The next day.
The Northwest Military Region was bustling with activity. Today was a rest day for all the soldiers, and the stage took up the entire drill ground. The official performance was set to begin at 10 a.m.
Wen Ci and Yu Qing were scheduled for the grand finale.
Their makeup time was after lunch.
After catching up on sleep over the past two days, Wen Ci was full of energy. She stretched lazily in bed, only to find the other side of the bed cold. She slowly sat up.
It had been nearly ten days since she last saw Huo Jingyuan.
She missed him quite a bit.
Wen Ci let out a long sigh. She really wanted Huo Jingyuan to see her water sleeve dance performance. But there was no helping it—soldiers must obey orders, and missions took priority.
At nine o’clock, many family members had already gathered in the neighboring military camp. Wen Ci headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. Today, there was unlimited soy milk and fried dough sticks.
As Wen Ci ate the soft and limp youtiao, she noticed Xue Li looking gloomy. She raised her hand and greeted him, “Xue Li, come sit here.”
The moment Xue Li saw Wen Ci, he reacted like a mouse spotting a cat. He avoided her at all costs, even dropping half of his youtiao without picking it up, and ran off.
“Huh?”
Watching Xue Li flee in panic, Wen Ci frowned. A woman’s sixth sense told her something was off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
She decided she would have to catch Xue Li later and ask him properly.
When she arrived at the drill ground, Xiang Qin, who had sharp eyes, spotted Wen Ci and quickly waved her over. “Wen Ci, come sit here. You can take Sister Jing’s seat.”
Zhu Jing, as the head chef, was busy preparing meals for the entire Northwest region.
Several head chefs were working together. The annual military art tour was not only a day off for the soldiers but also a day of free meals—a treat even New Year’s didn’t offer.
During New Year’s, the Northwest Military Region only gave each person a serving of dumplings.
But today, there were all kinds of meat dishes available.
Wen Ci made her way through the crowd and sat down next to Xiang Qin, asking curiously, “Where are the little ones?”
“They’re also going to perform on stage.”
Wen Ci’s eyes widened in surprise, then she remembered that Jiang Ye had joined the Northwest school. With her vision, giving the children a chance to perform on stage was an opportunity for them.
“Didn’t you say those performing on stage need makeup?”
Wen Ci smiled and said, “My performance is in the afternoon. I’ll come back for makeup after lunch.”
“I see.”
Backstage, the makeup process was in full swing. Everyone had to get up before dawn to have their makeup done. There were only a few female soldiers in the cultural troupe who knew how to apply makeup.
As the music started, the stage curtains slowly opened, marking the official beginning of the tour. Every performance by the cultural troupe was spectacular.
By noon, the final performance of the morning began.
The children, dressed in miniature military uniforms, stood on the stage. Jiang Ye, holding a red flag, stood in front of them. As the national anthem played, the children sang in their sweet, childlike voices.
When the national anthem ended, the curtains closed amidst applause.
Xiang Qin praised, “Teacher Jiang is really impressive. I heard she voluntarily applied to come to the Northwest from Beijing to teach. She has such a broad vision.”
Wen Ci nodded.
She didn’t deny Jiang Ye’s broad vision.
Although Jiang Ye was a fake heiress who had taken someone else’s place, the education she received since childhood was real. Despite her questionable character, she didn’t cut corners when it came to the children of the Northwest Military Region.
However, the college entrance exams were approaching soon.
Is she really planning to stay in the Northwest from now on?
After the resumption of the college entrance exam, the Jiang family’s position was still unstable. The eldest son had given up the exams to join the military, while the younger daughter had been lying low at home to avoid attention.
It wasn’t until last year, when Father Jiang was promoted to the position of minister, that Jiang Ye finally had the opportunity to take the college entrance exam. As an older high school student, she only had one chance to take it.
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