out of the iron gate, which was locked with a chain.

The tunnel was completely dark. The front was like a bottomless black hole. Every step Zhou Ziyan took, she was afraid she would fall into a bottomless vortex. She held the spare phone that Aldrich had given her, using the faint light from the screen to light the way.

She didn’t know how long she had walked before she heard a faint sound of rain. Zhou Ziyan was slightly stunned and quickened her pace. She walked faster and faster, and finally, she was running. She no longer worried about whether her feet would get stuck in the mud. She just kept running toward the source of the light.

That was her way out.

The Wen family.

A suffocating silence hung over the entire villa. Wen Jiao sat on the sofa, her eyes dark as she watched the surveillance footage. She went through the past three months of surveillance footage and finally found clues of Zhou Ziyan’s plan to leave.

The housekeeper weakly advised, “CEO Wen, maybe Miss Zhou just had a moment of confusion. Once she understands your good intentions, she’ll definitely come back to you.”

Wen Jiao was silent for a moment and then suddenly sneered. “Are you saying that a person who has been planning to leave for half a year, flew across the ocean on a helicopter overnight, and didn’t even think about leaving me a single note, will suddenly have a change of heart and come back to me?”

The housekeeper fell silent.

The villa was deathly quiet. Only Wen Jiao kept staring at the image of the person leaving so freely in the surveillance footage. A gasp from a maid cleaning the second floor broke the silence. She quickly ran to the handrail of the stairs. “CEO Wen, there’s a…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Wen Jiao quickly ran up the stairs. “What is it? Give it to me!”

She snatched the piece of paper that looked like a letter from the maid’s hand. When she opened it, a deep vertical line formed between Wen Jiao’s eyebrows. It was the cohabitation contract she and Zhou Ziyan had signed. The contract was torn to shreds, showing the hatred the person felt when she made that decision.

In addition, she also found a chemical drug test report in a box under the easel.

Wen Jiao was so smart that she understood the whole story the moment she saw it.

The housekeeper saw that Wen Jiao’s face was ashen. “CEO Wen, we have already contacted Aldrich. She refuses to admit that Miss Zhou took her helicopter. Aldrich is currently abroad. We are preparing to continue to put pressure on her family.”

“There’s no need.”

The housekeeper was stunned. Wen Jiao turned off the power to the surveillance cameras, stood up, and straightened the wrinkles in her suit. “Since she doesn’t want this kind of life, let her go.”

The housekeeper was a little surprised. The owner of this villa had used almost every method possible, obsessively wanting to keep that person by her side, but now she was easily giving up all the effort she had put in. She really couldn’t understand the thought process of this new elite businesswoman.

Despite this, she still bowed her head obediently. “Yes, CEO Wen.”

Wen Jiao called her assistant and told him to reschedule the postponed meeting. The housekeeper carried the briefcase and put it in the back seat of the car. The moment the luxury car started, she saw the woman who was looking at her documents put down the car window and look at her sideways.

The housekeeper was slightly stunned. “CEO Wen?”

Wen Jiao’s tone was cold. “Tell Aldrich to tell Miss Zhou.”

“We’re even.”

“Even?” Zhou Ziyan’s first reaction to the news was surprise, followed by sadness. In the end, Wen Jiao was still Wen Jiao. Everything she had done was just an act of revenge.

The so-called love was just a performance carried out for revenge.

“Zhou, are you sure you don’t want to come and work for me?”

Zhou Ziyan smiled bitterly and rejected Aldrich’s offer. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any plans to go abroad for now.”

Aldrich was silent for a moment. “Wen Jiao controls A City. If you stay there, I’m afraid…”

Zhou Ziyan smiled and shook her head. “She won’t look for me anymore.”

Aldrich looked at her in confusion, but Zhou Ziyan was very stubborn in her beliefs. Aldrich finally gave in. “If you need anything, feel free to ask me for help at any time.”

Zhou Ziyan smiled and watched her leave.

After leaving A City, she used a fake ID to get a new phone card and took a bus to a small town in the countryside in the south. She bought a small one-story house through a real estate agent.

When she was handed the house, the original owner smiled brightly. “You have good taste, girl. Our Liwan Town has beautiful mountains and clear waters. It’s the most suitable place for young people like you to live.”

The landlord handed over the key very readily.

Zhou Ziyan took the key, said thank you, and didn’t pay attention to the other person’s bright smile. It wasn’t until the house started leaking every three days that she suddenly realized she might have been scammed. When she tried to contact the real estate agent and the landlord again, she found that her number had already been blocked.

Liwan Town was a small city in the south. Its only advantage was that it was relatively quiet. Most of the people who lived there were elderly people whose children had left for the city. Within a ten-kilometer radius, there were almost no young people to be seen. Only when a small elementary school in the north let out would the sound of children’s laughter be heard from a distance.

Zhou Ziyan’s favorite thing to do was to sit on the steps in front of her house at sunset and give out some candy to the children who were on their way home from school.

Three months later.

“Xiao Zhou, out watching the sunset again today?”

A kind-faced female teacher led the children to Zhou Ziyan. She said to the children who had taken the candy, “Hurry up and say thank you, Sister Zhou Yan.”

“Thank you, Sister Zhou Yan!” The children’s sweet voices made Zhou Ziyan couldn’t help but show a sincere smile. She stroked the girl’s soft hair. “You’re welcome. The sun is about to set. Go home early.”

The children left, but the female teacher stayed behind. She saw Zhou Ziyan’s bruised lips and couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Are you feeling okay?”

Zhou Ziyan forced a smile. “Not so good.”

Since she stopped taking the medicine, there was a long period every month where her body felt as if it was being gnawed by countless insects. The only thing to be thankful for was that the situation was slowly getting better, and her dependence on the drugs was gradually weakening.

“Thank you, Li Qing,” Zhou Ziyan said, looking at the simple-faced woman and thanking her sincerely. Li Qing quickly waved her hand. “Don’t be so polite with me. I’m happy that I can help you too.”

Li Qing looked at the woman’s somewhat pale face and her Adam’s apple bobbed a few times. “Have you thought about that thing?”

Zhou Ziyan was stunned for a moment and slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry, Teacher Li.”

“I don’t have any plans to start a new relationship for now. Your feelings…”

Zhou Ziyan’s words trailed off. Li Qing quickly interrupted her with a laugh. “Oh, I understand. I can wait.”

Many people from the town had come to her house to visit and ask her why she had moved from a big city to a town where no young people could be seen. The explanation Zhou Ziyan gave was that she had been heartbroken. The old people all expressed their understanding and comforted the young person who was hurt. They even introduced their single sons to her, but Zhou Ziyan refused them all.

Only Li Qing had seen through her true sexuality at a glance.

Zhou Ziyan looked at Li Qing with a complicated expression.

Li Qing was undoubtedly a good person.

Back then, when she went to the town to buy vegetables, she suddenly had an episode and fainted on the way. It was Li Qing who carried her to the town’s clinic and took meticulous care of her for half a month. That’s how they met.

Liwan Town was a national poverty-stricken town. Li Qing had come here to teach after graduating from university and became the only female teacher in this poor town. Li Qing sat on the steps, her gaze on the hazy reflection of the sunset on the lake. “Zhou Yan, do you know? I’m so glad I met you here.”

“I’ve known since I was a child that I was different,” Li Qing said, smiling bitterly and taking a sip of water. “When I met you, I realized that everything can be understood and accepted.”

Zhou Ziyan remained silent. But Li Qing smiled, stood up, and took out some painkillers from her bag, handing them to her. “Your period is coming soon. If you really can’t stand it, remember to take one.”

“Don’t always try to endure it.”

Zhou Ziyan held the medicine in her hand and nodded silently. Li Qing was used to her silent nature. She pushed open the courtyard gate, ready to leave.

As she faced the setting sun, she heard a faint call from a distance. She knew it was Zhou Yan’s voice and quickly turned back, running over.

Li Qing looked anxious. “What’s wrong? Did you have another episode? I’ll carry you to the town’s clinic right now.”

Zhou Ziyan was silent for a moment and then said softly, “No.”

Li Qing looked at her in confusion. Zhou Ziyan’s gaze swept over Li Qing’s simple face, the beads of sweat on her forehead, and the genuine concern in her eyes.

She had been trapped in her disappointment with Wen Jiao for too long. Perhaps the most important thing she should do now was not to forget that memory, but to look back at the people who were truly good to her and not let any genuine affection go to waste.

Under Li Qing’s confused gaze, Zhou Ziyan slowly reached out and held her damp hand. Li Qing was stunned for a moment. Her eyes suddenly lit up, even more dazzling than the rising sun. Her voice trembled a little. “Yanyan, you…”

Zhou Ziyan smiled at her. “Go home early. I’ll wait for you to come over after your class tomorrow.”

A City, the Mu Family’s banquet.

“CEO Wen, I’d like to propose a toast to you.”

“CEO Wen, I’d like to propose a toast to you as well.”

“This is my business card. I hope you can take care of our small company, CEO Wen.”

It was supposed to be the Mu family patriarch’s eightieth birthday, but the person who was being flocked to was an outsider. Mu Siyu stood next to her grandfather, her hands on her hips and her face full of dissatisfaction. “These people aren’t here to celebrate your birthday. They’re clearly trying to use our Mu family’s platform to make connections with influential people.”

Wen’s Group, a new tech elite, had monopolized the national technology market in less than a year. The person who controlled this huge group had a sharp eye. The company’s market value had skyrocketed since it went public and was now on par with the major conglomerates that had been entrenched in A City for a hundred years.

The Mu family patriarch shook his head and only said, “I heard you and that CEO Wen were college classmates?”

Mu Siyu’s expression was very sour. “Mm.”

“Are you not on good terms?” The Mu family patriarch immediately noticed her conflicted feelings. She was clearly keeping an eye on the young CEO Wen’s movements, but she refused to go over and talk to her. Mu Siyu said in a sarcastic tone, “How would I dare to be on bad terms with CEO Wen?”

“Speak properly.”

Mu Siyu pouted. “There are some things she’s done that I don’t like.”

The Zhou and Cheng families, who had once been powerful forces in A City, suddenly went bankrupt. The major families all had their own suspicions and knew that it had something to do with the sharp-edged Wen’s Group. The Mu family patriarch advised, “The business world is a battlefield, and choices are also very important. The Zhou and Cheng families were not clean to begin with.”

“It’s not because of that.” Mu Siyu’s gaze lingered on the graceful figure who was gently swirling her wine glass. “She shouldn’t have treated Miss Zhou like that. What happened back then was something she had no choice but to do.”

The banquet ended.

Wen Jiao leaned against a fountain far away from the estate, closed her eyes, and pressed her aching brow. When she opened her eyes again, she thought she was hallucinating. A familiar figure walked reluctantly toward her.

With the passage of time, Wen Jiao’s first feeling when she saw Mu Siyu again was familiarity. Mu Siyu, for once, didn’t mock her. She just stood by her side and lit a cigarette.

The two of them stood in silence. Wen Jiao’s lips curled into a cold, unenthusiastic smile. “Did you come here just so I could breathe in your secondhand smoke?”

Mu Siyu looked at her but didn’t respond. The act of exhaling the smoke, however, was more forceful. Wen Jiao didn’t have time to play these childish games with her and was about to get into her car to leave, but she was called back halfway there.

“You’ve become even more heartless than before.”

Wen Jiao turned to look at her. Mu Siyu ground out the lit cigarette butt on the marble around the fountain with the sole of her high-heeled shoe and walked toward her.

“I’m really curious about what kind of person you are.”

Mu Siyu took a cigarette from her pocket and handed it to her. Wen Jiao, for once, didn’t refuse it. She only said calmly, “Perhaps you should be more concerned about how the Mu Group can advance to the next level in the wave of the technological revolution.”

“That’s not something a useless rich kid like me should be concerned about,” Mu Siyu said, lighting another cigarette for herself with a self-deprecating laugh.

Wen Jiao gave a silent laugh.

“What about her?” Mu Siyu asked.

Wen Jiao’s smile disappeared, and her tone was cold. “We’re even.”

The moon hung lonely in the high sky. The surroundings were empty. The cicadas of summer nights had died in early autumn, and the only sound that could be heard was the pattering of the fountain.

“Even?” Mu Siyu looked at her with a complex expression. “You really don’t know anything.”

Wen Jiao frowned and looked at her. “What are you talking about?”

Mu Siyu didn’t know how to describe Wen Jiao.

She was foolish, yet Wen Jiao had broken through the oppression of the wealthy families, started a technological revolution, and her company’s revenue was in the hundreds of millions. She was a well-deserved new elite in the business world.

But to say she was smart, she was also so arrogant. Back then, if she had had a little more trust in Zhou Ziyan’s affection for her and had investigated and understood the other person’s situation, there wouldn’t have been such a deep rift and misunderstanding today.

Mu Siyu looked at the moonlight and slowly said, “Cheng Junfeng was found guilty of intentional homicide and drug trafficking. With multiple charges, the court sentenced him to death and immediate execution. The execution is scheduled for the end of this month.”

Wen Jiao stared at her, as if she wanted to stare a hole in her face. “So?”

Mu Siyu snatched the burning cigarette from her hand and used the sole of her high-heeled shoe to stomp out the lit cigarette butt, leaving only her back and a cryptic message.

“If your conscience bothers you, then go to the prison and listen to what really happened back then from the perspective of this death row inmate.”