Chapter Sixty-Seven: A Sudden Turn of Events

June 7, 2002—the day that would determine the fate of millions of high school students across the nation had finally arrived.

Zhao Zejun got up early, washed his face, brushed his teeth, ate the breakfast his mother had prepared, and checked his admission ticket and stationery one last time before heading out right on schedule.

“Take a cab to the exam site. Better to be early than late!” Zhou Ya called out anxiously behind him.

“Don’t worry, Mom!” Zhao Zejun waved as he hurried downstairs.

A red Santana was already parked outside. Zhao Zejun, familiar with the routine, opened the passenger door and slid in. He took a cigarette from his bag and handed it to Elephant. “Thanks, bro.”

“What are you thanking me for? We’re close enough for that,” Elephant replied, starting the car. He joked, “Honestly, with your brains, it doesn’t matter if you go to college or not. Maybe if you skip university, you’ll get rich even sooner.”

“Are you wishing me to fail, Elephant?” Zhao Zejun laughed.

“Hey, watch my mouth! Forget I said that. Whether you go to college or not, wealth is just waiting for you, brother! Haha!”

Traffic was strictly controlled across the city for the college entrance exams, and taxis were hard to come by. Zhou Ya was uneasy, and Zhao Zejun wanted nothing to go wrong, so he’d arranged in advance for Elephant to drive him.

After that incident with the internet café ID cards, Zhao Zejun had handled things with restraint. Though most cafés in the city were shut down for inspection afterward, Storm’s business actually improved. Whatever frustration Elephant had initially felt faded with every day of swelling profits, and his relationship with Zhao Zejun became even better than before—a true case of bygones becoming laughter.

At the exam site, Zhao Zejun got out. Elephant leaned out the window and punched the air. “Go for it, Xiao Zhao!”

“Got it!” Zhao Zejun waved farewell and strode to the gate, where the security guard checked his documents and let him in.

Elephant didn’t leave. He parked by the roadside and waited for Zhao Zejun to finish, chatting idly with other drivers who were waiting for their examinees.

“You heard about the disaster relief in Gaogang Village? That Xiao Zhao is my friend—I drove him here myself,” Elephant boasted.

“Wow! We know the story. You’re not just honored to drive a student, but a hero among examinees!”

While Elephant spun tales outside, Zhao Zejun was already seated inside the exam hall.

Ten minutes before the test, the proctor displayed a sealed bag, had two students sign it as witnesses, announced the exam rules, and then handed out the papers.

Now, Zhao Zejun’s heart began to race—what if history had shifted, and this lifetime’s questions weren’t the same as the last?

Relax. There’s no need to be nervous. Even if the questions are different, real ability will see him through. And if he doesn’t succeed? He’d just be an educated rogue without a diploma! Yes, that’s it!

Thinking this way, he suddenly felt relaxed—almost unwilling to take the exam at all.

He grabbed the test paper and immediately flipped to the last page to look at the essay prompt.

“Choice…”

Seeing the material provided, Zhao Zejun’s heart settled completely—it was exactly the same as in his previous life.

For the first Chinese exam, Zhao Zejun completed all the questions in less than an hour. Then, after a brief consideration, his pen flew across the page, weaving a beautiful essay.

Having already anticipated the essay topic, Zhao Zejun had studied many model essays, and finally distilled them into his own unique composition.

After finishing, he checked his work thoroughly. The writing was fluent, the argument profound, not a single typo—he was so satisfied that he felt confident. As long as the grader wasn’t blind, he would ace the Chinese section.

At noon, he returned home. His parents were there, and seeing Zhao Zejun’s cheerful face, Zhou Ya and Zhao Tao didn’t ask much, but their hearts eased—well, eased by a quarter.

He took a nap and continued with the afternoon session.

At the end of the first day’s exams, most families were discussing the day’s papers, and those lacking confidence were squeezing in last-minute revision.

At Amber Mansion, Wu Li had come home early for once and given the maid a holiday, cooking a meal herself.

“How do you feel?” Wu Li handed her daughter a large bowl of pork knuckle soup.

Xia Yubing made a face. “Mom, please don’t make me eat meat again. If I eat any more, I’ll turn into a pig!”

“What do you know? Pork knuckle is great for your skin—perfect for girls. And besides, apart from your chest, where are you fat? You silly girl…”

Seeing her daughter still concerned about her figure, Wu Li knew the exam must have gone well. With Xia Yubing’s grades, as long as she played to her strengths, admission to one of the top universities in the capital was guaranteed. Wu Li was in a good mood and even teased her daughter a little.

Xia Yubing glanced downward, her black and white eyes spinning, and after a moment’s reflection, she agreed, sipping the soup in small gulps.

Wu Li said, “When you go to university in the capital, visit your grandparents often. You didn’t grow up together—take this chance to strengthen family ties.”

“Oh.” At the mention of leaving for the capital, Xia Yubing’s mood dimmed. She muttered, “I just don’t get it. You ran away from your family in the capital and nearly broke ties, but now you insist I go back?”

Wu Li couldn’t stand her daughter bringing up the past. Her tone grew intense. “I made mistakes back then. I don’t want you to repeat them!”

“Yes, yes, if you hadn’t made mistakes, I wouldn’t exist! I know you see me as the result of a mistake!”

Wu Li’s heart ached, her tone softening. “Bingbing, that’s not what I mean. I’ve thought about what you said. I can tell you, though your dad and I divorced—and I really can’t stand him—I married him for love, and I’ve never regretted it, never considered you a mistake. I just hope that while you’re young, you seize better opportunities. The future is long. In the capital, your starting point is much higher than here in Southern Jiangsu. Here, at best, I’m a middling branch manager—not much help. And besides, there are many outstanding young men in the capital…”

“Mom, stop. I understand.” Xia Yubing bit her chopsticks, speaking quietly.

Wu Li saw her daughter’s spirits flagging and worried it might affect tomorrow’s exam. After some thought, she said, “Your dad is just stubborn. If you go to the capital, maybe the three of us can reunite. Actually…”

“Actually what?!” Xia Yubing suddenly looked up, a hint of a smile on her face, her eyes shining.

Wu Li flashed a mischievous grin, the kind only young girls have. “Do well on your exams! We’ll discuss it after!”

“Yay! I always knew true love was invincible! Don’t worry, Mom—these silly exam questions, I could answer them with my eyes closed!”

As mother and daughter chatted, the doorbell rang. Wu Li turned to answer it.

Outside stood a middle-aged man in a suit and glasses, ordinary in appearance, with a stern-faced young man behind him.

The man with glasses held a white paper box.

“Who are you…” Seeing the box in his hands, Wu Li’s heart began pounding uncontrollably, her legs weak, throat blocked, unable to speak.

“Sister-in-law, I’m a colleague of Comrade Xia Beihe…”

Before he could finish, Wu Li felt as though her heart had been struck violently. The world spun, and she collapsed at the doorway.

The young man accompanying him reacted swiftly, catching Wu Li in his arms.

The man with glasses, face full of sorrow, handed her the box, lowering his head as if unable to look at her, and spoke with difficulty. “Sister-in-law, Beihe was killed in the line of duty in the southern border, ambushed by a drug trafficking gang. By the time help arrived, it was too late… Today is the college entrance exam—it shouldn’t be today, but I have to leave tonight for another mission, so I had no choice… For your family’s safety, Beihe’s identity cannot be made public for five years. No memorial service, no gravestone. Please understand…”

Wu Li’s eyes widened as she stared at the white box in her arms, her expression vacant, her mind a blank. Tears she hadn’t shed for years erupted from her tear ducts, streaming down her smooth face and falling onto the box, drop by drop.

From the day they met in college, that innocent, stubborn man who made her love him desperately and hate him fiercely, had lived in the deepest part of her heart, never leaving.

“Mom, who is it?”

Xia Yubing, wearing slippers, came downstairs from the second floor and immediately saw her mother collapsed on the ground.