A Life Debt Repaid By Cheng Xiaocheng Chapter 144

Jay did not appear worried at all when he saw Zoe, but instead, he asked flatly, “It’s late. Why aren’t you sleeping? Don’t you have classes tomorrow?”

“What am I to you, Jay?” she asked him then.

She was just seventeen at the time, and she did not understand why she was losing composure like that.

She was very calm, unlike her usual pampered self–she was even willing to believe that Jay just had an accident with that actress.

When she thought about it later on, she decided that she did not throw a tantrum because she did not want Jay to hate her.

But at the time, Jay’s answer was nonchalant and carried no hesitation. “My niece.”

“But, last night… Zoe murmured.

“Last night?” Jay chuckled, his eyes showing no concern at all. “I was just drunk.”

“No, you weren’t!” Zoe cried–she knew Jay could not hold his liquor, which was why he always avoided getting drunk!

“Fine, I wasn’t. I didn’t want to take advantage of you, but I’m 22 and an adult–I have a hard time refusing any woman throwing themselves in my arms.”

Even as Jay spoke, he was watching as she bawled like an idiot without feeling any sympathy, and he finished flatly, “Just forget it.”

Forget it?!

He could not refuse any woman?!

Zoe’s heart was crushed, and she groaned in misery, “That was my first kiss…”

“Sorry,” Jay said, as if he was not responsible for it.

Even so, she asked, “Don’t you love me?”

She held so much hope even as she breathed those words, her eyes were filled with yearning.

She genuinely mustered all her courage just to ask that.

And yet, Jay’s response was cold and without hesitation.

“No, I don’t. Not even when I was a child. I’m living under someone else’s charity–all I can do is pretend to smile.”

Not even when he was a child? He was living under someone else’s charity?!

So she had been lying to herself ever since she was a child.

He never loved her, and all his kindness toward her was a pretense.

Zoe laughed through her tears, finding herself a joke right then….

Just as she did now.

How could she ever expect anything from Jay?

Hence, she listened coolly as everyone around her talked about Jay and Mandy, and she nonchalantly sat through the fashion gala. When the hosts asked her to go onstage, she joked around and flashed her dazzling smile as she usually did.

It was midnight when the gala ended, and there was an interview session as always.

Everyone started to leave consecutively.

However, the journalists were all observing order until Zoe showed up, erupting in uproar and quickly mobbing her.

Every other star seemed to be ignored just then, including Mandy, who was feeling utterly disgusted that the press loved Zoe.

Mandy knew that the press would not care about anyone else if Zoe was there, and coming here would just be courting a rebuff.

And yet, Mandy found attending the gala worth it after what Jay did for her, and in full view of the public.

Nonetheless, as she slowly walked past the journalists, she heard them excitedly bombarding Zoe with certain suspicious questions.

“Zoe York! Is the man in those photos your boyfriend? He was clearly being physical with you!”

“Who is it? Is he in showbiz? Are you two dating?”

“When did you start dating? How long has it been? Weren’t you saying in that interview that your were single and unavailable?”

“The forums are positing that he’s your financial backer, Zoe. Is he the reason why your career in showbiz went so smoothly?!”

Zoe was actually left perplexed by the journalists‘ questions, and she had a vague idea right then.

Someone must have taken photos of her!