Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting

Chapter 232: Stabilizing the Situation

She finally looked up at Yang Meiling’s seemingly innocent face.

"No."

"I’m all that’s needed here. No one else is necessary."

"You—you..."

Mrs. Yuan was already seething, and now she was so furious her face turned ashen.

"Song Qingya! What do you mean by that? Are you hiding something? Did you botch the surgery and you’re afraid of being exposed? Is that why you won’t let anyone else near him?!"

She grew more agitated as she spoke, taking an aggressive step forward as if she’d lost all control.

Suddenly, her breath hitched. Her face turned from flushed to purple, and her lips began to turn blue.

Gasping for air, she began to sway unsteadily.

At the sight, Song Qingya’s brow tightened. She quickly put away her silver needles and stepped forward to de-escalate the situation.

She took a deep breath, suppressed her frustration, and ultimately conceded.

"Fine. You can stay."

She stared at Mrs. Yuan and said, enunciating every word.

"But you are only allowed to look. Don’t touch anything, especially the patient. If anything happens to Dean Yuan, I will hold you personally responsible."

After finishing Dean Yuan’s acupuncture treatment, Song Qingya finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She placed the silver needles back into their case one by one.

Then, she pulled off her gloves, walked slowly out of the hospital room, and gently pulled the door shut.

She walked back to her office and pulled out a chair to sit. Outside the window, dusk was settling in.

She picked up a case file from the long-neglected pile on the corner of her desk and began flipping through it, page by page.

Just as it was getting dark, a knock sounded at the door.

She had just finished organizing a backlog of paperwork. Without looking up, her fountain pen still sketching the final stroke of a note on the page, she called out.

"Come in."

The door opened with a soft push, and a moment later, a voice sounded beside her.

"Still busy?"

Song Qingya looked up at the sound of the voice, the tension in her face instantly softening.

She looked at the visitor, the corners of her lips lifting into a barely perceptible smile.

"What are you doing here?"

Fei Jin stood before her.

He was holding an insulated lunch container, its black exterior slightly scuffed.

By the looks of it, it was the kind the cafeteria often used.

He walked to her desk and placed the container down gently.

He then lifted the lid, and the warm aroma of food immediately filled the air.

"I was just passing by. Wanted to see if you’d eaten."

Song Qingya’s eyes immediately fell on the glistening sweet and sour short ribs inside.

The familiar sweet and sour aroma drifted up with the steam, tickling her nose.

Fei Jin frowned, his gaze heavy as he looked at her.

"Have you had dinner?"

Only then did she notice the gnawing emptiness in her stomach.

"I just... I just finished a surgery. I haven’t had the chance."

Fei Jin reached out and took her by the wrist.

His tone held a hint of resignation, but also an undeniable undercurrent of reproach.

"I knew you hadn’t eaten. Did you go the whole day without a proper meal again? What about breakfast? Lunch?"

’When this woman works, she’s completely reckless, as if she doesn’t value her own life. All she thinks about are patients, surgeries, case files, and duty rosters.’

The moment his hand touched hers, Song Qingya felt a little jolt in her heart.

She lowered her gaze, her eyelashes fluttering. Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible. "I was too busy... I forgot... I’ll definitely remember next time."

Fei Jin looked at her pale face and the faint shadows under her eyes, and the words he had been about to say died on his lips.

He handed her the chopsticks.

"Eat something first. I’ve already instructed Xiao Qin. Starting today, he will bring you three meals a day, on time. You must eat all of it."

Xiao Qin was his personal aide.

Having him deliver her meals was both a sign of trust and a deliberate arrangement.

Song Qingya frowned, a hint of resistance in her eyes.

"You don’t have to go to all that trouble... I can manage on my own, and I can eat at the hospital cafeteria..."

"It’s not trouble."

Fei Jin cut her off.

Song Qingya looked at his earnest expression, then glanced down at the steaming food before her. A corner of her heart suddenly softened.

She didn’t refuse again. She just nodded lightly, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat, one small bite at a time.

Before long, the container was empty.

Fei Jin waited for her to finish, then took the empty container.

He set the container on the desk, his voice softening slightly.

"Now that you’ve eaten, go home. The guards are here, so nothing will happen. Even if you don’t sleep, other people need to rest."

Song Qingya shook her head and slowly stood up, her movements still a little stiff.

She raised a hand to brush a stray strand of hair from her forehead.

"I can’t. I have to go check on Dean Yuan."

’Yang Meiling was a ticking time bomb.’

’Dean Yuan’s condition had just been stabilized, and he wasn’t fully conscious yet. This was his most vulnerable moment.’

’She couldn’t possibly rest, let alone sleep, without confirming his condition and personally checking his vitals one more time.’

Seeing the determination in her eyes, Fei Jin knew he couldn’t persuade her.

He fell silent for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright. We’ll go together."

The two left the office, one right after the other.

The light in the hallway was a sterile white, and their footsteps were sharp in the silence.

Fei Jin walked close beside her, keeping himself on the outside.

They walked toward the ward in silence.

The hospital was exceptionally quiet late at night.

As they neared the door, Song Qingya habitually glanced through the glass panel, and her pupils constricted violently.

She saw Yang Meiling with her back to the door, dressed in a plain, long dress, holding a pillow high with both hands.

She was aiming it squarely at the defenseless face of Dean Yuan on the bed, about to bring it down!

In that instant, a roar filled Song Qingya’s mind as blood rushed to her head.

Rage flared in her chest. Without a second thought, she threw the door open and screamed with all her might, "Yang Meiling! What do you think you’re doing?!"

The sudden shout shattered the deathly silence of the room.

Yang Meiling clearly hadn’t expected anyone to show up. She was so startled that her entire body trembled and her hands went slack.

The pillow fell to the floor with a soft THUD.

When she clearly saw Song Qingya standing there, with a stone-faced Fei Jin beside her, her pupils constricted.

She forced a smile.

But the smile was more pained than a grimace. Her lips twitched as she spoke, her voice faint. "Doctor Song... what are you doing here? I just... I was just going to change Dean Yuan’s pillow. The case was a little crooked..."

Song Qingya strode into the room and immediately snatched the fallen pillow, gripping it tightly in her hand.

"Picking up a pillow? Yang Meiling, do you take me for a three-year-old?! I saw everything! You were bringing that pillow down on Dean Yuan’s face with both hands. It didn’t slip by accident—you were deliberately trying to smother him! This is a hospital, a place where we save lives! You’re trying to commit murder!"

Fei Jin’s expression remained calm.

’He knew what kind of person Yang Meiling was. She looks meek and obedient on the surface, but she’s actually a deep schemer, prone to radical actions.’

’If backed into a corner, she was capable of anything.’

’Right now, Dean Yuan’s life was hanging by a thread. There couldn’t be any more slip-ups.’

She snapped her head up, her eyes wide and bloodshot.

"Song Qingya! Don’t you dare spout such nonsense! I told you, I was just picking up the pillow! You’re the one making things up, trying to pin a murder accusation on me! Do you have any proof? Is there security footage? Can you prove I actually did anything?"

"I’ve known it for a long time! From the first day you set foot in this hospital, you’ve had it out for me! You nitpick during rounds, you make things difficult during shift changes—when have you not targeted me? And now that Dean Yuan has fallen ill, you can’t wait to jump out and pin all the blame on me? You want to make me the scapegoat so you can get me kicked out of the department, don’t you?"

Her voice grew more and more hysterical.