All eyes turned to Xu Ruantang.
Xu Ruantang blinked. She really was being shot even while sitting down!
She didn't speak, but someone else did.
Jia Shuling scoffed, "Shuhe, you wouldn't be thinking of performing with her, would you?"
Her face was practically overflowing with sarcasm. "Putting aside the fact that she's not from our performing arts troupe, and that others don't know her capabilities, you're a frequent visitor to my house, don't you know that?"
Jia Shuling was practically saying that Xu Ruantang was a country bumpkin from the countryside, what could he possibly do, what could he perform on stage, and who would be the most embarrassing to perform?
She used to think that Li Shuhe was spoiled by her family, but now she started to think that she was stupid. No wonder she could hang out with this country bumpkin.
Li Shuhe was very angry, "I just wanted to perform with Ruan Ruan, what's it to you!"
What do you mean by "how much you weigh"? Jia Shuling, can't you speak properly? Your mouth is always so foul!
Li Shuhe is an outgoing person, but her upbringing has taught her that she rarely gets into conflicts with others.
Whenever someone gets ahead, it's because of loyalty to their friends.
Ordinary people wouldn't actively seek her out, since everyone knows who she is.
Right now, Jia Shuling was so angry that she started cursing, and no one was able to react for a moment.
Jia Shuling's face flushed red. As the troupe's mainstay, how could she possibly swallow her anger after being insulted like this to her face?
"How dare you swear at me?! Li Shuhe, you've gone too far. Let's stick to the facts. You can't win an argument, so you resort to rudeness. Do you have no manners at all?"
After Jia Shuling finished speaking, her face turned pale instantly.
In his haste, he even cursed the leader.
Li Shuhe's personality is very similar to Xu Ruantang's; otherwise, the two wouldn't have gotten along so well. She's also the kind of person who doesn't actively seek trouble, but isn't afraid of it either.
If someone bullies her, she'll back down even if it's just a minor squabble.
But if anyone bullies her friends or insults her family, they're asking for trouble.
Li Shuhe rolled up his sleeves, stood up, and walked towards Jia Shuling. It looked like the two were about to start fighting.
Xu Ruantang hugged her waist, "Calm down, calm down, we're still at the cultural troupe!"
Hitting someone is nothing, but cultural troupe members are still soldiers, and fighting will likely result in disciplinary action.
However, Li Shuhe was still angry, and even though she was being held by the waist, she still took two steps forward and kicked Jia Shuling in the shin.
"ah..."
Jia Shuling screamed exaggeratedly, and the scene became chaotic for a moment.
She also wanted to pounce on Li Shuhe, but Xu Ruantang, holding Li Shuhe, turned around and took advantage of the chaos to stomp on Jia Shuling's foot.
She screamed again.
What are you all doing?!
A shout interrupted the farce, and the crowd spontaneously dispersed. A man in his early forties stepped out from the crowd.
He was of medium build, with a square face that exuded righteousness. He glanced at the two troublemakers and said, "What's going on here? Someone explain this to me."
"Director, I kindly advised Shuhe not to treat the performance as a joke, but she wouldn't listen and even tried to hit me."
Jia Shuling clutched her leg, glaring angrily at Li Shuhe and Xu Ruantang.
“It’s not like whoever speaks first is right. Why don’t you say you’re calling me ill-mannered?!” Li Shuhe wasn’t afraid of her at all and immediately retorted.
"That wasn't because you called me foul-mouthed first!"
"You have a foul mouth, and you're not only foul-mouthed but also malicious. You're even jealous of your own niece-in-law. Just because she's prettier than you and married someone better, you can't stand seeing others doing better than you. But she is, and that's what makes you so angry!"
Li Shuhe spoke a long string of words in one breath.
Jia Shuling was so angry she almost fainted. If she hadn't dressed up carefully and her dress was clean, she would have sat down on the ground right now.
She held her head with one hand, wanting to argue further, but the leader scolded her, "Alright, stop talking."
Li Shuhe is the daughter of a high-ranking official, and Jia Shuling is a pillar of the government and a member of the Chen family. Wang Feng doesn't want to offend either of them.
He put his hands behind his back, adopting a businesslike demeanor, and said, "No arguing in the troupe. As for work, each person should just take care of their own business."
Wang Feng believed he was fair and impartial; even when women argued, there was no point in arguing.
He was about to say "Let's disperse" when someone interrupted him: "I'm afraid some people won't be able to manage themselves and will lose their chance to go on stage."
"Team leader, Li Shuhe hasn't registered for her performance yet. Today's the deadline, right? We can't give her special treatment just because of her status. Otherwise, it will alienate us all."
Wang Feng was baffled. "When did I say I would give anyone special treatment? Jia Shuling, I'm your regimental commander, don't just spout nonsense."
He came to mediate the lawsuit, but ended up getting entangled with it himself.
"That's good. Our cultural troupe can't tolerate people who don't have real skills!"
Jia Shuling was like she was under a spell, unleashing a torrent of attacks.
Xu Ruantang grabbed Li Shuhe, almost covering her mouth with her hand.
Jia Shuling clearly knows that she can't do anything and is deliberately provoking Li Shuhe. She can't fall for such a clumsy trick!
"Don't listen, she's doing it on purpose..."
"Commander, I want to submit a program to perform with Commander Chen's wife. One of us is an artist in the cultural troupe, and the other is a military dependent. Wouldn't that be in line with the spirit of August 1st?"
Li Shuhe spoke in a strong and clear voice, a provocative smile on her face as she looked at Jia Shuling.
Xu Ruantang was stunned by this sudden bad news; she hadn't even finished speaking!
She also wanted to advise Li Shuhe that impulsiveness is the devil!
Now I can only keep those words to myself.
There's still hope. It's not too late for her to speak up. Xu Ruantang gave a dry laugh, "Um... everyone's angry right now, don't..."
"Commander, this is a great suggestion. Didn't the leaders say last time that we should learn more from Commander Chen's wife? They suggested we organize more social events. If their performance goes well, the leaders will definitely give the party a lot of approval!"
Jia Shuling has a very loud voice; even as a solo singer, she couldn't wait to sing these words out.
This is going to elevate Xu Ruantang and Li Shuhe to the heavens!
A blatant case of flattery to kill.
If they can't perform, they'll become the laughing stock of the whole team!
Xu Ruantang closed his eyes, wanting to die on the spot again.
Her current fate is increasingly resembling that of a cannon fodder female supporting character, or perhaps even a transmigration story where she becomes a passerby in a CEO romance novel.
She looks just like Wang Ma!
Li Shuhe, however, was not afraid at all. "Yes, Commander, I'm signing up! It's not time yet."
Following everyone's gaze, Wang Feng also looked at Xu Ruantang.
He had heard of Commander Chen's wife, but he didn't live in the compound and had never met her in person.
This is the first time I've met him today. No wonder he's the most talked-about person in the compound.
Commander Chen has excellent taste; this girl is so beautiful and delicate. Sure enough, anyone who can marry into the Chen family is no ordinary person.
Wang Feng smiled and walked towards Xu Ruantang.
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