Chapter 55

Wang Hongxiang added, “Doctor Wu, you probably haven’t had dinner yet. Why don’t you come to my place and eat before you go?”

Wu Xiaomin, gritting her teeth in frustration, replied, “No need. I still have to go back to the health center.”

She had purposely bought the meat, planning to cook a meal for Cheng Jingmo and have dinner together, hoping to deepen their relationship.

But now, everything was ruined.

“Deputy Commander Cheng, madam, I’ll be leaving now.” Wu Xiaomin turned and left.

“Wait, the meat!” Cheng Jingmo wanted to return the meat to her, but Wang Hongxiang grabbed it from him, giving him a disapproving look before chasing after Wu Xiaomin.

Cheng Jingmo let out a long sigh, closed the door, and locked it from the inside.

Xiao Jie, tired from playing, returned home and was puzzled to see the door locked. He knocked vigorously, “Uncle, are you home?”

Cheng Jingmo opened the door, let Xiao Jie in, and locked the door again.

“Uncle, why are you locking the door today?”

“The wind is strong.”

Xiao Jie scratched his sweaty head.

There’s no wind!

In such hot weather, a breeze would be a relief!

“Let’s eat. Tomorrow, we’ll go get your aunt and bring her home,” Cheng Jingmo said.

“Really?” Xiao Jie’s eyes lit up, “The food you cook isn’t good when Aunt isn’t home.”

Cheng Jingmo: “… ” It’s the same whether Yu Xiangnian is here or not!

Wang Hongxiang watched Wu Xiaomin leave the compound before heading home.

Once there, she told Dong Mingjie, “Tell Yu Xiangyang to pass a message to Comrade Yu to come back quickly.”

Dong Mingjie scoffed, “What does it matter to you if she comes back or not?”

Wang Hongxiang twisted his arm, “You don’t know that Doctor Wu. She comes to find Cheng Jingmo every day. So shameless!”

Dong Mingjie said, “Since when are you two so close? You went to the mountains together once, and now you’re inseparable?”

Dong Mingjie couldn’t understand the complexities of women’s friendships.

Women can bond over going to the restroom together, let alone sharing “riches and hardships.”

Wang Hongxiang thought about the fifty yuan hidden in the pillowcase, “Just pass the message and stop talking so much.”

Wu Xiaomin angrily walked out of the compound, planning to return to the educated youth point in the village.

At the corner of the army’s wall, she saw Ding Yunfei and a woman struggling with each other.

The woman was crying and grabbing Ding Yunfei’s clothes, while Ding Yunfei angrily said something to her.

Wu Xiaomin quickly walked over, “Captain Ding!”

Ding Yunfei turned his head and, seeing it was Wu Xiaomin, was both surprised and alarmed. He didn’t want anyone to know about his dealings with Bai Mei.

“Captain Ding, do you need help?” Wu Xiaomin asked as she reached them, looking at the crying Bai Mei and then at Ding Yunfei.

Ding Yunfei, desperate to shake off Bai Mei, said, “Help me keep her from following me!”

Bai Mei cried even harder and held on tighter, “Ding Yunfei, don’t you dare! If you don’t help me, I’ll tell my uncle you’re having an affair!”

“Go ahead and tell!” Ding Yunfei snapped, “Show the evidence. Who am I having an affair with?”

“You’re dating me while also flirting with Yu Xiangnian!”

Ding Yunfei cursed, “Stop spouting nonsense! We are just friends, and Yu Xiangnian and I aren’t even that!”

Hearing it involved Yu Xiangnian, Wu Xiaomin perked up, “Comrade, let go first. Tell me what’s going on, and I’ll see if I can help you.”

Bai Mei hesitated for a while before finally letting go.

Wu Xiaomin and Ding Yunfei walked to a secluded corner.

Wu Xiaomin asked what was going on, and Ding Yunfei gave a brief explanation.

Although Ding Yunfei didn’t explicitly state the nature of his relationship with Bai Mei, Wu Xiaomin could sense it was not ordinary—likely exactly what Bai Mei had suggested.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

With Bai Mei and Yu Xiangnian at odds, Wu Xiaomin had gained an ally.

Wu Xiaomin smiled and asked, “Are you planning to give up on Yu Xiangnian just because she won’t see you?”

Ding Yunfei: “…” Giving up felt wrong, but pursuing her seemed futile when he couldn’t even see her.

Wu Xiaomin continued, “Think about your future. Cheng Jingmo is already a deputy regiment commander at twenty-six. You’re five years younger, but your rank is much lower. If you had the support of Yu Xiangnian’s family, rising through the ranks would be within reach.”

These words made Ding Yunfei hesitate, “But my relationship with Yu Xiangnian has already been damaged by Bai Mei!”

“To achieve success, you have to overcome one obstacle after another. Right now, you need to solve the problem in front of you.”

Ding Yunfei looked at her, puzzled.

Wu Xiaomin nodded in Bai Mei’s direction, “Have you thought about this? Even if Bai Mei doesn’t have evidence, her causing a scene at the base could negatively impact you. Fifty or sixty yuan is less than a month’s salary for you. You can lend it to her.”

“A woman will be loyal to the person who helps her in difficult times. Isn’t it worth spending fifty or sixty yuan to win her loyalty? Even if you don’t win Yu Xiangnian, you still have Bai Mei.”

“As for Yu Xiangnian, she lives in the compound. There are plenty of opportunities to see her. I can also help from my side with Cheng Jingmo.”

Two people with a common goal can more easily reach an agreement.

Ding Yunfei was convinced by Wu Xiaomin.

“How are things progressing with Cheng Jingmo?” he asked.

Wu Xiaomin’s expression stiffened briefly before she quickly regained her smile, “Don’t worry. I just came from his place.”

She needed to keep Ding Yunfei reassured and couldn’t tell him the truth.

Over the past few days, Wu Xiaomin had realized that some military spouses were secretly monitoring Cheng Jingmo on Yu Xiangnian’s behalf.

Whenever she visited Cheng Jingmo, within ten minutes, a spouse would enter under some pretext and drive her away.

She never had the chance to speak to Cheng Jingmo properly!

She hadn’t expected any military spouses to help Yu Xiangnian.

After all, whenever Yu Xiangnian was mentioned, the spouses would angrily curse her.

Meanwhile, Wu Xiaomin had always been careful about her behavior in front of them, leaving a good impression of being well-read and virtuous.

The military spouses felt sorry for her and would curse Yu Xiangnian for “stealing” Cheng Jingmo.

Furthermore, Cheng Jingmo’s recent cold attitude toward her must have been influenced by Yu Xiangnian!

She reasoned that if Yu Xiangnian had been caught that night, Cheng Jingmo would have been affected too.

Cheng Jingmo must be upset because of this!

She decided to wait for Cheng Jingmo to calm down before making another move.

Ding Yunfei, persuaded by Wu Xiaomin, walked over to Bai Mei and said, “Mei’er, I was just angry earlier. Tomorrow, we’ll buy the bicycle and the watch. I’ll cover the remaining cost! But I have one condition…”