Wang Bin asked Huo Ruifeng in surprise, “That’s right, her name is Xia Anran. Do you fancy her?”  

“No.”  

Huo Ruifeng answered bluntly. He lightly tapped his temple—why did this name sound so familiar?  

On stage, Xia Anran began singing, once again performing *”Beat the Drums and Sing the Song.”* She had been singing this same song for the past two days, each time better than the last.  

The lively rhythm and engaging melody instantly captivated the entire audience.  

Huo Ruifeng suddenly remembered—his elder brother’s fiancée was also named Xia Anran, wasn’t she?  

A while ago, when he called home, Aunt Li had grumbled about it, saying that his brother’s fiancée was from the countryside. She spent all her time painting her eyebrows and dressing like a seductress, even picking fights all over the compound, causing nothing but chaos.  

Huo Ruifeng had automatically pictured a shrewish woman, or perhaps some kind of she-devil.  

But the female soldier singing on stage had a fresh, clean face, like a pure lily. Her voice was melodious, her demeanor bright and elegant, and her stage presence was polished—clearly, she was an experienced performer.  

By the time Xia Anran finished singing, Huo Ruifeng was certain that she and his future sister-in-law merely shared the same name. Behind him, his teammates began whispering:  

“Wow, she sings so well, and she’s so pretty! Her name’s Xia Anran, right? She must be new—I heard she’s the lead singer of the song and dance troupe!”  

“My aunt is in the troupe. I’ll ask her to introduce you two later.”  

“Great! If this works out, I’ll treat you to drinks.”  

Huo Ruifeng turned and shot them a warning glare. “Quiet.”  

After her performance, Xia Anran bowed gracefully, thanked the audience, and stepped off the stage.  

Chen Yu was waiting for her backstage, applauding with a smile.  

“You sang beautifully. The performance was a success.”  

Xia Anran smiled back. “Thank you.”  

Before Chen Yu could say more, he was interrupted.  

Regimental Commander Zhou approached, beaming as he praised Xia Anran:  

“Xiao Xia, excellent performance! To sing this well on your first stage appearance—you have a bright future ahead!”  

Xia Anran studied him. As expected of a leader. He’s clearly furious that I took Zhou Yuxin’s spot as lead singer, yet he can still pretend to congratulate me with fake warmth. This man is a wolf in sheep’s clothing—deep and unreadable.

Three days from now, when he finds out I’ve sent Zhou Yuxin to prison, will he be stomping his feet and cursing? I wonder if he was the one who ordered her to drug me in the first place?

Outwardly, Xia Anran remained composed. If he could pretend nothing had happened, so could she. She smiled and thanked him.  

“Thank you, Regimental Commander Zhou. I’ll keep working hard.”  

The rest of the performances went smoothly, and soon it was Wen Fangfang’s solo dance. She grew increasingly nervous, taking deep breaths to steady herself.  

Teacher Fang noticed her anxiety and chided her gently:  

“Fangfang, what’s wrong? Why are you so tense? It’s almost your turn—calm down.”  

Wen Fangfang nodded. When her name was announced, she exhaled deeply and walked onto the stage.  

Huo Ruifeng had been half-heartedly watching the other performances, but at the sound of Wen Fangfang’s name, he immediately straightened up, his dark eyes fixed intently on the graceful figure on stage.  

Behind him, murmurs started again:  

“Wen Fangfang is gorgeous too. I heard she’s Battalion Commander Wen’s daughter. The only one in our unit who’s a match for her is Ruifeng—the rest of us don’t stand a chance.”  

Huo Ruifeng lifted his chin proudly. At least they knew their place—no one was worthy of Fangfang except him.  

But Wen Fangfang was too nervous. During a spinning leap, she misstepped and fell on stage.  

Huo Ruifeng shot to his feet, ready to rush onto the stage—but when he saw Wen Fangfang stand up and continue dancing, he slowly sat back down, his eyes glued to her, worried she might fall again.  

Though her ankle was sprained, Wen Fangfang endured the pain and finished her dance flawlessly, completely overshadowing her earlier mistake.  

After she finished dancing, Huo Ruifeng was the first to applaud. The auditorium erupted in thunderous applause that continued even after Wen Fangfang bowed and left the stage.  

Once offstage, Wen Fangfang looked dejected. Teacher Fang came over to comfort her:  

“Fangfang, it’s alright. Just be more careful next time.”  

Wen Fangfang gave a weak “Mm” in response and sat in a corner, hanging her head in sadness.  

Xia Anran walked over to console her:  

“Fangfang, you wanted to dance too perfectly. The pressure made you nervous, and nervousness leads to mistakes. Don’t be upset—Huo Ruifeng didn’t think you danced poorly. When you fell, I saw how frantic he was, almost rushing onto the stage.”  

Wen Fangfang’s eyes lit up as she asked happily, “Really?”  

Xia Anran tapped the tip of her nose playfully and smiled.  

“Really, silly girl. Your ‘Feng-ge’ cares a lot about you.”  

A woman in love is always prone to overthinking, and Wen Fangfang wore her emotions openly—laughing when happy, crying when sad.  

Xia Anran liked her genuine nature. She wasn’t pretentious, and her sadness never lasted long—she was easy to cheer up.  

After the performance, Captain Wei had the canteen prepare several hearty dishes to treat the song and dance troupe girls. The flight squadron’s meals were already excellent, but with these extra dishes, the spread became even more lavish.  

Braised pork, crispy fried pork strips, stir-fried pork with celery and glass noodles, soy-braised crucian carp, and winter melon meatball soup—these were all dishes usually reserved for special occasions like New Year’s.  

Squadron leader Wei put careful thought into the seating arrangement. A long row of tables was set up, with the squadron’s pilots seated on one side and the troupe’s girls on the other, facing each other to facilitate conversation.  

Xia Anran’s lips twitched. *This looks like a matchmaking event!*  

Xia Anran, Li Yanqiu, Liu Mei, and Wen Fangfang sat together, with Xia Anran next to Wen Fangfang. Wang Bin quickly grabbed the seat opposite Li Yanqiu.  

A young man who had taken a liking to Xia Anran came over with his lunchbox, only to find the seat across from her already taken. Spotting an empty seat opposite Wen Fangfang, he was about to sit down when Huo Ruifeng grabbed his arm and steered him to the back tables.  

“Go sit further back.”  

Huo Ruifeng sat down and immediately asked Wen Fangfang, “Fangfang, did you sprain your ankle?”  

After her fall, she had continued dancing, but from his seat, he had been on edge. When he saw her limping slightly as she left the stage, his worry grew.  

“No.”  

Wen Fangfang shook her head, refusing to admit she had hurt her ankle. She didn’t want Brother Ruifeng to think she was useless—someone who could sprain her ankle just from dancing.  

Only after confirming she wasn’t injured did Huo Ruifeng relax. He piled all the meat from his lunchbox onto her plate.  

“Eat more meat. You’re so thin, you’re practically a stick.”  

Seeing the mountain of food on her plate, Wen Fangfang quickly protested,  

“Brother Ruifeng, I need to maintain my figure. I can’t eat too much meat.”  

Li Yanqiu chuckled. “We don’t need to watch our figures. We can help take some off your hands.”  

“Not a chance.”  

Wen Fangfang shot her a glare for teasing her and transferred the meat back to Huo Ruifeng’s plate.  

“Brother Ruifeng, your training is intense. You should eat more meat.”  

Xia Anran remained quiet, keeping her head down as she ate. Her relationship with Huo Ruiyang was too awkward—how was she supposed to face this man who had once been her brother-in-law?  

But just as she tried to stay unnoticed, someone wouldn’t let her. Wen Fangfang introduced her friends to Huo Ruifeng, and when she mentioned Xia Anran, Huo Ruifeng looked at her and said:  

“You share the same name as my future sister-in-law.”