Zhou Yuxin searched for Liu Mei for an hour but couldn’t find her. Growing increasingly terrified, she felt as though a noose had been tightened around her neck, ready to strangle her at any moment.  

While she was looking for Liu Mei, Regimental Commander Zhou was also searching for *her*—only to be stopped by Teacher Yuan:  

“Regimental Commander Zhou, let’s discuss tomorrow’s performance for the flight squadron.”  

This was official business. No matter how urgently he wanted to find his niece, the regimental commander had no choice but to set it aside. After all, the situation was already settled. Even if he did find her, what could he do besides scold her?  

Pulled away to attend the meeting, Regimental Commander Zhou was no longer available. When Zhou Yuxin failed to locate Liu Mei, she wanted to consult him—but he was in the meeting, and she couldn’t get in. Worse, she didn’t dare let outsiders know about this matter.  

Anxiously pacing outside the regimental office, she felt as though time had slowed to a crawl, her heart tormented with dread. Then, suddenly, she saw Liu Mei walking toward the office.  

Guilt-ridden, Zhou Yuxin assumed Liu Mei was coming to expose her and rushed to intercept her.  

The moment Liu Mei spotted Zhou Yuxin, she turned and ran. Her reaction only deepened Zhou Yuxin’s suspicions, prompting her to chase after Liu Mei relentlessly.  

The more Zhou Yuxin pursued her, the faster Liu Mei fled, eventually darting into the auditorium in panic.  

By then, the auditorium was empty—the cleaning staff had already finished and left. The entire hall was eerily silent. Liu Mei ran onto the stage and stopped, standing there trembling as she stared fearfully at Zhou Yuxin.  

…

Xia Anran, Wen Fangfang, and Li Yanqiu waited for over ten minutes before seeing Zhou Yuxin emerge from the auditorium. She glanced around cautiously, confirming no one was nearby, then hurried away.  

After she left, the three women came out of hiding and entered the auditorium.  

Liu Mei stood on the stage, her face deathly pale, her body still shaking from extreme tension.  

Xia Anran walked up and patted her shoulder reassuringly. Liu Mei threw herself into her arms and burst into tears—this was the bravest thing she had ever done.  

Xia Anran whispered comfortingly, “It’s over now. No one can threaten you anymore.”

Wen Fangfang retrieved a tape recorder from behind the stage. The tape was still slowly turning. She pressed the stop button, rewound it, and played it back.  

Zhou Yuxin’s threatening words echoed through the auditorium. Li Yanqiu clenched her fists in fury:  

“Despicable! Absolutely despicable! She’s the one who harmed Li Shuang too. Zhou Yuxin would go to such vile lengths just to secure the lead singer position?”

Even Wen Fangfang, witnessing such human malice for the first time, shuddered. “This is terrifying. If she stays in the cultural troupe, who knows how many more people she’ll hurt?”

Xia Anran’s expression was icy, her voice devoid of warmth:  

“With this recording—and once the soda is tested to confirm it was drugged—Zhou Yuxin won’t be able to deny it. She’ll face the punishment she deserves for what she’s done.” 

The night before, Xia Anran had realized that even if the soda tested positive for drugs, Zhou Yuxin could still stubbornly refuse to admit guilt.  

No one had seen her give Liu Mei the soda—and even if they had, she could claim it was untainted, shifting the blame onto Liu Mei.  

That was why Xia Anran devised this trap:  

First, she caught Zhou Yuxin off guard with the accusation, destabilizing her emotions and making her too fearful to focus on the competition.  

Second, she provoked Zhou Yuxin into panic. When people are flustered, they make mistakes. Fear would drive her to deflect blame—especially since she had no idea how much Liu Mei had revealed. She *had* to find her.  

So Xia Anran instructed Liu Mei to hide, letting Zhou Yuxin search desperately before having her appear near the regimental office. This made Zhou Yuxin believe Liu Mei was about to expose her, throwing her into complete disarray.  

The previous night, Wen Fangfang had arranged for a driver to deliver the tape recorder to the military base.  

After the competition, Li Yanqiu hid the recorder backstage and turned it on when Liu Mei went to confront Zhou Yuxin.  

Xia Anran had coached Liu Mei beforehand on what to say, skillfully leading Zhou Yuxin into confessing that she had drugged both Xia Anran *and* Li Shuang.  

Now, with all the evidence in place, not even Regimental Commander Zhou could protect her. Drugging and framing active-duty soldiers? A military tribunal awaited her.  

Wen Fangfang raised her thumb in admiration at Xia Anran: “Anran, you’re so clever! Now Zhou Yuxin will finally get what she deserves.”

Since the lab results would take two days, they had to keep the recording a complete secret.  

After returning from the performance at the flight squadron, the test results would be ready, and they could submit everything to the military disciplinary department together.  

With newfound confidence, Liu Mei was no longer as afraid as before. The way she looked at Xia Anran now held reverence.  

She was *too* impressive. Zhou Yuxin had run rampant in the cultural troupe for two years with no one able to rein her in—yet Xia Anran had effortlessly brought her down.  

Liu Mei shuddered at the thought. Luckily, Xia Anran didn’t blame me. Otherwise…  

In the afternoon, Xia Anran resumed normal rehearsals.  

Zhou Yuxin wanted to tell her uncle about the situation, but the moment she entered his office, he berated her harshly. She didn’t dare bring up the drugging incident.  

This was exactly as Xia Anran had anticipated. As long as Regimental Commander Zhou remained unaware for now, there would be no complications.  

That evening, after her bath, Xia Anran applied medicine to her wound. The ointment Chen Yu had given her was remarkably effective—after just two applications, the injury had already begun healing. The cool sensation soothed the pain.  

The four of them maintained an unspoken agreement not to discuss Zhou Yuxin’s matter. “Success depends on secrecy; walls have ears.” Until Zhou Yuxin was exposed, they couldn’t risk leaks.  

After tending to her wound, Xia Anran took out paper and pen to write to the original host’s parents about breaking off the engagement with Huo Ruiyang. But she stopped after only a few words.  

*No.* Her handwriting differed from the original host’s. Her parents would notice immediately—it was too risky.  

She decided to send a telegram after the performance, briefly explaining the broken engagement.  

Ye Lingling’s written confession was still locked in her drawer. She’d mail it back. Once they saw it, they’d understand—the fault wasn’t with the Huo family. It was Ye Lingling’s actions that made it impossible for her to marry into their household.  

Li Yanqiu was preparing sheet music for tomorrow’s performance. The program order had been finalized, and she organized the scores meticulously to avoid mistakes. After finishing, she cheered Xia Anran on:  

“Anran, tomorrow’s your first performance as lead singer! Go all out!”

Xia Anran smiled. 

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

Wen Fangfang, wearing a white cotton half-skirt, came over to chat:  

“Anran, what are you up to?”

Xia Anran put away the stationery and tucked it into a drawer. “I thought about writing home, but I’m not sure what to say. Maybe later.”

Wen Fangfang nodded absently, then hesitated.  

With her doll-like features—an oval face, large eyes, and long, dense lashes—Wen Fangfang looked adorable, almost like a delicate porcelain figurine. Xia Anran studied her amusedly. “What’s wrong?”

Wen Fangfang fidgeted, then ventured timidly:  

“I heard… you’re General Huo’s niece?” 

Xia Anran didn’t hide it. The entire troupe already knew—General Huo had publicly claimed her as his niece. This wasn’t social climbing. She answered frankly:  

“Yes, that’s right.”

Wen Fangfang’s face flushed. She bit her lip shyly, silent for a long moment.  

Xia Anran watched her. The girl’s thoughts were written plainly on her face—her bashful eyes, her struggle to speak. *She’s clearly smitten. Is she another one of Huo Ruiyang’s admirers?*