Chapter 42: Backstabbed

A woman named Zhang Hui, the fiancée of Major Zhan Di, was beautiful and charming, making her quite a standout at the garrison base. She disliked a girl named Qiu Qiu and found even another woman named An Jing's quiet demeanor irritating; she would pick fights with the two of them whenever the opportunity arose.

Qiu Qiu wouldn't just take it and would snap back, but An Jing was different; when angry, she would only press her lips tightly and glare. Seeing her like this only infuriated Zhang Hui, making her even more provocative.

Luo Bi sensed the underlying currents. Through hearsay, she learned that Qiu Qiu was the girlfriend Major Feng Ling was currently dating. Qiu Qiu was pure and lively, making her very popular at the garrison base, so it was somewhat understandable that the ever-haughty Zhang Hui would target her.

In truth, this originally had nothing to do with An Jing, but somehow, the perpetually quiet An Jing was caught in the crossfire every single time. None of the three women had anything good to say about each other, acting like sworn enemies.

It was a real-life palace struggle; it would be a waste not to watch. Luo Bi decided to remain a cold observer and tried her best not to get involved.

However, despite her best intentions, she was eventually dragged into it.

That happened three months ago. As Qiu Qiu's popularity grew, the conflicts between the women intensified. Zhang Hui and Qiu Qiu eventually came to blows, which caused quite a scene and even implicated Luo Bi, who had been standing far away.

Why?

It was almost laughable. Both Zhang Hui and Qiu Qiu had varying degrees of scratches from their scuffle, and An Jing, who had tried to break it up, had bruised her arm. Out of the four women, three were injured, while the other remained perfectly unscathed. Consequently, the men began looking at Luo Bi with strange expressions.

Feng Ling, in particular, after inspecting the injuries on Qiu Qiu's face, even coldly rebuked Luo Bi to her face: "The three of them were fighting, yet you just stood there watching."

These words were undoubtedly a displacement of anger. Luo Bi gave Feng Ling a puzzled look; she hadn't fought, at most she had just watched without intervening—was that a crime? What she found even harder to understand was An Jing's reaction. An Jing glared at Luo Bi fiercely, as if she held a deep-seated vendetta, acting as if all the fault lay with Luo Bi.

Simply insane. The thought alone made Luo Bi angry, so she turned and walked away.

Luo Bi's reaction seemed to confirm the men's suspicions, and the gazes cast upon her turned into mockery and dissatisfaction.

After this incident, Qiu Qiu stopped participating in any activities among the military dependents. Luo Bi guessed that Feng Ling, fearing someone might harm Qiu Qiu, had simply brought her under his own protection.

Luo Bi laughed this off. None of them were easy targets, and it was hard to say who would harm whom; at the very least, she had been inexplicably caught in a trap.

From then on, the relationships among the military dependents became subtle and strained.

Luo Bi did not live with Hua Chen, and seeing the atmosphere was off, she simply stopped going to the garrison base.

A month later, when Luo Bi returned to the base, Hua Chen told her that Qiu Qiu had secretly married a Lieutenant Colonel named Rong Peijun, whose military rank was one level higher than Feng Ling's. It was said that although he belonged to the Third Army Corps, he was stationed on the Imperial Star, and more importantly, he came from a prestigious family.

Supposedly, the marriage was very rushed; they took an airship to the Imperial Star that very afternoon, leaving Feng Ling unable to even catch them to settle the score.

This news came as quite a shock to Luo Bi. Given Feng Ling's appearance, ability, and military rank, it seemed somewhat unreasonable for Qiu Qiu to abandon him.

Luo Bi shook her head. Aside from feeling surprised and regretful, she felt a faint sense of schadenfreude, but she could accept it. In the future, human emotions were thin, and interpersonal relationships focused on interests. Qiu Qiu was smart; she must have chosen what was most beneficial to her.

Everyone has their own ambitions; one cannot force them.

(End of Chapter)