Room 202 was occupied by Regiment Commander Zhou’s niece, Zhou Yuxin. She was the star performer of the cultural troupe and had strong backing due to her uncle’s influence. Her personality was arrogant and difficult to get along with.

Moreover, she particularly disliked people from rural areas. If Xia Anran were assigned to the same dormitory as her, she would undoubtedly be bullied.

Chen Yu subtly suggested to Commander Zhou:

“Commander Zhou, how about this? I’ll take Xia Anran to check out the dorms and let her choose one she likes?”

Commander Zhou glanced at Chen Yu. Thinking of his niece’s temperament, he realized that if she offended a relative of a senior official, it could become a problem. Chen Yu was indeed thoughtful. Smiling, he agreed,

“Alright, let Xia Anran choose.”

Chen Yu smiled. “Great, then I’ll take her over now.”

Xia Anran’s eyes flickered slightly. Although Chen Yu had phrased it politely, since the leadership had already instructed her to stay in Room 202, there was no need for him to go out of his way to let her pick a dorm.

It was likely that the person living in 202 was not easy to deal with. Chen Yu must have been worried that she would be bullied, which is why he suggested letting her choose.

Sure enough, as they walked toward the dormitories, Chen Yu subtly hinted to Aunt Liang Meijuan:

“Aunt Liang, let me give you an introduction. The cultural troupe has two dormitory buildings. The front row consists of Rooms 101 to 108, and the back row consists of Rooms 202 to 208. The front dorms have two large flower beds right at the entrance, so you can see flowers as soon as you step outside. The environment is much better than the back row.”

Aunt Liang immediately caught on—this was a hint to avoid Room 202. She smiled and said,

“Alright, then let’s check out the front row dorms!”

Xia Anran glanced at Chen Yu again. He looked like he was in his twenties, yet he was remarkably tactful. His eyes always carried a friendly smile when he spoke, making it easy for people to accept his suggestions.

This man had a bright future—definitely material for a high-ranking official!

As she was thinking this, Chen Yu continued his introduction:

“Each dormitory has four beds. Coincidentally, there’s a vacant bed in Room 102. The only permanent resident there is Liu Mei, while the other two are children of military district families. They usually go home unless rehearsals are intense or there’s a mission. The three of them have good personalities and are easy to get along with.”

This was clearly a suggestion to choose Room 102. Aunt Liang understood immediately and smiled,

“Chen Yu, no need to look at any other dorms. We’ll go with 102!”

Chen Yu smiled and agreed. “Alright, 102 it is.”

When they arrived at the dormitory area, it was exactly as Chen Yu had described.

The front-row dorms had two large flower beds at the entrance. It was currently the blooming season, so the air was filled with the scent of flowers, and butterflies fluttered gracefully among the petals. The environment was indeed beautiful.

Room 102’s windows faced the flower beds. Opening the window provided a direct view of the flowers. Aunt Liang was very pleased and turned to ask Xia Anran,

“Anran, do you like it?”

Xia Anran smiled and nodded. “I like it very much.”

Hearing their conversation, Chen Yu turned around. The moment he saw Xia Anran bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, it was as if she was radiating light. Her smile had an inexplicable charm that struck him deeply.

Chen Yu felt his heart suddenly jolt, and his pulse quickened uncontrollably.

The cultural troupe was full of beautiful women, and he had worked there for three years, but this was the first time he had ever felt such a strong, sudden attraction.

Just then, Zhou Yuxin walked out of her dorm.

When she saw Xia Anran standing behind Chen Yu, she frowned. A plain, countryside girl—yet she had the face of a seductive vixen?

Her gaze was hostile as she scrutinized Xia Anran from head to toe. Without a hint of politeness, she turned to Chen Yu and asked,

“Instructor Chen, this isn’t recruitment season. Why is there a new soldier here?”

Liang Meijuan frowned. The way this girl was looking at Xia Anran was anything but friendly—she was clearly difficult to get along with.

Xia Anran silently observed Zhou Yuxin. Her slightly upturned eyebrows exuded arrogance, and she had an air of dominance. People like her, who came from influential families, always seemed to think they were superior.

In her past life, when she worked on film sets, the women who got roles through financial backing always carried the same condescending attitude, looking down on everyone. The only way to deal with people like that was to stay far away.

Chen Yu knew Zhou Yuxin all too well. She had an innate hostility toward any beautiful girl in the troupe—this was clearly the prelude to her picking a fight.

Chen Yu introduced Xia Anran to Zhou Yuxin:

“Xiao Zhou, this is Xiao Xia. She’s Commander Huo’s niece and was specially recruited into the cultural troupe. She just arrived, so take good care of her.”

He deliberately mentioned Commander Huo, subtly reminding Zhou Yuxin that her uncle’s rank wasn’t as high as Xia Anran’s uncle’s—warning her not to go too far.

The moment Zhou Yuxin heard Xia Anran was related to Commander Huo, her demeanor shifted instantly. The arrogance vanished, replaced by a radiant smile as she eagerly extended her hand.

“Hello, I’m Zhou Yuxin. Welcome!”

Since Zhou Yuxin wasn’t stirring up trouble, Xia Anran didn’t want to make enemies right after arriving either. She returned the smile and shook hands.

“Hello, I’m Xia Anran. I’m new here, so please guide me.”

Zhou Yuxin beamed like a blossoming flower. “No problem! If you need anything, just ask me. With me around, no one will dare bully you.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Yuxin turned to Chen Yu and asked,

“Chief Instructor Chen, she hasn’t been assigned a dorm yet, has she? Let her stay in mine—my room is quiet, and no one else is there.”

Chen Yu pointed to the window of Dorm 102.

“She’s already assigned to 102. I’m taking her there now.”

Zhou Yuxin looked indifferent.

“She hasn’t moved in yet, right? Even if the dorms are assigned, they can still be changed. Let her stay with me—I can take better care of her.”

Chen Yu frowned. What was going on with Zhou Yuxin? Normally, anyone assigned to her dorm wouldn’t last more than three days before being bullied out. Now, she was insisting on keeping Xia Anran by her side?

Her sudden enthusiasm felt off—when something unusual happens, there’s always a hidden reason.

Liang Meijuan didn’t want Anran to stay in Zhou Yuxin’s dorm. She smiled and said,

“Xiao Zhou, thank you, but Anran has already been assigned to 102. Let’s not change anything.”

Zhou Yuxin noticed Liang Meijuan’s graceful demeanor and well-dressed appearance—not someone from an ordinary background. She spoke more politely,

“And you are…?”

Chen Yu introduced her. “Aunt Liang is Commander Huo’s wife.”

Instantly, Zhou Yuxin’s face lit up with an even bigger smile, a hundred times more enthusiastic than before. Her tone became fawning.

“Hello, Aunt Huo! I’m Zhou Yuxin. My uncle is the head of the cultural troupe, my father is a battalion commander in the artillery unit, and my mother is a warehouse keeper at our military factory. I’m 21 years old and the lead singer of the troupe.”

Liang Meijuan felt awkward. She hadn’t even asked, yet the girl was enthusiastically listing her entire background.

Xia Anran raised an eyebrow and gave Zhou Yuxin a knowing look. The way she rattled off her credentials, one would think she was at a matchmaking event.

…

Meanwhile, as Xia Anran reported to the cultural troupe, Huo Ruiyang dropped Ye Lingling off at the security department before returning to the army.

Zhang Hengye saw him come back and asked with concern,

“Ruiyang, how did it go? Did Commander Huo agree to your engagement cancellation?”

Huo Ruiyang took off his military cap and hung it on the rack. Thinking of how Xia Anran had so effortlessly bid him farewell, his expression remained calm as he nodded.

“Yeah.”

Zhang Hengye looked at him suspiciously.

“Ruiyang, something’s off about you!”

—

Hi everyone, I just noticed that, due to some issue, the latter part of chapter 17 was not uploaded. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. I’ll make sure to fix it and upload the missing section by tomorrow. Thank you for your patience!