A cavalier voice suddenly came from the doorway.
Zhao Yu and Ning Songyun turned their heads at the same time to see Ning Songyi and Ye Heng, both tall and broad-shouldered, completely blocking the entrance.
"What are you two doing here?" He Fang asked, looking at them with some surprise.
Ning Songyi walked into the office, ignoring the people eyeing them, and went straight to Zhao Yu before holding out his hand.
Zhao Yu instinctively pulled back, only to see Ning Songyi slowly open his palm. Inside sat the other hair clip she had lost.
Ye Heng sauntered over and sat down on the sofa. "Little Ning, pour me a glass of water, will you? I’m exhausted."
"What are you tired from? Why on earth should I pour water for you?"
Ning Songyun had never been one to mince words with Ye Heng; her tone was so sharp she looked ready to bare her teeth.
"Hey, don't I get to be tired?" Ye Heng straightened up. "Someone dragged me all over the military district just to find this hair clip. I'm practically dead on my feet."
Hearing this, Zhao Yu blinked in disbelief. Her gaze slowly shifted upward until it met Ning Songyi’s eyes.
Seeing that Zhao Yu hadn't reached for it after a long moment, Ning Songyi reached out himself to smooth down the hair that Wang Guifen had ruffled, then gently clipped the accessory into place.
"One didn't look right."
Zhao Yu touched the hair clips on both sides of her head and whispered, "Thank you."
At this, the corners of Ning Songyi’s mouth curled slightly. He then sat back down on the office sofa in silence, pretending to be a statue.
"Commander Ji, you aren't just going to stand there and watch your subordinate use his silver tongue to deceive a young comrade, are you?"
"Is that any way to talk to your father!" Ji Weiguo barked, his beard bristling at Ye Heng.
Ye Heng spread his hands. "My name is Ye now, you should focus on yourself."
Infuriated by his unfilial son, Ji Weiguo turned his ire toward Lu Jing, the source of the trouble.
"Lu Jing! Starting tomorrow, I want a five-thousand-word self-criticism every day for the next six months, plus an additional twenty-kilometer weighted march! Because of your illicit relations, your eligibility for merit citations and Party membership is revoked for the next ten years!"
"Lin Shu, come here."
Lu Jing’s face turned deathly pale; he could barely keep his footing.
Lin Shu had originally intended to sneak a listen to what was going on, but she had only just caught a couple of sentences through the door gap when He Fang spotted her. She pushed the door open, her face ashen, and walked toward He Fang with a pitiful expression.
He Fang was just about to speak when she saw Lin Shu glance toward Zhao Yu and the others, then look back at her with pleading eyes.
"If you dared to do such a thing, you shouldn't fear others hearing or seeing it."
He Fang had never liked Lin Shu, who was neither hardworking nor talented and only knew how to take shortcuts. She didn't hold back her criticism now.
Tears streamed down Lin Shu’s face. "I'm sorry, Commander. I’m really sorry. I had my reasons."
"What reasons could you possibly have?" Zhao Yu, having regained her composure, saw Lin Shu still playing the victim and decided to drop all pretense. "I see you’ve gotten quite used to pulling strings to get Lu Jing to help you."
"Lin Shu, do you have any idea what you've done to the military's regulations?" He Fang asked, feeling a sense of deep disappointment. Having such a scandal emerge in her troupe made her feel humiliated. "You don't need to come in starting today. I’ll submit the paperwork tomorrow to have your military status in the Cultural and Art Troupe revoked."
"Commander! Please, I beg you, just forgive me this once! I’ll go get an abortion right now! Right now!" Hearing that she was to be discharged, Lin Shu panicked. She fell to her knees and clutched He Fang’s uniform, pleading, "Commander, please don't kick me out!"
"And who do you think will perform an abortion for you? Who would dare do it without a husband’s signature?" He Fang closed her eyes, refusing to look at her any longer. "Go. As of today, you are no longer part of my troupe."
The world turned black for Lin Shu, and she fainted on the spot.
Seeing this, Lu Jing ignored everything else and scooped her up to leave. As he walked out, he said to Zhao Yu in a remorseful tone, "Yu Yu, wait for me to get her settled, and then I’ll come back to explain everything to you."
"Don't bother!"
Ning Songyun, finally able to get a word in, stood in front of Zhao Yu with her hands on her hips like a mother hen protecting her chick. "If you never come to harass Yu Yu again, we’ll be eternally grateful!"
"In any case, Yu Yu, wait for me!"
Lu Jing hurried away. Ji Weiguo heaved a long sigh and turned to apologize to Zhao Yu, looking sheepish. "Comrade Zhao, I’m truly sorry. I didn't get the facts straight before rushing over here. Don't worry, I’ll keep a close eye on him from now on. I won't let him bother you ever again!"
"You’d better make sure you can live up to your word, old man," Ye Heng remarked sarcastically from the side.
"You!" Infuriated by his wretched son, Ji Weiguo stormed out of He Fang’s office.
"Commander, we’ll be going now, too."
"Auntie Fang, we're heading out!"
"Go on, then. I’m about to clock out myself."
He Fang stood up and followed Ye Heng and Ning Songyi out of the office. After locking the door and exchanging a few more words with Zhao Yu and Ning Songyun, she took her leave.
Only Zhao Yu and Ning Songyun remained at the office door.
"I have something important to take care of, too. I’m off! See you tonight."
"See you tonight." Zhao Yu replied offhandedly, then paused, thinking something was off. "We don't live together, so how are we... seeing each other tonight?"
Unfortunately, before Zhao Yu could finish her sentence, Ning Songyun had already run off.
Zhao Yu decided to head to the canteen with a light step. After dinner, she took a stroll to digest her meal before heading back to her dormitory. To her surprise, when she stepped inside, she found Ning Songyun sitting in her room.
"Songyun? What are you doing here? Aren't you in the room next door?" Zhao Yu asked, leaning out to look into the hallway. "Bed check is soon. Is it really okay for you to be here? Aren't you worried the proctor will deduct points?"
Ning Songyun patted the bed she was sitting on. "Why worry? From now on, this is my bed."
"So that was the 'important thing' you were talking about." Zhao Yu’s eyes widened in realization. "But does Commander He even allow you to switch rooms on your own?" She didn't believe He Fang would make such an exception for her.
Ning Songyun jumped up and covered Zhao Yu’s mouth, whispering nervously, "Keep it down! I asked my dad to pull some strings. Since Lin Shu got discharged, there’s an empty spot in your room anyway, so I begged him to transfer me over. You have to keep it a secret for me! If my mom finds out right now, I’m going to get a beating."
"If you're so worried, why would you do it? How long do you think you can hide this?" Zhao Yu pulled Ning Songyun’s hand away.
"Oh, don't worry. Before my mom gets back in a couple of days, my dad will have already told her." Ning Songyun pulled Zhao Yu down to sit on the bed. "If I tell her myself, I’ll definitely get scolded and probably forced to move back, but it’s different when my dad says it. Once she gets back from her business trip, he’ll talk to her, and it'll be fine."
"The Commander is going on a business trip?"
"Yeah, heading to Beijing for a meeting." Ning Songyun’s eyes sparkled with gossip as she leaned toward Zhao Yu. "But enough about me—what about you? Tell me, what exactly happened today?"