Back in the dorm, Wen Fangfang and Li Yanqiu both warned Xia Anran:  

“Anran, this is just the beginning. You need to be careful. When we’re not around, don’t confront Zhou Yuxin head-on, or you’ll suffer for it.”  

Xia Anran frowned. No matter how much Zhou Yuxin pranced around, she wasn’t afraid—because Zhou was like a grasshopper in late autumn, with only a few days left to jump.  

The real threat was Regimental Commander Zhou. He was a selfish, narrow-minded man who held absolute power in the cultural troupe. If he remained, he would be a major problem in the future.  

She had been observing Liu Mei’s reaction and noticed her hanging her head, lost in thought. Xia Anran knew Liu Mei was scared again.  

Before the lab results came out, Liu Mei was the biggest variable.  

Xia Anran looked at Liu Mei and quietly voiced her thoughts:  

“Instead of waiting for doom, we should strike first. We need to find a way to make Regimental Commander Zhou leave the troupe. Only when he’s gone can we have lasting peace and stop worrying about his schemes.”  

Hearing this, Liu Mei sat up on her bed as if seeing a glimmer of hope…  

“But how can we make Regimental Commander Zhou leave? He’s senior, well-connected, and shrewd. Unless something major happens, he won’t be easily removed.”  

Wen Fangfang and Li Yanqiu also felt Xia Anran’s reasoning made sense, but they believed forcing Regimental Commander Zhou out would be next to impossible.  

Xia Anran smiled.  

“I have a plan…”  

…

While Xia Anran was devising her plan to bring down Regimental Commander Zhou, Zhou Yuxin, on the other hand, could only wait to speak with her second uncle after he left for work in the morning—he was staying at home, and this kind of matter couldn’t be discussed over the phone.

That night, back in the dorm, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The night felt unbearably long. When she finally dozed off, she dreamed of being tried in a military court.  

Zhou Yuxin jolted awake in terror, drenched in cold sweat. A glance at her watch showed it was just past four. Unable to sleep, she sat up and stared out the window, agitated by some indistinct noise.  

The tree branches outside cast eerie shadows on the curtains, like ghostly hands beckoning her. Trembling, Zhou Yuxin pulled the covers over her head, regretting for the first time that she had a dorm room to herself.  

When she finally fell asleep, the wake-up call blared. Frantically, she dressed and folded her blankets, but the more she rushed, the messier things got. Before she could finish, Director Yan arrived and deducted two points on the spot.  

Zhou Yuxin no longer cared about points—all she wanted was to find her uncle.  

During morning drills, her distracted mistakes cost her another point.  

With no appetite, she skipped breakfast and rushed to her uncle’s office, waiting outside.  

When he finally arrived for work, carrying his briefcase, Zhou Yuxin hurried to meet him.  

“Uncle, you’re here at last!”  

Regimental Commander Zhou was startled by his niece’s haggard appearance.  

“Yuxin, what’s wrong? Your dark circles are terrible.”  

Zhou Yuxin didn’t bother explaining her state. Pushing him into the office, she said urgently:  

“Uncle, there’s something I have to tell you.”  

As Chen Yu entered the office, he noticed Zhou Yuxin’s flustered demeanor. His eyes narrowed. She had been absent-minded all morning, and now she was rushing to Regimental Commander Zhou in panic—something was up.  

He didn’t care about most things, but after hearing Zhou Yuxin had harassed Xia Anran the previous night, he worried she and Regimental Commander Zhou might be plotting against her.  

Chen Yu walked calmly into his office, which shared a wall with Regimental Commander Zhou’s. Closing the door softly, he hesitated, then picked up his military-issue mug.  

He pressed it against the wall, ear to the base, listening intently.  

After Zhou Yuxin confessed to drugging Xia Anran, Regimental Commander Zhou exploded in rage. Snatching up a notebook, he hurled it at her:  

“You fool! What did I tell you? Don’t touch Xia Anran—don’t lay a finger on her! Why can’t you ever listen?!”  

Zhou Yuxin was struck on the forehead but dared not make a sound. She stared at her uncle with a pitiful expression:  

“Uncle, Xia Anran said she won’t let this go—she’s going to send me to the military court.”  

Regimental Commander Zhou’s face darkened as he sat back down, glaring at Zhou Yuxin with irritation, regretting how much he had indulged her in the past.  

But he couldn’t just abandon her. If she really got into trouble, it would drag him down too.  

Fortunately, Xia Anran wasn’t General Huo’s niece—just a discarded woman who had been publicly rejected in marriage. As long as he could suppress the matter, she wouldn’t be able to cause any major waves.  

With this thought, Regimental Commander Zhou began preparing damage control. He lowered his voice and asked his niece:  

“Liu Mei is the key. What exactly did you say to her?”  

Zhou Yuxin repeated her threats to Liu Mei. Regimental Commander Zhou narrowed his eyes, feeling his niece’s intimidation wasn’t enough. Liu Mei was the biggest variable—she had to be completely silenced.  

Regimental Commander Zhou instructed in a hushed tone:  

“Alright, go back now. Don’t breathe a word of this, and don’t do anything. Just act like nothing happened.”  

After Zhou Yuxin left, Regimental Commander Zhou tapped his fingers on the desk for a long time. The only way to make Liu Mei take the fall willingly was to proceed like this.  

But before that, he had to strip Xia Anran of her lead singer position. *Dare to scheme against my niece? Then I’ll make sure you end up with nothing.*  

Regimental Commander Zhou immediately summoned his assistant and ordered him to gather the leadership team for a meeting.  

When Teacher Yuan heard they were removing Xia Anran as lead singer, she protested urgently:  

“Regimental Commander Zhou, Xia Anran earned the lead role through her own ability. The recent performance was a great success—how can you just take it away from her?”  

Regimental Commander Zhou pulled out a few anonymous complaint letters from his drawer and tossed them forward, feigning helplessness:  

“I know Xia Anran is talented, but she’s not a formal member of the troupe. Many people are unhappy about a temporary worker being the lead singer. If we don’t remove her, they’ll report us to the General Political Department’s Song and Dance Troupe for violating regulations!”  

Teacher Yuan ignored the letters, slamming her hand on the table:  

“The rule we set was clear—whether new or old, whoever wins first place becomes lead singer! These ridiculous complaints are just from jealous people who lack talent. Who knows if someone’s pulling strings behind this?”  

Regimental Commander Zhou’s face darkened at the rebuke. He angrily stood and smacked the desk:  

“Teacher Yuan, you’re crossing a line. The only reason you’re defending Xia Anran so fiercely is that she’s your student. *I’m* the one who’ll be punished for breaking rules. The decision is final—Xia Anran is removed from the post of lead singer. If she becomes a formal member later, she can compete for the position fairly. But not now.”

Chen Yu watched silently. Rank was absolute—Regimental Commander Zhou had made up his mind, and no argument would sway him.  

When Teacher Yuan returned to the rehearsal hall and saw Xia Anran practicing a new song, her heart ached. She walked over and patted Xia Anran’s shoulder:  

“Anran, I tried my best, but Regimental Commander Zhou insists on having the final say. He wouldn’t listen. Your lead position…”  

Xia Anran understood immediately. She smiled faintly:  

“Teacher Yuan, don’t be upset. I know—Regimental Commander Zhou wants Zhou Yuxin as lead singer. I’m in his niece’s way, so it was only a matter of time.”  

Hearing this, Teacher Yuan grew even angrier. She said indignantly:  

“Don’t worry, Anran. I’ll get you formal status as soon as possible. Once you’re an official member, let’s see what excuse Regimental Commander Zhou can come up with then!”  

Just then, Xia Anran noticed someone calling Liu Mei away. She quickly whispered to Teacher Yuan:  

“Teacher Yuan, do you want to know who harmed the former lead singer Li Shuang?”