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At the exhibition area, Hu Ouhua was stopped by two guards.
She was carrying the prize she had just won—a bulky tape recorder. Holding it for too long had made her arms sore.
Originally, she planned to leave early, letting Li Suyun take Chang Anning to continue exploring. But before she could exit, she found her path blocked.
Soon, a large group of people arrived.
Gu Wanru, Yang Jiaojiao, and a few others—clearly children from the military compound—approached her. They wore striped shirts and army-green trousers, all striding towards Hu Ouhua in unison.
Before she could even ask what was going on, Yang Jiaojiao struck first:
“My gold earrings went missing, and she was the only one there when it happened. Not long after, she left in the middle of the performance.”
This was a grand performance featuring top talent from the art troupe—an event so spectacular that tickets were nearly impossible to get.
And yet, Hu Ouhua had left halfway through…
Suspicious.
“She obviously stole Jiaojiao’s earrings. Feeling guilty, she left early to sell them. Otherwise, why would she leave such a great performance?”
Yang Jiaojiao was “adored” by Gu Wanru. Among those who didn’t know the truth, she was seen as a prized figure.
There were plenty of people eager to curry favor with her.
The first to speak up in her defense was Zhao Minghui, the adopted daughter of the Zhao family from the art troupe.
But Li Suyun was no pushover.
She scoffed, “Gold earrings, gold necklaces—do you think Ouhua cares about those? She won 200 yuan in a math competition, not to mention a tape recorder. Why would she even look at your cheap earrings? Open your eyes and think for a second.”
At first, she had assumed the “future daughter-in-law” of the Lu family must be some refined beauty from a high-ranking military family.
But then she realized—the girl in question was the plain-faced, acne-ridden Hu Ouhua.
She almost burst out laughing.
Of all the women they could have picked, they chose this one?
“No way, she actually won? Wasn’t this competition set by professors from Beijing University’s math department? I heard the difficulty was hellish!”
“Who is she? I’ve never seen her at Beijing University.”
“She must have cheated.”
Hearing the murmurs, Yang Jiaojiao realized these people still didn’t know Hu Ouhua’s background. She figured it was time to remind them.
“Sister Ouhua, we’re both from Ning City. Yuetang only brought you to Beijing out of kindness. Please don’t let him down or embarrass our hometown.”
She feigned modesty, though her act wasn’t as polished as Hu Jingsheng’s.
Still, to maintain the Lu family’s reputation, she had to pretend to be “considerate.”
“Wow, so she’s from the countryside?”
“My maid is from Ning City. She had a habit of stealing too. We didn’t make a big deal out of it, just sent her back home.”
A group of privileged children—who originally had no interest in taking Yang Jiaojiao’s side—suddenly found their pride wounded.
After all, if Hu Ouhua had really won first place in the math competition, that meant they had just been completely outclassed by a small-town “study machine.”
Their resentment flared up instantly.
Li Suyun shot Hu Ouhua an apologetic look.
She realized she had made a mistake—by defending Hu Ouhua, she had inadvertently drawn more hostility towards her. She wanted to slap herself.
Hu Ouhua gently patted her hand, signaling her not to worry.
“Heh, and here I thought she was some golden phoenix. Turns out she’s just a countryside girl trying to cling to the Lu family. Good thing Jiaojiao isn’t close to her, or she’d get dragged down too.”
Zhao Minghui rolled her eyes.
She didn’t think highly of Yang Jiaojiao either.
But Jiaojiao had the Lu family’s favor—she was to be their daughter-in-law.
For someone like Zhao Minghui, who wasn’t fully accepted by the compound’s elite, she had to align herself strategically.
So, she didn’t hesitate to fire shots at Hu Ouhua.
“Hand over the earrings, or you’re not leaving today.” Zhao Minghui stepped forward, ready to search Hu Ouhua.
Before she could touch her, Hu Ouhua grabbed her wrist.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded coldly.
Zhao Minghui raised her voice. “Obviously, I’m searching you! You stole something, and now you have the audacity to act innocent? Those earrings were Aunt Gu’s engagement gift to Jiaojiao. Are you still hung up on Lu Yuetang? Trying to ruin their marriage?”
Hu Ouhua let out a short laugh.
She rubbed her ear, raising an eyebrow at Yang Jiaojiao.
“Are you sure you want her to search me?”
If they searched her, even if they didn’t find anything, the damage would be done.
Once accused of theft, clearing her name would be nearly impossible.
Yang Jiaojiao glanced at Gu Wanru.
She recalled Gu Wanru’s conversation with a nearby official’s wife:
“Oh dear, girls from small towns just lack refinement. Even the girl she came with is more presentable. What a shame—we could have had Yan Yan as part of our family instead…”
At that moment, anger surged through Yang Jiaojiao.
Gu Wanru had always indulged her, always flattered her, always told her she was worthy of Lu Yuetang. But now—behind her back—she had other thoughts?
Did she think she was unworthy, while Hu Ouhua was?
“Sister Ouhua, you almost became my sister-in-law once. Your family has nothing. Your mother went to prison, and your sister is… well, let’s just say she’s no better. I understand you want a better life, but stealing isn’t the way…”
Inside, she was thrilled.
She wanted Gu Wanru and the other children in the compound to see Hu Ouhua for what she truly was—a woman who abandoned her family without a second thought.
A thief? That was just the icing on the cake.
“You—you’re talking nonsense!” Li Suyun was furious.
Shameless. Absolutely shameless.
To accuse someone else of what she was guilty of!
Yang Jiaojiao quickly covered her mouth.
“Sister Ouhua, you never told them about your family? Oh no, I was supposed to keep it a secret. I’m so sorry…”
Suddenly, the crowd’s perception of Yang Jiaojiao shifted.
She had some decency, at least.
At least she cared.
But Zhao Minghui wasn’t having it. She snapped, “Jiaojiao, you’re too kind. This shameless, heartless woman doesn’t deserve your apology!”
She lunged for Hu Ouhua.
Smack.
Hu Ouhua slapped her across the face. Her gaze was sharp, unwavering.
“Try that again, and see what happens.”
“You—you dare hit me?! Do you even know who I am?! You’re done for! You’re going to prison!” Zhao Minghui shrieked, clutching her cheek.
No matter what, she was still a Zhao.
Not far away—
Lu Yuetang and Shen Fubai rushed over, hearing Zhao Minghui’s screams.
Lu Yuetang frowned.
“Lu, let’s go teach Zhao Minghui a lesson. She’s embarrassing the whole compound,” Shen Fubai said with a scowl.
But before he could act, Lu Yuetang grabbed his arm.
“Wait,” he said.
“Let’s see how she handles this.”