“Oww—!”  

Qiu Chunfang never expected to be caught red-handed while gossiping behind someone’s back.  

Her heart lurched in panic, and as she twisted her body in shock, her plump rear landed heavily on the muddy ground with a loud thud. The pain contorted her face, leaving her grimacing and gasping for breath.  

In an instant, the surrounding military wives turned their gazes toward Zhou Qiqi.  

Unlike yesterday’s disheveled appearance, Zhou Qiqi had taken great care to clean herself up before stepping out today.  

She had styled her hair into a voluminous high ponytail, full of energy.  

From her luggage, she pulled out the only new outfit she owned—a bright red dress with white polka dots, originally prepared for her wedding. The vibrant and playful dress hugged her figure perfectly, cinched at the waist with a red chiffon scarf as a belt, accentuating her slender waist so delicately that it looked as if a gentle breeze could snap it in half.  

Though her frame appeared delicate, her curves were undeniable—full in all the right places.  

Her petite face, framed by the bold red fabric, looked even more radiant and striking.  

This was no scrawny “bean sprout” as Qiu Chunfang had described—she was a dazzling, thorny wild rose in full bloom.  

Zhou Qiqi acted oblivious to the stares fixed on her, simply looking down at Qiu Chunfang sprawled on the ground. She spoke slowly, her tone unhurried.  

“So what if Shen Huaichuan carried me on his back? He’s my husband—carrying his own wife is only natural. But you, Sister Qiu, keep calling me a ‘seductress,’ saying I lured him in…”  

A faint smirk played on her lips, her eyes gleaming with mischief like a clever little fox. Her voice carried a hint of playful curiosity:  

“What’s the matter, Sister Qiu? Are you jealous of my man?”  

No sooner had she finished than she turned her gaze to the other military wife who had been badmouthing Zhu Yingying. Her tone was light but pointed:  

“And you, sister—calling Zhu Yingying a ‘seductress’—does that mean you’ve got your eyes on Regimental Commander Wang?”  

Her voice suddenly sharpened as she delivered the final blow:  

“Honestly, the two of you—your moral conduct seems highly questionable!”  

Faced with these women who loved spreading salacious rumors, Zhou Qiqi wasn’t foolish enough to engage in a direct verbal brawl. Instead, she turned their own tactics against them, throwing their malicious words right back.  

This move?  

It was called fighting magic with magic!  

After all, Regimental Commander Shen and *

Regimental Commander Wang were two of the most sought-after men in the military family quarters.  

Regimental Commander Shen was 25—young and accomplished. Regimental Commander Wang was 35—mature and steady.  

They were the two most promising officers in the entire military district, destined for future promotions.  

Of course some women would be eyeing them covetously.  

In an instant, the crowd of onlooking military wives shifted their stares toward Qiu Chunfang and the other gossip, Li Hongjuan.  

Whispers broke out among them, their gazes growing increasingly suggestive, as if they had stumbled upon some scandalous secret.  

Qiu Chunfang felt fury explode from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, nearly choking her with rage.  

Struggling to her feet with great effort, she pointed a chubby finger at Zhou Qiqi and screeched:  

“You—you—you’re slandering me! Spreading lies out of thin air!”  

Still fuming, she grabbed Li Hongjuan’s arm and declared righteously:  

“Hongjuan, come on! Let’s report her to the Security Office—we’ll teach her a lesson!”  

Instead of backing down, Zhou Qiqi crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and stood her ground fearlessly:  

“Fine, let’s go! Perfect chance to settle this in front of everyone and see who’s actually in the wrong!”  

Li Hongjuan’s husband happened to be Liao Aimin, the head of the Security Office.  

Zhou Qiqi, still new to the military family quarters, had no idea—but Qiu Chunfang knew exactly what she was doing. Smugly, she thought to herself:  

Just you wait, you little bitch. Let’s see how cocky you are once we get to the Security Office—you’ll be crying soon enough!

After all, the Security Office handled military discipline. If things escalated and mistakes were made, their husbands’ careers could be affected.  

Most military wives avoided causing trouble at the Security Office to spare their husbands the trouble.  

Normally, Qiu Chunfang and Li Hongjuan took full advantage of their connections to throw their weight around in the military family quarters, bullying others whenever they could.

As she spoke, Qiu Chunfang tried to drag Li Hongjuan away. But to her surprise, Li Hongjuan’s expression darkened.  

With a sharp jerk, she shook off Qiu Chunfang’s hand, refusing to even look at her. Instead, she hastily bent down to grab her vegetable basket and muttered:  

“I’m not going. It’s getting late—I need to hurry back and make dinner. The kids will be home from school soon.”  

“You—”  

What’s the rush? It’s not like they’re even your own kids.

Qiu Chunfang watched Li Hongjuan’s retreating figure, her words dying in her throat, frustration bubbling inside her.  

Without Li Hongjuan, going to the Security Office alone would be useless—she’d never be able to teach Zhou Qiqi a lesson like this.  

Left with no choice, she reluctantly picked up her own basket and mumbled, “I should go cook too.”  

With that, she waddled away on her plump legs, disappearing into the small courtyard to the left of Zhou Qiqi’s house.  

Once the two “ringleaders” left, the others quickly lost interest and scattered like startled birds.  

Still, a few kind-hearted military wives lingered to greet Zhou Qiqi warmly, and she responded with equal enthusiasm.  

Once the two women returned to Zhou Qiqi’s home, Zhu Yingying set down her things, her face still full of disbelief.  

“I can’t believe that actually worked! Qiqi, you’re amazing!”  

Earlier, she had been hiding behind Zhou Qiqi, her face flushed red with tension like a boiled shrimp.  

She had wanted to help, but the words just wouldn’t come out, leaving her stifled and frustrated.  

“Ah, it’s nothing—just a bit of quick thinking!” Zhou Qiqi waved her hand dismissively before asking,  

“Does this… happen often? Them gossiping behind people’s backs?”  

Zhu Yingying had been living in the military family quarters for over half a year and had a pretty good grasp of the dynamics there.  

Their military housing complex had been established after the military modernization reforms in 1980 and was one of the larger ones in the army division, home to over 300 military families.  

The residents came from all over—some from cities, others from rural areas—and most didn’t have stable jobs.  

With monotonous, uneventful daily lives and little entertainment, they often gathered to chat and gossip just to pass the time.  

However, there were two notorious troublemakers in the compound:  

One was Qiu Chunfang, the wife of the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment.  

The other was Li Hongjuan, the wife of the Security Office chief, Liao Aimin.  

These two were among the first batch of military dependents to settle here and came from the same village. They loved dragging their little stools around, huddling with other rural wives, and gossiping endlessly about everyone.  

Because of this, they had clashed with many of the other military wives, creating a tense atmosphere.  

Zhu Yingying, being naturally quiet, usually kept to herself and avoided socializing, so she had never directly confronted them before.  

But that didn’t stop them from badmouthing her behind her back. Whenever she overheard, she would just quietly walk away—never imagining she could actually fight back.  

Thinking about how Li Hongjuan had fled in panic earlier, she couldn’t help but grin with satisfaction.  

Zhou Qiqi, curious, asked:  

“That Li Hongjuan—she seems to really dislike you. Did you offend her before?”