That single sentence instantly drew every wandering gaze back to the commotion around Song Weiran.
Even the three people at the center of it all turned at once.
Song Chutong lifted her brows slightly, meeting their stunned expressions without the slightest hint of avoidance. When Li Xiao looked at her in confusion, she even gave him a small, reassuring smile.
It wasn’t hard to tell from his uniform—he was still a recruit, someone who had to report for early training.
Song Chutong felt a flicker of sympathy.
She understood that look—the helplessness of a young soldier being scolded by a superior, unable to fight back. In that moment, he wasn’t so different from her.
Just another pawn.
Another unfortunate piece to be manipulated, used, and discarded by the so-called clever and virtuous heroine of this story.
This was only Li Xiao’s second month in the army. He had no idea that the girl before him was the very same Song Chutong whose name had been dragged through the mud across the entire base just yesterday.
And yet—
When their eyes met, his heartbeat stilled for half a beat.
Her eyes were impossibly clear.
Long, curling lashes like raven feathers framed pale brown irises that shimmered like a porcelain doll’s—bright, limpid, untouched by guile. They were like a spring of clean water, sparkling with an almost naive innocence.
Hearing her words, Li Xiao found himself replaying the moment of impact.
Yes, he had been walking quickly, head lowered—but that didn’t mean he hadn’t noticed someone nearby from the corner of his eye.
These past weeks, he had excelled in grenade training—his awareness and reflexes were among the best.
And yet just now… he had been so easily led to believe that he was the one at fault.
Doubt crept back in.
Song Weiran saw that it was Song Chutong. The corners of her lips lifted faintly. She had intended to follow Song Chutong’s lead and play the part of the wronged party a little longer—but before she could even begin persuading Jiang Zhixing—
She froze.
Jiang Zhixing was staring at Song Chutong.
Unblinking.
“Comrade, you should go first,” Song Weiran said gently, turning to Li Xiao. “She’s my younger sister. We have… some misunderstandings between us, so she may be a bit biased against me. I won’t blame you for today.”
As she spoke, she glanced sideways at the young soldier—
And caught the undisguised amazement in his expression as he looked at Song Chutong.
Li Xiao snapped back to attention, flustered. “Ah? What did you say, comrade?”
But the guilt that had filled his eyes moments ago had already been replaced by uncertainty. His gaze drifted back to the spot where they had collided, silently reconstructing the scene in his mind.
If Commander Jiang hadn’t intervened, he would have simply taken the blame.
Apologizing, compensating for the clothes—it didn’t matter to him.
But he was still a recruit.
If he were punished this time, it might even affect whether he could officially pass probation.
If not for that girl’s words just now, he might have been completely swayed by this woman’s gentle reassurances.
Song Weiran’s nails dug deep into her palm, though her expression remained as soft as ever. “I said, she’s my sister. Maybe she misunderstood. But I truly don’t blame you. You should go.”
That tender, almost hypnotic gentleness made Li Xiao waver again.
He found himself asking—
Why would she deliberately bump into him?
Getting her own clothes dirty wouldn’t benefit her at all…
Song Chutong’s voice cut in, calm and cool. “I didn’t misunderstand. I saw it clearly. He was walking just fine—you were the one who stepped into him.”
Song Weiran didn’t rush to defend herself.
Because she had already noticed the veins at Jiang Zhixing’s temple, faintly throbbing.
“Li Xiao already admitted he knocked Song Weiran over,” Jiang Zhixing said, his tone hardening. “Are you saying that as a bystander, your eyes are more reliable than the two people directly involved?”
He stared at Song Chutong’s unrestrained, defiant face, Xu Company Commander’s earlier words echoing in his mind.
It took everything he had not to drag her out on the spot and reprimand her.
He knew his actions yesterday must have provoked her.
But what she was doing now… had gone far beyond reason.
First, she had shamelessly declared her admiration for Jiang Sheng in front of everyone.
Then she changed her performance at the last minute.
After that, she bullied her dormmates.
And now—she had even deliberately dragged a frail-looking male soldier into this, just to provoke him.
And here she was, stirring trouble again—right in front of so many people.
Even in front of his own subordinates.
Jiang Zhixing had already prepared himself to tolerate a bit of Song Chutong’s willfulness.
But this?
This kind of brazen, overbearing behavior—even if it were brought before the Wei family—would be impossible to justify.
Yet instead of shrinking under his gaze, Song Chutong laughed.
A soft, amused sound.
Only now did she realize—when had Jiang Zhixing developed such absurd assumptions about her?
Warn her? Threaten her?
All of it stemmed from one thing alone—
Her former devotion to him.
Because she had once loved him so deeply, he had grown accustomed to controlling her through that affection. He had taken her compliance for granted.
How many times had she forced herself to do things she didn’t want to?
How many times had she endured, swallowing her pride, even learning to get along with Song Weiran under his so-called “guidance”?
Thinking back, it all felt almost ridiculous.
Which was precisely why—
She needed to correct his arrogance, born from her misplaced affection.
Standing beside her, Jiang Shuyi didn’t even bother turning around to look at Jiang Zhixing. It wasn’t fear of being recognized—she simply found this scene far too interesting to miss.
Her gaze lingered on Song Chutong, curious.
Was this sudden sense of justice for the sake of that unknown young soldier?
Or just another way to provoke Jiang Zhixing?
At first, Jiang Shuyi had assumed the latter.
But Song Chutong had never been someone who hid her emotions well. The moment Jiang Zhixing spoke, her expression darkened noticeably—her eyes filling with unmistakable disgust and rejection.
That… didn’t look like an act.
“People involved in a situation can be swayed,” Song Chutong said calmly, her voice clear and steady. “Especially when one side plays the victim. Even if something feels off, they can still be misled.”
“But a bystander?” She tilted her chin slightly. “What I saw is what I saw. My eyes aren’t lying.”
As she finished, she cast Song Weiran a meaningful glance—her lips curving into a faint, mocking smile.
Same face.
Same person.
Even the words themselves weren’t particularly sharp.
And yet—
That smile sent a chill racing down Song Weiran’s spine, goosebumps prickling across her skin.
Because that tactic—
Feigning weakness, guiding others’ perceptions—
It was something she had used countless times before.
But how did Song Chutong know?
Had she noticed?
Impossible.
If she had known earlier, she would never have stayed silent.
Unless…
Her thoughts were abruptly cut off.
Jiang Zhixing let out a short, humorless laugh, clearly angered. “If I didn’t know you’ve always been at odds with Song Weiran, I might actually believe you’re standing up for justice here.”
“Song Chutong,” he said coldly, “if you’re upset, take it out on me. There’s no need to drag innocent people into your mess.”
His voice rang out across the mess hall.
“Commander Liu’s sister, your dormmates—even your entire dance team—none of them should be tools for you to provoke me.”
At this hour, most of the people in the cafeteria were members of the performing arts troupe.
The dance team. The singing team.
Because of rehearsal schedule changes, they made up the majority of the crowd—and now, every pair of eyes was fixed on the unfolding drama.
The singers shifted uneasily after hearing Jiang Zhixing’s words. Wen Ya and the others instinctively glanced between Jiang Shuyi and Song Chutong, their expressions uncertain.
But among the dance team—
Hope flared once more.
Outsiders might believe Song Chutong had shifted her affections to Jiang Sheng.
But they didn’t.
They were the ones who spent the most time with her—they knew better.
To them, Jiang Zhixing had always been her weakness.
A lever.
Whenever they needed something from Song Chutong, all they had to do was bring up his name—and she would yield.
If that wasn’t love, then what was?
And now—
They even had Song Weiran’s “testimony.”
Her stepsister.
Someone who lived under the same roof.
These past two days, invoking Jiang Zhixing’s name hadn’t worked anymore.
But what if—
The man himself stepped in?
The thought ignited something restless in their hearts.
Perhaps… the long-awaited solo performance for the dance team…
Was finally within reach.