Chapter 6
863 Words
An awkward, deathly silence fell over the hallway.
Even the TV station executives standing beside Zane fell silent.
Before Shawna could collect herself, she heard Zane say, "She is not the other woman."
'Was he defending the mistress and slapping his own wife in the face in public?
'No wonder Lucy is so arrogant. So Zane is the one giving her confidence.'
Shawna felt a tightness in her chest. Expressionless, she said, "My mistake. The two of you are very well matched."
After saying that, she turned and left.
What she did not know was that behind her, Zane turned to Lucy and said coldly, "Ms. Lowe, I remember having turned you down already."
Lucy looked at the handsome, distinguished man in front of her, unwilling to accept it.
Even with so many people around them, she still gritted her teeth and said, "Mr. Quinn, you don't like Shawna at all. Why can't you accept me?"
Zane thought of what Shawna had just said and replied lightly, "Maybe because my standards are a little higher than that."
With that, he walked away without a single look at Lucy's pale, humiliated face.
After watching such a juicy scene unfold, the crowd followed behind him with barely concealed excitement.
Just then, they suddenly heard Zane ask from the front of the group, "Which studio is Shawna taping in?"
*****
Half an hour later, the recording of Trivia Gauntlet officially began.
Zane sat in the VIP section.
When Shawna appeared as a contestant, she drew quite a few boos from the audience.
Zane looked toward the stage, but Shawna did not notice him at all. She was completely focused on answering the questions.
At first, everyone was waiting to see Shawna make a fool of herself.
But after watching her advance through round after round with their own eyes, the jeers gradually gave way to genuine applause.
Finally, after all the challenges were completed, the host announced, "Congratulations to contestant Shawna Chase for successfully taking the throne! She is the new champion of Trivia Gauntlet!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Zane looked at Shawna, his gaze dark and complicated.
At that moment, Shawna actually looked like the genius girl who had once appeared in the news.
She seemed more and more different from the Shawna he had known before.
After the recording ended, news that Shawna had appeared on Trivia Gauntlet spread quickly, drawing another wave of mockery online.
A: [Did Shawna go there just to humiliate herself?]
B: [How does the production team even screen contestants? If Shawna can get on Trivia Gauntlet, then maybe I should give it a try too.]
Amid all the ridicule, Shawna directly posted a new tweet.
[My contract with Sterling Entertainment has expired. Trivia Gauntlet will be my final recorded program as an entertainer. From this day forward, I will be permanently leaving the entertainment industry.]
In less than half an hour, the tweet shot straight to the top of the trending list.
Naturally, Zane saw it too, but he didn't take it seriously.
That woman would definitely stir up trouble again before long.
But to his surprise, over the next month, Shawna did exactly what she said she would do. She really left the entertainment industry.
More than that, she stopped using every outrageous trick to get his attention. She no longer abused Liam and even enrolled the child in preschool, as if she had no interest in Zane anymore.
Compared with the Shawna from before, she was practically a different person.
But was that even possible?
*****
That day, Zane had not been home for long when Shawna, unusually, took the initiative to knock on the door of his study.
"Do you have a minute? There's something I want to talk to you about."
"What is it?"
Zane frowned.
'Was this entire month just an act? Was she finally about to show her true colors again?'
The thought had only just surfaced in his mind when Shawna handed him a notice.
"This is Liam's first parent-teacher conference since starting preschool. They're asking both parents to attend. Can you come with me?"
Usually, Shawna tried not to trouble Zane with anything she could handle on her own.
But if all of Liam's classmates had both their mothers and fathers there, while he only had his mother, it would be a little sad.
So she still gathered the courage to ask him.
Seeing the nervousness she could not quite hide, Zane suddenly froze.
An unfamiliar emotion quietly stirred in his heart.
He calmly suppressed it.
"I'm busy. I don't have time."
After saying that, he moved to close the door.
In her panic, Shawna grabbed Zane's hand.
"The PTC is only two hours! Will your company go bankrupt if you lose two hours?"
Zane looked at Shawna's hand.
Inside, however, he was shocked.
Ever since Shawna had used such despicable means to have his child, he had felt a physical revulsion at this woman's touch.
But this time, he actually had no reaction at all.
His cold eyes narrowed slightly. Zane flipped his hand over and seized hers, then demanded sharply.
"You're not Shawna. Who exactly are you?"
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