Daily Life in the 70s-Chapter 175: Discussing

Yang PeiMin was bewildered by all the cases filling her mind.

In just the span of lunch to dinner, so many suppositions had been made.

She couldn’t help but admire the creativity.

It seemed someone was intent on stealing Wen Qing’s acting role, or at the very least, wanted to cause her some trouble.

Qiao Ying pulled her aside to apologize, "I was unaware of these issues before, and I apologize for the trouble caused."

Yang PeiMin shook her head, "It was unforeseeable."

Who could have expected such melodrama?

However, Yang PeiMin still needed to get to the bottom of it, "Do you know the reason behind this? Or have you asked Wen Qing?"

Qiao Ying nodded, "I’ve asked her. She said they were never in a relationship; it was just that the leaders had intentions to set them up. As for those rumors, she was also surprised."

Since Wen Qing had said so, her statement matched Shen Yiguang’s, confirming they’d never been involved.

Yang PeiMin was nursing her own suspicions.

Meanwhile, Qiao Ying had turned the situation over in her mind several times, saying. "PeiMin, the rumor has already spread. Whether it’s true or not, no one is investigating it further. In such a strictly disciplined military environment, it’s having a negative impact on both of you."

"Before coming here, I thought a lot, and now the solution we need is for you not to do Wen Qing’s makeup tomorrow. As long as you two don’t interact, those rumors should stop."

Yang PeiMin looked at her, somewhat astonished. "This was previously agreed upon. Is this something you thought of on your own, or does Wen Qing think so too?"

Just now, she mentioned she had sought Wen Qing before coming, but it wasn’t clear if that included Wen Qing’s consent. If it did, she wouldn’t mind.

Qiao Ying fell silent for a moment then said, "I will speak to Wen Qing properly about this."

Yang PeiMin raised an eyebrow. "So, what did she say?"

Qiao Ying had been busy all morning following a soldier and supervising her practice. Later, she didn’t even return to the dorms for lunch but was pulled into a meeting by senior officers to discuss the preparation for the next day. After the meeting, she continued to oversee the actors’ rehearsal, keeping a stern and close watch, ensuring no idle chatter.

The rumor had come up during dinner back at the dorms while she was changing clothes in the bathroom when she overheard other soldiers talking.

"Tomorrow’s performance, and look, I got a red bump on my face suddenly. What should I do? It’s so conspicuous considering my fair skin."

"Ah, let me see. It’s right in the middle of your cheek, quite noticeable. How unlucky you are to have this issue right before going on stage. Look at Wen Qing; it’s the exact opposite for her. After Rama got injured, how many coveted this role? After she was chosen, how many hoped she would fail? Do you know she tried every possible way to score points for herself, even hiring a makeup artist to transform her plain face into that of a Xinjiang beauty?"

"Is that true? Where did you hear it? Is there really someone so skilled?"

"People have seen the effect of her makeup; what do you think, true or false? But this has brought up another interesting bit of gossip. Guess what? The makeup artist is actually the current wife of her former partner."

"What? Say that again; it’s a bit confusing and I didn’t catch it clearly."

"I mean, she really is going all out, not even caring about her own reputation or the past affection of her ex-partner."

"How is that possible? Even if Wen Qing is shameless, the wife wouldn’t agree."

"You don’t know everything. I heard that two years ago, Wen Qing was involved with a soldier here, but they broke up. And guess what? They say it was because of the soldier’s current wife that he broke up with Wen Qing. So now Wen Qing is using that leverage to make the soldier’s wife do her makeup. Can you believe it? Even if she got selected because of this, it’s still embarrassing. Does she think after the performance and returning to Q city, no one will know her story?"

"My God, is that really true?"

"Everyone is talking about it convincingly; I’d say it’s mostly true."

Overhearing this, Qiao Ying stepped out and scolded them sharply, "If you can’t guarantee it’s true, why are you gossiping here? Is this how you show gratitude for the opportunities given by the organization?"

After scolding the two soldiers, she immediately went to investigate.

It turns out the rumor had spread during lunch in the camp, but since she usually had a good relationship with Wen Qing and was too busy to notice, it hadn’t reached her ears.

Afterward, she went to find Wen Qing.

At that time, Wen Qing’s eyes were red. "How did this rumor even start?" She reiterated to Qiao Ying that she had never been involved with Shen Yiguang.

Feeling particularly aggrieved, she said, "Sister Ying, we’ve known each other for almost ten years; you know what kind of person I am. How could I do such a shameless thing? It’s clear someone is deliberately slandering me, you know, getting the main role wasn’t easy and it did make people jealous, but I didn’t expect them to slander me like this, considering we’re all from the same camp. If my reputation is ruined, won’t it affect the entire camp?"

Qiao Ying comforted her, "Wen Qing, first calm down. We don’t yet know who exactly started this, but with the performance so close, we need to find a way to suppress this matter or it’ll only get worse when you go on stage tomorrow."

Wen Qing grabbed her arm, pleading anxiously, "Sister Ying, please help me think of a way. If I had known beforehand that PeiMin was Camp Commander Shen’s wife, I wouldn’t have dared to approach her, let alone admire her."

Qiao Ying felt guilty, realizing it was her momentary oversight that had led to this pairing.

She patted Wen Qing’s hand to calm her, "Wen Qing, this is the only way, no makeup from PeiMin tomorrow, let the rumors debunk themselves."

Wen Qing hearing this, looked up, her expression one of surprise, "Is there really no other way?" If she hadn’t visited Yang PeiMin for a makeup trial that morning, she might have considered giving up. But after seeing the trial results, her desire for Yang PeiMin’s help grew stronger; it wasn’t just because it matched her role, but also because Yang PeiMin could enhance her otherwise inconspicuous features and make her beautiful.

"I have to be honest, I’m really impressed by PeiMin’s skills, and I hoped the makeup could help me boost my standing. I’ve persisted so long; I just can’t miss out on any opportunity."

Wen Qing spoke so frankly, Qiao Ying was at a loss for what to say.

"I stand upright and fear no slanting shadows; I believe the performance is what matters now. As for those rumors, let’s deal with them after the performance."