Chapter 9: The Curtain Falls

The selection for the arts festival performance had come to a close. Those who were chosen were all required to report to headquarters for unified training arrangements, and would return to their original units only after the festival ended.

Those selected this time were all elite members from each regiment, holding important positions. The headquarters allowed one day of buffer time so everyone could return to their units to arrange their current work before setting off.

When Li Zhen and the others returned to their regiment, night had already fallen. Political Commissar Zheng told them to rest first, saying he would announce their successful selection the next day.

On the way back, Li Zhen appeared calm and collected, but inside she was bursting with excitement. Once the leaders left, she couldn’t hold back anymore and joyfully hugged Su Xiangqin, cheering loudly.

Su Xiangqin rarely showed such a happy smile, and she walked with her head held higher than usual, no longer shy and withdrawn.

Political Commissar Zheng hadn’t gone far. Hearing their joyous voices, a smile appeared on his face. He felt proud of them. But after a few steps, a thought struck him, and he turned around to head toward the military district’s family housing.

Summer nights were still hot and humid; the ceiling fan creaked as it spun, sending out warm air.

To get the latest news firsthand, Liu Huixin and other friends who got along well with her came over to their dorm.

Under the dim yellow light, a few girls sat together. Zhu Xiaomeng glanced at Shen Nanqing, who was lying on the bed fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, and quietly asked the girls around her, “Who do you think got selected?”

“Li Zhen and Xu Ruyan, probably,” someone answered.

Immediately, others chimed in. Jian Yan was very confident: “I think Xu Ruyan has a better chance—after all, even Commander Song praised her.”

Liu Huixin, who was Li Zhen’s follower, didn’t really believe in Li Zhen’s chances, but still spoke in her favor.

Everyone talked and analyzed excitedly. Zhu Xiaomeng nudged the person next to her with her elbow and nodded toward Shen Nanqing.

That person was from the next dorm and didn’t dance but played the accordion. “Shen Nanqing, since you’re a dance major, who do you think has the best chance among these three?”

“Wait till they come back; we’ll know then,” Shen Nanqing answered rhythmically, fanning herself, a little nostalgic for air conditioning.

Speaking of which, here comes Cao Mao.

They were chatting happily when Li Zhen and the others returned.

Zhu Xiaomeng quickly went to greet them. Seeing Li Zhen’s beaming smile, she flattered her, “I did the math — you’re definitely going to win big.”

“Of course!” Li Zhen proudly patted her chest. Her eyes then landed on Xu Ruyan standing by the door and added, “Our regiment really made a name for itself this time — three out of four made it in. Deputy Commander Zhong at headquarters can’t stop praising us.”

“Wow! That’s amazing,” everyone’s eyes filled with envy. This was their chance to get recognized by the top leaders, which would naturally bring more opportunities later.

Li Zhen was in a rare good mood, answering all questions. Su Xiangqin, however, had returned to her usual quiet, head lowered, silent.

The accordion girl, seeing this, tried to comfort her: “Xiangqin, it’s okay if you didn’t get selected. Getting through the preliminaries is already impressive.”

Su Xiangqin: “…”

With three of the four selected, everyone naturally pegged Su Xiangqin—the outsider who came in halfway and grew wildly—as the one left out, never considering that it could be Li An or even Xu Ruyan.

Perhaps it was just a stereotype.

There was a hierarchy of disdain within the regiment: graduates from formal schools looked down on those who switched careers halfway; those who switched halfway looked down on the rustic folk from the countryside.

Li Zhen tried to explain this to defend Su Xiangqin but was interrupted by another girl.

That was Jian Yan, the one who was very optimistic about Xu Ruyan. Jian Yan and Xu Ruyan had a good relationship, and seeing her by the door, she smiled brightly, “Ruyan, why are you standing by the door? Come in quickly!”

Xu Ruyan’s mood was very bad, but her usual indifferent demeanor meant she couldn’t afford to lose control.

Jian Yan affectionately linked arms with Xu Ruyan. “I knew you’d make it. This time at headquarters, you’ve got to perform well. Once the mission’s over, promotion is a sure thing.”

Normally, being praised like this would secretly please Xu Ruyan, but at this moment, she just wished the person in front of her would disappear immediately.

Li Zhen had a comeback on the tip of her tongue but swallowed it again. Watching them constantly heap praise on Xu Ruyan, she felt like she was watching a play — Xu Ruyan looked like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.

After a long while, the onlookers finally left reluctantly. Xu Ruyan’s face was so dark it seemed it could drip water. Her cold eyes swept over the smiling Li Zhen, then glared venomously at Shen Nanqing leaning against the headboard.

Xu Ruyan’s gaze was like a venomous snake’s strike — sticky and poisonous. Shen Nanqing looked up to meet her eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips, calm and composed, fanning herself gently with delicate wrist movements.

In the end, Xu Ruyan lost the battle and turned away, leaving the dorm.

“Hahaha!!” Li Zhen laughed uproariously, shouting, “So satisfying, really satisfying. Hope it drives her crazy.”

Zhu Xiaomeng and Liu Huixin exchanged confused glances, completely clueless about what was going on.

“Nanqing, thank you,” Su Xiangqin said sincerely.

“Uh… thanks,” Li Zhen stopped laughing and stammered, finally whispering, “Consider it a favor you owe me.”

Zhu Xiaomeng thought: Has Li Zhen lost her mind from happiness?!

Liu Huixin said: The sun rises from the west! She actually said thank you.

Both: Wait, why is she thanking Shen Nanqing? What actually happened?

—At the family housing—

“Uncle, look how cool this wooden rifle looks hanging at my waist!” Yu Zi’an was so attached to his new toy he played with it every day.

The little guy swung the wooden rifle around, but the elastic waistband at his waist couldn’t hold up his pants, which slowly slipped down, exposing half of his bottom.

“Very cool,” Song Huaiwen said, keeping his eyes open so as not to ruin the kid’s fun.

Song Huaizhi came out of the kitchen carrying cut watermelon. Seeing this, she slapped him on the head, “What’s cool about it? Your bird’s almost out! Pull your pants up!”

Yu Zi’an pouted, defiantly retorting, “Mom, you don’t understand. I’m fighting a battle! When charging, if my pants slip, I don’t have time to pull them up! If I pull them up, the enemy will run away!”

At this, Song Huaizhi paused for a moment, smiling, “Okay, Mom doesn’t understand. Then don’t eat the watermelon I bought.”

Watermelon was a rare treat at this time, seldom eaten.

“No! I need to eat well to fight well!” Yu Zi’an hurriedly pulled up his pants and ran to the dining table. He picked up a slice of watermelon, but didn’t eat it himself—handing it first to Song Huaiwen, then to his little sister, before finally biting into his own.

Song Huaizhi was both pleased and a little jealous, “I worked hard cutting that watermelon, and you only handed me one piece.”

“Ah, I just wanted to help you check if it’s sweet,” he said, blinking his small eyes, mumbling unclearly.

“You’re just full of sweet talk.”

Yu Hongfang was working overtime today and hadn’t come home yet. Song Huaizhi saved some watermelon for him. The family sat around the table, eating watermelon amid laughter, when there was a knock on the door.

Song Huaiwen opened first, expecting his brother-in-law, but the man standing there was a stranger to him.

Political Commissar Zheng looked at the tall man in front of him, was momentarily stunned, then quickly regained composure. “I’m here to see your sister.”

As he stepped in, the fresh scent of watermelon filled the air, but he felt no appetite. “Old Song, I’m afraid our regiment won’t be able to keep Shen Nanqing.”