Wen Fangfang spoke of Xia Anran with admiration in her eyes:  

“Anran is amazing. She first made Zhou Yuxin lose her composure, and then…”  

After hearing Wen Fangfang recount Xia Anran’s intricate scheme against Zhou Yuxin, Huo Ruifeng found it even harder to believe she was his eldest brother’s fiancée.  

Even he might not have been able to devise such a meticulous plan. This bold and resourceful Xia Anran was completely different from the former sister-in-law he had heard about.  

How could someone change so drastically in just a few days? No one could go from being foolish to this intelligent in such a short time.  

…

Xia Anran was unaware that her former brother-in-law had begun to suspect her. After finishing her meal in the cafeteria, she clearly sensed a shift in everyone’s attitude toward her.  

Especially from Regimental Commander Zhou. His gaze was no longer kind—instead, his face was stern, his demeanor authoritative, and his eyes dark and shifting, as if he were plotting something.  

Regimental Commander Zhou grew angrier the more he thought about it. Unable to wait until later to deal with Xia Anran, he called Chen Yu over and instructed:  

“Chen Yu, have Xia Anran go to the dance team to help carry props.”  

Chen Yu was taken aback. The lead singer, carrying props?  

He lowered his voice and said to Regimental Commander Zhou,  

“Xia Anran is from the singing team. Isn’t it inappropriate to send her to the dance team to carry props?”  

Regimental Commander Zhou replied coldly,  

“She’s also part of the dance team. What’s wrong with doing some work? She’s not some capitalist’s young lady—if others can do it, why can’t she?”  

Chen Yu frowned. He knew how opportunistic  Regimental Commander Zhou could be. Now that he’d heard Xia Anran wasn’t General Huo’s niece, he was starting to target her.  

He reminded Regimental Commander Zhou,  

“Xia Anran is the lead singer, not just any performer. Lead singers aren’t required to help with props.”  

When Zhou Yuxin had been the lead singer, she’d never lifted a finger. By making Xia Anran do this, wasn’t Regimental Commander Zhou blatantly signaling to the entire troupe that he was targeting her?  

Many in the troupe were quick to follow the wind. Before, no one had dared to provoke Xia Anran because of how Regimental Commander Zhou treated her.  

Now that his attitude had changed, it wouldn’t be long before people started bullying her.  

Regimental Commander Zhou glared at Chen Yu with a dark expression:  

“Lead singer? Someone who doesn’t even have an official position—what right does she have to be the lead singer? Chen Yu, why are you always speaking up for her?”  

Chen Yu frowned. He had always been mild-mannered and had never openly opposed  Regimental Commander Zhou before. But when it came to Xia Anran, he had to stand his ground:  

“Regimental Commander Zhou, Xia Anran earned the role of lead singer through her own ability. You yourself announced her as the lead singer in front of the entire troupe. Changing your orders so abruptly doesn’t reflect well, does it?”  

Regimental Commander Zhou’s expression darkened further as Chen Yu repeatedly contradicted him over Xia Anran. Excuses were easy to come by—he could fabricate one at will. With a sigh, he said:  

“I wanted her to be the lead singer, but some in the troupe aren’t convinced. They’ve raised objections, saying a temporary worker shouldn’t hold that position. I plan to hold a meeting soon to revoke Xia Anran’s role and appoint the second-highest scorer as the lead singer instead.”  

Chen Yu frowned. The second-highest scorer—wasn’t that Zhou Yuxin? Regimental Commander Zhou’s favoritism was glaringly obvious.  

Seeing that Chen Yu still wanted to argue, Regimental Commander Zhou cut him off with an unyielding command:  

“Enough. The decision is final. Go supervise the loading—make sure nothing’s left behind.”  

He still needed to gather a few people to formally raise the point that Xia Anran is just a temporary worker and therefore can’t be the lead singer. Since he’s putting on a show, he has to go all the way—he can’t let anyone suspect that he’s giving her a hard time just because he knows she’s not General Huo’s niece. 

As for General Huo, he likely only arranged Xia Anran’s placement in the troupe out of obligation.  

He might even have done it to distance himself from her sooner. Whatever happened to her in the troupe, General Huo wouldn’t bother intervening.  

…

Xia Anran was assigned to carry props with the dance team, but no one wanted to help her. Left to drag a heavy crate alone, she struggled until Li Yanqiu spotted her and hurried over to assist. In a hushed voice, Li Yanqiu apologized:  

“Anran, I’m sorry. It’s my fault for being loud—I was too shocked and couldn’t keep my voice down.”  

Li Yanqiu was straightforward and a bit impulsive, but she wasn’t stupid.  

Seeing how Regimental Commander Zhou’s attitude toward Xia Anran had shifted, she knew he was retaliating.  

Guilt gnawed at her. If only she hadn’t blurted it out, Xia Anran wouldn’t be facing this backlash.  

“It’s fine. People would’ve found out eventually.”  

Xia Anran wasn’t bothered. Truth couldn’t stay hidden forever—news of her broken engagement with Huo Ruiyang was bound to reach the troupe sooner or later. She just hadn’t expected it to spread this fast.  

Li Yanqiu voiced her concern:  

“But… you just became the lead singer. What if Regimental Commander Zhou removes you?”  

Xia Anran smiled faintly.  

“I earned the role through the competition, not connections. He announced it publicly himself—would he really go back on his own word?”  

Li Yanqiu looked worried.  

“Regimental Commander Zhou is petty enough to do it. Before, he only let you have the role because of General Huo’s influence. Now that he knows about the broken engagement, he’s probably already scheming to replace you!”  

Xia Anran had experienced this before in her past life—having lead roles snatched away by better-connected rivals. It wasn’t uncommon for productions to swap actors last-minute. In a society where connections ruled, influence trumped merit.  

Still, there was no avoiding it. Even if Regimental Commander Zhou hadn’t known about the engagement, he’d have found another excuse to target her once Zhou Yuxin was arrested.  

Xia Anran fell silent, helping Li Yanqiu lift the crate onto the truck.  

The box was heavy—even with both of them straining, they could barely manage it. As they hoisted it halfway, their strength faltered.  

Xia Anran, weaker than Li Yanqiu, suddenly lost her grip—the crate tilted dangerously toward her!