Copycat - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

◎I’ll Move Out of the Dorm◎

Zhou Ziyan’s fingertips were icy cold, as if her whole body had fallen into a deep freeze. Tears soaked her eyelashes, making her look pitiful. Her posture was so low that passersby couldn’t help but look at her, their scrutinizing gazes falling on the heartless woman sitting in front of her. Hot tears dripped onto the cafe table.

Zhou Ziyan’s voice trembled uncontrollably: “Wen Jiao, I don’t expect you to reciprocate my feelings.” “I only ask that you treat me the same as before, and let me stay by your side as a friend. I would be completely content with that.”

This made Wen Jiao frown slightly, as if she was pondering the truth or reasonableness of her words. Zhou Ziyan took hold of her fingers. Wen Jiao had never been this physically close to anyone. She wanted to pull her hand away, but when she saw those crimson, tear-filled eyes, her heart inexplicably ached. However, rationality still overcame this strange emotion. Wen Jiao stood up and put some distance between them.

“I really can’t reciprocate your feelings.” “I will move out of the dorm at the beginning of my senior year.” Wen Jiao’s tone was calm, not a discussion but a statement. Zhou Ziyan lowered her head in despair, her tear-soaked eyelashes buried within the safe space of her arms. From a distance, Wen Jiao couldn’t see her expression, but she could feel the suffocating despair radiating from her.

Wen Jiao didn’t understand why she was acting this way. Since she was a teenager, Wen Jiao had been confessed to many times. Some people secretly passed her love letters, some sang to her with candles late at night, and some even got into fights for her. Even after she rejected them, these people were all living well. Some had even married, had children, and were living fulfilled lives in the conventional sense. To them, Wen Jiao was just a small, dispensable part of their lives. Even after being rejected, their lives would continue.

“…I think you might have misunderstood something.” Wen Jiao sat back down. “I never did anything for you.” Her subtext was that her rejection wasn’t worth this kind of despair, this kind of pain as if everything had been lost.

Wen Jiao had been living an independent life for a long time. No matter who left her, Wen Jiao was certain she would be fine. She found it difficult to understand a person who couldn’t live without her after being rejected.

“You did!” Zhou Ziyan reacted as if she had been triggered. “You definitely did!” She looked up, and Wen Jiao saw her red, swollen eyes and the self-inflicted marks on her palm. Wen Jiao frowned, looking worried and confused. Seeing her confused expression, Zhou Ziyan’s voice softened. She held the cup, her voice trembling. “You clearly…”

Let’s go back four years. It was her second year of high school. Wen Jiao was representing a key high school in Province B to attend a chemistry competition training camp in City A. The members of the chemistry training camp at A University’s affiliated high school were making a ruckus, poking their heads out of the classroom to watch the bus carrying the students from other provinces. Zhou Ziyan was a member of the chemistry training camp at the time.

Back then, she had shoulder-length hair and a long fringe. She only felt secure when her eyes were covered. Besides burying her head in her studies, she didn’t talk to anyone. She was a completely different person from who she was now. Wen Jiao not remembering this event didn’t surprise her.

That summer, a big tree with a thick trunk had lush leaves, and magpies were chirping on the branches. The competition students from other provinces were getting off the bus with their luggage. Zhou Ziyan remembered very clearly that Wen Jiao had her hair in a high ponytail and was carrying a dark black backpack. Her light footsteps stood out from the tired, dusty students who had just had a long journey. She was, without a doubt, the center of attention. After she got off the bus, a boy from the A City chemistry team whistled at her.

Zhou Ziyan sat in the last row by the window, enviously watching the vibrant competition students from other provinces. Her dark heart couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing. If only I could be like that. Wen Jiao back then didn’t look much different from how she did now, but her personality was completely different. She was easygoing, helpful, and liked to talk. Of course, the most important thing was that she was smart. The 17-year-old Wen Jiao was the best among her peers and the focus of everyone’s attention. She thought that such a bright person would never notice her, who was hiding in the shadows, but she never expected that Wen Jiao would be the first person to discover her struggles.

That day, in Chemistry Training Class A. Zhou Ziyan kept her head down, not daring to make eye contact with the teacher. However, as Murphy’s Law states, what you don’t want to happen will happen.

“Zhou Ziyan, come up and solve this final question for everyone.” The training camp teacher said loudly, holding a piece of chalk. As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted in the classroom. This left the students from other provinces confused.

“Teacher, there’s no way she can do it!” a boy with black-rimmed glasses said, laughing mockingly while banging on his desk. Zhou Ziyan buried her head in her textbook in shame. She stood up but didn’t look at anyone. The echoing laughter in the classroom grew louder. Her long fringe covered her moist eyes, and her black-rimmed glasses were gradually blurred with tears. The teacher asked her if she could do it or not, but she didn’t answer and remained silent. Because her tearful answer would only make these people laugh even more. Zhou Ziyan didn’t want to face their escalating mockery anymore. So she used silence to face everything.

The teacher on the podium wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Zhou Ziyan, can you do it or not? There are many students from other provinces here today. If you can’t, just say so. Don’t waste everyone’s time.” The sarcastic laughter in the classroom grew louder. Even the students from other provinces who didn’t know the situation started to laugh along.

Zhou Ziyan at the time didn’t know what expression Wen Jiao had in the front row. Because her fringe covered her eyes, she didn’t know her name at the time because they were strangers. Amidst the mockery she was used to, this chemistry student from another province came to her rescue.

“Teacher, I have a way to solve this problem.” The girl who had been bored and leaning on her desk suddenly raised her hand. The most beautiful girl on the bus actively answering a question immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the classroom. Of course, this included Zhou Ziyan, who had her head down.

The teacher on the podium looked as if he had found a savior. He said hurriedly, “Okay, Zhou Ziyan, you can sit down. Wen Jiao, you come up here and solve this problem.” So her name was Wen Jiao. This was the first thought Zhou Ziyan had after she sat down. A pretty person might not be smart, Zhou Ziyan had once thought maliciously, but this bright and beautiful girl quickly shattered her self-deception.

That final question wasn’t actually difficult. It was even one of the simplest questions in the history of the competition, but to the 17-year-old Zhou Ziyan, it was an insurmountable chasm.

After the training camp was over, Zhou Ziyan waited for the driver at the entrance as usual. However, she wasn’t always able to get into the car in time. Many people in the training camp disliked her. Or rather, they were jealous.

“Oh, look, the young lady is waiting for her luxury car to pick her up again!” A girl whose family was not well-off walked over. She said sarcastically, “If you’re so rich, why are you competing? Wouldn’t it be better to just have your parents pay for you to go abroad?” Zhou Ziyan kept her head down, not daring to speak. She was used to this kind of mockery. She prayed in her heart that the driver would be faster, so she could get in the car and escape this place.

Things didn’t go her way. The evening rush hour in City A was particularly congested that day, and the Zhou family’s driver was stuck between two cars. No one came to save her. The group of people soon left. Only Zhou Ziyan was left alone in the dark training camp, waiting for her ride. She couldn’t take a taxi home because her family wouldn’t allow it. As a descendant of a big family, she couldn’t take any risks that might cause trouble for the family. Zhou Ziyan had no friends here, and no one would wait for a ride with her.

Everyone from the training camp had left, but she was still immersed in her own world, feeling as if there were beasts hiding in the dark world around her that could devour her alive. She was so sensitive that when someone patted her on the shoulder from behind, she thought it was one of those people who liked to play tricks on her. Zhou Ziyan’s reflex was to swing her backpack. “Don’t come near me! What are you going to do now?” The person seemed to be startled by her reaction and didn’t say anything for a long time. After a while, the person hiding in the darkness took a step back. She raised her hands to show she was friendly. “I’m sorry, did I scare you?” “My name is Wen Jiao. I don’t know if you remember me, but we’re in the same class in the training camp.” “…Wen Jiao?” “Yes, my name is Wen Jiao.”

The chemistry students from other provinces made a big impression on their first day at the training camp in City A. The most notable among them was Wen Jiao, who scored first on the placement test and was placed in Class A. Zhou Ziyan’s heart beat wildly. Why would someone like her suddenly come to find me? She timidly peeked at the person through the gap in her long fringe that covered her eyes. She didn’t say anything, but Wen Jiao tried to get closer to her. Wen Jiao gave her a smile, trying her best not to scare this shy and introverted girl.

“Are you waiting for a ride?” Wen Jiao asked. She pointed to the bus stop outside. “A private car? Or would you like to walk with me?” “I take the 306 bus. Is it on your way? Do you want to go together?” Zhou Ziyan should have rejected this invitation, just as she had in the past, but that day, for some reason, she agreed. It was the first time she had done something out of the ordinary, instead of just staying put and waiting for the Zhou family’s driver to pick her up. She didn’t even know where the 306 bus went, but she got on the bus behind this person. After getting on, she fumbled with her phone for a long time. In the end, it was Wen Jiao who paid for her bus fare because she didn’t know how to pay.

“Thank you,” Zhou Ziyan said softly, her head bowed. The 306 bus was particularly empty that day. Zhou Ziyan leaned against the window, and Wen Jiao sat next to her. They were very close. Zhou Ziyan was so awkward that she didn’t know where to put her hands. She could only put them on her knees, her butt half on the hard seat, and her body hunched forward. The bus drove on. Zhou Ziyan didn’t know where it was going, but she just sat there uncomfortably.

“You’re sitting as if I’m bullying you.” The person beside her suddenly chuckled. The sound was very pleasant. It was laughter, but not the sarcastic, malicious laughter she was used to hearing. Zhou Ziyan sat up straight and looked at the person next to her through her fringe, waving her hands. “That’s not what I mean.” Because she was so eager to explain, she took her hands off her knees, and her center of gravity shifted to her back. The smiling girl suddenly raised her hand and grabbed her shoulder, helping her press her shoulder against the back of the bus seat.

“Isn’t that more comfortable?” Wen Jiao chuckled. Her actions were full of kindness. When she smiled, she was so beautiful that she seemed to glow. Even Zhou Ziyan was infected by her brightness. “Thank you,” Zhou Ziyan said in a very soft tone. The two of them sat together. Zhou Ziyan was still thinking of a topic, trying to find something light to make the atmosphere less awkward. However, the girl beside her didn’t think so. Wen Jiao thought for a while and suddenly said, “You didn’t get in through the exam, did you?” Her words were very blunt, leaving no room for tact. But there was no sarcasm in her tone, which was as calm as if she were asking if it would rain tonight.

The bus window was wet with fine rain. Through the hazy mist, she could see the dim yellow of the streetlights outside. “Yes.” Zhou Ziyan was silent for a while before admitting, “My family arranged for me to come here.” “I don’t want to go abroad. I want to study in China.” “What about you?” Zhou Ziyan looked up. Her mood was more relaxed with this stranger she knew nothing about. “Why are you studying chemistry?” “Me?” Wen Jiao was stunned for a moment, as if she hadn’t expected her to ask that question. “For my mom, I guess.” She shrugged.

“How did you guess that I didn’t get in through the exam?” Zhou Ziyan asked. Wen Jiao smiled. “That final question was very simple. If you could pass the placement test, you should have been able to solve that problem easily.” Zhou Ziyan looked at her silently. In reality, the chemistry training camp in City A had deliberately made the placement test extremely difficult to intimidate the students from other provinces. As a result, only one out of 33 chemistry students from other provinces made it into the key Class A. The high-difficulty placement test was a deliberate accident, but Wen Jiao had, by some coincidence, guessed her thoughts correctly.

Zhou Ziyan lowered her head. “I want to get into A University through the competition. I don’t want to go to the good schools my family applied for abroad.” Wen Jiao offered a friendly suggestion. “Then you can’t stay here. A training camp that only focuses on the final question can definitely raise your upper limit, but I looked at your test paper, and you lost a lot of points on the basics.” “If you want to improve, it’s best to hire a tutor to help you with the basics. Although time is tight now, you might not be able to fully solve the final question, but there’s a very good chance you can get a recommendation to A University.”

Zhou Ziyan lowered her head. Her heavy fringe covered her eyes and her emotions. She said in a low voice, “My family has already made arrangements. They have the best competition teachers in City A here. My parents pulled some strings to get me into the best class and even bribed the teacher to take care of me.” Wen Jiao didn’t understand her concerns. “It’s good here, but it’s not suitable for you.” Zhou Ziyan’s voice became weaker and weaker. “But they arranged it this way.” “Why don’t you try to talk to them?” Wen Jiao asked her.

Zhou Ziyan was lost in her memories. After a long pause, she slowly said, “They won’t agree, based on my experience.” The bus at night was very quiet. The driver drove quietly, and the only sounds in the bus were the doors opening and closing as the bus arrived at various stops. The two of them were silent for a long time. It seemed like there was no turning point, but Wen Jiao suddenly spoke, asking, “Well, do you have money?” “Yes.” Zhou Ziyan was stunned for a moment and nodded. The family controlled almost all her actions, but they had never been stingy with her when it came to money.

The 306 bus stopped two stops before the last one. Wen Jiao held the handrail and slowly walked towards the door. Before she got off, she turned her head and smiled at the person sitting in the bus seat. She asked in return, “Money can do a lot of things, can’t it?” Wen Jiao waved goodbye to her.

Zhou Ziyan sat there lost in thought for a long time. The end of the 306 bus route was near the beach. She sat all the way to the end, and then the bus started to turn back, and the scenery outside the window slowly moved in reverse. During this time, her phone rang many times, but she ignored all of them. She just sat there quietly, looking out the window. The total round trip time of the 306 bus was one hour and forty minutes. Even now, Zhou Ziyan still remembers it clearly.