Chapter 43.1

In the temporarily vacant dormitory on the island, a girl with a round face, dressed in a white shirt and green military pants, looked at the girl on the bed next to her with some concern and asked, “Wen Xin, is your wrist feeling any better?”

The girl named Wen Xin had a delicate oval face, typically sweet in appearance, but at this moment, her face was full of distress.

When she heard her friend’s question, she was not in a mood to answer, she only shook her head. She held her increasingly swollen wrist and her eyes revealed a deep gloom.

The round-faced girl was named Wang Fangcao. After not receiving a response from her friend, she moved closer with concern, and then she saw her friend’s wrist, it was really swollen and it looked serious.

She gasped in shock, her round face full of heartache. She squatted down and carefully examined Wen Xin’s wrist, and anxiously said: “What are we going to do? How did it swell so fast? The performance is tomorrow night, and your solo dance has a part that requires wrist flexibility. How did you get so unlucky? It would have been bad enough to fall, but to injure your hand too!”

Wen Xin felt equally troubled. She was a soldier from the countryside, without any strong backing, and could only fight her way forward with sheer effort.

She had managed to get into the art troupe based on her outstanding abilities, and from an insignificant background, she had climbed her way up to becoming the leading solo dancer. Besides being exceptionally talented, it was also because she had worked several times harder than others.

She would get up the earliest every day and going to bed at the latest, she had finally earned the director’s approval last month and became the main dancer of the troupe.

Jealousy had always been ugly, and she had never underestimated it, she was always cautious and on guard. Yet, she had still fallen victim to it.

After listening to her friend rambling beside her, Wen Xin’s gaze darkened, and her tone became indifferent, “It wasn’t bad luck…”

Wang Fangcao didn’t hear her clearly and turned to look at her, “What did you say?”

Wen Xin took a deep breath, suppressing the irritation in her chest as much as she could before finally speaking, “It wasn’t bad luck, someone deliberately pushed me.”

“What?” Wang Fangcao stood up, furious.

“Who’s that shameless person? If they can’t match your skills, they resort to dirty tricks. Come on, Wen Xin, let’s go to the director and report this.”

As she spoke, Wang Fangcao was about to rush out.

Wen Xin grabbed her, her lips pressed into a thin line, her voice cold and somber, “It’s useless, we don’t have any proof.”

Hearing this, Wang Fangcao stared at her for several seconds, then deflated, slumping back down beside Wen Xin. She muttered in frustration, “So we’re just going to let this go? I don’t know which heartless person would do this; it’s infuriating.”

Wen Xin didn’t say anything. Her friend was impulsive, so even though she had guessed who it was, she didn’t intend to reveal it.

It was actually easy to figure out. She was injured and couldn’t perform on stage, and the person who stood to benefit the most, the one who would replace her, was undoubtedly the one behind the push.

Even if it wasn’t that person’s own hand, they were still involved.

Wen Xin’s eyes turned cold as she stared at her swollen wrist, then suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

A mere sprain, and they wanted to force her to give up the stage? Impossible. In these past years, hadn’t she endured plenty of injuries, both big and small?

Even if she had to dance with an injury, she could still crush whoever was behind the scenes!

With this thought, Wen Xin became calm instead, and she began to think of a countermeasure.

After a moment, she took some money from her bag, pulled Wang Fangcao up, and they walked out of the dormitory.

Jin Lingling!

The last person she wanted to see at the moment, was the one who had the chance to replace her.

When Jin Lingling saw Wen Xin come out, her eyes flickered slightly. She didn’t hide her gaze, carefully sizing Wen Xin up from head to toe.

Her brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and she couldn’t help but wonder—how could Wen Xin be fine after such a hard fall?

Thinking about how she couldn’t snatch the solo dance opportunity from Wen Xin, Jin Lingling’s prideful face was tinged with dissatisfaction.

She cursed inwardly, *That’s typical of a country bumpkin—she falls that hard and still comes out unscathed.*

Jin Lingling didn’t bother concealing her gaze, which made Wen Xin feel stifled inside.

It really was her! All for the chance to perform the solo dance, and she would stoop to such dirty tactics.

Anger surged within Wen Xin, intensifying the pain in her swollen wrist.

However, she couldn’t afford to cause a scene just yet.

Wen Xin bit her teeth so tightly that she tasted blood, only managing to swallow her anger with great difficulty.

She would wait and prove with her strength just how insignificant Jin Lingling’s underhanded tactics were.

For now, the priority was to go to the island’s hospital to check on her injury.

As for revenge, she wasn’t in a rush.

After Wen Xin and Wang Fangcao left, Jin Lingling immediately turned her displeased gaze to her attendant and said irritably, “Are you sure she’s injured? She looked fine to me.”

The attendant, who hoped Jin Lingling would use her family connections to promote him, certainly didn’t dare to deceive her. He quickly declared his loyalty, “She’s definitely hurt. I put a lot of force into it, and after she fell, I heard her cry out in pain. She’s probably just pretending.”

Jin Lingling eyed the attendant skeptically, clearly not believing him.

The attendant, with his eyes darting around, suggested, “How about we tell the director? She might be trying to hide it from us, but if the director asks her, she surely won’t dare lie. At that point…”

Jin Lingling looked at him with a disdainful expression and said, “Are you stupid? What if Wen Xin really isn’t injured? Then the one who’ll be in trouble is me! Or do you plan to go to the director on your own?”

The attendant’s face turned black and red, red and black, as he hung his head and remained silent. In his heart, he cursed inwardly. Why would he want to be the scapegoat? It was a thankless job.

Besides, if he weren’t counting on Jin Lingling to use her connections to promote him, why would he bother to curry favor with her?

Ugh! What a joke!

Jin Lingling, unaware of the attendant’s dissatisfaction with her, stared intently at Wen Xin’s departing figure. Her eyes grew increasingly sinister, resembling a venomous snake lurking in the dark, ready to strike at any moment.

Something was off!

Wen Xin was so calm that Jin Lingling became even more suspicious. She narrowed her eyes, watching as Wen Xin and her friend moved further away.

Suddenly, as if a thought had struck her, she walked over to a nearby soldier on duty, pointed toward Wen Xin’s direction, and asked in a sweet voice, “Comrade, could you tell me where that direction leads?”

The young soldier, taken aback by the question from such a beautiful girl, blushed deeply. He looked in the direction she indicated and, seeing nothing problematic, answered directly, “That’s the hospital on our island.”

The hospital!

Jin Lingling’s eyes lit up instantly. This was perfect—Wen Xin was really good at pretending.

Excitement bubbled over as she thought about replacing Wen Xin and becoming the center of attention as the solo dancer. Her joy was so evident that she could barely control her expression.

She needed to see it with her own eyes to be reassured. So, she hurriedly grabbed her attendant and followed after Wen Xin with determination.

The young soldier, reflecting on the girl’s changing expressions—red, then white, with bared teeth—murmured to himself, *So, this is what the company commander meant about all the girls in the art troupe being beautiful?*

*It’s… it’s a bit scary… Wuwu… The commander lied… Why didn’t he tell me that beautiful girls might not be very smart?*

Wen Xin’s wrist wasn’t fractured, so the director immediately assigned her to Su Xi, who was an intern doctor. This allowed Su Xi more practical experience.

—o—o—o—

In the Military Hospital

Su Xi was just about to have lunch when, unexpectedly, a patient arrived right at mealtime.

The patient was the top priority, so Su Xi had to postpone her meal.

After asking Wen Xin to sit down, Su Xi gently examined her swollen wrist, carefully feeling the bones and asking relevant questions.

A minute or two later, Su Xi withdrew her hand and said, “Wen Xin, right? There’s no major issue, just a muscle sprain. Try to minimize movement of the wrist within the next 72 hours, and it should be better after about a week.”

Having said that, Su Xi didn’t notice the quiet atmosphere in the room.

She went to wash her hands, then approached her desk and began to write a prescription. “I’ll prescribe some medicine to stimulate blood circulation and reduce swelling. It’s better to massage the area after 48 hours. Also, pay attention to your diet—avoid smoking, alcohol, and spicy or stimulating foods.”

After writing the prescription, Su Xi tore it from the pad and was about to hand it to Wen Xin when she noticed Wen Xin’s face was pale, and even her accompanying friend looked as if they had lost a loved one.

Su Xi was stunned. ‘Had she just treated a sprained wrist patient? Why did they look as if they had received a terminal diagnosis?’

At this moment, Wen Xin’s feelings were indeed akin to receiving a terminal diagnosis.

A 72-hour restriction on movement felt like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, especially since the evening gala was set to start the next afternoon.

She recalled the troupe leader telling her a few days ago that this performance was important. If she performed well, she would definitely be considered for promotion next time.

With the promotion, she wouldn’t have to return to her former life of farming back home.

Farming didn’t scare Wen Xin; she was more concerned about being sold off by her parents at a high bride price. If, in the end, she was sold for money, all her efforts over the past few years would seem like a joke.

She had poured so much blood, sweat, and tears into reaching this point. She was on the verge of establishing herself in the art troupe. To give up now was simply impossible.

With this thought, Wen Xin gritted her teeth and was about to ask for some pain relief medication when she heard the familiar, haunting voice.

Jin Lingling, who had apparently been there for a while, exclaimed dramatically, “Oh, isn’t this our art troupe’s top flower, Wen Xin? How careless of you—your wrist is so swollen. You’re not thinking of dancing, are you?”

Although she was disappointed that Wen Xin hadn’t broken a leg or an arm, Jin Lingling wasn’t in a hurry. She smiled maliciously, satisfied that this was enough for now. There would be plenty of opportunities to deal with her later.

The gloating and unhidden mockery made Wen Xin, who was usually tolerant, tremble with anger.

She bit her lip hard, her eyes coldly fixed on Jin Lingling as if looking at some trash.

In her eyes, Jin Lingling, who was internally rotten and stinking, was indeed trash, perhaps even less than trash.

Jin Lingling was infuriated by Wen Xin’s disdainful gaze. ‘How dare this country bumpkin look down on her? I, Jin Lingling, from a powerful and influential family, the so-called “princess”?’

Angered by Wen Xin’s look, Jin Lingling’s words became even more crude and disrespectful: “What are you looking at? A lowly country bumpkin daring to compete with me? Let me tell you, Wen Xin, you’d better stay away from me. I’ve got the solo dance spot secured. If you dare compete with me again, it won’t just be your arm that’s hurt next time. Someone like you only deserves to return to your poor rural area and marry someone like yourself.”

Su Xi looked up and down at the girl who suddenly appeared. She couldn’t help but click her tongue. ‘How arrogant. She keeps throwing around terms like “country bumpkin” and “mud legs.” What kind of background does she have to be so brazen?’

At such a sensitive time, wasn’t she afraid of being reported?

Wang Fangcao was so enraged that her eyes turned red. Though she wasn’t very bright, she wasn’t a fool either. After Jin Lingling’s remarks, she understood the situation clearly. She said angrily, “Jin Lingling, you’ve gone too far. Just because you can’t match Wen Xin’s abilities, you resort to such despicable tactics. Do you think injuring Wen Xin will guarantee you the solo dance? Dream on! There are plenty of people in our troupe who dance better than you.”

Jin Lingling looked at Wang Fangcao, who was being restrained and still struggling. Jing Lingling said with a dismissive expression. “Foolish. Besides Wen Xin, who the director favors, the others? Do you really think the director would offend the Jin family for them?”

“Y-you…” Wang Fangcao tried to retort, but Wen Xin quickly covered her mouth.

Jin Lingling was right; because Wen Xin was exceptionally talented, the director valued her and took the risk of offending the Jin family to let her take the lead.

However, when everyone’s skills were similar, the director wouldn’t deliberately suppress Jin Lingling.

Although the director wasn’t afraid of the Jin family, there was no need to create an enemy for himself.

Therefore, Wen Xin couldn’t let Wang Fangcao offend Jin Lingling on her behalf.

Wen Xin’s chest ached with frustration, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, “You’re thinking too much. My hand is fine. The doctor said it’s just a minor sprain and won’t affect my dancing.”

Jin Lingling didn’t believe it; she had already overheard the doctor’s diagnosis while hiding nearby.

With this thought, she instinctively looked in the doctor’s direction and her pupils constricted sharply.

Jin Lingling had always been attractive. Her sweet demeanor and pretty face allowed her to live more comfortably than most, despite her family’s preference for sons over daughters. Her striking appearance had attracted countless admirers throughout her life.

However, after being the center of attention for twenty years, she entered the art troupe and encountered Wen Xin, who was not only as skilled as she was but also equally good-looking.

Men who used to fawn over her were now drawn to this “country bumpkin,” leaving her infuriated, especially since Wen Xin was someone she looked down upon the most.

Jin Lingling had always taken pride in her beauty, never feeling inferior even when compared to the most beautiful in the troupe, Wen Xin.

Yet, on this desolate island, she had come across a doctor who was even more stunning than she had ever imagined.

If she had considered herself beautiful, the doctor before her, Su Xi, was like a celestial being from another world.

Someone could be this gorgeous—Jin Lingling stared at Su Xi’s exquisite face with intense jealousy.

Su Xi was so stunning that Jin Lingling could barely contain the darkness rising within her.

She wanted to destroy her!

She hated anyone who was more beautiful than herself!

Her dislike for these people was even stronger than for Wen Xin!

But she wasn’t foolish. From a young age, Jin Lingling knew precisely whom she could offend and whom she could not. Even with someone as unrefined as Wen Xin, she would only act when she was confident of escaping unscathed.

The female doctor before her was not only beautiful but also exuded a noble aura that wasn’t something anyone could cultivate.

Thus, despite the dark jealousy that nearly consumed her, Jin Lingling held back her anger.

With a cold, sinister look in her eyes, she swore to investigate the doctor’s background thoroughly before finding a way to deal with her.

For now, there was something more important to do: report Wen Xin’s injury to the troupe leader.

With that thought, Jin Lingling flashed Su Xi a meaningful smile and turned to leave.

Su Xi: “…” What the hell?

—o—o—