Chapter 5 Rotten Fish and Shrimps
A careless, drawling voice suddenly came from the doorway.
Zhao Yu and Ning Songyun turned their heads at the same time, only to see Ning Songyi and Ye Heng—both tall and broad—blocking the entrance completely.
“What are you two doing here?” He Fang looked at them in surprise.
Ning Songyi walked straight into the office, ignoring everyone’s stares. He went right up to Zhao Yu and stretched out his hand.
Zhao Yu instinctively backed away, then saw Ning Songyi slowly open his palm. Inside lay the other hair clip she had lost.
Ye Heng plopped lazily onto the sofa. “Hey, Ning family girl, hurry up and pour me some water, I’m exhausted.”
“Exhausted? What for? Why should I pour you water?”
Ning Songyun never showed Ye Heng any politeness, her tone sharp as if baring her teeth.
“Eh, funny, suddenly I’m not tired anymore.” Ye Heng sat up straighter. “Someone dragged me all over the military district just to find this hair clip. I nearly dropped dead.”
Hearing this, Zhao Yu blinked in disbelief. Slowly, her gaze lifted until it met Ning Songyi’s eyes.
When he saw she wasn’t taking the hair clip, Ning Songyi reached out directly, smoothing the part of her hair that Wang Guifen had tugged into a mess, and then, with gentle movements, fixed the clip in place.
“It doesn’t look good.”
Zhao Yu touched the clips on both sides of her head and whispered, “Thank you.”
The corners of Ning Songyi’s lips curved slightly, but he said nothing. He simply sat back down on the office sofa and pretended to be a statue.
“Captain Ji,” Ye Heng drawled, “you’re really just going to sit there and watch your soldier sweet-talk and trick young female comrades?”
“How dare you talk to your father like that!” Ji Weiguo roared, glaring at Ye Heng.
Ye Heng spread his hands. “My surname’s Ye now. You’d better just mind your own business.”
That unfilial brat nearly made Ji Weiguo cough up blood. When he turned his eyes to Lu Jing, the troublemaker, his face grew even darker.
“Lu Jing, starting tomorrow, you’ll write a five-thousand-word self-reflection every day for six months. On top of that, twenty kilometers of weighted training. For improper relations between men and women, your chances of commendations and Party membership are canceled for the next ten years!”
“Xiao Lin, come here.”
Lu Jing’s face drained of all color. He could barely stand.
Lin Shu had originally wanted to secretly eavesdrop, but after only two lines at the door crack, He Fang spotted her.
Her face pale, she pushed open the door and walked pitifully toward He Fang.
He Fang was about to speak, but then saw Lin Shu glance toward Zhao Yu and the others, her eyes full of pleading.
“If you dare do something like this, then don’t be afraid of others seeing or hearing it.”
He Fang had never had a good impression of Lin Shu, who was neither diligent nor talented, only scheming for shortcuts.
Now her words were completely merciless.
Lin Shu’s tears fell nonstop. “I’m sorry, Captain, I’m really sorry. I had no choice.”
“What hardship?” Zhao Yu, who had calmed down, cut her off directly.
“From what I see, you were pretty smooth when it came to using tricks to get Lu Jing to help you.”
“Lin Shu, what do you think the military’s rules are for!” He Fang scolded bitterly.
Having such a scandal in her troupe, He Fang felt utterly humiliated.
“From today on, you don’t need to come anymore. Tomorrow, I’ll report it and have your military troupe status revoked.”
“Captain! Please, I beg you. Please let me off this once, I’ll get an abortion immediately! Right away!”
The moment she heard “expelled,” Lin Shu panicked. She dropped to her knees, clutching at He Fang’s clothes. “Captain, please don’t expel me!”
“And how will you even get an abortion? Without a husband’s signature, who would dare perform it?”
He Fang closed her eyes, refusing to look at Lin Shu. “Go. From today, you are no longer part of my troupe.”
Lin Shu’s vision went black. She collapsed in a faint.
Lu Jing, seeing this, forgot everything else. He carried her up and left immediately.
As he left, he said to Zhao Yu with regret, “Yuyu, wait for me. Once I settle her down, I’ll come back and explain.”
“No need!”
Ning Songyun finally found her voice. She planted herself in front of Zhao Yu, hands on her hips like a mother hen guarding her chick.
“If you never come near Yuyu again, we’ll be eternally grateful!”
“In any case, Yuyu, wait for me!”
Lu Jing rushed off. Ji Weiguo sighed deeply and then awkwardly apologized to Zhao Yu.
“Comrade Xiao Zhao, this is my fault. I didn’t understand the situation before barging in. Don’t worry, I’ll keep him in check from now on. He won’t bother you again.”
“Old man, you’d better keep your word,” Ye Heng quipped from the side.
“You!” Ji Weiguo was fuming at this ungrateful son. He stormed out of He Fang’s office.
“Captain, we’ll head off too.”
“Aunt Fang, we’re leaving as well!”
“Go on then, I’m off work too.”
He Fang stood up and left with Ye Heng and Ning Songyi. After locking the door, she said goodbye to Zhao Yu and Ning Songyun before departing.
At the office doorway, only Zhao Yu and Ning Songyun remained.
“I still have something important to do, so I’ll go first. See you tonight.”
“See you tonight,” Zhao Yu replied absentmindedly. Then she frowned. “Wait, we don’t live together, so why would we… see each other tonight?”
Unfortunately, before Zhao Yu could finish, Ning Songyun had already run far away.
Zhao Yu could only head cheerfully to the canteen first.
After dinner, she strolled back to the dorm to digest.
But as soon as she entered, she was surprised to find Ning Songyun sitting inside.
“Songyun? Why are you here? Isn’t your dorm next door?”
She leaned out to check the hall. “Dorm inspection is soon—aren’t you afraid of losing points for not being in your own room?”
Ning Songyun patted the bed. “What’s there to be afraid of? From now on, this is my bed.”
“So this is the important matter you mentioned.” Zhao Yu realized. “But… did Captain He allow you to switch dorms privately?”
She couldn’t believe He Fang would give Ning Songyun such special treatment.
Ning Songyun quickly clapped a hand over Zhao Yu’s mouth, nervously whispering, “Keep it down! I asked my dad to pull some strings.
Since Lin Shu got expelled, there’s a free spot here. I begged my dad to transfer me. You must keep this secret—if my mom finds out now, I’ll get a beating when I go home.”
“Then why even do it? How long do you think you can hide this?” Zhao Yu pried off her hand.
“Ugh, I’ll just tell her in a couple days before she’s back.”
Ning Songyun tugged Zhao Yu onto her new bed.
“If I say it myself, I’ll definitely get scolded, maybe even moved back. But my dad said it’ll be different if he talks to her. Once she’s back from her trip, he’ll explain and it’ll work out.”
“Captain’s going on a trip?”
“Yeah, a meeting in Beijing.”
Ning Songyun’s eyes lit up with gossip as she leaned closer to Zhao Yu.
“Enough about me—your turn. Tell me, what exactly happened?”