After he slammed the door and left, the office returned to calm. Zoe noticed Julian’s gaze remained fixed on her face.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that President Julian was also swayed by Jasper?"

Julian suddenly reached out, his thumb brushing across the corner of her lips: "Zoe," his voice was low and dangerous, "you had better not let me find out you are playing any games."

His fingertips were a bit rough, the friction bringing a subtle sting.

Zoe grabbed his wrist, looking straight into his eyes: "Julian, the biggest taboo for a gambler is to back out halfway." She lightly bit his fingertip. "And I never regret."

That night, Julian didn't return to the villa but headed to a private apartment, holding an investigation report that had just been delivered.

The data showed that Zoe had almost cut off all contact with Jasper in the past six months, instead frequently sending people to inquire about his movements in Switzerland.

What was most strange was that three months ago, she suddenly sold all the gifts Jasper had ever given her and invested all the proceeds into an anonymous fund project.

Julian stood by the window in thought, always feeling there was a key clue he had overlooked.

The phone suddenly lit up; it was a message from Zoe: [There’s an auction tomorrow, will you accompany me?]

Julian stared at the message, his lips curling upward involuntarily. But soon, he regained his calm.

He replied with an "Um," and then tossed the investigation report into the shredder.

No matter what Zoe’s purpose was, he would find out. But before that...

The glass before him reflected his slightly curled lips.

Zoe had just stepped out of the Julian Building when the sun made her squint slightly.

She was looking down at the confirmation letter for the mineral transfer when a pungent perfume scent suddenly hit her face.

"Miss Wen!"

A pair of hands with vibrant red manicured nails grabbed her wrist violently.

Zoe looked up; Susan’s exquisitely made-up face was inches away, with two tears hanging from the corners of her eyes, ready to fall.

Chapter 14 

"I know I was wrong..." Susan said, her voice trembling, intentionally raising her volume for the passersby to hear. "I shouldn't have coveted Young Master Jasper after receiving the Wen family's sponsorship..." As she spoke, she suddenly knelt down. "Please, show mercy and let me go!"

A crowd gathered instantly to watch the spectacle.

Zoe watched Susan's performance with cold eyes, noticing that she deliberately slowed down the motion of kneeling, fearful of wrinkling that six-figure Chanel suit.

"My grades were truly earned through my own hard work," Susan sobbed. "You cannot use your wealth and power to bully us poor people like this..."

This sentence was like a drop of water splashing into a pan of hot oil, and the onlookers immediately broke into heated discussion.

Zoe noticed someone raising their phone to start recording, the camera flashes firing continuously.

"Oh my god, is this that eldest daughter of the Wen family?"

"I heard she bullies poor students just because of her family background..."

"How disgusting!"

Zoe’s brows twitched violently.

"Susan."

Zoe suddenly let out a soft laugh, her voice so clear that all the discussion stopped abruptly. "You are indeed poor..." She swept her gaze over the other person’s entire outfit. "You’re covered in designer brands, but your brain is poverty-stricken."

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.

Several sharp-eyed office workers immediately recognized Susan’s attire.

"Isn't that the new early autumn Chanel collection? I saw it in a magazine last week!"

"The watch is the Cartier Blue Balloon series, right?"

"That bag! It’s a Hermès Birkin!"

Susan’s face turned instantly deathly pale.

She tried frantically to hide the watch on her wrist but accidentally dropped her bag on the ground.

The cosmetics inside spilled everywhere, all of them top-tier brands.

Zoe looked down at her from her height: "I’ve sponsored more than just you, but you’re truly the only ungrateful one." She pulled out her phone and tapped a few times. "All sponsorship records are on the official Wen Group website and can be checked at any time."

People in the crowd immediately started searching, and exclamations of surprise followed one after another.

"It’s true! The Wen Group sponsors hundreds of poor students every year!"

"Look at the trending topics! Someone dug up that Susan’s student status was stolen from someone else!"

"Your news is too slow. I heard that the girl who was stolen from works nearby..."

A girl with a ponytail, dressed simply, suddenly rushed out of the crowd.

"Susan!" The girl’s eyes were bloodshot. "Do you remember me? That night three years ago when you stole my university spot, my mother almost jumped off a building!"

Before anyone could react, the girl raised her arm and slapped Susan hard across the face.

"Slap!"

The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the square. Susan screamed and fought back, and the two immediately entangled in a fight.

Her Chanel jacket was torn, her Hermès bag trampled out of shape, and her meticulously styled curls were pulled into a mess.

Zoe watched the farce coldly and turned toward her car.

Just as she pulled open the door, her phone vibrated frantically.

Jasper’s caller ID kept flashing.

She pressed the answer button, and his furious voice exploded instantly.

"Zoe! How dare you humiliate Susan in public? She’s already pathetic enough, you have everything, why do you have to—"

Zoe hung up directly and decisively blocked the number.

Through the car window, she saw the commotion in the square growing larger.

Susan was beaten to the point of tears and snot, crawling on the ground in a wretched state, looking for her high heels.

Her phone kept popping up notifications—#SusanStudentStatusFraud# had already hit number one on the trending list, followed by the word "EXPLOSIVE."

Zoe sneered slightly and said to the driver, "Let’s go."

The car had barely traveled two blocks when Zoe’s phone rang again.

This time, it was Julian.

"Resolved?" His low voice came through the receiver.

Zoe raised an eyebrow: "President Julian received the news so quickly?"

Julian seemed to chuckle softly. "After all, the video is already trending; it wouldn't be realistic to pretend I didn't see it. 'Poverty-stricken brain'? Miss Wen, your vocabulary is improving."

Zoe looked at the streetscape receding outside the window: "Did President Julian call specifically for this matter?"

There was silence on the other end of the line for two seconds.

"Jasper just froze two of your accounts in the South City." Julian’s tone turned suddenly serious. "He moved very quickly this time."

Zoe tapped her fingertips gently on the seat armrest: "Doesn't matter, important assets were moved long ago."

"Smart." Julian’s voice carried a hint of admiration. After saying this, there was silence on the other end for a few seconds. Just as Zoe was about to ask, she heard the opposite side’s voice, which was rarely nervous.

"Tonight... remember to come home for dinner."

Late at night, Julian was awakened by a sudden rush of breathing.

He pushed open the door to Zoe’s bedroom and found her struggling violently in bed, her forehead covered in cold sweat, her lips trembling as she spat out fragmented words: "No... Jasper... car... blood..."

Julian frowned and walked closer, just about to reach out and wake her, when he heard her clearly shout a sentence: "Julian... don't look at me... the way I am now... it's too ugly..."

His fingers hovered in mid-air, his pupils constricting sharply.

There was no memory in his mind that corresponded to this, but the sentence was too specific.

Specific enough to sound like she was describing a real scene.

What was even more eerie was that Zoe’s tone was as if she had personally seen him... looking at the state of her body as he collected her remains.

Chapter 15

The next morning, Julian sat in his study, a thick stack of investigation reports spread out before him.

"It’s checked out," Lin Han pushed up his glasses. "Miss Wen’s behavior pattern over the last six months is like a different person. The strangest thing is—" he pointed to a screenshot of surveillance footage, "she once withdrew all her investments from Jasper the day before his fake death plan was implemented."

Julian’s eyes darkened: "Continue."

"Also this," Lin Han flipped to another medical record, "Three months ago, Miss Wen had a high fever of 40 degrees. The first thing she did upon waking up was to send people to Switzerland to find you."

Julian’s knuckles tapped on the table with an increasingly fast rhythm.

All clues pointed to an absurd conclusion.

The Zoe of today seemed to be able to predict the future.

He closed the file: "Go investigate the background of that anonymous fund project under her name."

At the charity banquet, Zoe was in a long gown, holding Julian’s arm as they entered.

She keenly noticed he was exceptionally silent tonight, his fingertips occasionally stroking the edge of his wine glass unconsciously.