HBWMA -Chapter 307 Each Fighting Their Own Battle

Su Miao searched around the shop and finally found Su Yun in an inconspicuous corner.

Without thinking, she rushed over, her face full of tension. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Su Yun slowly lifted her eyes, tears filling them. “I… killed someone.”

Su Miao’s mind went completely blank. She had been protected very well by the Su family, and something like murder felt like something from another world entirely.

Su Yun was emotionally collapsing, holding a bowl of noodles that had been mashed into a lump. “But I didn’t want to. She forced me. What do I do? I’m so scared…”

Su Miao took tissues out of her bag. “Don’t be afraid. Tell me slowly.”

Su Yun stared at the tissues she handed over, the struggle in her eyes almost tearing her apart.

The tissues in the noodle shop were rough and thin, but the ones in Su Miao’s hand were soft like silk, even carrying a faint fragrance.

These things… they were originally supposed to be hers! The one who should have been struggling in the mud was Su Miao—she had stolen everything from her.

Hatred and jealousy drove her nearly mad, but the last thread of reason still held her back.

Perhaps Su Miao truly didn’t know anything. She was only a beneficiary, not the one who caused the tragedy. At least so far, she had never truly harmed her. And the things Su Li said might not all be true.

At the very least… she came the moment she called.

Su Yun closed her eyes, took the tissues Su Miao handed her, and slowly recounted everything about Zhao Tang from beginning to end.

The more Su Miao listened, the more her heart trembled. She couldn’t even imagine how desperate Su Yun must have been at that time.

Su Yun looked at her, emotionless. “Miss Su, the people from the church will not let this go. My mother doesn’t want me either. Tell me, do I still have a way to live?”

Su Miao nodded. “Yes.”

As long as she returned the identity of the Su family’s eldest daughter to her, she could survive.

She added, “This Saturday is my birthday. Come to the Su residence and find me. I’ll tell you where the path is.”

A faint spark lit up in Su Yun’s unfocused eyes. “Really?”

“Really.”

—

In the following days, Jiang Huashan was extremely busy.

She had to maintain her identity as the “legitimate eldest friend” at the hospital, secretly track the relationship between the Fu family and Su Li, and also guard against Fu Xiaoxiao’s assassination plot. The whole set of operations almost made her lose even her right to be lazy.

School life remained as usual.

Friday afternoon.

Jiang Huashan packed her bag and was about to go home when Fu Xiaoxiao suddenly blocked her path.

“Jiang Huashan, the grudge between us should be settled, don’t you think?”

Jiang Huashan had been waiting for this for a long time. Before Fu Xiaoxiao could finish her carefully prepared speech, she nodded as if rushing through a schedule. “You’re right. How do you want to settle it?”

Fu Xiaoxiao said, “Tomorrow I’ll wait for you at the South City café. Do you dare come?”

Jiang Huashan: “Time.”

“If you don’t dare come, then in the future at school when you see me—” Fu Xiaoxiao froze. Was she hearing things? What did this b*tch just say?

Jiang Huashan directly cut to the point. “Specific time.”

Fu Xiaoxiao felt strangely uncomfortable. “…Three in the afternoon.”

Three in the afternoon?

Jiang Huashan carefully recalled. She clearly remembered that in her previous life, the incident happened at ten in the morning. Could it be that because of the butterfly effect, the timing had shifted?

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Huashan waved her hand. “I’m not free in the afternoon. Change it to ten in the morning.”

“…What kind of person insists on going earlier for a showdown?” Fu Xiaoxiao was exactly the kind who would gladly accept. “Fine, it’s settled! Whoever doesn’t show up is a coward!”

Jiang Huashan waved her goodbye.

The next day.

After a long winter, the sun finally came out, lighting up the cold, shadowy corners of the alleyways.

The girl sat in front of a mottled mirror, slowly running a faded comb through her jet-black hair. Her thick bangs were brushed back, revealing a clean, full forehead.

Soon, a delicate and striking face appeared in the mirror.

Su Yun stared at herself for a long time before standing up and walking toward the wardrobe. She didn’t have many clothes—besides her school uniform, only two sets of winter clothing. Even so, she carefully chose for a long time, because today was an important day and she didn’t want to be disrespectful.

Once everything was ready, Su Yun gently pushed open the worn-out door. Sunlight poured in instantly, falling warmly across her faintly smiling face.

Su Li heard movement from the coal storage room and immediately stuck her head out from the window.

“Where are you sneaking off to this early in the morning?”

Su Yun restrained her smile. “The scholarship for this semester came through. The teacher asked me to go to school to fill out some paperwork.”

Hearing this, Su Li didn’t stop her. “Get it done and come back quickly. There’s still a pile of things to do at home.”

“Got it.”

Su Yun’s tone was calm, and she didn’t look back.

Su Residence.

To celebrate Su Miao’s birthday, the Su family had arranged decoration and staging teams a full month in advance. After three days of intense preparation, the entire Su residence now looked like a princess castle from a fairy tale.

In her room, Su Miao completed a very ceremonial farewell hug with each of her plush toys. Seeing that the time was almost up, she straightened her back and walked out of the room.

Just as she came down the grand staircase, she saw Su Zhuo wearing a sharp black suit, driving a pumpkin carriage and waving at her. Su Miao’s eyes immediately turned red.

“Where did this carriage come from?”

Su Zhuo patted her head. “Grandpa secretly prepared it. Do you like it?”

For this birthday banquet, Su Jingliu had specially hired master craftsmen to build a pure gold and crystal pumpkin carriage. Not to mention the cost—just the craftsmanship alone had taken eight full months. Even the horses pulling the carriage were elite Arabian thoroughbreds.

Su Miao nodded. “I like it.”

She stepped forward and touched the horse’s mane, her eyes dimming with emotion. Liking it didn’t matter—it wouldn’t be hers soon anyway.

In the main hall stood a three-meter-tall strawberry cake. Every strawberry on it had been personally selected by Su Jingliu—guaranteed sweet.

Su Miao followed Su Zhuo inside. Everyone in the Su household, from maids to the butler, greeted her with smiling faces.

“Miss, happy birthday.”

Su Jingliu looked energetic and waved at her with a smile. “Look, this is the cake Grandpa got for you.”

Su Miao immediately saw the cake towering like a small building. Thankfully, the house was tall enough—otherwise it wouldn’t even fit.

Suddenly, her heart tightened. She silently corrected herself: soon, it won’t be your house anymore.

Su Miao’s mother stepped forward and held her hand, her eyes full of affection. “Mom made longevity noodles for you. Want to try some?”

Su Miao nodded.

Sigh. In the future, she’d have to call her Aunt Su.

Su Miao’s mother asked, “How many friends did you invite today? I’ll have them prepare.”

Su Miao forced herself to focus. “Just one.”

“One?” Her mother clapped happily. “Our Miaomiao is amazing, already making new friends so quickly.”

The atmosphere in the main hall was harmonious. The butler walked in with a smile.

“Old Master, Miss’s guest has arrived.”

Su Miao tensed. “Where?”

The butler replied, “They’re being led over right now.”

Su Miao thought for a moment, then turned to Su Jingliu. “Grandpa, please sit first. I’ll go bring her in.” With that, she quickly left the hall.

Meanwhile, Jiang Huashan had deliberately changed into a black jacket, a pink backpack slung over her shoulder, and a pink baseball cap on her head—going in alone like a lone warrior.

Before entering the café, she checked her phone again and only then noticed a message from Su Miao sent three minutes earlier.

[My life is so bitter: It’s my birthday today, but I won’t be treating you to cake.]

Jiang Huashan froze slightly, then quickly typed back.

[None of your peace: Happy birthday, little trash.]

She locked her phone, shoved it into her pocket, took a deep breath, and prepared to bring an end to her sixteen-year-old nightmare.