Qin Fang

Seeing Feng Aiyun was already in high spirits before the matter was even settled, Meng Cheng had no choice but to pour cold water on her: "The person hiding behind the scenes spreading rumors should be arrested, but if you want to solve the current predicament, this alone is far from enough."

Feng Aiyun was stunned: "...What do you mean?"

"There's a saying that goes 'It takes only one mouth to spread rumors, but it takes a lot of effort to refute them.' By the end of tonight, the rumors about you and Captain He will surely be known to everyone in the compound, and may even spread throughout the garrison."

Although the means of communication at that time were backward, rumors spread very quickly. Before lunch, only a small number of people in the compound knew about the rumors about Feng Aiyun. By dinner, only the officers who did not come back for lunch did not know about it.

After the meal, these officers who originally knew nothing about the incident probably heard about it from their wives at home.

Realizing what Meng Cheng meant, Feng Aiyun said, "I know it's hard to dispel rumors, but as long as I can prove that it was Captain He who plotted against me, the rumors should be broken by themselves, right?"

"That's true in theory, but I've dealt with Captain He several times and I know him a little bit. He's a thoughtful person and he's very cautious and never takes risks."

It is a good thing not to be reckless, but being overly cautious becomes timidity. This is also the main reason why Captain He has been promoted to battalion commander for several years but has not been able to move forward any further.

Meng Cheng continued, "He dared to set this trap for you, so he must have thought of a way out. So I don't think he spread the rumor himself. In order to avoid being exposed, he probably used someone else to do it."

"I've thought about what you said, but as long as we can find Qin Fang or a third person and get their confession, we should be able to prove that Captain He was behind this, right?"

"It's very difficult. Whether he planned it or not, it's useless to rely solely on the testimony of the rumormonger behind the scenes. When he was pointed out, he could just play dumb or say he was framed."

Feng Aiyun asked again, "Should we cheat him?"

Meng Cheng just asked: "Have you forgotten what he does?"

Feng Aiyun fell silent.

"He basically knows everything I know, so it's not easy to deceive him. And given his prudence, even if he teams up with Qin Fang or a third person, he won't leave any witnesses or evidence. Even if you go through great pains to find the person who spread the rumor, it'll be easy for him to distance himself from the matter."

After listening to Meng Cheng's analysis, Feng Aiyun had to admit that she was still too naive.

Of course she was unwilling in her heart, but she had to admit that she could not compete with Captain He in terms of scheming, and she had no way to drag Captain He into the water in the short term.

But she was not completely stupid. She knew that the most urgent task was not to make Captain He get retribution for his evil deeds, but to prove her innocence and avoid being tied to Captain He.

Although she was angry, Feng Aiyun could only try to remain calm and asked helplessly, "I just want to prove my innocence. Is it not possible to cut off all ties with him?"

"It's easy for you to distance yourself from him, but it's hard to prove your innocence."

"Why?"

Meng Cheng did not answer Feng Aiyun, but from his eyes, she understood the reason.

Because she had pursued Zhai Mingqiu passionately without fear of what others might say.

Although Zhai Mingqiu's personal conditions are much better than Captain He's, outsiders will not suspect that the scandal between Feng Aiyun and Captain He is false just because of their different conditions.

They only believed that Feng Aiyun was an unrestrained woman who was capable of having an ambiguous relationship with Captain He, based on the fact that she had boldly pursued Zhai Mingqiu.

Therefore, unless she could produce actual evidence to prove that Captain He was involved in the plot, she would not be able to prove her innocence even if she could find out Qin Fang or a third person.

Feng Aiyun never imagined that the boldness and passion with which she once pursued love would now turn into a sharp arrow, piercing her heart.

Watching the expression on Feng Aiyun's face change from happiness to anger and then to defeat, Meng Cheng couldn't bear to look away.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with Feng Aiyun's pursuit of Zhai Mingqiu. He had also been torn between two minds for someone before, but he was a more introverted person and couldn't pursue someone passionately, so he chose to lie low and wait.

Although he waited for that opportunity and was able to be with Ye Min, and Feng Aiyun failed, he still admired her.

However, his personal opinion does not represent that of others, and he is also aware that in the eyes of most people, Feng Aiyun is the odd one out. So after her unsuccessful pursuit of Zhai Mingqiu, her reputation in the place where she is stationed has not been good.

Meng Cheng believes that this is most likely one of the reasons why Captain He chose Feng Aiyun.

Although Captain He was divorced, people are always more tolerant of men than women, not to mention that the reason for his divorce was his wife's infidelity. After learning about this, he not only did not retaliate against her, but also chose to forgive and bless her.

What he did was simply that of a saint!

Before Captain He got divorced, many people in the compound complained that he was cold-blooded because he sent Wei Chunhua back to her hometown. But after the divorce, Captain He's reputation took a 180-degree turn, and now everyone thinks he is an honest man.

In this way, he plotted against Feng Aiyun. As long as there is no solid evidence, it will not be easy for him to get away with it. What's worse, he can take the opportunity to sell himself badly and portray himself as an honest man who was deceived.

If Feng Aiyun's character is not strong enough and she cannot withstand the rumors, she will have to get married even if she doesn't want to.

But because of Feng Aiyun's tolerance, Meng Cheng did not say these words, but said: "It's not completely impossible."

Feng Aiyun, who was in agony, asked quickly, "What can we do?"

"Captain He is so confident because he has a good reputation. If you can prove that he is not what he seems, maybe things will turn around."

"But how can I prove that he is not what he seems?" After such a heavy blow, Feng Aiyun found it difficult to think positively. She frowned and said, "You said it yourself that he is a very cautious person. Does he have a braid? Do you know his braid?"

Meng Cheng showed a helpless expression: "I don't deal with him much, so I don't know much."

Feng Aiyun was not surprised, but still couldn't help but feel disappointed: "It seems there is no way."

Ye Min suddenly said, "Not necessarily."

"What?"

"Do you remember why Captain He got divorced?"

Feng Aiyun heard Ye Min talk about this and nodded quickly: "I remember, it was because Wei Chunhua cheated on me."

"When I first heard about this, I felt very offended. Let's not talk about Wei Chunhua first, let's look at Captain He. If he really was the one who plotted against you this time, do you think he can be an honest person?"

Feng Aiyun answered without hesitation: "Of course not!"

"Then do you think that a man as thoughtful as him would really forgive his wife and the adulterer after being cheated on by her, and wish them happiness?"

"I don't think so," Feng Aiyun shook his head, a little uncertain, "but I can't say for sure. If he was plotting against me, then I think he is not only scheming, but also quite hypocritical." It seems reasonable for a hypocritical person to grit his teeth and swallow these things for the sake of reputation.

Ye Min felt that Feng Aiyun was still too naive, so she looked at Meng Cheng and asked, "If it were you, and you found out that I was..."

Before Ye Min finished speaking, Meng Cheng's face darkened: "No!"

"Not even for fame?"

"I can't do it to you, but I will never let you go..." Meng Cheng couldn't bring himself to say the word "adulterer", so he could only gloss over it. But when he spoke again, he had already given up the assumption, "Destroying a military marriage is a crime. Captain He doesn't need to do it himself if he wants to take revenge on the adulterer. As long as he finally expresses his willingness to forgive Wei Chunhua for the sake of the child, but cannot continue to live with her, he can still get a divorce and turn around his reputation."

"That's right! So I always thought it was strange what Captain He did after he found out his wife was cheating on him."

It was just that Ye Min didn't know Captain He very well at that time, and she didn't want to think badly of him, so she suppressed this sense of discord. Now that she knows that he was plotting against Feng Aiyun behind her back, and his true character is not what he shows, the sense of discord that was suppressed before has resurfaced.

Ye Min said, "I think this is a good starting point, but if you want to know what's going on, you can only go to Captain He's hometown to check. I don't think you can do it alone."

Feng Aiyun felt that what Ye Min proposed was indeed a solution, but the problem did exist. He couldn't think of a better idea, so he had to continue to ask the two people in front of him: "What do you think I should do?"

Meng Cheng did have a solution, but he didn't say it directly. He asked indirectly, "How does Deputy Division Commander Lu treat you?"

"Uncle?" Feng Aiyun was slightly stunned. "You mean, I should go back and ask my uncle for help?"

"Well, the deputy division commander has been in the army for decades. He must have many comrades all over the world, and he must have a lot of connections. This is not difficult, and he may be able to find someone to help."

Feng Aiyun looked hesitant. She didn't want her aunt to know about these things and worry about her.

But she changed her mind and realized that secrets could not be kept in the compound. Even if the news about aunt was delayed, she should have known it by now. Even if she didn't know it today, she would hear it tomorrow. It was impossible to hide it from her.

Now she asked her uncle for help. If he could find out something, the matter could be solved and her aunt would have less to worry about. But if she kept it a secret and the matter dragged on to the point where it could not be solved, she would be affected and her aunt would be sad.

Feng Aiyun no longer hesitated: "I will mention this to my uncle when I get back, but... do you think you can really find out what's wrong?"

Meng Chengshi said: "It's hard to say now."

Ye Min comforted him, "But no matter what, this is a road. If it works, that's great. If it doesn't, we can just try another road."

Feng Aiyun knew that Ye Min and his wife were sincerely trying to find a solution for her, and they could only help her so far. She could no longer be greedy and blame them for not being able to think of a better solution.

After all, she ended up in this situation mainly because she was not careful enough.

If she had taken it to heart when she first heard Ye Min mention her, and had been more cautious when Captain He approached her later, and had not said a word to him or eaten at the same table with him, things would not have come to this.

Thinking of this, Feng Aiyun forced a smile and said, "Thank you."

"We are all friends. You are welcome."

But even if they were friends, why should she take it for granted? She still regarded Qin Fang as a friend, but the other party was plotting against her behind her back.

The main reason why Ye Min was willing to spend so much time helping her find a solution was because she was a good person. She could no longer take these for granted as she did before.

"I still have to thank you. I will treat you to a meal after I finish my business."

This time Ye Min didn't hold back. She hugged her and said, "I hope everything goes well."

"Everything went well."

…

After returning from Ye Min's house, Feng Aiyun ran back to her aunt Feng Aiyun's house crying.

Aunt Feng Aiyun's home is on the east side of the family compound. The surrounding residents are of all ranks, either division commanders or deputy division commanders, or political commissars and deputy political commissars.

These houses were built in one year. They are two-story buildings with separate dining rooms and living rooms in each building, with five to eight rooms.

Aunt Feng Aiyun lives in a six-room house. The two children left by her uncle's ex-wife are already adults, one is doing scientific research in the northwest, and the other has gone to the southeast to serve in the army. So apart from her, there are only three permanent residents in the house: her aunt, uncle, and her little cousin who is still in junior high school.

Because of this, Feng Aiyun has been living in her aunt's house since she joined the army.

Many people think that Feng Aiyun has many shortcomings in her character. She does what she wants and doesn't talk much, but she can also be considerate. Because she knows that her uncle had a wife before and had two children, she never thought of bullying her colleagues no matter how bad their relationship was. She asked her aunt to ask her uncle to support her.

Even though she had been wronged in the quarrel with Nurse Liu before, she never came back crying. When her aunt asked her about it, she only talked about the time she had beaten someone so hard that his face was covered in blood.

Therefore, although Feng Aiyun's aunt Feng Xiuling had not heard the rumors, she was heartbroken when she saw her daughter running home crying.

When he brought her into the living room and listened to her explain the whole story, he became even more furious.

Feng Xiuling's husband Lu Wennian was in a high position and was more thoughtful. After listening to Feng Aiyun's story, he did not get angry, but asked: "Do you have any evidence for what you are saying now?"

Feng Xiuling was usually a gentle woman, but she couldn't help herself when she heard her husband say that. She glared and asked, "What do you mean? Do you think Aiyun could be attracted to that Captain He? Or is she deliberately using her own reputation to wrongly accuse them?"

"That's not what I meant," Lu Wennian suddenly felt a headache and quickly explained, "Of course I believe Aiyun is not that kind of person, but outsiders will not believe that she is innocent just because I say I believe her. If you want to distance yourself from her, you have to produce evidence."

Feng Xiuling was not satisfied with her husband's explanation and her brows were tightly wrinkled.

Feng Aiyun comforted her by saying, "Aunt, I know that my uncle is asking these questions for my own good." She then responded to Lu Wennian's question, "I don't have any evidence right now, but Captain Meng gave me an idea and told me to ask Qin Fang and Nurse Liu separately tomorrow."

Feng Aiyun did not hide anything and told Meng Cheng all the tricks of speaking that he had taught her.

Although Meng Cheng's rank was not high, he had worked very hard in the early years, and had been through life and death many times. His reputation for fearlessness had spread throughout the place where he was stationed. So Lu Wennian knew him, and was quite surprised to learn that it was he who had given Feng Aiyun the idea.

But when he learned that his wife and Feng Aiyun were good friends, he understood a little more and said, "It's a good idea, but it shouldn't be enough. Do you have anything to ask me for help?"

"How do you know?" Feng Aiyun was surprised and recalled what she had just said. That's right, she didn't say anything!

Feng Xiuling also looked at her husband in confusion.

A hint of smile flashed across Lu Wennian's eyes, and he pointed out, "You always report good news but never sorrow. If you didn't have something for me to do, you wouldn't have come back crying just now. I'm afraid you would have pretended nothing had happened and kept it a secret from your aunt for as long as possible."

Feng Aiyun felt a little embarrassed and lowered his head and touched his face.

Feng Xiuling felt even more distressed for her niece, and complained, "You girl, you want to hide such a big thing from me? Tell me what you want your uncle to do for you."

"It's like this..." Feng Aiyun repeated Meng Cheng's words, then told Ye Min's guess, and then said, "I can't do this, so I want to ask my uncle if he knows anyone in Captain He's hometown who can help find out the situation."

"I've also heard about Captain He's divorce, but everyone says there's something wrong with his wife," Feng Xiuling asked worriedly, "Can we go to his hometown and check to see if we can find out what's wrong?"

Feng Aiyun smiled bitterly: "I don't know either, but I have no better solution now."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiuling couldn't help but tear up: "How did it come to this?"

Seeing his wife sad, Lu Wennian comforted her: "Don't worry too much, there will always be a way. I will contact someone to go to He Ping's hometown to take a look, and also arrange for someone to check if there are any loopholes in his work over the years."

Lu Wennian said the second half of the sentence to Feng Aiyun, who couldn't help but have tears in her eyes, but was more filled with joy: "Thank you, uncle!"

…

Although she had an idea, Feng Aiyun did not sleep well that night. When she woke up the next day, she felt listless and anxious.

Thinking of Meng Cheng's instructions, she did not dare to reveal any uneasiness after arriving at the hospital and looked very calm.

But she only maintained her composure until she reached the door of the dressing room. Someone inside was talking about her loudly: "She is really greedy. Doctor Zhai doesn't like her, so he found a second-married woman with a child. Tsk!"

"Her reputation has long been ruined. It's good enough that Captain He likes her. How else can he choose?"

Some people couldn't stand it: "That's enough! The person involved didn't say anything, and the rumor may not be true, don't go too far!"

"Yeah, we are all colleagues after all, so you should be more polite in your words."

"What? She is allowed to be as fickle as a poplar flower and fall in love with everyone she meets, but we are not allowed to tell her?"

"That's right! Flies don't bite flawless eggs. If she and Captain He were fine, why would others spread rumors about them? I heard that her aunt was the stepmother. Who knows if this is a tradition in their family?"

Feng Aiyun was so angry that she was shaking all over. She raised her hand to push the door open, but as soon as she moved, she was held down by someone behind her. She turned around and saw it was Ye Min.

"Don't be impulsive."

Ye Min said softly, then pushed open the door of the locker room. After entering, she read out the names of the people who had just said bad things about Feng Aiyun.

The other party was talking behind his back, saying that he was caught red-handed, his eyes were a little dazed, and he asked in a weak tone: "Why are you calling our names?"

"Report it. As a public official, you spread rumors," Ye Min looked at the nurse who spoke last, "and insulted military families. You know the consequences."

One of the nurses asked: "We are all colleagues, you don't have to be like this, right?"

Ye Min sneered: "Now you know that we are all colleagues? Why didn't you think of it when you said bad things just now?"

Some people were dissatisfied and murmured, "She dared to do it, but others can't say it?"

"What did she do? Was she dating Captain He?" Ye Min asked without waiting for the other party to answer, "I'm telling you now, this is a rumor. Aiyun has nothing to do with Captain He. She was framed. As for the person who framed her, we have found him and have evidence. If you don't want to get involved, you'd better keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, you can't blame others if you are punished for spreading rumors!"

After Ye Min finished speaking, she pulled Feng Aiyun through the crowd and walked to the counter near the back.

As they walked in, the nurses who had said bad things about Feng Aiyun avoided them, and left the locker room as soon as they walked in.

The remaining military wives who had spoken for Feng Aiyun looked at each other. One of them stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Was Xiao Feng really being plotted against? Do you know who harmed her?"

"Of course I know."

"Who is it?"

"We have submitted the evidence to the military for review through the Women's Federation. We cannot disclose the relevant information until the results come out."

Several nurses stared at the same time: "Is this matter so serious? Do we need to submit it to the military for review?"

Ye Min said calmly, "Whether it's serious or not, we'll know once the results come out. The matter is still confidential, so please don't tell anyone."

Several people quickly assured: "Don't worry, we will definitely not tell anyone."

…

It was impossible not to tell anyone. Before halfway through the morning, what Ye Min said in the locker room had spread throughout the hospital.

Before ten o'clock, Feng Aiyun, who had temporarily adjusted his strategy and decided to wait and see because they had exchanged information in the morning, met Qin Fang in the pharmacy who came to inquire about the news.

Although Feng Aiyun and Ye Min had already revealed Qin Fang's involvement yesterday afternoon, Feng Aiyun couldn't help but clench her hands tightly the moment she looked up and saw her, her nails almost digging into her flesh.

Qin Fang, however, was unaware of this, with a false look of worry on her face: "Aiyun, are you okay? I heard the rumors about you and Captain He. I wanted to explain it to you, but no one believed me..."

Feng Aiyun didn't want to play along with her, so she asked coldly, "Do you want to talk to me about something?"

Her indifference made Qin Fang's heart skip a beat. Her uneasy heart became even more uneasy, and her expression also showed a little: "Aiyun, do you have any misunderstandings about me? I can explain it. Please don't be angry with me, okay?"

Today is a working day, and the pharmacy is not busy. Feng Aiyun was checking the inventory of medicines at the moment. When she heard Qin Fang's words, she simply stopped her work, crossed her arms and looked at her coldly: "Well, you explain it."

Through the transparent glass, Qin Fang glanced at the other people in the pharmacy, pursed her lips and said, "Can we find a quiet place to talk about this?"

"What are you doing..." Seeing her pleading look, Feng Aiyun paused in her impatient voice, and she pulled away her seat and stood up, "Wait for me for a moment."

"Yeah!" Qin Fang agreed immediately and stood aside.

Feng Aiyun picked up the two forms on the desk, walked to the female colleague at the back of the pharmacy under Qin Fang's gaze, and said in a low voice: "Can you help me go to the internal medicine department to find Ye Min?"

The female colleague looked at the two forms she brought over, which were completely unrelated to what she had said, and asked in confusion, "What do you want to see her for?"

"When you find her, just tell her that I have something to talk to her about."

The female colleague noticed something was wrong and asked hesitantly, "Is this urgent?"

"It's urgent. I need you to come over right after I leave."

"OK."

"Thank you." Feng Aiyun raised her voice, "Sorry to bother you with this form. I'll treat you to lunch at noon."

After saying that, Feng Aiyun stood up, walked through the pharmacy and out of the small door next to it with a smile on her face. But when she saw Qin Fang, the smile on her face disappeared, and she asked coldly, "Where are we going to talk?"

Qin Fang asked flatteringly, "Can we go to the back of the inpatient department?"

Feng Aiyun nodded indifferently and walked out first.

There is an open space behind the inpatient department with no other buildings. It is very quiet and suitable for saying some shameful things.

After standing still, Feng Aiyun asked directly: "What do you want to say?"

"Aiyun," Qin Fang was not so direct and wanted to play the emotional card, "You know, right? In my heart, I have always treated you as a friend..."

If Qin Fang had spoken directly, Feng Aiyun might have been willing to listen, but what she said made Feng Aiyun feel disgusted: "You treated me as a friend and you teamed up with others to plot against me? You treated me as a friend and you spread rumors about me everywhere? Qin Fang, do you really think I'm a fool?"

Qin Fang's heart skipped a beat at first, but when she heard Feng Aiyun say that she was the one who spread the rumor, she felt relieved: "Aiyun, you really misunderstood. I treat you as a friend. How could I possibly team up with others to plot against you? The rumor is even more nonsense. I only heard about this last night!"

"Ha!" Feng Aiyun sneered, "Do you think I have no evidence? I'm telling you the truth. My uncle has already found the two people who deliberately spread those rumors in front of Li Taozi. They confessed in person that the person who paid them to spread the rumors was a nurse in the hospital named Qin Fang."

Looking at Qin Fang's suddenly pale face, Feng Aiyun asked, "Besides you, is there another nurse named Qin Fang in our hospital?"

Qin Fang raised her voice and denied it flatly: "It wasn't me! I didn't hire anyone to spread rumors about you!"

Because Feng Aiyun's expression was too determined, and although those two people were found randomly, they were people near the commune after all. Feng Aiyun's uncle was the deputy commander of the division, and he might be able to mobilize a large number of people in a short period of time and dig deep into the ground to find them.

Therefore, Qin Fang did not doubt the truthfulness of Feng Aiyun's words at all, but thought that she was being cheated and that her name was used when bribing people.

Thinking that the matter had been reported to the army, and that she would definitely be doomed after the review results came out, Qin Fang's eyes flashed with viciousness, and she shouted loudly: "It's Liu Mei! The person who spread rumors about you is Liu Mei! She deliberately plotted against you because she had a quarrel with you before, and she was resentful. This matter really has nothing to do with me!"

Feng Aiyun didn't believe her and asked, "How dare you say you didn't plot against me? Captain He asked us to help his daughter choose clothes, and you agreed and left with the excuse of going to the restroom. How dare you say you didn't do it on purpose?"

"Yes, I admit that I did it on purpose, but that was because I thought you were also interested in Captain He, and I wanted to bring you two together. I really didn't have any bad intentions!"

Feng Aiyun smiled, but before she could say anything, Ye Min's voice came from behind the wall: "If you have any bad intentions, go and talk to the investigation team."

As the words fell, Ye Min walked around the wall and appeared in front of the two people. In Qin Fang's shocked eyes, he turned around and said, "President Yao, did you hear Qin Fang's words just now?"

"I heard it clearly." As the voice rang out, Yao Lin also walked around the wall.

And it wasn't just Yao Lin who came out, there were also the head of the security department, the union leader, the director of Qin Fang's department, and the head nurse.

Seeing these people appear one after another, Qin Fang finally reacted, turned to look at Feng Aiyun, and asked in disbelief: "You lied to me?"

"Yes, I was lying to you."

Feng Aiyun answered without any burden, and even felt a little pleased when he saw Qin Fang's shocked and angry eyes.

Qin Fang didn't feel guilty when she plotted against her, so why should she feel guilty when she fought back?

Anyway, they are no longer friends.