Who’s Playing Who?

Chapter 1

The shattering of a champagne flute rang through the banquet hall like a piercing alarm, grating on the ears. I stood frozen, a mix of fury and humiliation tightening around my throat like a noose. My gaze was locked onto Zhou Qi’an. The rationality that had vanished from his face was as disheveled as his half-unbuttoned shirt.

“Zhixia, let me explain-” His voice was laced with panic as he tried to grab my hand, but I shoved him away.

Gu Lan stood behind him, her face pale, a flicker of what seemed like a plea for mercy and self-reproach in her eyes. Her lips trembled slightly. “Zhixia, don’t make a scene yet. There are still so many people outside…”

I let out a cold laugh, one sharp with irony. “What, is kissing your man something that can only be done quietly in the restroom?”

Zhou Qi’an’s face turned as dark as the night. With his dignity nowhere to be found, he rushed to explain, “I had too much to drink. She suddenly… I never intended for this…”

This excuse was a house of cards, utterly incapable of withstanding the torrent of rage inside me. I raised my hand and slapped him, the crisp sound echoing sharply against the distant clamor of the banquet.

Just then, the sound of a recording played from a phone-something I never expected to come from those closest to me. My heart constricted violently as I heard my mother’s cold voice: “Don’t worry, she’ll sign the prenuptial agreement. The house will be in your name; she won’t dare make a fuss… We have to keep a tight grip on her this time.”

Zhou Qi’an’s relaxed laughter followed in the recording. “Auntie, I truly love her. Getting married just happens to solve a few problems at the same time.”

I was stunned. The scent of wine in the air mingled with his words, crashing against my consciousness. A suffocating pain spread from my chest. I hadn’t just been betrayed by a man; I had been sold as a bargaining chip by the mother I trusted.

Gu Lan suddenly reached out, gripping my wrist tightly and pressing a small USB drive into my palm. Her nails bit into my skin as she pleaded in a low voice, “Zhixia, don’t make a scene here. Go back and watch what’s on this… Your mother doesn’t just want your house.”

I looked into her eyes. What flickered there wasn’t triumph, but deep unease and fear.

The knocking at the door grew more urgent. Knowing time was short, a tidal wave of fury and despair rose within me. I had thought this would be a sweet engagement, but now, it felt as though I was merely a pawn being manipulated in everyone’s eyes.

I clenched the USB drive. A sudden, resolute thought struck me. I turned, pushed open the stall door, and walked toward the ballroom. Instantly, every gaze in the room converged on me like a surging tide.

I stepped onto the stage, the intense spotlight enveloping me instantly. My heartbeat was deafening amidst the noise, and the air in the hall felt frozen. I plugged in the USB drive. The screen went black for a moment before flickering to life.

Clear dialogue immediately erupted through the banquet hall. The cheerful piano music stopped abruptly, and the entire scene fell into a suffocating silence. The crowd seemed to freeze in that moment, the very fragrance in the room tinged with a hint of desperation.

“She’s been dependent on me since she was a child. As long as I speak up, she’ll sign it.” My mother’s words were like a knife, slicing through my previously oblivious life.

“Once my capital turnover is sorted out, she’ll have me and she’ll have you as her mother. Who loses?” Zhou Qi’an’s voice drifted through the air, his laughter stabbing into the ears of every listener like needles.

“Sorry for the interruption, everyone,” I said, my voice high and clear. The microphone in my hand trembled slightly, but it couldn’t hide the fury in my heart. “This recording is a business negotiation between my mother and my fiancé from a week before our engagement. The product is me. The price? A house and a pile of shares.”

Surprised whispers erupted around me. Shocked faces flashed before my eyes. Gu Lan’s face looked even paler under the lights, appearing as fragile as broken porcelain.

My mother rushed forward, trying to snatch the microphone. “Lin Zhixia, have you gone mad? Turn it off!”

Just as she spoke, the screen changed, showing her in a law firm discussing the details of a share transfer, her expression full of calculation and smugness. Her self-righteous, secret machinations were ruthlessly exposed in that instant.

“Gu Lan, come up here,” I called out, the anger and hatred in my heart weaving into an indescribable power.

She hesitated before stepping out of the crowd. She walked toward me and knelt, looking utterly helpless and small. “It wasn’t me… I was scared too… I just wanted a status. I’m sorry, Zhixia.”

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on her. In that moment, the crowd seemed to realize that the people around me were already entangled in a complex web.

I stared into her eyes. I didn’t choose to let go of the hatred. At this moment, I wanted to settle all the entanglements and darkness once and for all.

“I won’t necessarily be the loser of today’s banquet,” I decided privately. No matter what the future held, this was my final stand against these traitors.

With that decision, countless tiny voices surged within me-not just about the emotions between me and Zhou Qi’an, but also the long-standing rift between me and my mother.

In this moment, I knew I was fighting against fate. What I needed was the courage to truly hold the key to my own life.

However, just when I thought I could control it all, another shadow quietly entered my vision. He Xingchuan-the man who had once been my formidable rival-now ignited a different kind of hope and reflection in my heart.

I looked at him fixedly, a new plan already forming. In this battle, I could only make the right choice after seeing everyone’s true intentions at the very end.

Under the lights, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, I took that step forward, taking in all the calculations and schemes. And this was only the beginning.

“My mother is the master player, but I will become her strongest opponent. Now, it’s my turn to fight back.” A tremor of power rose within me. The long-held endurance and helplessness finally transformed into fearless strength in this moment.

At this grand feast, I will make everyone lose their footing. Just wait and see whether I am the one destroyed, or if their plans ultimately turn into a farce.