Volume 1, Chapter 45: Overflowing Sense of Security

She had originally intended to clear her name and let Regiment Commander Huo see the true colors of that cheap wretch, but she had completely forgotten about the red ink.

"Which unit is she from? Weren't the guest lists subjected to strict screening? How on earth did someone like this manage to attend the social mixer?"

"Who else uses red ink besides someone from a school? Her ideological stance is truly problematic."

"Exactly. Just because she set her sights on Regiment Commander Huo, she refuses to let other female comrades dance with him. To be so domineering at such a tender age—her heart is rotten to the core. She should be paraded through the streets just like in the old society to undergo proper ideological reform. She ruined someone's perfectly good dress beyond repair; she must be made to pay compensation."

"I wonder if any red ink got onto my clothes as well."

The female comrades gathered around, pointing fingers and whispering while checking their own outfits for any stray drops of red ink.

The military officers also walked over one after another, casting strange, assessing glances at Fang Yu.

At that moment, standing under the collective scrutiny, Fang Yu felt as though she had been stripped bare of her clothes and thrown out into the open for all to see. Her cheeks burned as fiercely as boiling water.

The overwhelming shame and humiliation caused Fang Yu—usually so proud and conceited—to tremble in her hands and feet, the corners of her lips turning pale.

Su Wan stood behind Huo Xuehan. His tall, resolute figure shielded her almost completely, giving her an immense sense of security.

She turned her head slightly to look at the wretched and cornered Fang Yu, finally giving the other woman a taste of the "cyberbullying" and gossip-fueled ostracization she herself had once endured.

Every gaze directed at Fang Yu was like a sharp blade, piercing her flesh and making her wish the ground would swallow her whole.

Right now, all she wanted was to flee this place and run home to her mother.

"Pay up! Pay Comrade Tingting for her dress," Party Secretary Jiang said, blocking Fang Yu's path to prevent her from leaving, her voice stern and unyielding.

Student Su Wan had kindly stepped in to cover for the ailing Ruan Tingting; she could not let Comrade Su Wan be wronged. Besides, given that Fang Yu was a poor girl from the countryside, who knew—perhaps even the clothes she wore were borrowed.

Panicking like a cornered mouse, Fang Yu tried to slip away in another direction.

"That's right, pay for it!" Seeing this, the other nurse comrades spontaneously formed a human wall, blocking Fang Yu's escape route.

In the end, humiliated and furious, Fang Yu dropped a five-yuan bill, grabbed her cloth bag, and fled the auditorium with her face covered.

"Someone really should have pulled off her mask to see what she actually looks like, just in case we run into her again," one of the female comrades muttered under her breath.

With this minor interlude concluded, the social dance mixer was set to resume.

Political Commissar Liu stepped forward to smooth things over, inviting everyone back to the dance floor to continue dancing.

Party Secretary Jiang handed the five-yuan bill to Su Wan, wrapping an arm around her shoulders like a mother hen protecting her chick, partly to shield the red ink stain on the back of her skirt.

She turned to Political Commissar Liu and said, "Comrade Commissar, Tingting's clothes are soiled, so I'll let her head back early."

"I'll walk her back," Huo Xuehan said, picking up the handkerchief that had fallen to the floor, his dark eyes fixing on Su Wan.

If Fang Yu hadn't ripped the handkerchief away, he would never have known she was so dexterous with her hands.

Su Wan hastily clutched the hem of Party Secretary Jiang's jacket, shaking her head gently.

She absolutely could not blow her cover.

When Huo Xuehan had rushed forward to block her and stood firmly on her side, she had been genuinely taken aback.

If Huo Xuehan were to find out that she was Su Wan, there was no telling what might happen.

He would surely despise and push her away even more.

He would undoubtedly deduce that she was the one who had pilfered Fang Yu's sheet music.

"Regiment Commander Huo, you're a very busy man; there's no need to put yourself out," Party Secretary Jiang naturally wanted to avoid exposing the substitute arrangement. "I'll just walk her back."

"Let me grab a coat to cover her up," Huo Xuehan said, and dashed off before anyone could reply.

Political Commissar Liu stood with his hands behind his back, watching Su Wan with a broad smile, the crinkles at the corners of his eyes radiating kindness.

He had never seen that boy Huo Xuehan act so attentive before.

It seemed this young woman would be their future sister-in-law.

Su Wan had no desire to take Huo Xuehan's coat, knowing she would eventually have to return it. She whispered to Party Secretary Jiang, "Secretary Jiang, I'll just use the handkerchief to cover myself when I take the bus."

"Ah, Comrade Tingting, it's better to use a coat. What if the handkerchief falls off halfway?" Political Commissar Liu interjected.

At that moment, the clerk in charge of tallying the votes brought over the results. Upon glancing at them, Political Commissar Liu broke into a hearty laugh. "Comrade Tingting, your performance received the most votes by far—well over half the total. First place will be awarded a prize presented personally by our Regiment Commander Huo."

"What is the first-place prize?" Su Wan's eyes lit up with anticipation, her clear pupils sparkling.

Since school was about to start for her, what she needed most right now were stationery, notebooks, a satchel, and the like.

"Could it be a fountain pen?" she wondered to herself secretly.

The fountain pen she was currently using was the most basic Hero brand; the nib was warped and it leaked ink from time to time, making it virtually unusable.

If the prize turned out to be a fountain pen, she could save several yuan and skip buying one.

Political Commissar Liu smiled mysteriously. "You'll know as soon as Regiment Commander Huo gets back."

With that, he walked aside and muttered a few words in the clerk's ear.

The military club was located just a short distance from the barracks. Since Huo Xuehan had always possessed exceptional physical endurance, he sprinted to his dormitory, retrieved a brand-new, unworn military-green shirt from his locker, and returned in under two minutes.

Along the way, he bumped into the clerk who was hurrying back toward the compound.

Assuming something was amiss, Huo Xuehan paused to ask.

The clerk reported, "Regiment Commander Huo, the original first-place prize was two cans of mandarin oranges, but when the Commissar heard that Comrade Tingting wanted a fountain pen, he sent me to buy one."

"No need. I happen to have one in my office; I'll go get it."

Huo Xuehan recalled the American-made fountain pen an American expert had given him last year while he was stationed in the Northwest.

Shortly thereafter, he returned to the auditorium carrying both the military-green shirt and the fountain pen.

Su Wan accepted the first-place prize from Huo Xuehan's hands—a rectangular, weighty black box.

Judging by its appearance, it undoubtedly contained the fountain pen she had been hoping for.

"Thank you, Regiment Commander Huo, Political Commissar Liu," Su Wan said, holding the pen box and pressing her delicate red lips together in gratitude.

Dimples graced her cheeks, and her eyebrows curved like bright crescents under the moonlight.

This trip had certainly been worth it; she had even come out ahead.

Tying the military-green shirt around her waist, Su Wan prepared to leave alongside Party Secretary Jiang.

Suddenly, Huo Xuehan drew a handful of White Rabbit creamy candies from his pocket, his expression calm and steady. "Take these candies back with you to eat."

If Huo Xuehan had been offering them to Su Wan, she wouldn't have refused a free gift, but she was well aware that Huo Xuehan was giving them to Ruan Tingting.

She would not take a single needle of something that did not belong to her.

"No thank you, Regiment Commander Huo." Su Wan cast a glance at the candy, shook her head in refusal, and then pulled Party Secretary Jiang out of the auditorium.