Qiu Tingting stepped down from the stage, and it was Ruan Jiqiu's turn to perform.
But she remained seated, unmoving, her expression blank.
The judges looked at her, a hint of confusion on their faces.
Regiment Commander Jiang's expression turned cold, and he reminded her, "Jiqiu, it's your turn."
Ruan Jiqiu was not his disciple; she had been trained by the previous head of the cultural troupe.
She had once been a promising talent, the star of the troupe.
It was hard not to feel a pang of sorrow seeing her reach this point.
With a heart burdened by unspoken troubles, Ruan Jiqiu went onto the stage in a daze.
Her dance steps began with the music, but she missed the beat almost immediately.
She tried to force herself to continue, but then saw the leaders in the judges' seats shaking their heads.
Her composure shattered, she froze on the spot, unable to move.
The judges' gazes felt like shards of glass, tearing at her dignity.
Before Commander Jiang could speak, she covered her face and fled the stage.
Cheng You and Song Qinglan, who had been watching from the audience, were stunned.
Cheng You looked at Qiu Tingting and asked softly, "Why is she in such bad shape today?"
Worse than any time before.
Qiu Tingting then told her about Ruan Jiqiu placing nails in her dance shoes.
Song Qinglan exclaimed, "You just let her get away with it? If it were me, I'd have stripped her skin off."
Qiu Tingting chuckled, "Today will be her last performance on stage."
Commander Jiang was a strict man; he wouldn't tolerate Ruan Jiqiu remaining in the troupe.
Cheng You and Song Qinglan exchanged glances. It was an unintended consequence.
Frankly, Ruan Jiqiu was too inept at handling people. If Zhou Xia had been on better terms with her, she wouldn't have reported her directly.
The matter was settled. The moment Ruan Jiqiu committed her wrongdoing, retribution was sealed.
Cheng You lost interest in how Ruan Jiqiu would be dealt with and left early after saying her goodbyes.
As she stepped out, she heard Ruan Jiqiu and Zhou Xia arguing.
Neither of them retained any of their former dignity, hysterically clawing at each other's vulnerabilities.
"Zhou Xia, look in the mirror. No wonder my brother doesn't like you. It serves you right to be left alone, it serves you right that my brother is with another woman! A woman like you can't even hold onto my brother if you have a child!"
Zhou Xia, driven to the brink of madness, let out a roar, "I'll tear your mouth off!"
She lunged forward, grabbing Ruan Jiqiu by the hair, and the two began to brawl.
Cheng You paused, contemplating whether to intervene and break up the fight.
Zhou Xia, having recently given birth and not fully recovered, lacked the strength to fight Ruan Jiqiu.
Cheng You sighed. It was her soft heart.
Resigned, she stepped forward, grabbing Ruan Jiqiu a few times and then began to subtly favor Zhou Xia.
With her help, Zhou Xia began to gain the upper hand, beating down on Ruan Jiqiu.
Ruan Jiqiu's voice was a shrill cry, "Cheng You, why are you pulling me? She's hitting me, why aren't you pulling her!"
Cheng You remained silent. What was there to say when you knew you were taking sides?
By the time Commander Jiang and his men rushed out to break up the fight, Ruan Jiqiu's face was a bruised mess.
It looked painful.
Cheng You clapped her hands and glanced at the red marks on her hand, not paying them much mind.
Zhou Xia was in better shape than Ruan Jiqiu, but she also had several injuries on her face.
Cheng You's soft heart acted up again. "Do you want to come to my place to put some medicine on it?"
Zhou Xia stared at her, "Do you know Ruan Tianyang is with another woman?"
Cheng You's expression faltered. "I don't know Ruan Tianyang well."
"But you know about this." Zhou Xia didn't know why, but she felt Cheng You knew.
Cheng You didn't deny it anymore.
She knew, but she had no standing to tell Zhou Xia.
Even if she did, Zhou Xia might not believe her.
Zhou Xia gave a bitter laugh. "I knew he had a woman he liked long ago. My parents both told me not to marry him."
But she loved Ruan Tianyang, uncontrollably. She loved him dearly.
Yet, that love had been slowly eroded by disappointment.
"I'll head back now. Thank you, Cheng You. I'll handle the rest myself."
Cheng You watched her dejected figure and suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
Given Zhou Xia's personality, she would likely endure suffering silently.
Most women would tolerate things for the sake of their children.
A few days later, to Cheng You's surprise, Zhou Xia caused a scene at the military compound.
Feng Xue and Cheng Tao were both there, so she sought them out.
Zhou Xia, holding a knife, intended to stab Feng Xue.
However, Feng Xue used Cheng Tao as a shield.
By the time Cheng You was brought there by Sister He, Cheng Tao had already been sent to the military hospital, leaving only a pool of blood on the ground.
Sister He's expression was complex. "This goes to show, you can't bully someone too much just because they seem honest. Feng family's adopted daughter has really brought trouble upon herself. If she wants a boyfriend, she should pursue one properly, why provoke someone who is already married?"
Cheng You mused, "Zhou Xia will probably go to jail."
"She should. Not only did she stab Cheng Tao, but I heard she also stabbed Ruan Tianyang. I don't know how badly he's injured."
Sister He spat, "Ruan Tianyang deserves it. He deserves to be stabbed to death!"
In this whole affair, the only innocent one was Cheng Tao, who suffered a misfortune out of the blue.
A shadow fell over Cheng You's face, a bitter sadness filling her heart.
After Zhou Xia was imprisoned, her child would undoubtedly not be treated well.
She returned home in low spirits. A moment later, Song Qinglan walked in.
"Don't think she's so pitiful after being stabbed. She's actually benefited from this misfortune."
Cheng You raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"The Feng family's elderly couple are kind-hearted. They seem stern, but they dote on their granddaughter. Now that Cheng Tao is injured, they've rushed to take her back. Isn't that benefiting from misfortune?"
Song Qinglan disdained Cheng Tao, believing that if the Feng family truly took her back, there would be more troubles ahead.
Cheng You smiled faintly. "That's their family matter; we can't interfere."
"Exactly. If I say too much, I'll end up being the bad guy." Song Qinglan fanned herself; the weather was getting hotter and hotter.
Cheng You merely smiled without speaking, idly trimming the branches of a moon orchid.
In the following days, the entire compound buzzed with gossip about Ruan Tianyang.
Director Ruan of the Women's Federation hadn't left her house for several days, mainly out of embarrassment.
Ruan Jiqiu had been expelled from the troupe and was now idle at home, acting like a madwoman all day.
As for Ruan Tianyang, after being stabbed by Zhou Xia, he was subsequently fired by the newspaper.
His only child was left unsupervised, and she, as his great-aunt, had taken the child in.
She now deeply regretted ever having introduced the two of them.
She had ruined Zhou Xia's life.
Besides all this, Cheng You knew some unmentionable things.
For example, Ruan Tianyang's reproductive organ was stabbed by Zhou Xia, rendering him unable to have children in the future.
The innocent Cheng Tao was stabbed in the uterus by her, and due to heavy bleeding, doctors had to remove it overnight.
The Feng family elders still hadn't dared to tell her this cruel truth.