Xia Anran noticed Zhou Yuxin’s suspicious gaze but remained composed, pretending not to see it.

Liang Meijuan had something to say to Xia Anran, but seeing how closely Zhou Yuxin was sticking to them, she felt a little annoyed.

Even Chen Yu wasn’t following so closely, leaving her and Anran space to talk. Why didn’t this girl have any sense at all?

Seeing that Zhou Yuxin wasn’t leaving, Liang Meijuan couldn’t say it outright. Instead, she gently patted Xia Anran’s hand and reminded her,

“Anran, don’t see me off. Go back and organize your things. Put your clothes and personal items in the cabinet. I brought you a lock—make sure to lock it.”

Xia Anran smiled and nodded. “Alright, don’t worry.”

Liang Meijuan wouldn’t let her walk her out.

“Go back now. If you need anything, just call me. I put my number in your coat pocket—it has both my work and home numbers.”

Hearing this, Xia Anran was touched. Aunt Liang was too good to her!

Looking at Anran’s obedient and sensible demeanor, Liang Meijuan sighed. She was such a good child—too bad there was no fate between her and Ruiyang.

Unwilling to be ignored, Zhou Yuxin tried to pull Liang Meijuan’s attention back to herself.

“Aunt Huo, don’t worry, I will take good care of her.”

Liang Meijuan gave a polite smile, but her gaze toward Zhou Yuxin lacked the warmth she had for Xia Anran. She replied indifferently,

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Zhou Yuxin eagerly assured,

“Of course, I’ll make sure to complete the task!”

Liang Meijuan’s lips twitched slightly. This girl was too calculating—her eyes full of schemes. She reminded her too much of Ye Lingling.

Chen Yu noticed Aunt Liang’s dislike for Zhou Yuxin’s clinginess and spoke up at the right moment,

“Aunt Liang, I’ll walk you to the front.”

After they left, the bright enthusiasm on Zhou Yuxin’s face instantly faded. She stared at Xia Anran, filled with questions.

“You should rest. I’ll go organize my clothes.”

Xia Anran acted as if she hadn’t noticed anything, keeping a respectful distance from Zhou Yuxin as she turned to head back to the dormitory.

Zhou Yuxin couldn’t sleep without getting to the bottom of her doubts, so she quickly stepped forward to block Xia Anran’s path.

“Xia Anran, wait a moment.”

“Is something wrong?”

Xia Anran looked at her calmly, already knowing what she wanted to ask. Zhou Yuxin’s thoughts were written all over her face.

Zhou Yuxin lifted her chin slightly—just looking at Xia Anran’s face irritated her.

Her surname was Xia, and General Huo’s surname was Huo. If she wasn’t his niece, then she was a dangerous love rival.

She forced a smile and asked,

“Didn’t Chen Yu say you were General Huo’s niece? Why do you call Aunt Huo ‘Aunt Liang’ instead?”

Xia Anran replied coldly,

“Lead Singer Zhou, don’t ask things that shouldn’t be asked.”

Zhou Yuxin’s expression froze, caught off guard. The way Xia Anran looked at her—serious and icy—gave off an inexplicable sense of pressure.

Such a powerful aura—she didn’t seem like someone from the countryside at all.

Zhou Yuxin was completely intimidated by Xia Anran’s presence and could only watch helplessly as she walked into the dormitory, too afraid to ask anything more.

Back in the dormitory, Liu Mei quickly stood up, forcing an awkward smile.

“H-Hello, I’m Liu Mei, from the Northeast. W-welcome.”

Liu Mei came from a rural background. Her father had died on the battlefield.

One of her father’s old comrades happened to be recruiting soldiers in their small county. When her mother heard the news, she rushed over, crying and pleading desperately to get both Liu Mei and her younger brother into the military.

After enduring countless hardships to secure a special recruitment spot for female soldiers, Liu Mei finally made it into the Cultural Troupe.

From the moment she arrived, Zhou Yuxin took a disliking to her, making things difficult at every turn. She mocked her for being unsophisticated and foolish, verbally humiliating her at every opportunity.

With no backing or connections, Liu Mei couldn’t afford to offend Zhou Yuxin, who was not only the regimental commander’s niece but also the lead singer. She could only endure it in silence.

Later, Instructor Chen assigned her to Dormitory 102, where Wen Fangfang and Li Yanqiu, both righteous and kind, stood up for her whenever Zhou Yuxin bullied her.

Zhou Yuxin still had some reservations about them, so she eventually stopped targeting Liu Mei.

Now, this Xia Anran clearly had strong backing—she had arrived with the wife of General Huo himself. Even Zhou Yuxin was trying to curry favor with her. These were people even Wen Fangfang and Li Yanqiu wouldn’t dare provoke.

Liu Mei worried that Xia Anran might also find her unpleasant and tried her best to make herself inconspicuous.

Xia Anran noticed her unease and warmly extended a hand.

“Hello, I’m Xia Anran.”

Seeing that Xia Anran was approachable and had a friendly smile in her eyes, Liu Mei’s anxiety eased slightly, and she finally dared to speak, even offering to help.

“Let me help you unpack.”

Xia Anran shook her head with a smile.

“No need, it’s just a few things. I’ll be done in no time. Just tell me which locker is mine.”

Liu Mei pointed to the iron locker on the right.

“The top one is yours, the bottom one is Wen Fangfang’s.”

Xia Anran glanced at it—a green iron locker divided into upper and lower sections, each with a latch for a padlock. The bottom locker was locked, while the top one was open.

She smiled in thanks and walked over to open it. Since no one had used it before, it was dusty and needed a good wipe-down first.

“I’ll clean it for you.”

Just as she had the thought, Liu Mei had already grabbed a cloth and started wiping the locker for her.

Xia Anran realized that Liu Mei seemed quite afraid of her—likely because of Aunt Liang’s presence today, which must have put her under pressure.

To ease the tension, Xia Anran didn’t refuse Liu Mei’s help and instead thanked her with a smile.

“Alright, thank you.”

Hearing her acceptance, Liu Mei finally relaxed, smiled, and energetically wiped down the locker.

Meanwhile, Xia Anran unpacked the two bags that Aunt Liang had brought for her. One contained her clothes and undergarments—all brand new.

She recalled how Aunt Liang had gone out that afternoon; she must have been shopping for these. Aside from clothing, there was also a pair of new leather shoes and a women’s wristwatch.

Xia Anran took out each item carefully, cherishing them deeply.

Even the high-end custom gowns she had worn in her past life paled in comparison to the significance of these simple clothes Aunt Liang had bought for her.

Suddenly, she spotted a stack of money tucked between the garments.

She picked it up—it was clear that Aunt Liang had secretly placed it in her bag, fearing she would be short on money while in the Art Troupe.

A wave of emotions surged in Xia Anran’s heart. The warmth and sense of being cared for overwhelmed her, bringing tears to her eyes.

Liu Mei, seeing the large bundle of banknotes in Xia Anran’s hands, quickly turned away in alarm.

“I saw nothing! If it goes missing, don’t blame me!”

Xia Anran counted it—Aunt Liang had left her 300 yuan.

She didn’t want to use it and planned to return it when she got the chance.

After putting her clothes and personal items into the locker, she realized that despite its modest size, it had ample storage. Even after storing all her clothing and toiletries, there was still a third of the space left.

Since she had seen the money, Liu Mei didn’t dare stay any longer. She grabbed the half-full thermos and made an excuse to leave.

“Knock, knock, knock!”

Just as Xia Anran finished organizing, Chen Yu arrived, holding a set of new military uniforms and a pair of fresh rubber-soled shoes.

Seeing that she was alone, he stood at the doorway without stepping inside.

“Xia, here are your military uniform and shoes.”

Xia Anran quickly went over to accept them, smiling as she thanked him.

“Thank you, Instructor Chen.”

“And this—you might need it too.”

Chen Yu hadn’t just brought her the uniform; he had also brought something she desperately needed.