Zoe and Jack were once the most talked-about couple in our elite social circles. But at my birthday party, he was drawn to another girl. He said she was exactly his type, and even found her little schemes endearing. He broke off our engagement for her. When the media asked about me, his ex-girlfriend, Jack coolly replied: “Zoe is a nice girl, but I want to live for myself for once.” But later, he regretted marrying her. Everyone in our circle said Jack and I were the perfect match. We came from similar backgrounds and looked good together. More importantly, we weren’t bound by family interests. We got together at 16, each other’s first love. Our friends all said Jack and I were so lucky. In high society, true love is the most precious thing, and we had found it at just 16. But when I was ready to marry Jack, another girl appeared. At my birthday party, my childhood friend Olivia brought along a strikingly beautiful girl. “This is my friend Chloe. Her family is in the copper mining business,” Olivia said. I quickly ran through the names in my head. Growing up in these circles, you hear about all the major business families. But I’d never heard of a copper mining family with that surname. … I was a bit annoyed that Olivia had brought an outsider without warning me. To put it bluntly, our circle is exclusive. But at the root of it, we’ve seen too many people with ulterior motives, so we try to avoid trouble. This Chloe was trouble. She wore a bright red dress, flitting around the room like a butterfly. Even more flashy than me, the birthday girl. In one evening, she managed to add almost every guest on SnapChat. When the singer on stage finished a song, Chloe boldly went up, saying she wanted to sing a birthday song for me. I found it bizarre. I didn’t even know her, but she spoke as if we were close friends. She sang well. Her voice was sultry and alluring, her body swaying to the music, showing off her slender waist. My best friend Lucy complained: “Zoe, where did you find this kind of friend?” “She’s not celebrating your birthday, she’s clearly fishing for a rich husband.” I shrugged: “I don’t know her. Olivia brought her.” Lucy scoffed: “You didn’t hear how familiar she acted with you. Anyone would think you two were best friends!” She unlocked her phone and deleted the new SnapChat contact.
I didn’t think much of Chloe. I’d seen too many people trying to use our connections for their own gain. In the future, we’d just have to be stricter about guest lists. There probably wouldn’t be another chance to meet. But I didn’t expect her to actively provoke me. After finishing her song, she came over with her phone, asking to add Jack on SnapChat. Jack smiled noncommittally: “If I add you, my girlfriend won’t be happy.” But Chloe pouted coyly: “You’re kidding, Zoe isn’t that petty.” She turned to me: “Right, Zoe?” I coldly replied: “First, I don’t know you, so don’t act so familiar.” “Second, I didn’t invite you to my birthday, so please leave.” I called security to escort her out of the hall. Jack put his arm around me and chuckled: “I didn’t know my Zoe was so possessive.” It wasn’t really that. I just hated people trying to use my status and connections to climb the social ladder, while treating me like an idiot.
Chloe hadn’t been gone long when Jack’s assistant came and called him out. I thought it was work-related, so I didn’t ask. But he was gone for a long time. When I asked the staff, I found out Jack’s car had been hit – his new Bugatti. The car that hit him was a red Porsche, driven by Chloe. I went outside wearing a coat and saw the girl in her thin dress apologizing profusely to Jack. She was crying, insisting she had to help Jack fix the car no matter what. Jack looked displeased but didn’t give her a hard time, telling her not to worry about it. Chloe bit her lip: “Jack, I know you’re a good person.” “But I caused such big trouble, I can’t let it go without making amends.” “Can I… can I treat you to a meal as an apology? Give me a chance to make it up to you, please?” She took out her phone, wanting to add Jack’s contact. To my surprise, Jack agreed. I walked over to them: “Chloe, you were driving drunk, you should face the consequences.” “Lin, please call the police for me.” Lin was Jack’s assistant. He nodded, looking to Jack for approval. But Jack stopped me: “Let it go, it’s not a big deal.” He said to Chloe: “Call a driver to take you home.” I got angry: “How is it not a big deal? Her red car was parked several rows away from your Bugatti.” “If she wasn’t completely drunk, how could she possibly hit you from so far away?” “She was driving drunk, I’m calling the police. What’s wrong with that?” Seeing Lin not moving, I took out my phone to call myself. Jack was getting impatient: “Do you have to be so aggressive?”
I’ve always been straightforward, and Jack usually indulged me. But this time, he gave me the cold shoulder over a girl he’d just met. Chloe was taken away by the police, looking frail in her thin dress. Jack seemed very disappointed in me and asked: “Was that really necessary?” “Yes.” “Girls who are so domineering aren’t likeable.” I was stunned for a moment, then looked at him seriously: “Jack, I, Zoe, don’t live my life to please anyone.” We parted on bad terms that day. We didn’t contact each other for the next few days. When Lucy met me for lunch, she advised: “I know you’re a spoiled rich girl, but this time you should give Jack a way out!” “He’s under so much pressure at work lately, it’s normal for him to be irritable.” I thought about it and realized she was right. He had just taken over the family business and was struggling. The uncles and senior executives weren’t cooperating, causing him all sorts of headaches. I was about to send him a conciliatory message when I saw a waiter leading a man and woman to the window-side table with the best view. No wonder I couldn’t book that table for lunch today. Chloe’s apology dinner – Jack had kept the appointment after all. I deleted the reconciliation message I’d typed out. Instead, I sent: “Let’s break up.” Send.
Jack put down his phone and looked around as if sensing something, meeting my gaze. I put on my coat and turned to leave, but he caught up with me: “Zoe, don’t be like this.” Chloe chased after us too: “Zoe, don’t misunderstand, we were just…” I snapped at her: “This doesn’t concern you. Stay out of it.” “Jack, I’m not playing around. I really don’t want you anymore.” His expression was very serious. “Zoe, don’t regret this.” … After so many years together, I thought ending it would be harder. But it wasn’t. My parents had always told me I didn’t need to marry for family interests. They hoped I would date and marry someone I truly liked. I used to like Jack. But today in the restaurant, I suddenly realized I didn’t like him that much anymore. Not enough to fight another woman over him.
After that, my family’s company expanded into the French market, and I was abroad for a few months. Jack called me several times, but I didn’t answer. He sent me a message: “I’m going to be with Chloe now. Do you mind?” Looking at my phone, I felt more certain that ending things decisively was the right choice. Better to break up early and be free, than to be disgusted for months. I replied: “Do whatever you want.” But he seemed unwilling to let it go: “Zoe, you really don’t care about me at all, do you?” … A few days later, Jack brought Chloe as his official girlfriend to a social gathering. Lucy was puzzled: “Is Jack an idiot? Can’t he see she’s just a gold-digger?” I said: “Maybe he doesn’t mind. Who knows.” Logically, he should mind. People who approach you for personal gain will eventually harm you for personal gain. But it wasn’t my business anymore. Knowing I had no lingering feelings for Jack, Lucy sent me screenshots of Chloe’s Twitter to gossip about. Scuba diving, baking, afternoon tea, skiing. She perfectly fulfilled netizens’ fantasies of a rich girl’s life. But girls in our circle could tell at a glance – she was just a knockoff socialite. Girls who grew up in luxury don’t post 8 selfies for a $100 afternoon tea. It’s just an ordinary day, nothing worth showing off. But she was genuinely beautiful, with a great figure. Netizens called her a “goddess”. Her influencer friend casually revealed: [The goddess is taken now, her boyfriend is the heir to the J Group.] That’s when netizens realized: [Isn’t the J heir Jack?] [What? He and Zoe broke up???] News spreads fast online. That evening, both my parents and Jack’s parents learned about our breakup from trending topics on Twitter. I was urgently called back to the States.
My family and Jack’s family were old friends. A breakup wasn’t a big deal, but we were already engaged. If Jack had been more sensible, he should have at least informed both sets of parents first, let the families jointly announce the end of the engagement, before going public with his new girlfriend. The way things happened made it look like I’d been abandoned, which made my family lose face. Jack’s father was furious: “Don’t you have any sense? Throwing away basic courtesy for some random woman!” “Apologize to Zoe right now!” “That Chloe girl will never be accepted by our family!” Jack’s mother even slapped him twice to appease me. My parents were extremely angry at first, but seeing Jack’s parents had made their stance clear, and that I didn’t seem heartbroken, they decided not to pursue the matter. After a chaotic afternoon, Jack and I left my family’s house one after another. Chloe was waiting for him outside. Seeing the slap marks on Jack’s face, she suddenly went crazy and slapped me hard. I was stunned for a moment. I, Zoe, had never been hit by anyone in my life. After a few seconds, I finally reacted and was about to strike back. But Jack shielded Chloe behind him. She even shouted: “You can look down on me, but you can’t hurt Jack!” I was shaking with anger: “Jack, get out of the way. I’ll slap her once, and we’ll call it even.” But Jack said: “What’s the point of an eye for an eye? It’s just a misunderstanding, can’t she just apologize?” “If you want to hit someone, you can slap me!” I laughed bitterly: “What? Tired of being useless, now you want to play the hero?” I raised my knee and hit him hard between the legs. With a cry of pain, Jack crumpled to the ground. “A slap isn’t enough. This is more satisfying.”
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