Most people don’t care if there are people who have a name that sounds similar to theirs.
With such a large population in Country Z, there are certainly many people with the same name; what more for similar-sounding names? If one were to nitpick, it would be impossible to keep track.
However, Shu Er was not like everyone else. Her life had been too smooth sailing over the years, and she could say that she had never experienced any major setbacks.
If the other Shu Er were an unknown person, she naturally wouldn’t be affected at all. But unfortunately, this other Shu Er has recently gained a loud reputation, frequently appearing in her world and stealing away the attention that rightfully belonged to her.
In the past, Shu Er was the one who always stole the spotlight; whenever people heard the name Shu Er, the first person they thought of was her.
But now, out of nowhere, this Shu Er is gradually overshadowing her.
How can she bear this?
After Li Mo mentioned Shu Er’s name, she stuck out her tongue in embarrassment and looked apologetically at Shu Er.
Of course, Shu Er wouldn’t show any signs of discomfort in front of her two friends; she maintained her composure.
She smiled gracefully and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Li Mo gestured with her hands, “Well… Zhao Zhi Feng posted a few more photos and a video.”
Shu Er reached out her hand, “Can I see it?”
“Of course.”
Shu Er took Li Mo’s phone.
This was the second time in a short period that she had used Li Mo’s phone to learn about someone she was curious about.
There were nine photos, one of which was a group shot of Huo Chao and Shu Er.
However, Shu Er was lowering her head to cut the cake, her face blurred, revealing only half of her features, making it impossible to see her true appearance.
Shu Er didn’t really care about what the other Shu Er looked like.
What concerned her was Huo Chao beside her…
In the photo, Huo Chao was turning his head to look at Shu Er cutting the cake, revealing most of his side profile.
At that moment, Shu Er suddenly noticed a small black mole under Huo Chao’s ear.
She seemed to recognize that mole.
The position of the mole looked familiar to her.
Suddenly, it clicked—wasn’t this the boy she saved during the earthquake in County B when they were just kids!
Shu Er and the other Shu Er; could it be that he mistook her for someone else?
After making her wish, Shu Er patiently distributed the cake to all the guests who attended her birthday party.
Everyone who received a cake from her would smile and say, “Happy birthday, Shu Er!” while handing her their prepared birthday gifts.
Today, Shu Er received so many gifts while cutting the cake that her hands grew sore. She planned to go home and slowly unwrap everything, including the box that Huo Chao had given her in the morning, which she hadn’t opened yet. She wanted to secretly see what he had given her.
Once everyone had their cake, Shu Er carefully cut a piece from the best part and handed it to Huo Chao, her voice sweeter than the cream, “Brother, this piece is for you.”
Huo Chao wasn’t particularly fond of overly sweet things, but since Shu Er had already cut it for him, he took a bite to go along with the occasion.
At that moment, Shu Ya finally arrived.
Her school was far away, and it wasn’t convenient for her to come. Huo Chao knew that Shu Er had invited her sister, so he specially sent a trusted friend, Xu Chen, to pick her up.
When Shu Ya arrived, she was so amazed by the grand setup that she didn’t know what to say.
In her imagination, her sister’s birthday would just involve inviting a group of friends to sing at KTV, make a wish, blow out candles, and eat cake.
But she never expected that her sister’s ordinary birthday would take place on a luxury cruise, with such lavish decorations. She felt like a rabbit lost in a wonderland, bewildered and at a loss.
Seeing Shu Ya arrive, Shu Er cut her a piece of cake and warmly greeted her, “Third sister, go ahead and eat. If it’s not enough, I can cut more. There are drinks nearby; just grab whatever you want.”
Shu Ya stared blankly at her sister as she accepted the cake, utterly dazed.
At that moment, she still felt that it was all a dream and surreal. When did her sister become so awesome?
A birthday could be held like this?
For Shu Er’s birthday party, Shu Ya’s the only family she invited. Although she had already reconciled with Shu Rou, she didn’t really like her, so naturally she didn’t want to appear at her birthday party.
—
The party continued with everyone eating, drinking, chatting, and laughing, creating a lively and joyous atmosphere.
The grand birthday party gradually came to an end by midnight.
Since there was an extra person, Shu Ya, on the way back, Huo Chao specially changed to another car to personally drive the two sisters home.
Once they got into the car, Shu Ya sneaked a question to Shu Er, “Sister, did you make a wish just now?”
Shu Er glanced at her and said matter-of-factly, “Of course I did.”
Shu Ya felt a bit regretful that she had arrived too late to witness her sister’s moment of making a wish.
Shu Er’s wish was actually very simple, just one line: “May I celebrate today year after year, and may this moment last forever.”
This was a wish that everyone wanted but found hard to achieve.
The future was filled with uncertainties, and the world was unpredictable.
Shu Er had a strange intuition; she felt that something was about to happen.
It was already late, and when Shu Er and Shu Ya got home, they were extra careful.
Shu Er gently inserted the key into the lock, quietly opening the door.
Fortunately, both their parents were already asleep, and Shu Rou didn’t come out to check.
The two sisters whispered goodnight to each other before heading back to their rooms to sleep.
The gifts Shu Er received tonight were still in Huo Chao’s car, and she planned to gradually bring them back home later. The only gift she had with her was the small box from Huo Chao.
Once she returned to her room and sat on the bed, she slowly opened the gift Huo Chao had given her.
What could it be?
The box was small, so it was probably not a bag.
With curiosity in her heart, Shu Er slowly opened the box.
Inside, she saw a golden longevity lock, quietly resting.
For a moment, Shu Er was genuinely stunned upon seeing the gift.
Longevity locks are typically given by elders to younger generations, often during the child’s hundred-day celebration or the child’s first birthday banquet.
Although a longevity lock is not considered expensive, it carries a beautiful meaning. The elder who gives it hopes that the child who receives the gift will be safe and happy throughout their lives.
Shu Er was both amused and speechless. Today was her sixteenth birthday, not her hundredth day or her first birthday!
Did Huo Chao really see her as a child?
However, receiving such a meaningful gift still made Shu Er very happy.
She put the longevity lock around her neck and took a photo to send to Huo Chao.
[Xiao Er: Brother, I really like this birthday gift.]
The next day was Saturday, the day Shu Er was supposed to go to the hospital to pick up the DNA test results.
After Shu Ya had said those words to her, Shu Er secretly took a hair strand from her parents and combined it with her own hair to take to the hospital for testing.
A few days had passed, and today she would finally get the results.
When Shu Er received the DNA test report from the doctor and saw the conclusion, she finally felt a sense of resolution in her heart.
She was indeed not the biological child of her parents.
Although she had suspected this all along, until she received the test results, everything had merely been speculation. No matter how much she resembled Shu’s mother when she was younger, or how Shu Ya had told her that her parents claimed she was the child who was switched at birth, nothing could be confirmed without authoritative verification.
Now, her speculation has come true.
Perhaps she could expedite her interactions with the Shu family.
While Shu Er was picking up the DNA test report at the hospital, the other Shu Er was frantically trying to find someone who could give her Huo Chao’s contact information.
In fact, she wanted to meet Huo Chao face-to-face directly, but it was a bit difficult to see him on the weekend, as she had no idea where he might be.
He could be playing billiards or golfing.
If she rashly mentioned wanting to see Huo Chao, she was afraid he would have a bad first impression of her.
Of course, if she waited until Monday, she could directly go to No. 1 Middle School to see him, but she couldn’t wait that long.
Just the thought that Huo Chao might have mistakenly taken Shu Er for her made every second unbearable.
The person who saved him as a child was clearly her!
If Huo Chao really recognized the wrong person, does that mean all the treatment that belonged to Shu Er should actually belong to her?
Whether it was the bags or the lavish birthday party.
All of that was actually what she deserved, right?
Shu Er had stolen her limelight!
Stolen her glory!
Shu Er felt that she could no longer endure even a second.
Finally, after much effort, Shu Er managed to obtain Huo Chao’s WeChat ID through Li Mo.
She quickly entered Huo Chao’s WeChat ID, searched for it, and chose to add him.
As time ticked by, there was no response on WeChat.
Huo Chao had yet to approve her friend request.
Shu Er bit her lip; there was nothing she could do but once again ask Li Mo to get Huo Chao’s contact information from someone else.
Li Mo picked up her phone, looking at her with hesitation. “Shu Shu, why do you need Huo Chao’s contact information so badly?”
Shu Er’s actions seemed too unusual. She looked like she was determined to have Huo Chao, but he was already with Shu Er.
Wasn’t she just acting like a mistress by pushing herself onto him?
Of course, Li Mo didn’t have any moral objections; she had seen plenty of women who had successfully taken the place of mistresses.
But she felt that Shu Er shouldn’t be like this.
After all, who is Shu Er? A famous socialite in Beijing City; what man couldn’t she have?
Although Huo Chao is indeed an excellent guy, why would a socialite like Shu Er lower herself to compete with Shu Er for a man?
Recently, the relationship between Huo Chao and Shu Er had been the talk of the town, and if Shu Er had to interfere, it would likely lead to gossip about her.
When Shu Er heard Li Mei’s question, she barely maintained her composure. “I have my reasons for needing his contact information.”
Li Mo opened her mouth, wanting to persuade her again. However, she felt her words wouldn’t carry much weight, and that Shu Er wouldn’t listen, so she gave up.
Li Mo sighed, and after some effort, she managed to get Huo Chao’s phone number from one of Zhao Zhifeng’s middle school classmates.
After giving Shu Er Huo Chao’s phone number, Li Mo hesitated for a moment and asked, “Shu Shu, are you going to call him?”
Shu Er’s attitude was clear. “No.”
Her mind was a mess, filled with many thoughts.
She was afraid she would stammer on the phone, so she organized her words and first sent Huo Chao a text message.
[Hi Huo Chao, it’s Shu Er. Do you still remember me? When we were kids in County B, I saved your life. That little boy I saved should be you, right? I happened to see your photo and thought you looked just like that boy grown up, so I took the liberty of asking about it. If I’ve mistaken you for someone else, please don’t mind this message.
– Shu Er]
