Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 200: Sarcasm

The commotion grew louder, and the crowd of onlookers grew larger.

"Who’s that? Why are they arguing so fiercely?"

"I think they’re from the health clinic, here to see Dean Song."

"Isn’t that female doctor in the white coat Doctor Qi from surgery? She’s got quite a temper."

Just as the scene was about to spiral out of control, a cold voice came from the direction of the office building.

"What’s wrong? What’s all this shouting about?"

At the sound of the voice, everyone turned to look.

Song Qingya was striding quickly from the main building, her brow slightly furrowed as her gaze swept over the chaotic mess at the entrance.

She took a few steps forward and stopped in the middle of the crowd.

Xiao Yu and Ya’er were just about to call out to her, but Qi Yuanyuan beat them to it.

"Dean Song! You’re finally here!"

She turned to the side, her finger pointing directly at Xiao Yu and Ya’er behind her.

"Look at these two! They say they’re from the health clinic. I was just kindly reminding them that you’re busy with hospital affairs right now, that you have a mountain of things to do and absolutely no time to see anyone."

"If they want to see you, they have to follow the rules—register their information first, or make an appointment and wait to be notified."

"But they wouldn’t listen at all! Not only that, but they were aggressive, claiming they knew you, that they were your old colleagues and friends. They insisted on going in, tried to force their way inside!"

"I’m a doctor at this hospital. I can’t just stand by and watch them disrupt our procedures, can I?"

"If anyone could just barge in like this, how could the hospital maintain any order? How could it even function properly?"

"I tried to reason with them nicely, my tone was very polite, but not only did they ignore me, they started yelling at me! They were louder than I was, saying I... saying I was putting on airs, deliberately making things difficult, and looking down on colleagues from a local clinic!"

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her voice took on a hint of a sob.

"In my opinion, people who disrupt the normal operations of the hospital should be dealt with according to the rules! We can’t make exceptions just because they claim to know the leadership!"

"Don’t you agree that’s the right way to handle it?"

As soon as she finished speaking, all eyes fell on Song Qingya.

Ya’er’s face was flushed with anger.

She took a step forward, pointed at Qi Yuanyuan, and shouted.

"Dean Song! That’s not what happened at all!"

"We heard you became the dean, and we were so happy we made a special trip from the countryside just to congratulate you in person!"

"We were just standing at the entrance waiting! We never intended to barge in or cause any trouble!"

The more she spoke, the more wronged she felt, and her eyes began to redden.

"She was the one who stormed out! She didn’t ask a single thing, just started berating us with that snide, sarcastic tone of hers!"

"She was clearly looking down on us for being from a rural health clinic! She thinks we’re hicks, that we have no right to be standing here, that we’re not worthy of seeing you!"

"She’s the one who was being unreasonable and deliberately starting trouble!"

Standing to the side, Dr. Xiao Yu quickly nodded in agreement.

"Dean Song, every word Ya’er said is true! Doctor Qi really did have that attitude. She was incredibly aggressive and spoke without a shred of courtesy, as if we had committed some terrible crime."

"We honestly didn’t want to cause any trouble. We were just so happy to hear about your promotion that we came all this way to offer our congratulations. But we were stopped at the gate before we could even step inside."

Song Qingya listened quietly until they were finished.

"Doctor Qi."

Song Qingya began to speak slowly.

"I heard what you said."

Qi Yuanyuan’s heart leaped in shock, and she snapped her head up to look at Song Qingya.

’All those things she said... she heard everything?’

Song Qingya paused, her eyes suddenly turning cold.

"You receive a state salary to save the lives of the people. Yet here you are, at the hospital entrance, shouting at and obstructing colleagues from a local clinic. Is this what you call ’following the rules’?"

Qi Yuanyuan opened her mouth, wanting to explain that she was just following procedure.

"What is a hospital for?"

"It’s a place for saving lives! What matters here is teamwork and cooperation, exceptional skill, and serving our patients! It is not a place for you to put on airs or create a pecking order!"

Song Qingya’s tone hardened, her gaze as sharp as a knife, piercing right through Qi Yuanyuan.

"I’ve known Xiao Yu and Ya’er since my time at the health department. We’ve pulled all-nighters together, weathered crises together, and administered shots and prescribed medicine in remote outposts together. They are my friends, and more than that, they are comrades who have fought by my side! They are the brothers and sisters who would stand up and help me in my most difficult times!"

"My comrades—Song Qingya’s comrades—are not people that just anyone can berate and block as they please!"

"Engaging in factionalism, ranking people into different classes—this is not how things should be! Do you understand me, Doctor Qi?"

As the last sentence left her lips, Qi Yuanyuan felt a tightness in her chest, and her heart pounded so fast it felt like it would burst from her throat.

Song Qingya paid her no more attention, turning to Xiao Yu and Ya’er with a softened tone.

"Xiao Yu, Ya’er, you’ve been put in a difficult position."

She said, sighing softly.

"You came to congratulate me, only to be blocked at the door and treated so coldly. I feel terrible about it."

Ya’er’s eyes welled with heat, her nose tingled, and she almost burst into tears.

"It’s... it’s okay, Dean Song. We know you’ve just taken office, and some people are probably watching to see how you handle things. We’re not upset."

Song Qingya smiled and gently patted her on the shoulder.

"Don’t just stand here in the wind."

"It’s cold out, and you must be tired after coming all this way. Come, let’s go inside and sit for a while. Have some water and warm up. I was also hoping to ask you how things are at the health clinic lately—if you’re busy, if the medicine supply is keeping up, and how the patients are doing."

With that, she turned and led the two of them toward the office building.

Qi Yuanyuan remained frozen in place, not moving a muscle.

Her face alternated between pale and ashen, her eyes locked on Song Qingya’s back, filled with resentment and an unwillingness to accept defeat.

Song Qingya pushed the door open, turned sideways, and gestured for Xiao Yu and Ya’er to go in first.

"Please, sit. Don’t just stand."

She pointed to a few chairs arranged by the window in the reception area.

After they were seated, she walked behind her desk, picked up a thermos, and poured hot water into three white porcelain cups.

"Have something hot to drink and warm yourselves up."

She said softly.

Seeing this, Xiao Yu and Ya’er quickly stood up from their chairs, their movements a bit flustered.

They accepted the cups with both hands, a wave of emotion washing over them.

Song Qingya walked over to the sofa across from them and sat down. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"I was still a little incredulous just now."

She tilted her head slightly, a pleasant surprise in her tone.

"To be honest, I really didn’t expect you two to make a special trip over."

To see old colleagues who were genuinely happy for her at a time like this filled her with an indescribable sense of comfort and warmth.

Ya’er was still cradling the cup in both hands, her fingertips slightly red from the steam.

"Doctor Song—ah, no, Dean Song!"

She quickly corrected herself, her voice full of respect and joy.

"We came specifically to congratulate you! This is such wonderful news! We old colleagues are happy for you from the bottom of our hearts, truly!"

As she spoke, her gaze drifted down to Song Qingya’s abdomen.

"Dean Song, are you feeling alright? You’ve just taken office and must have a ton of things to handle. But you’re pregnant now, and the first three months are the most critical. You absolutely mustn’t overwork yourself. You have to take good care of yourself."

Hearing this, Song Qingya’s heart suddenly warmed.