The Youth League Committee official spoke in a grave tone. "Mr. Huang, let me be frank with you. Xiao Wen is the wife of Huo Jingyuan, the ace of the Northwest. Her father is Minister Jiang from the Beijing Military Region.

And Xiao Yu is a talent being personally cultivated by our hospital director.

Wouldn’t it be a waste of their potential to have them join your song and dance troupe?"

Hearing this, Huang Qian fell silent.

She had only known that the Northwest Military Region Hospital was sending two representatives to perform. She never imagined their status within the Northwest Military Region was so high.

"Pretend I never said it."

When Wen Ci and Yu Qing came off the stage, Huang Qian praised them generously. "Your performance was incredibly polished. You two will be the closing act tomorrow."

"Alright."

That afternoon, Wen Ci and Yu Qing went through another rehearsal. Under the scorching sun, both were drenched in sweat, and the backs of their sleeveless dresses were slightly stained with dirt.

The current Northwest tour didn’t include the Water Sleeve Dance, so the sleeveless dresses had been packed away at the bottom of a trunk. They hadn’t been cleaned, which was why they were a little dirty.

"Leave the costumes with us. We’ll wash them," a logistics staffer said.

Wen Ci blinked. "Then what will we wear for the performance tomorrow?"

"We have two other identical sleeveless dresses, they just might smell a little woody."

Between the smell of sweat and the smell of wood, Wen Ci chose the latter without hesitation. She smiled warmly and said, "Thank you, you’re going to so much trouble for us."

"It’s no problem."

After rehearsal, Wen Ci and Yu Qing headed to their respective homes.

Since a new batch of dependents had arrived, the family courtyard was exceptionally lively. Groups of military spouses gathered beneath each building, chatting to pass the time.

As Wen Ci passed by, she saw a 28-inch bicycle parked in the courtyard in front of Sister Jing’s building. ’I wonder who took first place in Devil’s Week,’ she mused.

In the middle of the crowd, Zhao Dongmei was basking in the praise of those around her, her face blossoming into a wide grin. "Oh, it’s nothing! When my Qin Jin actually gets promoted to battalion commander, I’ll treat everyone to dinner."

Hearing the name ’Qin Jin’ again...

Wen Ci suddenly remembered: he was the one who had stabbed Huo Jingyuan. Her eyes, frosty and cold, landed on Zhao Dongmei as her expression visibly darkened.

"Sister Dongmei, are you planning to ride the bike yourself?"

Suddenly, Zhao Dongmei seemed to spot Wen Ci in the crowd. Her voice grew louder as she said slowly and deliberately, "The Northwest Military Region is only so big. What’s the use of a bicycle here?

You’d be better off taking it to Hai City to sell it.

I hear you can get a lot of money for it."

Zhao Dongmei put special emphasis on the word "sell," as if deliberately provoking Wen Ci.

Lost in her own anger, Wen Ci didn’t quite hear what Zhao Dongmei said. After a moment, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed her emotions down.

’I’ll let it go,’ she thought, ’for the sake of my husband, who nearly died.’

Just as she was about to walk away, Zhu Jing spotted her and called out warmly, "Wen Ci! I heard you were rehearsing at the neighboring camp?"

"I was."

Wen Ci’s eyes crinkled into a smile. She walked over to greet them, but then said frankly, "I’m a little tired, so I’m going to head back to rest. Let’s chat another time!"

Zhu Jing didn’t press her to stay, but asked, "Are the sleeveless dresses pretty?"

’Sister Jing had asked me before what the sleeveless dresses looked like.’ 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

’I’d promised to show her as soon as they arrived, but then the roads were closed, and we weren’t allowed to take the troupe’s sleeveless dresses home.’

Wen Ci nodded. "They are. You’ll be able to see them tomorrow during my performance."

"Break a leg!"