A ripple of laughter spread through the crowd, and Hu Lili’s face instantly turned red to the tips of her ears.

She snuck a glance at the people around her, then steeled herself—determined to teach Su Tang a lesson today.

“Su Tang, if you don’t want to live, fine—but why drag Lu Xiao down with you?”

“Do you have any idea how many years he spent in the northwest to earn his current position?”

Hearing Hu Lili abruptly change the subject, Su Tang raised an eyebrow and tilted her head.

“Hu Lili, where are you going with this?”

“Weren’t we talking about this book?”

Looking like she was just enjoying the drama, Su Tang even shook the book in her hand.

Seeing this, Hu Lili glared at Su Tang and coldly huffed, “Don’t get smug. I’ll find someone who knows Russian right now.”

“No need for that.”

Just then, Zheng Jinxin walked out of the service station.

A few people who recognized her greeted her, calling out, “Nurse Zheng.”

Hearing that, Su Tang turned to look at her.

She wore a well-fitted work uniform, and her short hair was braided and pinned neatly at the back of her head.

Her fair skin made her stand out from the others, exuding a graceful and intellectual beauty.

But standing next to Su Tang, she was slightly overshadowed.

“Lili, you’ve really wronged Comrade Su this time. That book is the Russian edition of Selected Works of Mao Zedong,” said Zheng Jinxin softly, her warm smile contagious.

Everyone in the family housing compounds of the northwest had received her care at some point. Her words carried weight.

Seeing her speak on Su Tang’s behalf, Hu Lili grew even more displeased.

“Nurse Zheng, you better take a good look. Aiding and abetting is also a crime.”

Hu Lili clenched her fists, clearly unwilling to back down.

Su Tang had no interest in dragging things out with Hu Lili. If Hu Lili insisted on pushing her today, she’d show her what she was made of.

“Then let’s go. Weren’t you going to report me? Are you going to report me right here?”

She turned to leave. Hu Lili reached out to grab her but Su Tang easily avoided it with a wave of her hand.

“Where are you going?”

“To the leadership office. Somewhere proper where you can file your report.”

Su Tang looked completely disdainful, as if she didn’t care in the slightest. Her attitude made Hu Lili hesitate.

“Not coming? Oh, so you were just spouting nonsense to slander me?”

Seeing Hu Lili stall, Su Tang sneered. “Hu Lili, are you trying to ruin me?”

“You’re slapping a big label on me without knowing the facts. If this goes on, you’ll destroy me.”

With that, Su Tang suddenly covered her face and began to cry. “Everyone come look! She’s killing me!”

The barrage of moves came so fast that even the bystanders couldn’t react in time.

Hu Lili was dumbfounded—Su Tang really had no shame pulling something like that…

“Hu Lili, even Nurse Zheng said it wasn’t the kind of book you claimed.”

“We all trust Nurse Zheng. Hu Lili, you’re doing real harm here.”

Voices of criticism rang out one after another, and Hu Lili’s face turned deathly pale as she began to retreat.

Zheng Jinxin stepped forward and gently supported Hu Lili’s trembling arm. “Lili, don’t panic. We’re all comrades here—let’s talk things out calmly.”

Her words soothed the situation while subtly placing herself between Hu Lili and the gathering crowd.

“I…”

Hu Lili couldn’t say a word for a long time. She was afraid of being held responsible—after all, if anything went wrong, neither she nor her brother would be allowed to stay.

Su Tang wiped the corners of her eyes with her fingertip. Seeing that the storm had passed, she finally spoke.

“I already said it before—if you apologize, I won’t press the matter.”

Su Tang hadn’t come to the northwest intending to cause trouble.

She had a special status, and everyone was eager to catch her slipping.

If something really happened to her, it wouldn’t just implicate Lu Xiao—it would drag down her parents far away in Shanghai too.

Unfortunately, Hu Lili wouldn’t let go, acting like she wouldn’t rest until Su Tang was driven out of the family compound.

So this time, since Hu Lili had smeared her name, Su Tang was going to make sure they all understood—she was no pushover.

If anyone wanted to mess with her, they’d better make sure they had the wits to keep up.

“Hu Lili, hurry up and apologize to Su Tang.”

Hu Lili bit her lip, unwilling to humiliate herself like that.

But one of the aunties stepped in, worried Hu Lili might actually get kicked out over this.

After all, her kid was still in Hu Lili’s daycare.

“Y-Yes… sorry.”

With that, Hu Lili turned and ran off crying.

Humiliated twice in one day—she probably wouldn’t show her face for days.

Now that she’d received an apology, Su Tang didn’t say anything more, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Turning to Zheng Jinxin, Su Tang said, “Nurse Zheng really helped me a lot today. I’ll have Lu Xiao bring over two jin of brown sugar to thank you properly sometime.”

On the surface, she was expressing gratitude—but she deliberately emphasized the name Lu Xiao.

Zheng Jinxin’s ears turned slightly red, and as she looked down, her lashes cast delicate, wing-like shadows on her cheeks.

“Comrade Su, there’s no need for that. Captain Lu defends our country—it’s only right we stand united in the rear.”

As she spoke, she pulled a small tin box from her pocket.

“The infirmary handed out some osmanthus candy yesterday. Have a taste.”

Just one look at the box and Su Tang could tell it wasn’t cheap.

Besides, this kind of candy wasn’t even available in Shanghai anymore.

Shanghai was all about imported sweets—White Rabbit milk candies, Russian chocolates…

Su Tang accepted the box and thanked her again.

“I should head back too. Let’s go together.”

Zheng Jinxin quietly observed her, and Su Tang nodded in agreement.

Su Tang had long seen through her.

She and Hu Lili had the same goal—they both had feelings for Lu Xiao.

The difference was, Hu Lili was straightforward, easy to read.

Zheng Jinxin, on the other hand, kept her thoughts buried deep.

She seemed to take Su Tang’s side, but in truth, getting close to her gave her a legitimate excuse to drop by more often.

As they walked side by side toward the family compound, Zheng Jinxin opened her mouth to explain, “Actually, Lili isn’t usually like this.”

“Maybe it’s just that Captain Lu’s sudden marriage—”

“Lu Xiao submitted the marriage report a year ago. We’ve been married for a year, Nurse Zheng.”

Before Zheng Jinxin could finish, Su Tang interrupted.

Hearing that, Zheng Jinxin tightened her grip on her bag.

“My mistake. Don’t take it to heart.”

Su Tang smiled faintly as she looked at her. “Nurse Zheng, you’ve got a great memory. You even remember when Lu Xiao got married.”

There was a hidden jab in her words, and Zheng Jinxin’s brows twitched slightly.

A breeze swept by, stirring the dry leaves at the roadside. They twirled in the air before fluttering back down.

The two walked on, the silence stretching between them, broken only by the sound of their footsteps.

Zheng Jinxin was the first to speak, trying to ease the tension. “Comrade Su, the northwest isn’t like Shanghai. If you need anything in the future, just let me know. I can always lend a hand.”

Her voice was gentle, with just the right touch of concern.

Su Tang turned to look at her, smiling, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“Nurse Zheng, that’s very thoughtful of you. But Lu Xiao and I are living quite comfortably—we’re not lacking anything. It’s just… I didn’t expect that even here in the northwest, so many people still have their eyes on him.”

Her words took a sharp turn, aimed—half playfully, half pointedly—right at her companion.