Chapter 11

Hu Ouhua Dry Heaves

Hu Ouhua had no idea that Lu Yuetang had been urgently taken to the hospital.

Whenever she had free time, she would flip through the notes Lu Yuetang had left behind. They were exceptionally well-written—his handwriting was mature, steady, and bold, flowing like a dragon’s dance, exuding strength and elegance. The more she looked at it, the more she admired it.

Moreover, points she had never considered before suddenly became clear to her through his notes, as if a new window had been opened in her mind.

Unable to resist, she followed along with his notes and practiced over and over again, growing more and more enthusiastic with each repetition.

After finishing an entire practice book, she went to the homeroom teacher for another one.

Mr. Sun said, “Don’t worry about it. I have plenty of practice books here. If you go through them quickly, just take a few more. I have books for every subject.”

Hu Ouhua was deeply grateful.

She tried to give Mr. Sun some money, but he adamantly refused, even getting angry about it.

Mr. Sun said, “If you can return with the top score, that will be the best reward for me.”

Hu Ouhua secretly made up her mind—she had to do well on the exams to repay Mr. Sun’s kindness.

On her way back, carrying the books, she ran into a familiar face.

“Ouhua, what a coincidence! What are you doing here?” Wu Weiwei greeted her with a surprised and delighted expression.

Seeing her old friend, Hu Ouhua should have been happy.

But instead, she remained expressionless, her heart sinking.

Because of her beauty and overly voluptuous figure, boys at school didn’t dare to look at her directly, while girls secretly envied her. As a result, she had almost no friends at school.

Wu Weiwei was the only one who had ever willingly befriended her.

She had sincerely cherished this friendship.

Unfortunately, in her previous life, after being forced to marry Yang Wei, she was once beaten by him in public. Wu Weiwei had witnessed it but chose to turn a blind eye.

Frustrated, Hu Ouhua had confronted her trusted friend and asked why she reacted that way.

Wu Weiwei had self-righteously said, “You’ve fallen so low that you associate with a brute, but I have progressed. I can’t let you drag me into your muddy life. From now on, stay away from me.”

It wasn’t until much later that Hu Ouhua realized Wu Weiwei had only befriended her because she had been bribed by Hu Jingsheng—she had been a planted mole all along.

Sure enough.

Wu Weiwei walked up with a smile and said, “I’m heading to the blacksmith’s shop in the west of the city to get a kitchen knife. Want to come with me? Also, here’s a copy of the last test paper—I saved one for you.”

Hu Ouhua had chosen to study at home.

However, school was still in session with teachers continuing their lessons, and Wu Weiwei had been attending regularly.

In the past, Hu Ouhua would have happily gone with her, but this time, she declined.

“Sorry, I have work to do and don’t have time to accompany you. You should ask someone else.” With that, Hu Ouhua stepped off the bus at her stop.

Wu Weiwei stared at her departing figure, her eyes burning with anger. Clenching her fists tightly, she gritted her teeth and spat, “So what if she became a servant in the commander’s household? She’s still just a cheap wretch! How dare she reject me?”

When she got off at her stop, Hu Jingsheng was already waiting at the platform. Seeing that Wu Weiwei was alone, she frowned. “Why are you by yourself? Didn’t my sister come with you?”

Wu Weiwei gave her a brief summary of what had happened.

Hu Jingsheng’s face filled with disbelief. “Could she have caught wind of something? That shouldn’t be the case—she hasn’t even been attending school.”

“Who knows.”

Wu Weiwei was displeased.

They had planned to lure Hu Ouhua to the west side of the city, where they would ‘accidentally’ run into Yang Wei. In an unfamiliar place, they would ensure that things progressed beyond the point of no return…

But unexpectedly, Hu Ouhua didn’t even bother acknowledging Wu Weiwei.

“What should we do now?” Wu Weiwei asked.

Hu Jingsheng paced back and forth, deep in thought.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “Isn’t the time to fill out college applications coming up soon? When that time comes, we can…”

The two girls huddled together, whispering about every detail, making sure their plan would be foolproof.

Yang Wei, having waited in vain for Hu Ouhua, stormed over to the Hu family house in anger.

At that moment, Hu Jingsheng was bent over washing her hair.

Her slender neck was exposed, and though she wasn’t particularly attractive, there was a subtle allure to her posture, making Yang Wei’s heart pound.

So, when Hu Jingsheng finished washing and saw him enter the house, she greeted him and was just about to pour him some water when he suddenly grabbed her, pushed her against the wall, and started groping at her dress.

“Brother-in-law, what are you doing? No! Stop—”

Hu Jingsheng panicked.

She already had a reputation for being a flirt. If something happened between them and someone in the courtyard overheard, the rumors would be relentless.

But the more she called him “brother-in-law,” the more excited Yang Wei became.

Meanwhile, returning from school, Hu Ouhua stopped by the market and bought a carp and a block of tofu, planning to make a light fish soup for Lu Yuetang’s lunch.

As noon approached, she had finished preparing the ingredients when she received a call from Shen Fubai.

“Ouhua, Comrade Lu won’t be coming home for lunch. He’ll be back in the evening. You should eat by yourself.”

Hu Ouhua looked at the fish on the counter. The temperature was high, and refrigerators weren’t common yet. If she left the cleaned fish out for too long, it would spoil.

So, she had no choice but to eat the fish soup herself.

However, just as she finished cooking, as soon as she smelled the soup, a wave of nausea hit her. She hurried to the sink, retching violently.

But nothing came out.

Could she be catching a cold?

Hu Ouhua didn’t think much of it and went back to eat her meal.

After eating, she resumed her studies. She came across several difficult problems she couldn’t solve. Although she considered going back to school to ask a teacher, she found it inconvenient. So, she marked the questions and decided to ask a teacher when she went to fill out her college application.

As night fell, Lu Yuetang pushed open the door to find the living room in complete darkness.

Just as he reached to turn on the light, he heard soft murmuring near the sofa.

Looking over, he saw Hu Ouhua asleep on the floor beside the table, her book still open.

Perhaps feeling hot, her shirt had ridden up, exposing her stomach completely.

Her long legs were stretched out to the side, exuding an irresistible allure in the dim light.

“Ahem.”

Lu Yuetang cleared his throat deliberately and stepped closer.

“Oh! When did I fall asleep…? How careless of me.” Hu Ouhua quickly got up, rushing to turn on the light, her cheeks imprinted with red marks. “Are you hungry? I’ll cook something for you.”

“I’ve already eaten. Don’t bother.”

Unlike usual, Lu Yuetang didn’t go upstairs immediately.

He carried two newspapers under his arm and sat down on the sofa.

His gaze casually drifted to the workbook on the table, where he noticed a problem circled in red ink. It seemed to be the only one she hadn’t solved.

“Need my help?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Really?”

Hu Ouhua’s eyes lit up with excitement, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.