At the military's group wedding, my best friend and I swapped husbands.

Chapter 73 Can I... read this?

The veteran cadre cleared his throat. "A total of eight comrades have made it to the second round of interviews. Those whose names I'm calling will have their interviews at 8:00 AM the day after tomorrow, still here."

He read out the names one by one.

When Wang Xiuying's name was read, she breathed a sigh of relief, straightened her back, and smiled again.

When she read "Su Wanwan," her voice was exceptionally clear.

Su Wanwan nodded gently.

"In addition," the old cadre paused, his gaze sweeping across the audience before finally settling on Su Wanwan, a smile spreading across his face.

"Special commendation to Comrade Su Wanwan. Without any accompaniment, she delivered a complete and beautiful performance of classical dance, showcasing the spirit of our artists in overcoming difficulties and focusing on their craft. After evaluation, Comrade Su Wanwan ranked first in the preliminary round. Let's all learn from her!"

"Wow—" Another round of applause.

the first!

First place in the preliminary exam!

Wang Xiuying's smile completely vanished, becoming stiff and distorted.

the first?

Is Su Wanwan number one?

What about yourself?

Where do I rank?

She wasn't even ranked!

Why only praise Su Wanwan?

The immense sense of loss and jealousy gnawed at her heart like venomous snakes.

She thought Su Wanwan would be her stepping stone, but she never expected to become the supporting character instead!

After the preliminary test ended, the crowd began to disperse.

Su Wanwan packed her things and had just stepped out of the auditorium when Wang Xiuying stopped her.

"Su Wanwan!" Wang Xiuying's voice was a little shrill, and she tried to force a smile, but it looked worse than crying. "Congratulations, you danced really well. But... didn't you say you were going to dance the one I recommended? Why did you change it at the last minute? I was so looking forward to it for nothing."

There were still people nearby who hadn't gone far, and they slowed down when they heard the noise.

Su Wanwan looked at her, her face still gentle and kind: "Sister Xiuying, thank you for your suggestion. But after thinking about it, I realized I haven't practiced the 'Silk Road Flower Rain' dance for a long time, and I'm a bit rusty. I'm afraid I might not perform it well and leave a bad impression on the leaders. It would be safer to perform something I'm more familiar with."

Her tone was sincere, and her eyes were clear, as if she were truly just being cautious.

Wang Xiuying choked, her prepared questions falling flat like a punch to cotton.

She couldn't very well say, "That dance was designed to make you dance badly and embarrass yourself," so she could only grit her teeth and say, "Then... then you danced so well, why didn't you say so sooner? I was even sincerely giving you advice."

"I'm so grateful to Sister Xiuying for giving me this advice."

Su Wanwan smiled, her voice soft yet clear, "No matter which dance I dance, I always try my best. And it turned out pretty well; the leaders and colleagues approved. Aren't you happy for me, Sister Xiuying? Or... do you think I definitely wouldn't have done well in the one you recommended, and wouldn't have gotten first place?"

That last question, though asked lightly, was like a needle, precisely piercing Wang Xiuying's most vulnerable spot.

Wang Xiuying's expression changed, and she opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but she couldn't utter a single word.

What could she say?

Saying, "Yes, I just want you to dance badly"?

There are so many people watching around.

How could she say that?

Looking into Su Wanwan's calm and unwavering eyes, she suddenly realized that this usually gentle and soft-spoken capitalist's daughter was anything but simple.

"I...of course I'm happy for you." Wang Xiuying squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, her smile unable to hold any longer. She turned and left, her steps hurried, almost tripping over her own skirt.

Su Wanwan watched her somewhat disheveled figure and breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Weiwei suddenly appeared out of nowhere, grabbed her arm, and excitedly whispered, "Wanwan! That's amazing! First place! You slapped Wang Xiuying's face so hard it was swollen! Look at the way she looked just now, haha!"

"Weiwei, keep your voice down." Su Wanwan tugged at her, feeling happy but mostly reassured.

"What are you afraid of! We got first place through our own abilities!" Lin Weiwei raised her chin slightly, then leaned closer mischievously, "Hey, did you see that? Bai Rongbei just ran over with a radio, too bad you didn't get to use it. But you danced so well, even without accompaniment, it was amazing!"

Su Wanwan was taken aback: "He... went to borrow a radio?"

"Looks like it! You're all sweaty from running." Lin Weiwei blinked. "Your Commander Bai is pretty good."

Su Wanwan's heart stirred, and a warm current quietly spread through her.

At this moment, Bai Rongbei also came over and congratulated Su Wanwan, "Wanwan, congratulations on passing the preliminary test."

Su Wanwan smiled and replied cheerfully, "Bai Rongbei, thank you for borrowing the radio for me."

Speaking of the radio, Bai Rongbei's eyes showed a hint of sadness. He apologized and said, "I did borrow it, but it wasn't used. I'm late, and I didn't even get to see the whole dance you were performing."

Listening to Bai Rongbei's words, Su Wanwan felt that Bai Rongbei was still regretting that he was late and hadn't finished watching her dance.

Could it be that he really wants to see me perform on stage?

Su Wanwan quickly replied, "It's alright, it's alright, we'll use it during the second and final exams!"

Bai Rongbei nodded and said nothing more.

"Let's go home!" Lin Weiwei said excitedly, putting her arm around Su Wanwan's shoulder. "We have to celebrate!"

After lunch.

The afternoon sun wasn't so harsh anymore, so Bai Rongbei changed into a clean military uniform and went out with Su Wanwan, one after the other.

There were few people on the road, and the wind from the Gobi Desert was blowing, carrying heat.

The two walked slowly, with Su Wanwan lagging slightly behind. Looking at Bai Rongbei's tall and straight back, she hesitated for a moment before asking, "Um... does that spot still hurt?"

Bai Rongbei didn't stop walking: "Much better."

"Oh..." Su Wanwan didn't know what to say next. She was actually a little nervous; going to see that kind of injury... was too embarrassing.

"The doctor's surname is Hu. He was a military doctor before he retired. He's tight-lipped," Bai Rongbei suddenly said, as if to comfort her. "It's okay if he can't be cured. It's an old ailment."

His tone was calm, revealing no emotion. But Su Wanwan felt a pang of sadness. He seemed to have gotten used to it, or rather, resigned himself to his fate.

"It's never a bad idea to go and take a look," she whispered, as if speaking to herself, and also as if speaking to him.

Bai Rong glanced at her from the north side of his head, then said nothing more.

Dr. Hu lived on the edge of the camp in a small, separate mud-brick house, surrounded by a small courtyard with a fence, where some drooping herbs were planted.

Bai Rongbei knocked on the door.

A hoarse but booming voice came from inside: "Come in! The door's unlocked!"

Pushing open the door, the room was a bit dark and filled with a strong smell of Chinese herbal medicine.

An old man wearing a faded old-fashioned shirt and with messy, gray hair was looking at a worn-out thread-bound book through the window, wearing reading glasses.

"Dr. Hu," Bai Rongbei called out.

Old Hu raised his head, squinted at him, and said, "Oh, the Bai family lad? What a rare guest."

He glanced again at Su Wanwan behind Bai Rongbei, his eyes sharp. "This is... my wife?"

"Mm." Bai Rongbei nodded.

"Alright, sit down." Old Hu closed his book, pointed to the only two stools in the room, and asked, "Are you feeling unwell? Want to go to the usual spot?"

He asked directly, and Bai Rongbei answered just as readily: "Yes. Also... I accidentally bumped into something last night."

Old Hu grunted in agreement and stood up: "Come into the inner room, let me take a look."

The inner room was even darker, containing only a narrow bed covered with a straw mat. Old Hu lit a kerosene lamp and gestured for Bai Rongbei to lie down.

Bai Rongbei lay down as instructed, glancing at Su Wanwan who was still standing at the door of the outer room.

Su Wanwan's face flushed red; she didn't know whether to go forward or retreat.

Old Hu clicked his tongue: "What's there to be embarrassed about, daughter-in-law? Come in, close the door behind you, don't let the wind blow in."

Su Wanwan was stunned.

No, he's checking that spot, what would I be doing going in there?

Do you expect me to keep watching him the whole time?