Font Size:
As soon as Hu Ouhua left the conference hall, she spotted Lu Yuetang standing among the crowd, his tall and elegant figure standing out.
Recalling Lu Yuetang’s cold demeanor last time, she felt a little upset and decided not to greet him. Instead, she wandered toward other open areas, hoping to participate in the guessing game. Maybe she could even win a cash prize.
After all, that was her main reason for coming.
However, Lu Yuetang had already seen her. He nodded slightly and began walking in her direction.
Now she was stuck.
Leaving would seem rude, but staying wasn’t ideal either.
Out of spite, Hu Ouhua continued walking at a slow pace—neither waiting for him nor rushing away.
Within moments, Lu Yuetang reached her side, his gaze falling on the red velvet flower in her hair. His heart suddenly skipped a beat.
His eyes darkened, his voice carrying a trace of magnetic depth as he asked, “Did you buy this flower yourself?”
“Someone else gave it to me.”
“Who?”
Lu Yuetang spoke quickly.
Only then did Hu Ouhua realize that his gaze on the flower was unusually intense. She frowned slightly. “What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I—”
Lu Yuetang swallowed the words that were about to leave his lips.
Just then—
“Ah!”
Someone dashed past them. Hu Ouhua was caught off guard and, without warning, fell straight into Lu Yuetang’s arms. To steady herself, her hands instinctively wrapped around his waist…
The sudden impact left Lu Yuetang momentarily stunned. A familiar scent filled his nostrils, and an all-too-familiar softness pressed against him. His heart, despite his best efforts, pounded wildly.
“Oops, did I knock into someone…?”
Turning around, Hu Ouhua saw the culprit—Chang Anning, who had been running around recklessly.
Recognizing the voice, she immediately jumped away as if electrocuted.
Her cheeks burned.
“I—I didn’t do it on purpose.” She lowered her head, embarrassed beyond words.
Lu Yuetang quietly exhaled.
Before he could regain his composure, Li Suyun grinned and teased, “Lu Captain, didn’t you say you wouldn’t be interested in my dear Ouhua? But I just saw you blushing! You like her, don’t you? You just won’t admit it!”
“No.”
Lu Yuetang’s rejection was firm.
Hu Ouhua’s gaze dimmed slightly. The warmth on her flushed face faded.
She turned away and shot a glare at Li Suyun. “Auntie, stop talking nonsense. He already has someone.”
Li Suyun was shocked.
He does?
How come she never heard about it?
“Yes, I already have someone,” Lu Yuetang said. “My beloved is the woman who once wore a red velvet flower.”
With that, he turned and walked away, his face pale.
He secretly vowed never to let himself be emotionally swayed by Hu Ouhua again.
It was shameful.
Unacceptable.
Li Suyun chuckled dryly and whispered into Hu Ouhua’s ear, “Why don’t we just tell him the truth? Before he starts yearning for the wrong person.”
“No.”
Hu Ouhua quickly shook her head.
She sighed, exhausted. “The Lu family has already arranged a fiancée for him—Yang Jiaojiao. She’s already living in their house.”
“What? Then Lu Yuetang is in the wrong. If he already has a fiancée, why is he out here declaring that he has a beloved? And it’s not even the same person? This kind of behavior is unacceptable,” Li Suyun scolded.
Hu Ouhua didn’t explain further.
After all, it involved Lu Yuetang’s reputation.
With a mix of emotions, she followed Li Suyun into the competition hall.
As she walked behind her, Lu Yuetang’s words echoed in her mind—
“My beloved is the woman who once wore a red velvet flower…”
Did he say that just to cover things up?
Or… did he truly mean it?
Absentmindedly, she reached up to touch the flower in her hair. A memory flashed through her mind—
That passionate kiss in the movie theater.
Her heart pounded.
And, surprisingly… she felt a trace of happiness.
—
Inside the competition hall, different sections were set up for various contests—cultural knowledge, hands-on challenges, and even a mathematics section.
“I’ll check out the math section,” Hu Ouhua said.
“Jiejie, I want to go too!” Chang Anning eagerly followed.
And so, the three of them went together.
The contest board displayed a mathematical problem. Participants had to solve it within the allotted time to advance to the next round.
Many top students from prestigious schools were competing.
Meanwhile, Yang Jiaojiao, who had snuck out of the conference hall, was wandering around to kill time. She didn’t want to watch performances but also didn’t want to embarrass herself by returning home too early.
To her annoyance, she ran into Hu Ouhua again.
She rolled her eyes.
Then, when she saw Hu Ouhua stepping onto the stage to solve problems, she sneered, “Ha! She’s just trying to show off because no one here knows her. A shameless woman, scheming to seduce high-ranking officers and climbing the social ladder.”
At that moment, someone tapped her arm.
“You mean her? The one with the red flower?”
Xu Mindong, unable to contain her excitement, whispered eagerly.
“Of course! At first, her mother tried to introduce her to my brother, but she looked down on us for being poor. Then she turned around and started chasing after my fiancé, Lu Yuetang…”
Yang Jiaojiao’s voice was dripping with disdain.
She gossiped for a full hour before Gu Wanyu finally called her away.
Xu Mindong listened intently, thrilled by the drama.
Meanwhile, Hu Ouhua remained oblivious to the rumors spreading about her. She focused on the contest, advancing round after round, until she finally won first place in the math category.
Chang Anning screamed with excitement.
“Ahhh! That’s my math teacher! She’s amazing!”
Hu Ouhua, composed as ever, asked, “When will the prizes be distributed?”
First place came with a 200-yuan cash prize.
And a brand-new, domestically-produced radio cassette player.
The event organizer smiled as he recorded her name and details. “Don’t worry. The award ceremony will start soon.”
Then, they publicly displayed her test papers from all three rounds.
Her handwriting was elegant and precise, with no corrections—every answer was written effortlessly and flawlessly. The crowd was in awe.
Meanwhile, Shen Fubai, patrolling the area, happened to witness Hu Ouhua receiving her award. He immediately asked a friend to take some photos for her.
Later, he excitedly shared the news with Lu Yuetang.
Unexpectedly, Lu Yuetang remained indifferent.
“From now on,” he said coldly, “don’t tell me anything about Hu Ouhua. I’m not interested. This is her area of expertise—what’s so special about it? If she could dance, then I’d be surprised.”
Dance?
Shen Fubai thought about it but decided it was best not to test her limits.
Just then, a guard arrived. “Captain Lu, Professor Gu needs you to come over—there’s been an incident.”
Lu Yuetang frowned.
He didn’t feel like going.
But before he could decide, two patrolling soldiers approached and reported to Shen Fubai—
“Sir, your sister, Hu Ouhua, has been accused of theft—”
Both Lu Yuetang and Shen Fubai’s faces instantly darkened.