Chapter 68: Mimicking Her Won't Make Jinchuan Love You

He looked indifferent, his tone devoid of any fluctuation. Yet Wen Ying felt her cheeks burning and a heavy ache in her chest, as if she had been struck. Lu Jinchuan's unhesitating choice rendered her completely insignificant compared to Su Nian. He did not care whether her wearing the same outfit was intentional or accidental. In his heart, Su Nian occupied the highest priority, and he chose only to protect Su Nian's dignity and immaculate image, caring not at all whether Wen Ying was left feeling awkward and embarrassed.

"Mr. Lu, it is just a piece of clothing; there is no need to make such a fuss." He Xicheng's expression was far from pleasant. He took off his own suit jacket and draped it directly over Wen Ying's shoulders. "Are you satisfied now?"

Only then did Wen Ying lower her gaze, silently steadying the rhythm of her breathing. Lu Jinchuan cast a calm glance at Wen Ying. He Xicheng's jacket covered half of her dress, and Wen Ying did not refuse this gentlemanly gesture.

"It's fine, this doesn't affect me at all," Su Nian spoke first, turning away with an elegant grace. "Jinchuan, let's go take our seats."

Magnanimous, she chose not to pursue the matter further. Lu Jinchuan calmly withdrew his gaze. "Mm." The two walked away side by side.

He Xicheng could not help but furrow his brows deeply, giving Wen Ying a comforting pat on the back. Wen Ying slowly curled her fingers before shaking her head. "I'm fine."

Naturally, she had no intention of changing her clothes; she did not believe she needed to step aside to clear the path for Su Nian. Before leaving, Cheng Mu glanced back at Wen Ying, unable to resist a reminder: "There's no point in wearing the same thing. The one Jinchuan loves is still Su Nian."

Whether it was clothing or a career, what mattered was the person, not these superficial things. It was a pity that Wen Ying failed to understand this truth. Cheng Mu shrugged and walked away.

"That Su Nian certainly knows how to play the game in their circles," He Xicheng sneered. "She's got a whole crowd losing their sense of right and wrong."

Wen Ying replied with a serene shake of her head. "It's not that they've lost their sense of right and wrong. It's just driven by favoritism."

The way she had married Lu Jinchuan was far from honorable; their misunderstandings and prejudices against her had always remained. In the past, she had wanted to clarify and explain. Now, she neither cared nor had any need for it.

He Xicheng could not suppress a sigh. Even as an onlooker, he found it unbearable—what kind of state must Wen Ying's heart be in?

Wen Ying experienced no drastic emotional fluctuations. She even had the mood to visit the refreshment area to replenish her energy. This section was comparatively quieter.

Just as she walked over, she spotted Jiang Xi touching up her makeup. With Zhou Yu present, Jiang Xi's presence here was only natural. Wen Ying originally intended to grab a glass of sparkling water and leave, but Jiang Xi caught sight of her. "Wen Ying? Why are you here too?"

Wen Ying had no choice but to stop. "I came with my boss."

Jiang Xi got up and walked over. "Mr. He, is it? Zhou Yu was just saying he wanted to have a chat with Mr. He."

Wen Ying remained detached and unconcerned, not taking the bait.

"I heard you and Zhou Yu had a very close relationship when you were children," Jiang Xi said, tilting her head with a smile. "Luoyi said Zhou Yu doted on you endlessly back then, always giving you the best food and toys first. Luoyi even said she thought the two of you would end up together."

Wen Ying paused, meeting Jiang Xi's smiling eyes.

"You should ask Zhou Yu about that," Wen Ying replied calmly, without a trace of awkwardness.

Only then did Jiang Xi smile. "I'm just joking."

"I'm going to find Zhou Yu, let's talk later." Jiang Xi picked up a glass of wine, but as she turned to leave, she suddenly glanced back at the necklace around Wen Ying's neck, looking astonished. "Why do you have this necklace?"

"Yesterday, Zhou Yu accompanied me to buy over four million in jewelry, and the store gave away a diamond necklace as a complimentary gift. How did it end up with you?"

Wen Ying's gaze grew slightly cold. A complimentary gift?

Jiang Xi belatedly realized what she had just said and offered an apologetic smile. "Perhaps I saw wrongly, don't misunderstand." With that, she turned and left.

Wen Ying stood still for a moment before raising her hand to unlasp the necklace, dropping it directly into her finished glass of water.

_

The event officially began. The front-row seats were occupied by familiar faces, with Wen Ying seated on He Xicheng's left. To He Xicheng's right were the seats of Lu Jinchuan and Su Nian, separated from them by an aisle.

On the stage, the host was giving an introductory speech. Wen Ying noticed the surrounding crowd buzzing with high spirits, and He Xicheng tapped her on the shoulder. "He's here."

Only then did Wen Ying raise her head to look.

Thunderous applause filled the hall as a tall, straight figure strode swiftly in from the side door.

Recognizing Academician He Jiang, Wen Ying straightened her posture instantly, her palms growing slightly damp with an inexpressible sense of tension. The Academician had actually come.

As he passed by Wen Ying, He Jiang turned his head to glance at her, then turned away with a look of disappointed exasperation, ignoring her entirely.

Wen Ying could not help but wear a bitter smile. She could understand the Academician's state of mind.

Following He Jiang's seating, Wen Ying glanced over and saw that the Academician was actually seated right next to Lu Jinchuan. Su Nian was gracefully shaking hands with the Academician and introducing herself.

Wen Ying felt a trace of surprise.

The people around her were still whispering in hushed tones.

"Academician He Jiang actually showed up. Weren't the rumors earlier saying he wouldn't make an appearance?"

"That was true, but then..." The person lowered their voice. "I heard Mr. Lu invested two hundred million into the scientific research project just to get the Academician to show his face for this brief while!"

"Then I understand. Mr. Lu's girlfriend works in this industry—how could she possibly not want to meet a heavyweight from the national team?"

"Ms. Su is truly blessed. Mr. Lu spends lavishly for his girlfriend! Two hundred million, just like that, without blinking. I've never heard of Mr. Lu being so publicly devoted to any other woman..."

Sighs of amazement rippled through the crowd.

Wen Ying heard every word clearly. She lowered her gaze and pondered for a moment. So it was because Lu Jinchuan had spent two hundred million for Su Nian that the Academician had been persuaded to attend.

Suddenly, she recalled that her grandmother used to run a high-end, nostalgic-style hotel. When it suffered from poor management year after year and its capital chain broke, Lu Jinchuan had never once offered a helping hand. Right up until they were unable to keep it afloat and had to sell it off a couple of years prior.

Even though she no longer cared, such a stark and bloody comparison still brought a self-deprecating smile to her lips.

The exchange meeting lasted until seven in the evening. The venue was about to shift to the cocktail party.

He Xicheng, who had long been unable to sit still, immediately pulled Wen Ying to her feet. "Let's go meet this stubborn old man of mine."

Wen Ying could not help holding her breath; to say she wasn't nervous would be a lie.

It wasn't until He Xicheng pulled Wen Ying not far from He Jiang that she paused her steps. He Xicheng had already stepped forward, maintaining a formal facade without calling him Dad in public: "Academician, do you have a moment to chat with u... us for a bit?"

He Jiang kept his hands behind his back, swept a glance in Wen Ying's direction, and let out a cold snort. "Talk to me when your project is actually sorted out. Do you think I have all the time in the world?"

With that, he strode away.

This was entirely within Wen Ying's expectations. She understood the Academician's meaning: he wanted to see the results of her comeback, and if she failed to catch his eye, he would refuse to see her.

Though a twinge of disappointment lingered, it also fueled her with greater motivation. She quickly adjusted her mood.

He Xicheng returned with a sigh. "Stubborn old man. Never mind, we'll just send it to him to look over when the time comes."

Wen Ying smiled faintly. "It's fine, we'll take it step by step. I won't go to the cocktail party later; I want to go back and rest." Having caught a cold yesterday, she felt rather tired today.

He Xicheng did not press her. "Alright, just keep the jacket on."

Wen Ying had no interest in the cocktail party; what followed next would be negotiations for capital projects, which held little appeal for her. As long as He Xicheng was there, that was enough.

Returning to the hotel, Wen Ying took a shower and immediately began organizing all the core materials from this recent period. She also wanted to win the recognition of Academician He Jiang. She wanted to tell him that over the past three years, she had never given up on her studies.

Having seen Academician He Jiang, her mood was not entirely bad, so she took a photo of the hotel window view and posted it on her WeChat Moments.

Before long, her grandmother called her via video chat.

"My dear, why didn't you tell Grandma that you went to Haicheng on a trip with Jinchuan?"