When it came to university admission, Liang Huan felt somewhat uneasy.

She knew exactly how well she studied. In middle school, her grades had been decent – even without fully focusing on her studies, she hadn’t found it difficult to maintain above-average scores. In high school, she kept the same mindset, but the textbooks became more challenging… Liang Huan hadn’t developed good study habits, relying instead on natural cleverness and past knowledge. In recent months, her mind had grown increasingly scattered, and her grades had dropped significantly.

But how could this be her fault, with everything happening at home lately?

Liang Huan pulled her hand away from her mother’s: “I know I need to get into university. Your daughter won’t embarrass you – I’m better than Xia Xiaolan anyway, right? She only has a middle school education, besides her pretty face… hmph!”

Yet that pretty face had attracted such a handsome man.

Liang Huan’s words struck a chord with Liu Fang.

Now she truly had nothing to boast about to her family – Li Fengmei was self-employed, Liu Fen helped at the clothing store, and she had fallen from being an official’s wife to a department store clerk. Having fallen from such heights, Liu Fang had lost all her pride. Her son was too young to show any promise, but her daughter Liang Huan was growing into a graceful young woman – surely after getting into university, she would find a good match! Liu Fang felt she couldn’t confront Xia Xiaolan now, so she’d keep her distance. After enduring for two more years, once Liang Huan entered university, she would have her moment of triumph!

Liu Fang had tasted the bitter consequences of lacking education. Xia Xiaolan might be riding high now, but in the future, her daughter Huanhuan would go much further.

Mother and daughter shared a common imaginary enemy, finding temporary satisfaction in their mental victories.

Liu Fang returned home to cook, then had to hurry back to work. With Liang Huan idle at home during summer break, Liu Fang coaxed her:

“After Mom gets off work, I’ll take you shopping.”

She still had some private savings, which she was willing to spend only on her daughter. Liang Huan showed a slight smile – she wasn’t afraid of the college entrance exam, she still had time to work hard!

The afternoon of the 8th had two consecutive exams.

Biology was manageable, but the politics exam nearly broke Xia Xiaolan’s hand. When she left the examination room, her face was extremely pale. Liu Fen, waiting at the school gate, had been anxiously watching until she finally saw Xia Xiaolan’s figure. She had persevered through two more subjects, making Liu Fen feel both concerned and proud.

“Two more subjects tomorrow, right? It’ll be over soon, it’ll be over soon!”

Liu Fen didn’t ask how the exams went – her daughter was taking them while injured, so how could she demand more? Liu Fen had waited for hours holding a thermos, sweating profusely herself, but worried that Xia Xiaolan might be thirsty or hot, she quickly offered the water.

In Liu Fen’s mind, the injury would affect her performance. She didn’t expect Xia Xiaolan to do as well as in the mock exams – getting into any university would be fine. The honor of being first in the city wasn’t worth pursuing; she didn’t want her daughter under such pressure.

To Xia Xiaolan, her mother was truly a person who embodied both traditional and progressive thinking.

Growing up in such a backward, conservative environment had given Liu Fen many old-fashioned ideas, and she wasn’t quick to accept new things. But her honest, decent nature and lack of malice made her endearingly simple.

“Endearing” wasn’t a descriptor reserved only for young girls. Some people might be in their teens but harbor calculating, worldly thoughts – such girls might have youthful appearances but couldn’t truly be called endearing. Some women might be mothers or even grandmothers, their appearances marked by time, having loved and been deceived, understanding life’s realities, yet still treating both familiar and strange people with predominant kindness – such women, regardless of age, could be called “endearing.”

There was a popular internet saying from the future: “May you wander half your life, yet return still young at heart.”

Xia Xiaolan’s thoughts had wandered. “The exams went quite well, not as bad as you think. Two subjects left tomorrow, and getting into a key university won’t be a problem.”

Xia Xiaolan felt she had performed well, and how could Liu Fen dampen her spirits?

After two consecutive afternoon exams, Xia Xiaolan was mentally exhausted, her hand aching from the politics exam, and her stomach growling with hunger. As mother and daughter headed to their usual state-run restaurant, they didn’t realize that Liu Fang and Liang Huan had witnessed Xia Xiaolan leaving school.

Liu Fang didn’t dare approach – Li Dongliang and Ge Jian were right behind them, both capable fighters. She hadn’t expected them to still be acting as Xia Xiaolan’s bodyguards.

That boyfriend of hers was truly capable!

The Liang family all assumed Li Dongliang and Ge Jian were arranged by Zhou Cheng.

Seeing Xia Xiaolan with her arm in a cast, and injuries on her knees and arms, Liu Fang felt secretly delighted.

“Why are they in Hedong?”

They were quite bold, thinking that with Fan Zhenchuan arrested, the Fan family wouldn’t trouble Xia Xiaolan!

Liang Huan stared in confusion: “Mom, why did she come out of the exam room?”

Liang Huan’s high school was the examination site in Hedong County. For the college entrance exam, all students had been given vacation, and no outsiders were allowed in school, yet Xia Xiaolan came out like other exam candidates…

Liu Fang whirled around, “What did you say?”

“I said she came out of the exam room – only people taking the college entrance exam would come out from there!”

Xia Xiaolan was taking this year’s college entrance exam.

Liang Huan remembered clearly that she had dropped out after middle school graduation, never attending high school – how could she directly take the college entrance exam?

Liu Fang refused to believe it, grabbing a student and pointing at Xia Xiaolan’s retreating figure:

“Classmate, was she taking the exam too?”

The student looked puzzled at the question but nodded honestly, “Yes, taking exams with a cast – we should all learn from her fighting spirit!”

Liu Fang and Liang Huan were both shocked, though they were pleased to see Xia Xiaolan’s injuries.

But with Xia Xiaolan taking this year’s college entrance exam, Liu Fang felt a sense of crisis. Wasn’t Xia Xiaolan’s main weakness her education level and rural household registration? If she got into university, both these shortcomings would be overcome. Xia Xiaolan’s life seemed to be getting better and better – finding a good match, now attempting university, while her poor daughter Huanhuan had fallen from being a cadre’s child to… Liu Fang forced a smile:

“With just a middle school education, she dares to join the crowd taking university exams?”

If university entrance was so easy, why would university students be so precious?

Liang Huan nodded firmly, “In our school, only a few students get into undergraduate programs each year.”

Liang Huan’s high school was the best in Hedong County, with admission rates not far behind Anqing No. 1 High School. When even those who studied three years of high school struggled to get in, Liang Huan couldn’t believe that Xia Xiaolan, with only a middle school education, could succeed just by trying.

Mother and daughter encouraged each other, verbally expressing disbelief, but they had lost all interest in shopping.

The pair stealthily followed behind, but after the ‘accident,’ Ge Jian had become very vigilant. He quickly noticed they were being followed, and recognizing Liu Fang and Liang Huan from their encounter at the Shangdu Municipal Committee Guesthouse, he informed Li Dongliang, who immediately told Xia Xiaolan.

Xia Xiaolan remained silent, but Liu Fen reacted as if stung, “Don’t let them come near, I don’t want to see them!”

With Xia Xiaolan’s exam location in Hedong County, they had been mentally prepared to encounter the Liang or Fan families. Liu Fen’s insistence on accompanying her was partly for this reason.

“Do as my mother says, keep them away. I don’t have time to deal with them now.”

Li Dongliang went to drive them away. Liu Fang held her head high, her face reddening with defiance: “The street is so wide, can’t I walk here? What right do you have to chase people away!”

Li Dongliang gave her a strange look. When she had a little power, hadn’t she tried to arrange Miss Xia’s marriage to someone else? Now the tables had turned – was it only acceptable for her to bully others, but not for Miss Xia to be slightly willful?

Li Dongliang didn’t waste words, directly driving them away.

He wouldn’t show special consideration for women – if he couldn’t handle women, what kind of bodyguard would he be?

Liu Fang was both anxious and angry. As Liang Huan pulled her mother away, Liu Fang still wanted the last word: “University entrance? Is university something any cat or dog can get into? I just want to see if heaven has eyes, letting someone so black-hearted get into university!”