Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting

Chapter 247: Breaking Prejudice

The slap cut through the air with a WHOOSH.

In that split second, Song Qingya dodged almost on instinct, tilting her head and turning her body.

Mrs. Yuan’s hand brushed past her hair.

For a moment, a flash of astonishment crossed the woman’s eyes.

Immediately after, Song Qingya’s right hand shot out, its movement a blur.

She lightly grabbed, securing her grip right on Mrs. Yuan’s wrist.

She didn’t use much force; she simply redirected Mrs. Yuan’s momentum, using the woman’s own strength against her with a gentle pull forward.

Mrs. Yuan lost her footing. Her center of gravity shifted forward, and her body lurched violently.

She stumbled, nearly falling right then and there.

If she hadn’t managed to grab the corner of a nearby table, she probably would have hit the floor.

Having done this, Song Qingya immediately let go and took a small step back.

Old Liu watched from the side, dumbfounded, his mouth hanging slightly open.

He had never seen such a scene, let alone such skill.

’This Dean Song...’

’She’s no ordinary person!’

’Absolutely incredible!’

’So calm, deflecting a great force with a light touch.’

’She protected herself without hurting the other person.’

Mrs. Yuan’s lunge had failed; instead, she’d been so easily controlled that she began to tremble with rage.

Her fingers shook violently, and her eyes reddened.

In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to rush forward and claw Song Qingya’s face to shreds.

But the moment she leaned forward, her wrist was pinned by a force that held her fast, making it impossible to move.

"Song Qingya! Was it you? Did you do something to harm Old Yuan?!"

"Something’s not right! After his surgery, Old Yuan was clearly getting better day by day. The doctors all said he was stable! His temperature was normal, his blood pressure was steady, even his wounds were healing! So how could it be that right after you showed up, after just a few days of you changing his medication, he suddenly crashed? Cardiac arrest, respiratory failure... they sent him straight to the critical care unit?!"

Her speech grew faster and faster as she completely lost control of her emotions.

"You must have sabotaged him! Did you use some medicine you shouldn’t have? Or... or did you poison him?!"

Her eyes were wide, filled with accusation.

"You’ve been at this hospital for a long time. Did you look down on us deans from smaller places? Did you think we were an eyesore? So you used this as a chance to get revenge? Song Qingya, how could you be so ruthless?! What did Old Yuan ever do to you that made you want to do this to him?!"

Song Qingya stood perfectly still, letting Mrs. Yuan scream at her, pointing a finger in her face.

The barrage of accusations washed over her. She simply lowered her gaze slightly, watching the other woman’s distorted expression.

Old Liu stood by, wringing his hands anxiously. He wanted to intervene but didn’t dare to speak.

He knew Mrs. Yuan was on the verge of a breakdown, and nothing he could say would help.

Only when Mrs. Yuan had finished shouting did Song Qingya finally speak.

"Mrs. Yuan."

"It’s too early to say whether Dean Yuan’s sudden decline was caused by me changing his medication."

Her tone was level, devoid of any emotion.

"In medicine, any change requires rigorous analysis, not emotional judgment. I understand your feelings as a family member, but blame must be based on evidence."

"The hospital is already investigating the real cause."

She continued.

"The results of various tests are being compiled, including medication records, IV monitoring, and continuous ECG tracking data. Relevant departments have already begun investigating whether this was due to human error or external interference. You can’t pin all the blame on me just because this happened to occur right after I took over his care."

Mrs. Yuan’s chest heaved, her face pale one moment and ashen the next.

She was about to retort but was silenced by Song Qingya’s next words.

"I am a doctor. My duty is to save lives."

"The first day I put on this military uniform, I swore an oath to protect every patient with my life, regardless of their status, background, or position."

"Dean Yuan is not just a patient, but also a senior I respect."

She paused, her gaze frank as she looked directly at the other woman.

"His contributions to the field of neurosurgery are plain for all to see. I have also read his papers and learned a great deal from them. I have no reason, nor would I ever do anything, to harm him."

Mrs. Yuan stared at her blankly, her conviction wavering.

For a moment, she didn’t know whether to hate her or believe her.

’But if it wasn’t her, why did Old Yuan suddenly take a turn for the worse for no reason?’

’Could it really be a coincidence?’

’Impossible!’

Song Qingya saw the doubt in her eyes but didn’t continue to argue.

Only the facts themselves could break through the prison of prejudice.

’Arguing was pointless. Better to just present the facts.’

She changed her tone and asked calmly, "Mrs. Yuan, please try to calm down."

"Instead of figuring out who’s to blame, we should be focusing on what exactly happened in the ward last night that caused Dean Yuan’s condition to plummet."

"Do you remember? What happened late last night."

She stared into Mrs. Yuan’s eyes, speaking word by word.

"During that time, who entered the room? Was there anything unusual? Even a seemingly insignificant detail could be crucial right now."

Mrs. Yuan froze, her expression growing distant.

She began to think back hard. An image formed in her mind: the ECG monitor blinking incessantly under the dim light, and Old Yuan’s pale, unconscious face.

Last night... she had kept a vigil at his bedside, tightly clutching her husband’s gaunt hand.

Later, Song Qingya and Fei Jin had rushed over.

After that, her memory was a bit hazy.

Medicine bottles, nurses, doctors coming and going...

Song Qingya watched her.

"When I arrived at the ward, the first thing I did was check the medication Dean Yuan was receiving."

"The fluid in the IV tube was the correct color and the drip rate was stable. I carefully cross-referenced it with the medication chart and found the dosage was exactly as the doctor had prescribed, with no discrepancies."

"So, judging from the medication in use, there was no problem."

"However," she paused, her tone shifting slightly, "when I was performing a routine check of the unopened backup medication, I discovered an anomaly."

"The specification of one of the key drug vials was clearly different from what was written on the prescription."

"It wasn’t a dosage error, nor was it a batch number issue. The concentration unit of the drug itself had been changed."

Hearing this, Mrs. Yuan’s heart skipped a beat.

She had only been worried about the progression of his illness; it had never occurred to her to think of human error.

But now, hearing what Song Qingya said, her vague sense of unease was instantly magnified.

Song Qingya gave a faint, light smile.

"At that time, Yang Meiling happened to be there as well."

"Right in front of her, I asked directly, ’Who retrieved this vial of medicine? Why don’t the specifications match?’"

"Try to remember," she said, staring into Mrs. Yuan’s eyes, her voice softening slightly. "How did she react then? Did she give a clear explanation?"

’Yang Meiling’s reaction?’

Things were too chaotic last night. Her mind had been entirely focused on whether Old Yuan’s vital signs were stable, and she hadn’t had the mental energy to pay attention to anyone else’s emotional state.

She hadn’t even noticed how many times the nurses had changed shifts.

But now that it was brought up, a sense of familiar discord suddenly surfaced.

’Something... did seem a little off.’

’That’s right!’

’The moment Song Qingya questioned her, Yang Meiling had clearly stiffened.’

’She was stammering, and her explanation was completely incoherent.’

Song Qingya saw the color drain from Mrs. Yuan’s face, the shock in her eyes growing more and more apparent.