Chapter 9 – Be My Sister-in-law

Lin Shu’s body stiffened, even the act of wiping away her tears froze.

“He refuses to marry you, so now you’ve set your mind on slandering me and the troupe leader just so you can get back into the performing troupe?”

Zhao Yu gave a cold laugh. “Then let me make it clear for you—after pulling a stunt like this, you can forget about ever returning to the troupe. If I were you, I’d hold on tight to Lu Jing, that last lifeline of yours.”

Zhao Yu crouched down, leaning close to Lin Shu’s ear.

“Here’s some advice, or call it a warning. Lu Jing might be arrogant, but he has a very strong sense of responsibility.”

After all, in her past life, it was precisely because of his sense of responsibility that Zhao Yu ended up serving as housemaid to Lin Shu and her daughter for decades.

Lin Shu stared blankly at Zhao Yu, as if unable to understand why she would be saying such things to her.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Zhao Yu stood up again. “I don’t have the time or energy to scheme against you. Besides… seeing you two together is actually the picture I most want to see.”

Lin Shu hesitated, then stood up. After giving Zhao Yu a strange look, she hurriedly left.

A sharp voice rang out from the dorm room next door:

“Well, well, just a few words and you scared her off. No wonder you managed to hook the troupe leader’s son, and even got Ning Songyun to switch rooms just to bunk with you. So this is it—currying favor with your sister-in-law in advance, huh?”

It was Liu Xue. “I bet the only reason you got the lead dancer position was because of that too.”

Zhao Yu knew that even in her past life, Liu Xue had always been jealous of her for landing the lead role.

Later, after Zhao Yu gave that spot to Lin Shu, Liu Xue often tripped her up—so much so that Lin Shu nearly miscarried several times.

“And now that Lin Shu’s made such a fuss, your dirty little secrets are practically known across the entire military district. Let’s see if you can still hold onto that position!”

“What dirty secrets of mine?”

Zhao Yu wasn’t afraid in the least. “I can always request a formal investigation from higher-ups to prove my innocence.”

As she spoke, she stepped closer and closer to Liu Xue. “But if they find nothing, then it’ll be you guilty of slander. Even if they don’t expel you, you won’t escape a disciplinary punishment. Want to come with me and test it out?”

Liu Xue gritted her teeth viciously. In truth, she knew Lin Shu’s words weren’t all that credible.

But her jealousy of Zhao Yu was so deep that she had shot off her mouth just to get the upper hand. Who knew Zhao Yu would suddenly charge at her like this!

After a long silence, Liu Xue finally spat out a furious “We’ll see!” and slammed her door shut.

The others who had gathered quickly dispersed back to their own rooms.

Back in their dorm, Zhao Yu slumped tiredly onto the bed.

“Yuyu, what are you going to do about all this?” Ning Songyun asked.

“What else? I’ll just let it be.” Zhao Yu sounded unconcerned. “Didn’t I say already? I welcome an investigation anytime. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“True, but it’s still troublesome. Even if they confirm my mom never pulled strings for you, those rumors about… well, about men and women, they’ll still damage your reputation.”

As she spoke, Ning Songyun’s eyes suddenly lit up. She leapt onto Zhao Yu’s bed, brimming with excitement.

“How about this—why don’t you really date my brother!”

“What?”

“Think about it. If you’re not afraid of an investigation, then you don’t have to worry about people accusing you of favoritism. And if you’re officially dating my brother, then all those gossiping rumors will disappear, won’t they?”

The more she spoke, the more convinced she became.

“From how he acted when you weren’t replying to his letters, I’m sure my brother has feelings for you! Yuyu, why not just be my sister-in-law?

And better yet, you could turn him into a total pushover—if you say east, he wouldn’t dare say west; if you tell him to stand at attention, he wouldn’t even dare rest!

And since I’m your best friend, with you around, let’s see if he ever dares put on that cold face toward me again!”

The more ridiculous Ning Songyun’s imagination became, the more Zhao Yu had to cut her off.

“Wake up! What kind of daydreaming are you doing in broad daylight? Your brother and I are just childhood playmates, nothing more.”

“Really?” Ning Songyun wasn’t convinced.

But looking at Zhao Yu’s firm expression, she could tell that at least for now, Zhao Yu had no such thoughts about her brother.

Still… once they got home, she would definitely find out how her brother really felt about Yuyu. And if it was as she suspected, then she’d just have to give him a little push.

“So, how are you planning to deal with the rumors?” she asked again.

“They’re just rumors.” Zhao Yu did a quick calculation. “In half a month we’ll be heading to Liao Province for performances. We’ll be gone a month or two at least. By the time we get back, the gossip will have blown over.

If we’re lucky, we might even come back in time to eat their wedding candies.”

“What? You think Captain Li would actually agree to them?” Ning Songyun’s mouth fell open. “And Lu Jing—how could Lin Shu make him go from looking down on her to being willing to marry her in just a month or two?”

“She can,” Zhao Yu said with an air of mystery, wagging her finger. “As long as she’s bold enough, and fast enough, they could settle it even before we head to Heilongjiang.”

“Then I’d better keep an eye out in the meantime.”

Ning Songyun had always loved gossip and excitement. With her mother not around and Zhao Yu speaking so confidently, her curiosity was stoked even further.

In the days that followed, with He Fang absent, the troupe members trained daily under the guidance of various squad leaders.

One morning, as Zhao Yu entered the rehearsal room, Ning Songyun yanked her into a corner.

“Yuyu! You were right—Uncle Li was shouting and cursing all last night!”

“Because of Lu Jing?” Zhao Yu hadn’t expected Lin Shu to act so quickly.

“Exactly!”

Ning Songyun mimicked a ridiculous expression with her hands on her face.

“This morning Lu Jing came to see Uncle Ji wearing this exact look. And behind him was Lin Shu, sobbing her eyes out. I’m telling you, he must have caused trouble!”

“Anything else?” Zhao Yu was eager to hear how things were unfolding.

“Then Uncle Ji let them into his office, and I heard a lot of banging and crashing inside, like things were being thrown. But their voices were too low—I couldn’t make out the words.”

She sighed in frustration. “I wanted to sneak closer and eavesdrop, but just as I got to the door, my brother caught me. He was furious and dragged me back first thing in the morning!”

“That’s good! And you still dare to go snooping? Did you forget what you promised me that day?”

Zhao Yu couldn’t believe how obsessed Ning Songyun was with gossip and drama.

“But my mom wasn’t there, and besides, it didn’t seem like any top-secret matter…” Ning Songyun mumbled, staring at the floor, scuffing her shoe against it.

“Still not allowed!”

Just as Zhao Yu finished scolding her, Ning Songyun suddenly looked up.

“But Yuyu… aren’t you curious at all?”