At the military's group wedding, my best friend and I swapped husbands.

Chapter 80 Schemes and Intrigues

As soon as the lottery results were announced, Wang Xiuying clutched the ball of paper with the number "three" written on it, her fingertips turning white from pinching it so hard.

Her mind went blank, as if someone had hit her on the back of the head with a hammer.

How could it be Su Wanwan?

In her previous life, she was clearly paired with that country girl named Zhou Xiaoyan.

That girl is honest and naive. With a little manipulation, she can make her make a mistake, thus showcasing her own excellence.

But Su Wanwan is different; she's too cunning.

Wang Xiuying subconsciously looked up and saw Su Wanwan standing not far away.

Su Wanwan had just unfolded the paper ball, her face expressionless, she just pursed her lips slightly, then looked up and her eyes met Su Wanwan's.

Wang Xiuying's initial surprise vanished instantly, replaced by a delighted smile. She strode over to Su Wanwan and warmly took her hand, exclaiming, "Wanwan, we're in the same group! What a coincidence!"

Her voice was crisp and bright, attracting the attention of several girls nearby.

Su Wanwan let her pull her along, a slight smile appearing on her face, though the smile didn't reach her eyes: "Yes, Sister Xiuying, what a coincidence."

"you do not say!"

Wang Xiuying patted her hand, her eyes crinkling into crescents, "If we team up, we'll definitely get a high score! I was just worried about that; if I were in a group with someone else, I was afraid we wouldn't coordinate well. But with you, I feel relieved. You have a good foundation and learn quickly!"

She paused, leaned closer, lowered her voice, and spoke as if she were speaking from the heart: "Wanwan, I have an idea. This time, the group dance is worth a lot of points, so we need to choose someone who can stand out."

"I was thinking, how about we do that duet from 'The Deep Bond Between the Army and the People,' you know? You know, the one with the lift where one person is on the bottom doing the foundation and the other is on top with their arms outstretched? That dance is beautiful, and it really shows the close relationship between our military families and the troops. It's both ideologically and artistically strong, and the leaders would definitely love it!"

She spoke quickly and urgently, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Su Wanwan sneered inwardly.

"The deep bond between the military and the people"?

She remembered a line from the original book: Wang Xiuying relied on this dance to "accidentally" make her partner fall during the group assessment, but she herself finished steadily and won praise for "remaining calm under pressure".

So that's what they were planning.

Do they want Su Wanwan to be the "foundation" that gets thrown?

Su Wanwan's smile remained unchanged as she gently withdrew her hand, her voice soft and gentle: "Sister Xiuying, I know that dance, it's really beautiful. But... I'm a little scared."

"What are you afraid of?" Wang Xiuying was taken aback.

"I'm not very strong," Su Wanwan lowered her head shyly, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers. "I was practicing the lift from below because I was worried I wouldn't be able to support you. If I lost my grip and dropped you, that would be a stage accident, and that would be really bad."

She looked up, her eyes clear and sincere: "Sister Xiuying, how about we change the dance? I just learned a duet segment from 'Spring Comes to the Frontier' a few days ago. It also shows the unity between the army and the people. The movements aren't difficult, but they're very cheerful and festive. It would definitely suit us. Besides, there's no need for lifting each other. It's just some hand-holding, spinning, and eye contact. If we coordinate well, the effect will be just as good."

Wang Xiuying's smile froze.

She didn't expect Su Wanwan to refuse, and to refuse in such a... reasonable and well-founded way.

"Spring Comes to the Frontier?" she repeated, her mind racing.

She vaguely remembered the dance; it was indeed simple, with no technical difficulty, just jumping around for fun.

But how can she embarrass Su Wanwan now?

"That dance... isn't it a bit too simple?" Wang Xiuying tried to salvage the situation. "It doesn't showcase our skills. Wanwan, don't worry, I'll be up there, I know the moves well, you just need to stay steady down there, it's very simple, I'll teach you..."

"Sister Xiuying," Su Wanwan interrupted her, her voice still soft, but her tone carrying an unyielding insistence, "It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I know my own limitations. Such a difficult move can't be mastered in just one day. If I make a mistake on stage tomorrow and cause you to lose points, I'll really feel terrible."

She looked into Wang Xiuying's eyes and said earnestly, "Wouldn't it be better if we chose a safe option, cooperated well, and got the points we deserved? Why take risks?"

These words were perfectly worded, both praising Wang Xiuying and demonstrating the speaker's desire for stability.

Several girls nearby overheard this, and one round-faced girl whispered in agreement: "Su Wanwan is right. Practicing lifts in just one day is too rushed and it's easy to make mistakes."

"Spring Comes to the Frontier" is also quite good. I saw it at last year's performance, and it was very lively.

Hearing these words, Wang Xiuying felt a surge of anger rising within her.

But under the watchful eyes of everyone, she couldn't lose her temper, nor could she insist on dancing that risky dance, otherwise it would seem as if she had ulterior motives.

She gritted her teeth and forced a smile: "Okay... Wanwan, what you said makes sense. Then I'll do as you say and dance 'Spring Comes to the Frontier'."

"Okay!" Su Wanwan smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Thank you for your understanding, Sister Xiuying. Shall we hurry up and practice? I'll go find the sheet music for the accompaniment, and we can go over the movements together first?"

"……good."

Lin Weiwei was relieved to see that Su Wanwan hadn't suffered any losses.

She knew that Su Wanwan was usually gentle and soft-spoken, and that Wang Xiuying would never get the better of her.

Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan found a corner and began rehearsing.

The dance "Spring Arrives at the Frontier" is indeed simple. It mainly depicts the joyful scene of soldiers and civilians on the frontier welcoming spring. The movements mainly involve jumping, spinning, and holding hands, and the emotions required are full.

Su Wanwan has a good memory. After looking at the score once and recalling similar dances she had learned before, she quickly mastered the movements.

Wang Xiuying can also dance, but her mind isn't on it at all.

She mechanically followed Su Wanwan's gestures while her mind raced.

If lifting her up doesn't work... then how else can I embarrass Su Wanwan?

Did you trip her while she was spinning?

No, that's too obvious.

Did I suddenly make a wrong move during eye contact, disrupting her rhythm?

But this dance is simple; if it's disrupted, Su Wanwan might be able to straighten it out herself...

Wang Xiuying became increasingly agitated, and her movements became somewhat distorted.

"Sister Xiuying," Su Wanwan stopped and pointed to her feet, "you're using your right foot for this cross step, you should be using your left."

Wang Xiuying came to her senses, looked down, and realized she had indeed made a mistake.

Her face flushed, and she quickly corrected herself, but said stubbornly, "I know, I was thinking about something else."

Su Wanwan didn't say anything, just smiled and said, "Then let's continue."

After practicing for about an hour, the two were basically able to coordinate.

Lin Weiwei has already gone back to cook. Once Su Wanwan finishes her practice, she can have a hot meal when she gets home.

Just then, footsteps were heard at the entrance of the auditorium.

Li Jianguo walked in. He had just finished get off work and hadn't changed out of his military uniform yet. Seeing Wang Xiuying, he immediately shouted, "Xiuying! What time is it? Aren't you going home to cook? I'm starving!"

The voice was quite loud and carried a hint of impatience.

The other girls who were still practicing dancing in the auditorium all looked over.

Wang Xiuying felt a little embarrassed, so she quickly went over and lowered her voice, "I was just rehearsing, wasn't I? The final exam is tomorrow!"

"You need to eat even after rehearsals!" Li Jianguo frowned. "Hurry up and go home. I'm exhausted after a long day and want something hot to eat."