Chapter 72 Wenxue's Jealousy

"Why?! Why does Jiang Wu have the right to do this?!"

Wenxue returned to her small, dimly lit single dormitory room, slammed the door shut, shutting out the chattering compliments and envious voices outside.

She looked at her own face in the mirror, distorted with jealousy, and trembled with rage.

The woman in the mirror had fair skin and delicate features; she had always been the center of attention since childhood. She was a pillar of the performing arts troupe and the "white moonlight" in the eyes of all the unmarried young men in the family compound.

She had always believed that a young, promising officer like Qin Lie should rightfully belong to her.

She had even fantasized countless times about wearing a pure white wedding dress, arm in arm with Qin Lie in his crisp military uniform, receiving everyone's blessings.

But reality slapped her hard in the face. Qin Lie not only married a country woman she looked down upon, but also spoiled her rotten. Now, that woman has transformed herself into a division commander's wife!

The words "Commander's wife!" pierced Wen Xue's heart like red-hot steel needles.

She could tolerate Jiang Wu being prettier than her, and she could tolerate Qin Lie being devoted to her, but she absolutely could not tolerate a woman who was inferior to her in every way, trampling her underfoot in terms of status and position!

She recalled drawing water from the well in the family compound a few days ago. Jiang Wu, heavily pregnant, wearing a light yellow, stylish dress, strolled over slowly.

She was surrounded by a group of military wives, treated like royalty. Zhou Nianci, with her loud voice, made no attempt to hide her boasting: "Our Xiaowu's outfit was designed by herself! Look at this fabric, Chief of Staff Qin specially asked someone to buy it from Shanghai—it's 'Dacron'! One foot of this fabric is enough for us to buy several pounds of meat!"

At that time, everyone's eyes were focused on Jiang Wu, filled with envy and amazement, while Wen Xue, the former center of attention, was left out in the cold, like a ghost. The humiliation of being ignored and outshone still burns in her heart to this day.

No! She absolutely couldn't let Jiang Wu continue to be so smug!

A crazy idea gradually became clear in her mind. She thought of someone—Li Weiguo, who had just retired from his position as deputy regimental commander and was now unemployed at home.

Li Weiguo and Qin Lie were notorious rivals. They joined the army in the same year and were promoted to officer in the same year, and had always been secretly competing with each other. Li Weiguo was arrogant and always thought he was better than Qin Lie, but every time he was at a crucial moment for promotion, he was always one step behind and Qin Lie would outmaneuver him.

This time, Qin Lie was promoted to deputy division-level chief of staff, while Li Weiguo was forced to retire to the second line early due to command errors during the exercise. The difference between the two is like heaven and earth.

The resentment in Li Weiguo's heart was probably deeper than anyone else's. If... if he could use his hatred for Qin Lie...

A calculating glint flashed in Wen Xue's eyes. She changed into a dress that best accentuated her figure, forced a pitiful expression in front of the mirror, and then walked out the door, heading straight for the row of bungalows in the far corner of the residential compound.

Li Weiguo's home was unusually quiet. Weeds grew rampant in the yard, and a thick layer of dust covered the windows. Wen Xue knocked on the door for a long time before an impatient "Who is it?" finally came from inside.

The door opened, and a strong smell of alcohol hit the door. Li Weiguo was wearing a wrinkled white vest, his hair was messy, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was holding a half-empty bottle of liquor.

Upon seeing that it was Wen Xue, a hint of surprise flashed in his cloudy eyes, which then turned into a cold laugh mixed with desire and self-mockery.

"Hey, isn't this our big star from the performing arts troupe? What brings you to this unlucky guy like me?" He leaned against the doorframe, his tone flippant.

“Brother Li, look at what you’re saying.” Wen Xue lowered her head, her voice tinged with grievance and a sob. “I…I came here specifically to see you.”

"Look at me?" Li Weiguo sneered. "Are you here to laugh at me, this stray dog? What, do you also want to congratulate me, congratulate that bastard Qin Lie, for climbing up by stepping on my shoulders?" He took a big gulp of wine, which dripped down his chin, making him look extremely disheveled.

"No! Brother Li, how could you think of me like that?" Wen Xue's eyes immediately reddened, and tears fell like beads from a broken string. "I know you're feeling bad. Actually... actually, I'm feeling bad too."

"What's bothering you?" Li Weiguo frowned.

“I…” Wen Xue bit her lip, looking hesitant to speak, “Brother Li, you know, I have always… admired heroes like you and Commander Qin. But he… he married Jiang Wu.”

"Now that he's been promoted, everyone's praising her, saying she's a division commander's wife and that she's lucky. But what about me? In what way do I not compare to Jiang Wu? Is it just because she was born into a good family and married a good man?"

Her tearful complaints pierced Li Weiguo's heart. Yes, in what way was he inferior to Qin Lie? Was it just because Qin Lie was lucky and won the gamble in the exercise? This world is so unfair!

Seeing the growing hatred in Li Weiguo's eyes, Wen Xue knew the time had come. She leaned closer, lowering her voice like a venomous snake flicking its tongue: "Brother Li, are you... really willing to let this go? Willing to watch those two, living in glory, trample you underfoot?"

"What can I do even if I'm unwilling?" Li Weiguo slumped down on the threshold, feeling utterly defeated. "I'm just an idle person now, with no influence or power. What can I do to fight him?"

"No, you do!" Wen Xue's eyes flashed with a crazed light. "Brother Li, even though you've retired, don't you still have a few brothers who would risk their lives for you in the logistics and equipment department? Especially Technician Wang, who's in charge of ship maintenance. I remember you were the one who promoted him when he got into the army, right?"

Li Weiguo suddenly raised his head, his eyes sharpening. "What do you want to do?"

Wen Xue leaned close to his ear and said, word by word, in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I heard that Qin Lie is going to lead a team out to sea again in a few days for a long-term secret mission. Once you're out at sea on this kind of mission, you're completely helpless..."

"The weather at sea is unpredictable. Isn't it normal for ships to encounter minor 'accidents' at sea?"

"For example... a certain part of the engine is aging a little faster. Or, the communication equipment has a poor signal at critical moments..."

With each word she spoke, Li Weiguo's face paled further. He wasn't stupid; he instantly understood the meaning behind Wen Xue's words. This was... this was going to kill Qin Lie!

"Are you crazy!" Li Weiguo shoved her away, looking at her in horror. "If this is discovered, you'll be court-martialed! You'll lose your head!"

"Discover? Who would discover it?" Wen Xue sneered. "The emperor is far away, and on the vast ocean, any accident will just be classified as an 'accident'! Who would think it was deliberate? Brother Li, think about it, as long as Qin Lie doesn't come back, his position as chief of staff will be vacant, won't it?"

“When the time comes, you can pull some strings. With your qualifications, you might have a chance to be reinstated, or even promoted! As for me…” She winked at Li Weiguo and lightly ran her fingers across his chest, “As long as you’re willing to help me out in the future, I… I’ll be yours.”

Beauty, power… immense temptations, like the devil's claws, scratched at Li Weiguo's heart. His breathing became heavy. He looked at Wen Xue's charming face, then thought of Qin Lie's smug face, and the scales in his heart began to tip violently.

He thought of all his years of hard work going to waste, of the whispers and gossip behind his back, of the dazzling aura of Qin Lie and Jiang Wu... Hatred and jealousy, like wildly growing vines, instantly devoured the last shred of his reason.

"Done!" he spat out the two words through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing with a crazed and vicious light.

Wenxue smiled. She knew her plan had succeeded.

A few days later, Qin Lie received a new mission. As the commander, he would lead a small scientific exploration team, aboard a modified exploration vessel, to an unfamiliar sea area to carry out a secret hydrological survey mission lasting one month.

The day before departure, Wang, the technician in charge of the ship's maintenance for this mission, contacted Li Weiguo.

"Brother Li, everything... everything has been done as you said." He wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face a little pale. "I replaced a critical oil pipe on the spare engine with an old pipe with a tiny crack. It's not noticeable under normal circumstances, but as long as the ship is operating at high intensity at sea, especially in rough seas, the engine overheats, and that pipe... could very well burst."

"What about the communication equipment?" Li Weiguo asked in a hoarse voice.

“I also tampered with it. I secretly loosened the interface of the main communication antenna and disguised it with special paint. Normally, short-range communication is fine, but once there is bad weather, strong electromagnetic interference, or if the distance to the base is too far, the signal will be interrupted.”

After listening, Li Weiguo remained silent for a long while, then took out a thick envelope from his pocket and stuffed it into Technician Wang's hand. "This matter is between heaven, earth, you, and me. If it's done, you'll be well rewarded. But if you dare divulge even a single word..."

"No... I wouldn't dare! Don't worry, Brother Li! I don't know anything!" Technician Wang's hands were trembling as he held the heavy envelope and ran away as if he were fleeing.

Li Weiguo stood in the shadows, watching Technician Wang's retreating figure, then looked towards Qin Lie's house. There, the lights were bright, and the faint, melodious strains of Jiang Wu playing the piano could be heard.

A sinister smile appeared on his face.

Qin Lie, this time, let's see how you come back!

ps:

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