As a polyglot fluent in eight languages, my decision to quit and become a tour guide delighted everyone at the translation agency—except Selena, the orphaned "genius" senior translator. She clung to my arm, pleading desperately. "Maria, even after you've ruined chances with international firms and damaged the agency’s name, I salvaged things and begged for you. This is your home—I won’t let you leave!" I shook her off coldly and walked next door to apply as a tour guide. In my past life, she was celebrated as a brilliant, self-taught translator who mastered eight languages and flawlessly translated specialized terms across fields. While I pored over idioms and polished exhibition scripts, she could recite them perfectly after one glance. During live interpretation, she’d speak the exact phrase I was still refining in my mind. Refusing to be outdone, I spent five days crafting a concise, elegant, and politically nuanced translation of a leader’s speech. But when I delivered it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Selena had already submitted an identical draft—and secured the role of exclusive translator. She rose to fame as the "genius translator," while I was branded a fraud riding on my father’s reputation. Before I could uncover the truth, I was killed by one of Selena’s fanatical followers. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day Selena first rose to fame. 1 “Maria, the exhibition is about to start. Selena hasn’t prepared anything this time, so don’t accuse her of stealing your script again.” The sight of my colleague’s familiar face made my scalp prickle. I sprang up and retrieved my speech, which I had locked away in my cabinet. This was the day Selena, as the “genius” senior translator, first achieved fame, and it marked a critical turning point in my own declining reputation. Before this, Selena always managed to vocalize my speeches in advance, leaving me speechless and humiliated in front of everyone. Over time, I suspected she was secretly reading my scripts, so I always locked them away. Seeing the meticulously crafted speech, filled with specialized terminology I had painstakingly refined, I felt a sense of calm. Just then, Selena approached, her face wreathed in smiles. “This must be your speech for today, Maria. Can I glance at the beginning to admire it? After all, you’re so brilliant!” I forced a smile, clutching the script tightly, remembering the unsettling pattern from my previous life. Each time before I was due to speak, Selena would always take a quick look at the beginning of my script. Following this, the content she presented would inevitably be identical, leaving me unprepared and speechless before the crowd. “No, you can hear it live in a moment. I need to rush to host.” This time, I wouldn't fall for her trick. I was convinced this had to be connected to her secretly viewing my script. As I stepped onto the stage, brimming with confidence, a voice beside me cut in—it was Selena! “Welcome, everyone, to the Pearl River Tech New Product Exhibition! It’s a pleasure to discuss our new products with you. We’ve also prepared an exciting Q&A and raffle session…” She slowly walked onto the stage, introducing me as an “early lucky audience member.” Then, she effortlessly engaged various international guests in different languages, even incorporating local dialects and slang, eliciting hearty laughter. My mind went blank. I had locked my script in a safe; no one but me should have seen it. Moreover, she hadn’t even seen my opening, yet she perfectly recounted my meticulously prepared flow and even the idiomatic conversations. I rushed off the stage, only to be confronted by colleagues who questioned me with undisguised disdain. “You copied Selena again! She told me about this outline ages ago. Good thing I heard your content yesterday and felt something was off, so I applied for her to be the host this morning!” “No, I conceptualized this half a month ago; she copied me!” They snatched my script, then looked at me with sarcastic eyes after reading the contents. “You always lock your scripts away, then you play the victim and accuse Selena. Is it because you’re jealous of an orphan who’s fluent in eight languages?” “I saw her outline too, and you didn’t change a single word. It’s absolutely shameful. You must be furious that Selena is being called a genius senior translator!” I offered proof of my conceptualization, only to be met with even more revulsion. Because the evidence I presented was identical to Selena’s outline, without a single alteration. A chill ran through me as I watched Selena, fluent and unscripted on stage, being hailed as a genius senior translator, the bitterness growing stronger. Selena finished hosting, showered with praise from veteran colleagues. Hearing that she had prepared it in such a short time only amplified their accolades, cementing her reputation as a rising star. It had happened the same way in my previous life. My face paled. Because this event was livestreamed, Selena gained a massive following, while I was deluged with endless mockery. “Selena’s colleague said she was just jealous and sabotaged things, even stealing her carefully crafted script. Luckily Selena was quick on her feet!” “I hate people who are incompetent and jealous at work. She should be fired from the agency, she doesn’t deserve to work with Selena!” A flood of insults crashed down on me. I was deeply unwilling to see my hard work become someone else’s triumph. Afterward, I diligently studied various languages, constantly practicing simultaneous interpretation, hoping to clear my name by participating in many livestreams. But each time, Selena would preemptively voice the translation I was about to say, leaving me awkwardly relegated to the background. Time and again, my livestream appearances were disastrous. I became the public benchmark for Selena, and in her fans’ eyes, a jealous shrew. Selena’s fanatical follower kidnapped me, forcing sulfuric acid down my throat. I was in agony, unable to scream, literally dismembered, my body left in a desolate area, staged as a suicide. Selena, feigning kindness, wrapped things up for her fan, claiming I had posted a suicide note before my death. Everyone blamed me for my restless demise. My father, utterly disappointed in me, then championed the remorseful, tearful Selena as the nation’s ace translator. Thankfully, now I’m back. I can uncover the truth and clear my name. 2 “An orphan, untaught, fluent in eight languages—that’s just too far-fetched. A script can be stolen, but live simultaneous interpretation for random international trade clients? That’s different!” My eyes brightened, and my frantic heart gradually calmed. Selena must have used some unknown means to steal my thoughts, I thought, gritting my teeth. The next day, Selena slowly approached me, a smile on her face. “Maria, today we’re translating for clients from different countries at random. You’ll have to guide me.” I raised my hand, using a notebook to block her approach, and a sudden realization struck me. This pen she gave me. Ever since then, my thoughts had nowhere to hide. Could she have tampered with it, and each time she looked at my opening, it was to verify if the content was real? I calmly put the pen down, and spoke coolly. “This time, I’ve decided not to highlight a single keyword. It’ll be a true test of simultaneous interpretation!” She froze for a moment, then resumed her smile, nodding in praise. My client soon arrived, speaking rapidly, interspersed with numerous specialized terms. I translated calmly. He praised my work, but before long, we encountered Selena and her client. “This is our booth, virtual reality is indispensable in today’s internet…” The client even used an idiom to compliment my intelligence. I smiled, about to translate, when I was interrupted. “This gentleman is asking his brilliant translator to introduce this booth. Virtual reality is indispensable in today’s internet…” Selena smiled, voicing every thought in my mind, even perfectly translating the specialized terms I had specifically learned. I stared, shocked. I hadn't even used her pen to write down keywords, yet she still articulated my translation! I immediately composed myself, listening to the client opposite me rapidly explaining his ideas, only managing to grasp about eighty percent. I wanted to be faster than her. As soon as I had formed the sentence in my mind, she translated it identically. I was certain she was stealing my internal translations to achieve all of this. Because I had adopted my client’s speaking habits, and she immediately replicated them after just meeting him—that was clearly abnormal! Sure enough, my client was astonished. After that, as soon as I had refined a sentence, Selena would articulate my thoughts, word for word. It was too bizarre; my heart pounded, but I couldn’t stop it. The transaction was successfully completed, and even the observing colleagues live-streaming couldn’t help but applaud. “Selena, brilliant! Maria, you’re just a pretender! Intentionally trying to steal someone else’s commission!” “Without Selena, with how silent you were throughout, this deal would definitely have fallen through again!” I glared, just in time to see a barrage of insults in the comments. “How dare she zone out during such a big deal? Incompetent, yet she wants a commission—how shameless!” “Selena is truly a genius senior translator. This Maria is just riding her father’s coattails, workplace trash!” My question was filled with indignation and frustration. “No, what method did you use to even know my thoughts?” Selena, however, smiled, gently patted my shoulder, feigning distress. “Maria, I know you dislike me, but you took too long to think, and this concerns the agency’s reputation. If you want to scold me, go ahead…” “If you’re not convinced, let’s compare. Liam and I will randomly think of some dialogues, so you can’t accuse Selena of having pre-arranged communication to trick you!” I gritted my teeth and agreed, listening to the dialogues they presented as top interpreters in Portuguese and Korean. But as soon as I had finished conceptualizing, Selena preempted me, speaking it out loud and getting affirmation. I was incredulous. This was an impromptu setup, yet she still articulated exactly what I intended to say. My colleagues’ faces grew even more scornful, while Selena offered a faint smile, offering no explanation. “Ignore jealous, accusatory people! Selena, let’s go!” I stood alone, my heart heavy and confused, unable to fathom the reason why. It was too supernatural. Why was this happening? 3 From that day on, the agency increasingly favored Selena, while growing more neglectful and disdainful of me. My colleagues treated me as if I were invisible. My father even sought me out, his eyes filled with disappointment. “Stop doing embarrassing things that cause a public uproar online, saying I pulled strings for you!” “Dad, Selena is using despicable methods to steal my thoughts!” “I recommended you for this Ministry of Foreign Affairs submission. This is an absolutely fair competition; prepare well!” I locked myself at home, working for five days and nights straight, poring over dictionaries and idioms. I printed my draft half an hour before the deadline and delivered it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I was convinced there would be no mistakes this time, but I didn’t notice the grim expressions of the Ministry staff. “We’re sorry, ma’am, we strongly oppose plagiarism. You’ve been disqualified.” My eyes widened, my body rigid. Immediately, my father slapped me hard, sending me sprawling to the ground. “If you can’t compete, you plagiarize! You’ve utterly disgraced me!” He held the leader’s speech I had just printed, his face livid, glaring at me. My eyes were red, and I kept shaking my head, snatching Selena’s other copy of the speech—it was identical to mine! Seeing Selena walk out, smiling, I couldn’t take it anymore. I rushed forward, shaking her, demanding angrily: “Tell me, what despicable methods did you use to steal my thoughts!” Selena’s fans at the door threw down their support signs, charging at me and pinning me to the ground, beating me. “How dare you accuse our Selena! She’s an exclusive translator, honest and upright! What are you?!” “Kill this thief! Can’t you see your own father is so mad he’s almost dead? He wishes he never had such a disgraceful, vile daughter!” I helplessly covered my head, watching my father comfort Selena, not even glancing at me. I gritted my teeth, stood up, forcefully pushed away the attacking fans, and, with blood on my face, stared intently at Selena. “There’s a key specialized term missing inside, and an extra error. Tell me what they are!” I had deliberately omitted a section, fearing a repeat of the tragedy. Selena couldn’t possibly know. My father, his face grim, turned back and slapped me hard, gripping my shoulder. “If you’ve lost your mind, go home. Stop causing trouble!” My face swollen, tears streaming, I realized my father knew the truth, yet he chose to shield Selena and frame me. Selena gently removed my father’s hand, looking at me with mockery and triumph as she slowly spoke. “The tonnage for the space station in aerospace technology was wrong; there’s only an extra error, no missing specialized term!” I fell to the ground weakly. She really knew everything, even avoiding my trap. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff carefully checked and confirmed her words. The agency director, arriving with a dark expression, glared at me. “Stop causing a scene. You’re ruining the agency’s reputation.” “Old O’Connor, your daughter has gone mad! Take her home immediately!” The fans continuously agreed, shouting for me to die. My father looked at me with an icy expression. I felt as though I’d been plunged into an ice cellar, unable to utter a single word in my defense. It wasn’t until I looked at the bracelet on my wrist that I suddenly understood. So, this was the truth! In the dead silence, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff member received a call, nodding respectfully again and again. “Selena, come with me! The Director of Translation Services specifically requested you to interpret at the China-Germany conference! If you perform well this time, your future will be limitless!” Hearing the latter half of the sentence, Selena’s eyes instantly lit up. But then she remembered a problem and asked hesitantly, “What if I mess it up?” “You can’t mess it up! This concerns the friendship between our two countries!” Selena’s face paled. She suddenly grabbed my sleeve, her grip tight: “Maria! If you sincerely apologize, I can talk to the Director and persuade him to let you stay on as my assistant!” I coldly shook off her hand, sneering: “I can’t be the assistant to a genius translator. Director, I’m resigning.” Selena, seeing me about to leave, grew frantic, almost blurting out the truth: “You can’t leave! If you leave, how can I translate for them?”
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