What the hell?

Making military wives perform?

What the hell do military wives know about performing?

Liao Jun, the head of the cultural troupe, was so furious he wanted to crack Tang Lina’s skull open to see if it was filled with crap.

Tang Lina ignored Liao Jun’s warning glare and fixed her gaze on the most striking figure among the military wives.

“How about we specially invite Comrade Shen Nanchu, the wife of Company Commander Pei, to perform for us today? What do you all say?”

Tang Lina deliberately emphasized the words “wife of Company Commander Pei,” slow and heavy.

“Sure!”

“Come on, sister-in-law!”

The soldiers, oblivious to the tension, clapped enthusiastically.

Tang Lina stared straight at Shen Nanchu, her eyes brimming with challenge.

This was the moment she’d been waiting for—to see Shen Nanchu humiliated.

Niu Aihua was so angry she nearly bent her palm-leaf fan in half. “That little brat. Just wait—I’ll teach her a lesson.”

She set the fan down and rolled up her sleeves, ready to storm off.

Shen Nanchu quickly grabbed Niu Aihua’s arm, then leisurely stood up. Her red dress flared like a sudden flame.

“Sure!”

Wow~~~

This was Company Commander Pei’s wife?

Damn, she’s gorgeous.

The second company commander shot Pei Zhengnian a teasing glance. “No wonder you rushed into marriage, kid. Afraid she’d run away, huh?”

The third company commander chimed in, “If I had a wife this beautiful, I’d be in a hurry too.”

Pei Zhengnian chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to respond, and could only look helplessly at Shen Nanchu.

Shen Nanchu met his gaze, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

A bad feeling crept into Pei Zhengnian’s heart.

Shen Nanchu sauntered onto the stage, and just by standing next to Tang Lina, she completely overshadowed her.

One in fiery red, the other in dull green.

One radiant, the other plain.

To make matters worse, Shen Nanchu was half a head taller than Tang Lina, and with heels, she towered over her by a full head.

Just standing there was enough to put Tang Lina to shame.

Tang Lina felt like she’d just dropped a rock on her own foot.

[Disgust Points +20]

Shen Nanchu smiled.

Wasn’t this exactly what she wanted?

Why was Tang Lina getting mad now?

Taking the microphone from Tang Lina, Shen Nanchu began,

“Thank you, Comrade Tang, for giving me this opportunity to perform at such an important event.”

“I’ll do my best to represent all military wives and show everyone the grace of our soldiers’ families.”

She waved toward the officers’ seats.

“Comrade Pei Zhengnian, I need an assistant for this performance. Would you mind helping me out?”

Why did Shen Nanchu want Pei Zhengnian on stage?

Simple—she was doing it on purpose.

Pei Zhengnian wanted to strangle Tang Lina right then and there.

What was that idiot thinking, provoking Shen Nanchu?

Shen Nanchu used to be part of the Beijing cultural troupe—she could sing and dance like a pro.

What was he, a rough soldier, supposed to do up there?

Make a fool of himself?

All eyes were now on Pei Zhengnian.

“Go on, Company Commander Pei!”

“Perform with your wife!”

“Don’t let the first company down, Pei!”

If he didn’t go up now, both of them would be the laughingstock.

Gritting his teeth, Pei Zhengnian stood up and marched onto the stage, looking like a disarmed prisoner.

Side by side, they made a perfect pair—handsome man, beautiful woman.

Tang Lina’s jealousy burned so hard she nearly cracked a molar.

The soldier in charge of the music hurried over. “Sister-in-law, what track do you want?”

“The same one from the tea-picking dance earlier.”

Shen Nanchu smiled sweetly at Tang Lina, her expression dripping with challenge.

Same song—whoever danced worse would be the joke.

Tang Lina’s heart fluttered nervously at Shen Nanchu’s confident grin, but she quickly reassured herself.

This Shen Nanchu was just some rural girl, a country bumpkin. What could she possibly know about dancing?

Shen Nanchu handed the microphone back to the soldier.

“Little comrade, could you change a few lyrics when you sing later…?”

Her voice dropped to a whisper, making it impossible for Tang Lina to eavesdrop.

“Got it, sister-in-law!”

The soldier nodded eagerly, thrilled that this sister-in-law was skilled enough to improvise a tea-picking dance.

Meanwhile, Pei Zhengnian stood there clueless, unsure what he was supposed to do.

He glanced at Shen Nanchu, hesitating.

Even in this embarrassing situation, Pei Zhengnian still refused to give her any disgust points?

What a miser.

Hmph!!!

(￢︿￢☆)

As the music started, Pei Zhengnian’s expression looked like he’d swallowed a grenade.

But Shen Nanchu was already dancing gracefully, her red dress swirling like a blooming camellia.

The soldier’s clear voice rang out from the speakers.

“In the eighth month~ training’s busy, ah~”

“Big brother carries his gun~ guarding the border~”

Pei Zhengnian had no idea what to do, so he just stood stiffly at attention, face stern.

“Little sister’s heart~ flutters with worry~”

As the lyrics ended, Shen Nanchu suddenly grabbed Pei Zhengnian’s hand and pressed it against her chest, her beautiful face clouded with distress.

Instantly, Pei Zhengnian’s ears turned so red they looked ready to bleed.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Tang Lina, standing at the edge of the stage, crumpled her green dress in her fists.

She’d wanted to humiliate this “country girl,” but Shen Nanchu not only knew how to dance—she was good at it.

The second part was even more impressive. Shen Nanchu seamlessly switched the tea-picking motions into rifle-holding poses, then snapped her feet together and gave Pei Zhengnian a sloppy salute.

Amid the audience’s laughter, she cooed, “Big brother, teach me~”

Pei Zhengnian took a deep breath, then suddenly spun with textbook-perfect rifle form and barked, “Take cover!”

Shen Nanchu dropped to the ground, her red dress fanning out like a blooming plum blossom.

Before anyone could react, she gracefully lifted her upper body and reached for Pei Zhengnian.

This time, he understood.

Taking his hand, Shen Nanchu leaped into the air, her figure arcing like a streak of red sunset.

Impressive skills.

The cultural troupe leaders’ eyes lit up.

Liao Jun couldn’t help but exclaim, “Now that’s talent!”

Tang Lina was so furious she yanked one side of her fake braid loose.

From there, Shen Nanchu delivered a breathtaking performance—a dance depicting a wife bidding farewell to her soldier husband as he left to defend their country.

Every difficult move was executed flawlessly.

Pei Zhengnian’s cooperation only made the dance more mesmerizing.

Many soldiers and military wives were moved to tears.

Life wasn’t easy for any of them.

Sacrificing their small families for the greater good.

…

As the music neared its end, Shen Nanchu did something shocking—she suddenly jumped and wrapped her arms around Pei Zhengnian’s neck.

Instinctively, he caught her by the waist.

“Lift me up,” she whispered in his ear.

Pei Zhengnian obeyed immediately.

With a boost, Shen Nanchu vaulted onto his shoulders.

“Salute!”

Before Pei Zhengnian’s brain could process the command, his body snapped to attention, heels clicking together as he raised a crisp military salute.

Shen Nanchu mirrored the gesture.

The image—Pei Zhengnian holding his red-clad wife aloft while saluting—became the most iconic moment of the Daliao Corps’ military celebration.

“Bravo!!” The commander was the first to leap to his feet, applauding.

His cheer unleashed a tidal wave of thunderous applause that shook the entire field, lingering long after the performance ended.

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep