Zeng Hongjie and the others explained the situation to Jiang Lin.

“She wasn’t originally named Yao Zhenxia; her real name was Yao Zhenyu. Her cousin is actually named Yao Zhenxia.”

Jiang Lin listened quietly. “So, Yao Zhenxia was supposed to take the exam, but Yao Zhenyu replaced her. How pitiful the real Yao Zhenxia must be. Will the school give her another chance to study?”

Su Xingyun said, “That’s unlikely. A year has passed, and if she’s not too old, she might get another chance to retake the exam. But from the difficulty of this year’s exam, next year’s will be even harder with stricter requirements. Plus, English will be included in the exam next year.”

Sun Qinghui added, “If the substitution was discovered at the time, there might have been a chance to fix it, but after a year, it’s basically hopeless.”

Jiang Lin was furious. “That’s awful. Isn’t the school going to inform the real Yao Zhenxia?”

Zeng Hongjie replied, “The real Yao Zhenxia knew about it and voluntarily gave the chance to Yao Zhenyu.”

Jiang Lin was confused. “Why? Such a great opportunity, a chance that could change her life, and she gave it away?”

In reality, Yao Zhenxia’s father was adopted.

Yao’s family raised him but didn’t treat him very well.

They always emphasized the importance of being grateful and not being ungrateful.

Yao Zhenxia’s family was indeed respectful and grateful, but they felt trapped, always prioritizing the needs of Yao Zhenyu’s family over their own.

When they were young, the couple was exploited to support Yao Zhenyu’s father, and now their own children are being exploited to support Yao Zhenyu’s siblings.

Some people criticized Yao’s family, saying they were like a big fat pig being exploited for profit, with no end to their suffering.

This time, Yao Zhenyu’s brother wanted to get married, but the family didn’t have enough money for the bride price.

Their grandmother demanded that Yao Zhenxia either swap places with someone or pay for the marriage.

However, Yao Zhenxia’s family had already been exploited by their grandparents and had no money to help.

Coincidentally, the college entrance exams were reinstated, and Yao Zhenyu suggested to her grandparents that Yao Zhenxia give her exam scores to her.

Yao Zhenxia was very good at her studies, especially in science, while Yao Zhenyu was good at liberal arts but had mediocre grades.

It was certain that Yao Zhenyu wouldn’t pass the entrance exam.

Yao Zhenyu promised her grandparents and parents that if she got into university, it would bring great honor to the family, and her brother could get married immediately.

The grandparents agreed and pressured Yao Zhenxia’s parents to agree.

Her parents refused, thinking that exploiting other things was one thing, but sacrificing their daughter’s future was unacceptable.

However, the grandparents insisted and threatened to force Yao Zhenxia into a swap marriage or make a scene.

Finally, Yao Zhenxia decided to be ruthless, saying that after this, the two families would be completely separated, and her parents wouldn’t owe them anything anymore.

Yao Zhenyu’s grandparents and parents agreed.

Yao Zhenxia demanded a written agreement stating that if Yao Zhenyu’s family tried anything else, she would expose Yao Zhenyu and let everything fall apart.

With this leverage, Yao Zhenyu’s grandparents and parents, for the sake of having a university student in the family and maintaining their honor, dared not break their promise.

The sisters then signed up for the exams, took the tests, and when the results came out, Yao Zhenxia passed, but Yao Zhenyu failed.

They had Yao Zhenyu register using Yao Zhenxia’s name, household registration, and other details.

To make it more convincing, Yao Zhenyu even took Yao Zhenxia’s admission ticket and replaced the photo with her own.

By a stroke of luck, she tore up Yao Zhenxia’s photo but didn’t destroy it completely, leaving it among a pile of letters. In the end, Zhu Caiping found it.

Jiang Lin said, “If she hadn’t tried to cover her tracks by bringing the admission ticket, this might not have happened.”

From what she understood, Yao Zhenxia’s family wouldn’t have reported Yao Zhenyu, as they had cut ties with them.

She thought Yao Zhenxia was a determined and capable girl.

Even if she didn’t go to university, she could still seize the opportunities of the reform era and have a brilliant life.

Yao Zhenyu didn’t sneak in using a false identity; she had full support from her family, and everyone, including the local officials, knew about it.

As long as Yao Zhenyu didn’t make any mistakes, the truth would never come out.

However, Yao Zhenyu’s mistake was being overly clever.

She kept the photo and, unfortunately, became friends with Zhu Caiping.

The friendship appeared close, but when it ended, it was bitter and ruthless.

Zeng Hongjie and the others had pieced together the story based on Yao Zhenyu’s account, giving them a general idea.

Zeng Hongjie said, “Maybe this is just how things work out. If something doesn’t belong to you, it will eventually be taken back.”

The truth often comes out in the end.

Jiang Lin asked, “Has the school said how they’ll handle this?”

Training a university student is a significant investment for both the government and the school.

This includes monthly subsidies, free tuition, accommodation, and teaching resources.

The goal is to help students succeed and contribute to socialist development.

Yao Zhenyu’s actions have delayed a true talent from reaching their potential.

Soon, it was time for the final exams. For Jiang Lin, everything went smoothly.

The exams lasted for two and a half days, and she could rest after finishing the last exam on the final morning.

The results would come out in a few days.

Yao Zhenyu couldn’t take the final exam because she was taken to the police station.

The school sued her in the Intermediate People’s Court for fraud and identity theft.

Not only her, but also the village’s party secretary and leader were sued, with the trial scheduled after the New Year.

Zhu Caiping, however, was not in trouble. Although she abandoned her husband and child, which was morally wrong, many male and female educated youths did the same at the time.

These educated youths were sent to the countryside, couldn’t handle it, got married, had children, and then when the college entrance exams were reinstated, they returned to the city.

If the city didn’t accept their children into the household registration, they could only return by getting a divorce.

Even if Zhu Caiping abandoned her husband and child, it only allowed her to divorce.

Many educated youths didn’t have legal marriages but simply lived together in the village under the village committee’s approval.

Therefore, leaving was a simple matter for her.

So, Zhu Caiping’s situation was just a scandal, while Yao Zhenyu’s case was a civil and administrative matter that required severe punishment.

Jiang Lin, Zeng Hongjie, Su Xingyun, and others met at the library to discuss their petition.

The city government had informed them that the municipal party committee was taking the issue seriously and discussing it.

They considered gathering more student signatures to support the petition, urging a quick implementation of the policy.

Since any policy would go through many steps from discussion to implementation, it was crucial to avoid delays.

Then, some students came over to talk about Yao Zhenxia’s situation and asked Jiang Lin what she thought.

Jiang Lin simply said, “I think that since the real Yao Zhenxia was willing to sacrifice her chance to attend university to break free from her family’s constraints, it means that her family is more important to her. Even if she doesn’t attend this university, she will find better ways to work with her family for a good life.”

Some students thought she was cold-hearted, saying that this concerned the future and fate of a university student.

They believed they should collectively petition the school to allow the real Yao Zhenxia to attend!

Jiang Lin felt that Yao Zhenxia was a person of principle and integrity.

She had agreed to take Yao Zhenyu’s place in exchange for family freedom and had kept her promise without reporting Yao Zhenyu.

It seemed she was prepared for not attending university.

So why were people so eager to judge?

This situation angered some self-righteous classmates who started accusing Jiang Lin of lacking empathy, leading to a heated argument.

While Jiang Lin and her friends stayed out of the fight, the bystanders split into two opposing groups.

They ended up debating about Yao Zhenxia and Yao Zhenyu, with Jiang Lin, Zeng Hongjie, and others discussing the matter among themselves while others argued about them.

The classmates divided into two main opinions: Yao Zhenyu deserved punishment, but what about Yao Zhenxia?

One group of students felt Yao Zhenxia was innocent and a victim.

They argued that she was coerced by her family, and the government and school should accommodate her so she could attend university.

The opposing group believed Yao Zhenxia was not innocent.

They argued that being coerced by her family did not justify deceiving the government and the school.

If her family used their influence to force her to commit a crime, would she comply?

Supporters of Yao Zhenxia felt that the opposition was being unreasonable, accusing them of changing the subject.

They argued that taking someone’s place in an exam didn’t have harmful intentions or consequences.

If Yao Zhenyu could study well, the school and government would still gain a talented individual without any loss.

“How can there be no loss?” someone argued. “They’ve damaged the fairness and justice of the college entrance exam rules. Isn’t that serious?

How is it fair to other students who worked hard but didn’t succeed?

If you believe Yao Zhenxia is innocent, are you implying that cheating is acceptable in special cases?

Will this lead to more people using excuses to have others take their exams?

Eventually, universities might be filled with incompetent students who only have influential parents. Is that fair to the government, schools, or society?”

“But what if Yao Zhenxia was unaware of the imposture when she took the exam?”

“If she was unaware, the government and school would need to rectify the situation and allow her to return to school. But now she knows and was an accomplice in the cheating! She wasn’t just a victim of substitution; she actively participated in the cheating!”

Dozens of students were passionately discussing the issue, while Jiang Lin, Zeng Hongjie, and others stayed in a corner of the library.

After finishing their conversation, they planned to leave.

Su Xingyun asked them, “There’s a dance in the main hall tonight. Are you going?”

With limited entertainment options, students usually either watched movies or danced.

The dance was organized by the school’s faculty and students, held in the main hall during winter when it was cold.

The whole school could attend, and it was always packed.

Often, those who arrived late couldn’t get in.

Jiang Lin naturally didn’t plan to go.

Zeng Hongjie, along with some from the liberal arts and fine arts colleges, were planning a trip to a neighboring province for field research, so they weren’t going either.

“We’ll join when the results come out. There will be fewer people then.” During the holidays, most students went home, leaving only local students behind, making it more enjoyable.

Jiang Lin remembered she hadn’t yet submitted her proof materials to the family planning office.

She had brought them before the exams, but the office had been locked both times she went, so she had postponed it until now.

The family planning office was next to the school clinic, where pregnant female students went for check-ups and male students discreetly picked up free condoms.

As Jiang Lin was going upstairs, she ran into her classmate Ren Bocheng, who was awkwardly holding a packet of condoms, his face red and looking very embarrassed.

Jiang Lin knew him but had hardly spoken to him.

He was a good student and a typical bookworm, shy and uncomfortable talking to people, especially female classmates. His face would turn red before he even said anything.

Jiang Lin smiled at him and greeted him politely.

Ren Bocheng’s face turned even redder.

He instinctively thought she was laughing at him for holding the condoms.

In his panic, he handed them to her.

Jiang Lin was shocked. “Are you out of your mind?”

Ren Bocheng stammered, “Th-th-they’re for your kids to blow balloons.”

He then bolted away.

Ren Bocheng had come to the clinic with a bad cold, intending to get some medicine.

A group of male students had been pestering Guo Yanqiu for condoms.

Annoyed, Guo Yanqiu scolded them and handed out several packs without checking who took them, even giving some to Ren Bocheng, who was there for his cold.