HBWMA -Chapter 78 Ripping Apart Labels

“I remember now. When I was little, my dream was to change the world and become the first female president in A Country’s history.”

Fu Sui’er tapped her head lightly, as if trying to jog her memory. “How could I forget something so important?”

The shock in Jiang Huashan’s eyes slowly settled into calm, a faint smile forming at the corner of her lips. “That’s a great dream.”

“You really think so? When I said it to my cousins in the Fu family when I was little, they all laughed at me.” Fu Sui’er’s gaze turned slightly distant. “I think… I forgot it because I was laughed at too often.”

She looked at Jiang Huashan. “Don’t you think it’s ridiculous? There has never been a female president in A Country’s history.”

Jiang Huashan shook her head. “What’s so funny about it? It just hasn’t happened in history yet. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future.”

Fu Sui’er stared at her face, trying to find even a trace of joking in Jiang Huashan’s eyes.

But there was none.

Not even a hint.

“You really think that?” Fu Sui’er’s expression shifted from initial excitement to sudden seriousness. “My grades are bad, my temper is bad. Even Grandpa and Dad think it would already be good if someone is willing to marry me in the future. Someone like me…”

“Sui’er.” Jiang Huashan cut her off. “Your grades are only bad right now. That doesn’t mean they’ll always be bad. And having a bad temper isn’t necessarily a bad thing—if you use it in the right place, it can be a strength. You’re only twelve. Don’t define yourself as ‘someone like me.’”

“……”

Fu Sui’er had actually heard plenty of similar grand speeches before, but never had any of them made her feel as fired up as she did now.

Jiang Huashan’s words were like a giant ship of ideals crashing straight into the icebergs of reality, igniting a raging fire across a vast, barren plain.

The sound of something cracking open in her mind was silent.

Fu Sui’er slowly lifted her head. “A-Shan, I think someone just hit my brain.”

Jiang Huashan’s gaze fell on the top of Fu Sui’er’s head.

The label… had disappeared.

Not grown bigger, not shrunk—gone.

Fu Sui’er spent the entire day in a dazed state.

That daze showed itself in her sudden realization that there were so many things she could do now, and in how she began to understand malice she had never been able to see before.

She spent the whole day thinking.

For the first time in twelve years, her empty mind finally started working. Jiang Huashan felt rather gratified.

That night, Fu Sui’er lay on the table drafting study plans. She was a woman destined to become president in the future—she couldn’t afford not to work hard.

“Ah!”

Half an hour later, Fu Sui’er let out a painful wail. It still wasn’t working. After twelve years of not studying, her brain was completely empty—no foundation at all.

Jiang Huashan rubbed her ears, speaking with the air of someone experienced. “That’s just how a new brain is. You’ll get used to it in a few days.”

When she first awakened, her sense of helplessness had been far worse than Fu Sui’er’s. She had so many regrets she could fill trucks with them. She wanted to start learning from scratch, but the person who would have taught her was already gone.

Compared to that, Fu Sui’er was much luckier.

Fu Sui’er suddenly scratched her head in panic, then abruptly turned serious as if she had thought of something.

“A-Shan, I just thought of a possibility.”

“What?”

“Tell me honestly… am I actually the heroine of this world? And because I grew up and forgot my dream, the plot collapsed, which is why you came to save me?”

“……”

Jiang Huashan shook her head. “No. You’re the most insignificant cannon fodder in this world. In the first two hundred chapters, your total appearances didn’t even reach three thousand characters. Later you even became a vegetative patient and stopped appearing at all.”

“…Impossible!” Fu Sui’er refused to believe it at all. She was a woman destined to become president—how could she possibly be a cannon fodder character?

“I got it, dual female leads. In the future we—”

After the labels were removed, new labels would be generated based on a person’s mentality. Right now, Fu Sui’er’s mind was full of childish, second-year-syndrome ideas, and Jiang Huashan was genuinely worried about what kind of absurd labels might end up forming again—everything they had worked for could go to waste.

Only heaven knew how hard it was for her to restrain herself from losing her mind every day.

“Stop!”

To prevent any accidents, she quickly cut off Fu Sui’er’s dangerous line of thought, her tone unusually serious. “From now on, you’re not allowed to think about anything like ‘female lead’ or ‘not female lead’. Also, starting today, you must seriously take every step properly and lay a solid foundation for good character development. Understand?”

Jiang Huashan rarely spoke to her in such a commanding tone. Fu Sui’er immediately nodded repeatedly. “Got it.”

Before they knew it, the end of August had arrived.

During these two months in Xiangying, Jiang Huashan and Fu Sui’er had already trained themselves into proper posture—sitting and standing with etiquette. If they made an effort, they could even pass as refined young ladies. The progress they had made was enough to satisfy Old Madam Wu.

If there was any regret, it was that they still had not received Teacher Kong’s forgiveness.

Soon, it was time to return to Jinggang.

Shen Zhi had already called several times to report their travel arrangements, and Zhang Ru and Aunt Feng had packed their luggage early. Jiang Huashan and Fu Sui’er were in the main hall saying their goodbyes to Old Madam Wu.

The old mansion hadn’t been this lively in a long time. Thinking that all this liveliness would disappear once the two girls left, Old Madam Wu felt deeply reluctant.

Fu Sui’er, usually rebellious and defiant, cried louder than anyone else when it actually came time to part ways. No matter how she was comforted, she couldn’t stop.

Just then, an auntie entered the room.

“Old Madam, there’s a guest here.”

“Who is it?” Fu Sui’er sniffled and sobbed. “How annoying, why did they have to come at this exact moment? I haven’t even finished crying yet.”

The auntie smiled brightly. “Miss Sui’er, why don’t you go outside and see for yourself?”

Old Madam Wu, having lived most of her life, immediately understood what the aunt meant.

“Go invite the guest in.”

Then she gently patted Fu Sui’er’s hand. “Hurry and wipe your tears.”

Fu Sui’er, her eyes swollen like walnuts, turned to Jiang Huashan. “Who is it?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Kong Maolin walked into the main hall.

Fu Sui’er’s eyes widened instantly. “Teacher Kong!”

Kong Maolin wore a traditional Zhongshan suit and nodded respectfully toward Old Madam Wu. “I apologize for the sudden visit. Please forgive my rudeness.”

Old Madam Wu quickly stood up. “Professor Kong, please have a seat.”

Fu Sui’er looked completely confused. “Why is Great-Grandma being so polite to Teacher Kong?”

Jiang Huashan smiled faintly.

A senior professor in literature, with students all over the world—she had even heard that Professor Kong’s grandfather had once been the mentor of the current queen of S Country. Unless one was extremely lucky, it would be nearly impossible even to attend one of his lectures.

And yet Fu Sui’er had once dared to point at him and call him a “country bumpkin.”

Old Madam Wu nodded with a smile. “School is about to start, it’s time to return. Regarding the children’s previous disrespect, I hope you won’t take offense considering their youth and ignorance.”

Kong Maolin shook his head. “You are too kind. To be honest, I came here today to ask Sui’er something.”

“Me?” Fu Sui’er blinked in confusion.

Kong Maolin stepped slightly aside, a smile in his eyes.

“Would you be willing to become my student?”