"With me here, no one will bully you."

Shen Ying also heard the discussions outside. His face showed displeasure, and he spoke decisively. What happened in the dressing room last time was unavoidable, but now there was no reason for them to be alone together. He felt he could protect Jiang Yu.

"I'm going home this afternoon, then they won't be able to bully me even if they want to. You should think about how to get out of this situation yourself. After all, Comrade Deng Wei is Commander Bai's daughter, and she likes you so much."

Jiang Yu combed her hair and snorted twice. If it weren't for a woman's jealousy, she and Deng Wei would have been completely unrelated. Now, because of this man, she'd gotten herself into so much trouble, and the thought of it made her very unhappy.

"I don't like her."

The man vehemently denied it, interpreting the other person's tone as jealousy. He had never faced this situation before, and even if he had, he would have remained silent and pretended not to see it.

Jiang Yu gently placed the comb on the table and said nothing more. Actually, these were unnecessary explanations, and she herself wasn't really willing to listen.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door. To ease the awkwardness, Shen Ying quickly went over and opened the door.

Bai Chen came in from outside, looking travel-worn, and after closing the door, he couldn't stop complaining:

"I'm really fed up. Those female soldiers outside are making so much noise I'm about to run out of oxygen. That Yuan Shuhui even stopped me and asked about my whereabouts. As far as I know, those who went out today probably didn't have a peaceful time."

His description sounded exaggerated, as if he were looking forward to a good show.

"Sister-in-law, why don't you rest here? Ying and I will go out to town."

Seeing that Jiang Yu was dressed neatly, they guessed that she was going with them and kindly reminded her.

"Why should I hide? Niannian and Suisui are waiting to eat the delicious food I bring back. Don't waste time, or we won't be able to finish shopping."

After she finished speaking, she opened the door. Bai Chen glanced at Shen Ying and, seeing that he remained indifferent, obediently followed behind him and closed the door behind him.

The hotel wasn't in a remote location; a short walk would take you to a bustling area. There were many novelties here that you couldn't find in the city, and Jiang Yu picked out quite a few, her hands soon overflowing with items.

Shen Ying paid the bill behind him, and as they walked, he spotted a hairpin in front of a stall. The hairpin was carved with a wild goose, its lifelike appearance truly beautiful.

Just as he was about to ask about the price, a slender, delicate hand reached out before him. Looking up, he saw a strange woman whose attire seemed out of place among them.

With her long, curly hair, bubble skirt, and little leather shoes, she looked every bit the Western young lady, leaving Bai Chen, who was standing not far away, completely mesmerized.

She examined the hairpin in her hand for a moment, asked about the price again, politely put it down, and left without looking back.

Jiang Yu watched this scene from afar, sensing something was amiss. Sure enough...

"This woman's attire is a bit unusual; she must be someone important, right?"

"You don't recognize her? Isn't this Bai Ling, the famous niece of Commander Bai who studied abroad?"

"It's her, it really is her."

As the commotion grew louder, the snacks in Jiang Yu's hand scattered on the ground, causing her to momentarily lose her composure.

'Bai Ling, the female lead in the story, is so beautiful. No wonder she's Shen Ying's official love interest; I never imagined the author was the real darling!'

Thinking about this, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She had a feeling that, without realizing it, she had fallen for Shen Ying.

Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it too much. After all, her main goal right now is to make money.

"Jiang Yu, what are you thinking about?"

Chen Ying's voice disrupted her thoughts. The woman shook her head, her face looking even worse than if she were crying. She composed herself and inwardly scolded herself for being melodramatic.

"No, it's just that I feel like if I keep buying so much candy, my two kids will get cavities."

She pretended to be nonchalant and tried to smooth things over, but little did she know that Shen Ying had seen through all her little actions.

Without a second thought, the man took out the hairpin from his hand and waved it in front of Jiang Yu for a long time, as if he was deliberately trying to amuse her.

"Then buy something else to take back with you."

Shen Ying's words were gentle, and Jiang Yu couldn't adapt to them for a while, so she turned her head away, deliberately avoiding looking at him. Bai Chen, who was not far away, stared at the 'Western young lady' for a long time, until he heard everyone talk about her background before he regained his senses.

This world is a huge network of relatives. If you dig up the identity of any woman on the street, she might just be Bai Chen's cousin.

Looking listless, he checked the time and urged the two to go back.

The vehicles were already parked in the hotel courtyard. Given Deng Wei's current status, Commander Zhou wanted her to ride in a car, but she refused outright.

“Although my background has been revealed, I’m not the kind of person who would climb the social ladder. Besides, my father said I can continue to live in the military. Since I’ve already made the choice, I can’t keep thinking about getting special treatment. I’ll just stay the same as before.”

Hearing Deng Wei's words, Commander Zhou couldn't help but feel gratified, thinking that the soldiers he led were indeed excellent. Little did he know that her real purpose in staying on the bus was simply to remain closer to Shen Ying.

She used to be just an ordinary performing arts soldier, so it was normal for men not even to look at her properly. But things are different now; she's now the eldest daughter of the Bai family. Just that status alone makes countless people want to climb the social ladder.

I don't believe Shen Ying wouldn't have any thoughts on this.

After everyone boarded the bus one by one, Deng Wei immediately spotted the man. Seeing him shielding Jiang Yu with his whole body, as if afraid she would be jostled by others, her anger flared up.

"Shuhui, the journey back is quite boring. How about we play a little game?"

After Deng Wei finished speaking to Yuan Shuhui, the two of them started interacting with everyone in the car, regardless of whether the others wanted to or not.

Because everyone was still awake and not sleepy, and given Deng Wei's current status, everyone was very enthusiastic about participating.

She gave Yuan Shuhui a wink, and the other woman understood and walked up to Jiang Yu.

"Mrs. Shen, we're going to play a song guessing game. Why don't you join us?"

Her expression seemed to hide a knife behind a smile. Jiang Yu instinctively refused, but Yuan Shuhui had already guessed it and stopped her in the first place.

"What, do you not even know what a song is? Or is it that a leader like Battalion Commander Shen would be embarrassed if his wife couldn't even sing one or two revolutionary songs?"

"I don't need any so-called face, and there probably won't be any further interaction between us, so try to stay out of our sight in the future."

Shen Ying wouldn't give Yuan Shuhui a chance to use moral blackmail, and he had already said he would protect Jiang Yu, regardless of whether it was a false accusation or a verbal attack.