Marrying My Bestie's Ferocious Brother - He Calls Me His Baby!-Chapter 43: The Lead Dancer’s Illness Blamed on Me?

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The Lead Dancer’s Illness Blamed on Me?

Lin Wan Yi didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.

She simply looked quietly at Sun Li, her gaze as calm as a deep pool, which ironically made the aggressive Sun Li feel a bit guilty.

"Sun,"

Lin Wan Yi began to speak, her voice clear and light, yet it spread clearly throughout the entire activity room. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Comrade Xiao Fang is sick. As her colleagues, what we most need to do now is to visit her and see if there’s anything we can help with."

She glanced around at the surrounding army wives and continued speaking.

"Rather than standing here, randomly speculating about whose responsibility it is."

With those words, Sun Li’s face turned red on the spot.

What Lin Wan Yi said was flawless, instantly placing herself on the moral high ground of considering the bigger picture and caring for a colleague.

In contrast, Sun Li seemed like a gossiping woman eager to spread rumors.

"I... of course, I’m also concerned about Xiao Fang!" Sun Li forced a defense.

"Then let’s go."

Lin Wan Yi didn’t give her a chance to speak further and took the lead, walking out.

The other army wives looked at each other in dismay, then silently followed her out.

Sun Li was left speechless in the same place, her complexion alternating between green and white, until she had no choice but to grit her teeth and reluctantly follow at the end of the group.

Xiao Fang’s home was in another row of dormitories. Before they even entered, the anxious voice of a man and the muffled groans of a woman could be heard from inside.

Pushing open the door, a stifling medicinal smell came rushing towards them.

Xiao Fang’s husband, a solidly built lieutenant, was sweating profusely with a bowl of water in his hands, at his wit’s end.

On the bed, Xiao Fang was wrapped in a blanket, her face flushed red with fever, her mouth constantly murmuring, "Itchy... so itchy..."

"How did this happen?"

"Heaven forbid, these rashes are terrifying!"

Several army wives gathered around the bed for a look and gasped in shock.

Xiao Fang’s exposed neck and arms were covered with large patches of red rashes, some of which were already scratched raw, making for a horrifying sight.

Seeing this, Sun Li immediately seized the opportunity, taking a few steps to squeeze next to Xiao Fang’s husband, pointedly saying aloud.

"Lieutenant Li, Xiao Fang was perfectly fine in the activity room yesterday, then she got into a little argument with someone, and today she’s like this! Isn’t this just bizarre?"

Lieutenant Li, already upset and restless, heard this and abruptly lifted his head, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at Lin Wan Yi, who was the last to enter.

The atmosphere in the room plummeted to freezing point.

Lin Wan Yi seemed oblivious to the hostile gaze.

She did not approach but stood at the door, calmly asking.

"Lieutenant Li, when did Comrade Xiao Fang start showing symptoms? Besides a fever and rashes, are there any other symptoms?"

"She started complaining of itching late last night, and this morning she got a fever!" Lieutenant Li replied irritably.

"Before she got sick, did she go anywhere unusual or come into contact with something out of the ordinary?" Lin Wan Yi asked again.

"No! She was practicing the dance all day yesterday!" Sun Li interjected hurriedly, afraid Lieutenant Li would say something unfavorable to her.

"No, that’s not right!"

Lieutenant Li suddenly slapped his thigh, as if remembering something.

"After the practice, she said our dance lacked novelty, and ran to the back hill on her own, claiming she wanted to pick some wildflowers to make a headpiece that would look better than the others!"

Sun Li’s face changed color.

Lin Wan Yi continued to ask, "What kind of flowers did she pick?"

"Just the type... that blooms in a bright red, with leaves glossy and shiny. She said those flowers would pair especially well with red dance clothes, making them stand out!" Lieutenant Li struggled to recall.

As soon as he finished speaking, a spectating army wife, who had come from a rural area, suddenly exclaimed.

"Lieutenant Li, the flowers you mentioned might be the kind called ’Rotten Skin Varnish’ back home, right?"

She gestured, "They look pretty but their sap is highly toxic! Back in our village, if the herding kids touched it, it would cause a huge rash, itchy and painful, and they would develop a high fever!"

Xiao Fang’s illness had nothing to do with Lin Wan Yi.

It was she herself, in her eagerness to outshine Lin Wan Yi in the dance, who boldly encountered the poisonous plant.

And Sun Li, who had been stirring things up and fanning the flames, now resembled a balloon pricked and deflated.

The color drained completely from her face, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Everyone’s gaze shifted from Lin Wan Yi to her and Xiao Fang.

Those gazes were full of disdain and ridicule.

Even Xiao Fang, on the bed, heard it. She buried her head in the blanket in shame and anger, her body shaking violently with sobs.

Amid this extremely awkward atmosphere, Lin Wan Yi moved.

She took out a small, clean medicine bottle from her fabric pouch and handed it to the stunned Lieutenant Li.

"This is a medication my family sent from the south, specifically for treating rashes caused by poisonous plants like this."

Her voice remained gentle.

"Use a clean cloth to dab it on her body. It will cool and relieve the itching, and she’ll recover quicker."

Lieutenant Li stared dumbfounded at the exquisite medicine bottle before him, then at Lin Wan Yi’s clear and serene face. The eyes of this six-foot man suddenly reddened with emotion.

"Mr. Lin... I..."

He nearly fell to his knees with a "thud."

"Previously, I was foolish and listened to others’ provocations, I... I wronged you!"

Lin Wan Yi sidestepped, holding his arm to support him.

"Go quickly and apply the medicine to Comrade Xiao Fang; she’s the one suffering the most right now."

Returning good for evil.

Sun Li wavered, feeling her face burning as if slapped countless times in public.

Just then, a stern voice came from the doorway.

"What are you all gathering here for? Won’t you go on with the practice?"

Everyone turned to look, with a start of fright in their hearts.

The wife of the brigade commander, Wang Xiu’e, faced stern and hands behind her, walked in step by step.

She had evidently heard of the lead dancer’s illness and came to check on things herself.

Her gaze swept around the room, from the weeping Xiao Fang on the bed, to the ashen Sun Li, then to the grateful Lieutenant Li, finally settling on the composed Lin Wan Yi.

The accompanying army wives began recounting what had happened in seven voices simultaneously.

Wang Xiu’e’s expression remained unchanged, but her eyes were getting brighter.

She walked over to Sun Li.

"Sun,"

"Mrs. Wang..." Sun Li’s voice quivered beyond recognition.

"I instructed you to assist Comrade Xiao Lin with the program, and this is how you assist?" Wang Xiu’e’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried immense weight, "Sowing discord, stirring up trouble, I see you’re quite problematic in your role as a propaganda officer!"

"I... I’m sorry..."

"Starting today," Wang Xiu’e interrupted her, her voice reverberating throughout the entire room, reaching even those outside listening with ears perked.

"All matters of the finale performance will be fully entrusted to Comrade Lin Wan Yi."

She turned, looking at Sun Li, pronounced each word clearly.

"You, will just assist her by running errands and doing the leg work."