Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting

Chapter 237: Ill Intentions

The on-duty nurse was writing up medical records when a glance at the monitor out of the corner of her eye made her jolt in terror.

She shot to her feet and, without a second thought, scrambled to the bedside in a few quick steps, her trembling fingers checking if the monitoring equipment was malfunctioning.

"Mrs. Yuan! You have to come see! This... What are we going to do?!"

The nurse’s voice was audibly frantic, her tone distorted with panic as her eyes instantly welled up.

"Dean Yuan’s vital signs are plummeting! At this rate... he won’t last more than a few minutes!"

Mrs. Yuan had been resting on the sofa by the window with her eyes closed.

At the sound of the shout, she shot up from the sofa.

Her shoes barely on her feet, she stumbled to the bedside and gripped the bed rail with all her might.

"Old Yuan! Old Yuan! Wake up! What’s happening to you? Don’t you dare scare me! Please... open your eyes and look at me!"

She reached out as if to shake her husband, then, fearing she would worsen his condition, helplessly pulled her hand back and tightly gripped the arm of the nurse standing nearby.

"What is going on? He was fine just a while ago! The doctor said his condition was stable... How did it suddenly get this bad?! Did you do something wrong? Was his medication changed? Is the equipment broken?!"

Mrs. Yuan’s head was ringing, and her vision began to swim.

In her extreme confusion and terror, she subconsciously glanced toward Yang Meiling, who was in the corner of the room.

Yang Meiling had been standing there quietly all along.

The moment Mrs. Yuan’s gaze fell on her, she immediately adopted a worried expression.

"Mrs. Yuan, please try not to panic. Getting so worked up isn’t good for you... This... it could be a reaction to the medication... or... well, Dean Yuan’s condition has always been very complex. There are so many uncertainties."

She paused as if hesitating, then finally lowered her voice. "But... this afternoon, Dean Song Qingya came by personally to adjust his treatment plan... The dosage and the components were both changed."

"It was her! This must be her doing!"

Mrs. Yuan whipped her head around and snarled through clenched teeth.

"If she hadn’t changed the treatment plan on her own authority, why would my husband’s condition suddenly deteriorate? She’s deliberately trying to harm him!"

She grabbed the call bell by the headboard and jabbed it several times.

"Go! Get Song Qingya in here right now! I’m going to ask her to her face exactly what drugs she gave my husband! I want an explanation from her! Go now!"

Yang Meiling was secretly delighted, the corners of her lips rising in an almost imperceptible smirk, but her expression immediately shifted to one of extreme anxiety.

She quickly stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Mrs. Yuan’s shoulder.

"Alright! Please don’t get so worked up; your health is what’s most important! I’ll go find Dean Song right now and have her come explain everything herself! I’m sure she’ll give us a reasonable explanation!"

With that, she gave Mrs. Yuan’s arm a gentle, reassuring pat.

She then turned and walked briskly out of the room, her pace seemingly rushed but, in reality, perfectly controlled.

The moment she stepped out the door, she quickly rounded a corner. After confirming she was out of everyone’s line of sight, the anxious and worried look on her face vanished without a trace.

’What’s the rush? Let Song Qingya rest a little longer. After all... a few more minutes won’t make a difference.’

She deliberately slowed her pace, no longer hurrying.

Instead, she took a leisurely detour down the corridor, even stopping by the nurses’ station to pretend to scan the duty roster on the wall.

"Oh, you’re on duty tonight?"

she asked with a friendly smile, her tone familiar.

"Things got a little tense over there just now; it gave me quite a scare. You know, if something really were to happen in the middle of the night, we couldn’t bear the responsibility."

The on-duty nurse nodded distractedly, still busy processing urgent medical orders.

But Yang Meiling was in no rush. She continued to make small talk, asking about all sorts of trivial, insignificant matters.

She stalled like this for a good ten minutes or more.

Only when she was sure enough time had passed did she slowly turn and head for the stairwell.

After going downstairs, she crossed the small garden in the family waiting area.

Yang Meiling finally arrived at the door of Song Qingya’s apartment.

She stopped, took a deep breath, and her chest rose and fell once.

Then, she put on a panicked expression—her face pale, her eyes filled with alarm.

She raised her hand and began to pound on the door, her voice high and shrill:

"Dean Song! Dean Song! Open up! There’s an emergency! Dean Yuan... he’s not going to make it! You have to come save him! If you’re any later, it’ll be too late!"

Inside, Song Qingya’s eyes snapped open the instant the first knock sounded.

She hadn’t been sleeping deeply.

As a doctor, she was constantly in a state of high alert.

Even in the dead of night, her ears were always attuned to any unusual sounds.

At the same time, Fei Jin, who was beside her, was also startled awake by the sudden pounding on the door.

They exchanged a look, each seeing the gravity in the other’s eyes.

The shouting outside was too sudden and carried an obvious note of panic.

’Yang Meiling?’

She sneered inwardly, her fingers unconsciously tightening on the corner of the blanket.

’Making such a racket, banging on the door like that... It’s like she wants the whole building to know she’s here.’

Fei Jin had been leaning against the headboard, reading. He frowned at the clamor outside and looked up at Song Qingya.

Song Qingya gave him a slight shake of her head.

Her eyes told him not to worry and to wait and see what was happening.

Then, she pushed aside the thin blanket, stepped barefoot onto the cool floor, and walked slowly toward the door.

Fei Jin watched her go, his brow furrowing even more deeply.

He knew Song Qingya never did anything without a reason.

But that Yang Meiling was always up to no good.

’Showing up so late at night like this... it definitely isn’t simple.’

He gritted his teeth, quickly got out of bed, and grabbed a shirt draped over the back of a chair to pull on.

Song Qingya reached the door but didn’t open it right away.

She leaned against the wall for a moment, listening to the sounds outside.

Yang Meiling was still pounding on the door and shouting.

"Dean Song! Dean Song, are you in there? Open up! Something terrible has happened!"

Only when the shouting subsided slightly did Song Qingya slowly reach out and gently unlock the door.

A gust of cold wind from outside rushed in, stirring a few stray strands of hair by her ear.

Yang Meiling had her hand raised, ready to pound on the door again.

When the door suddenly opened, she was so startled that she snatched her hand back.

The moment she saw Song Qingya, her eyes instantly turned red as if she’d suffered some terrible injustice.

"Dean Song! You finally opened the door!"

Her voice trembled, thick with unshed tears.

"You have to go see! Dean Yuan... he’s suddenly failing! The situation is critical! The numbers on the monitor are dropping like a stone—his heart rate and blood pressure are both plummeting! The nurse is panicking, and Mrs. Yuan has collapsed on the floor, crying. No one can console her!"

She spoke with heartfelt urgency, but from the corner of her eye, she secretly watched Song Qingya’s expression.

However, the other woman’s face remained as calm as still water.

"Oh?"

Song Qingya finally spoke.

"How could Dean Yuan’s condition suddenly deteriorate? You said his vitals were dropping. Which specific indicators? To what level? What emergency measures have been administered? Has a doctor made a diagnosis? What are their opinions?"