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Li Weiguo flipped through the notebook, his eyes lighting up. He eagerly invited Hu Ouhua to his house for a casual meal, but she instead scheduled their meeting at the state-owned restaurant at 4:30 PM.
Meanwhile, Hu Ouhua made a stop to meet someone before notifying Hu Jingsheng about the dinner arrangement.
Before they knew it, 4:30 PM arrived.
Hu Ouhua changed into a clean outfit, exuding a radiant glow as she stepped into the restaurant, clutching the notebook tightly in her arms.
Li Weiguo was a bookworm who rarely interacted with girls. When he caught sight of the subtle smile at the corner of Hu Ouhua’s eyes and her graceful figure, his heart unintentionally began to race.
To cover up his nervousness, he quickly picked up the kettle on the table and took a big gulp of water.
Once they were seated, Hu Ouhua opened the notebook to a particular problem and began discussing it with Li Weiguo.
At first, Li Weiguo was a bit awkward, but he gradually became engrossed in Hu Ouhua’s train of thought, getting completely absorbed in their study session—to the point of forgetting to order food.
Meanwhile, outside the restaurant…
Hu Jingsheng, carrying a schoolbag, walked up to Song Bao, who was dressed in a white dress, and sneered coldly, “Did you see that? My sister is a born flirt, always seducing men wherever she goes. Even Li Weiguo isn’t spared. Look at how close they are.”
Song Bao’s face twisted with anger, as if she was ready to storm inside and tear Hu Ouhua apart.
Seeing her plan working, Hu Jingsheng felt secretly delighted.
Feigning indignation, she continued, “I absolutely hate that woman—she’s the one who ruined my mother’s life. If you agree to help me, I’ll make sure she never takes the college entrance exam. That way, you and Li Weiguo can get into the same university, and she won’t have the chance to chase after him.”
Song Bao gripped the straps of her schoolbag tightly.
Deep down, she felt insecure. Even though she liked Li Weiguo, she feared that her family background—being the granddaughter of a capitalist from the old society—would ruin his future. So, she only dared to love him in secret, silently helping him whenever she could, never daring to confess.
Being with Li Weiguo…
That was a luxury she didn’t even dare to dream of.
“You don’t need to worry. We now share a common enemy, so from now on, we’re real sisters. We should help each other, don’t you think?” Hu Jingsheng continued to manipulate her.
At that moment—
Song Bao turned to look at Hu Jingsheng, puffing her cheeks angrily. “I want you to go inside and call out Hu Ouhua. I’ll personally tear up her exam admission ticket in front of her!”
“Really?” Hu Jingsheng’s hand pressed against her pocket, feeling a bit uneasy.
“A true sisterhood is built on trust. My sister listens to me the most,” Song Bao said firmly.
“Alright.”
Hu Jingsheng took out the admission ticket from her pocket and handed it to Song Bao.
When she first got hold of Hu Ouhua’s admission ticket, a wicked idea flashed through her mind, but she suppressed it—until she saw someone with a face identical to hers. That moment completely revived her.
When she observed that the other girl was an excellent student, she was so overjoyed that she laughed like a prairie dog.
It was exhilarating.
A precious opportunity, a gift from fate.
And she was going to seize it.
However, convincing that person to take the exam in her place had required a lot of effort—until she found a major weakness.
Song Bao had an unrequited love for Li Weiguo!
That was the breakthrough she needed.
By provoking Song Bao and forcing her to side with her, anything was possible.
And it worked.
Hu Jingsheng walked into the restaurant with her schoolbag and pretended to stumble upon Li Weiguo and Hu Ouhua. Her voice was loud and dramatic, “Huh? What are you guys doing here? Sis, the college entrance exam is around the corner, and you’re still thinking about dating?”
Li Weiguo instantly jumped up, his face turning red.
“You’ve misunderstood! We were just discussing our studies,” he blurted out.
Hu Jingsheng feigned realization and smirked. “Oh, I see! But we all live in the same housing complex. If you really wanted to study, you could’ve done it there. Why come to a restaurant?”
Hu Ouhua calmly closed her notebook.
Tilting her head slightly, she waved at Song Bao, signaling her to come in.
As soon as Song Bao entered, Li Weiguo became visibly flustered. His hands and feet seemed unsure where to go, and he hastily explained, “You’ve really misunderstood! Hu Ouhua and I were just discussing academics—nothing more!”
Hu Jingsheng was smug.
She turned to Song Bao and said, “Didn’t you have something to do? Now’s the perfect time.”
“Yes,” Song Bao replied.
She took out the admission ticket from her pocket and, in front of everyone, handed it back to Hu Ouhua. “Something this important should be kept safe.”
“Song Bao, what are you doing?!” Hu Jingsheng shrieked.
Her face was full of disbelief.
“Thank you, Song Bao. And thank you, Comrade Li Weiguo. I wish you both success in your exams—I hope you get into your dream university,” Hu Ouhua said with a bright smile.
She had asked Li Weiguo about his university choices earlier, and just like in her past life, he had picked the same one.
Song Bao, after seeing his choices, had only filled in one preference: Ning Province University.
The scene was too harmonious.
Hu Jingsheng couldn’t hold back her frustration. She slammed the table and shouted at Song Bao, “Are you crazy?! We had a deal! How dare you betray me?!”
Song Bao pressed her lips together.
She said softly, “You were never acting in good faith to begin with.”
That afternoon, Hu Ouhua had already approached her.
She had also seen the girl hiding behind Song Bao—the girl who looked exactly like Hu Jingsheng.
That girl had been raised in the countryside since birth and was only recently brought to the city for the college entrance exam. Their family had always been discreet, so no one knew she had a twin sister.
After learning the full truth from Hu Ouhua, Song Bao had gone to the restaurant ahead of time and witnessed everything unfold.
“Fine, fine! You’re all in this together! I won’t let any of you get away with this—”
Hu Jingsheng ran out in tears.
She had desperately wanted to get into a good university, but her grades were too poor. With everything that had happened recently, she had barely studied, making her chances of passing even slimmer.
She had only discovered the existence of her lookalike when she picked up her admission ticket from school. A teacher had mentioned it was strange that there were two students with the exact same face. That’s when she saw the girl hiding behind Song Bao.
But once again, she had lost to Hu Ouhua.
She had no idea how Hu Ouhua, who had been away from the housing complex for so long, had managed to uncover her secret.
Last night, she had gone to see Yang Wei.
Yang Wei had sneered at her and said, “Unless you get into a university in Beijing, don’t even think about me changing my mind.”
Hu Jingsheng wandered the streets in despair, feeling like she had no way out.
But just when fate closed one door, it opened another.
At the last moment, she came up with a sinister yet brilliant plan—one that would begin a brand-new chapter in her life.
Soon, the college entrance exam arrived.
For two full days, Hu Ouhua focused all her energy on the test. When she finally finished the last subject, she felt utterly exhausted.
As she walked out of the exam hall, she was about to head home when she spotted a familiar Jeep parked at the school gate.
Inside the vehicle, Shen Fubai sat in the driver’s seat, while the passenger seat was occupied by none other than the cold and distant… Lu Yuetang.
Her eyes lit up.