Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 206: Slinging Mud

The colleagues, who had been watching quietly, started whispering to each other.

Someone muttered in a low voice, "Yeah, the boxes haven’t even been unsealed. How could she tell there was new equipment inside?"

Another person immediately chimed in, "Unless... she tampered with them herself!"

The smug look on Yang Meiling’s face froze instantly.

The corners of her previously raised mouth quickly pressed into a thin line.

Her eyes began to dart about, glancing at the ground one moment and sweeping over the crowd the next.

"I... I was just worried something might be wrong with the hospital’s property!"

She stammered, her voice dropping a little.

"I... I didn’t want anything to go wrong with the shipment, so I thought I’d check on it beforehand..."

"So, your concern for hospital property gives you the right to break the rules, barge into a sealed warehouse, and rummage through supplies?"

Song Qingya pressed her relentlessly.

"Yang Meiling, tell me, how exactly did you conduct this so-called ’inspection’? Did you use your X-ray vision to see through the boxes? Or is it that you’d already broken the seals and opened the equipment crates yourself?"

Hearing this from the back of the crowd, Qi Yuanyuan’s knees almost buckled!

She bit her lower lip so hard she nearly broke the skin, barely managing to suppress the urge to scream rising in her throat.

She had barely taken half a step back when, afraid of being noticed, she abruptly froze and pretended to be nonchalant, lowering her head.

She no longer dared to look forward, let alone meet anyone’s eyes.

She could only hope she wouldn’t be dragged into this mess, but in her heart, she knew.

It was probably too late.

But Yang Meiling was panicking now, seeing that all the heat was on her.

Just as she was at a complete loss and on the verge of a breakdown, she caught something out of the corner of her eye.

It was the sight of Qi Yuanyuan quietly backing away, trying to slip out unnoticed.

"It was her! Qi Yuanyuan did it! Dean Song, don’t listen to me, go ask her! She was the one who snuck into the warehouse last night to swap the equipment! And there’s something else..."

Yang Meiling’s voice trembled with terror, her eyes filled with a desperate will to survive.

She didn’t want to take the fall for this alone.

Even if it meant her own ruin, she had to drag someone down with her.

Yang Meiling gritted her teeth, deciding to expose the stolen medicine. She was determined to drag Qi Yuanyuan down with her.

She knew the consequences would be dire once she said it, but at this point, she was past caring.

If she was going to die, she’d make it a spectacle. No one was getting out of this unscathed.

"You’re lying!"

The moment her name was called, Qi Yuanyuan’s legs went weak, and she was scared out of her wits.

All thoughts of running vanished as she immediately shrieked.

"Yang Meiling! Stop trying to drag my name through the mud! When did I ever go into the warehouse? I’ve never been there! You’re the real thief crying foul! You were trying to frame Dean Song, and now that you’ve been exposed, you want to use me to cushion your fall! Dean Song, you mustn’t believe her! She’s jealous of you! She’s a vicious person! My parents both have high-ranking jobs! Offend me, and none of you will be able to handle the consequences!"

But Yang Meiling was past caring. She had dropped all pretenses and was ready to go for broke.

She knew she probably wasn’t getting out of this today. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Since there was no escape, she might as well make things as chaotic as possible. At least she wouldn’t be the only one to go down.

"You still dare say you didn’t go!"

She took a sharp step forward, her eyes locked on Qi Yuanyuan.

"It was you! You swapped the equipment, and you stole the medicine! Song Qingya, she gave all that medicine to me! I was just holding onto it for her! She promised me money to take the fall for her! Ask her! Check the chat history on her phone! The proof is all there!"

"You... You’re spouting vicious lies!"

Qi Yuanyuan trembled with rage, her face going from flushed to deathly pale.

She glared at Yang Meiling, her eyes blazing with fury.

She was terrified and furious, but not knowing how to refute the claims, she could only scream hysterically.

"You’re insane! You’re making it all up! This is just revenge! You have no proof!"

It looked like the two were about to erupt into a full-blown fight right in front of everyone, perhaps even coming to blows.

The onlooking nurses and doctors took a step back, exchanging uncertain glances.

"Enough."

Everyone flinched, and as one, they all fell silent.

Song Qingya stood in the center of the crowd, her gaze icy.

"Qi Yuanyuan. You’re stirring up trouble and causing conflict during work hours. Your attitude is appalling, and your public quarreling has a terrible influence. Effective today, you are demoted to a general physician and transferred to the warehouse. You will be responsible for taking inventory of all medicine and equipment. You can return when you’ve had time to reflect on your actions."

Her voice wasn’t loud, but each word landed like a hammer blow on everyone’s heart.

Qi Yuanyuan shuddered and froze on the spot, her mind buzzing.

She opened her mouth, wanting to argue, wanting to plead for mercy.

But when she met Song Qingya’s completely emotionless eyes,

all the words caught in her throat. She didn’t dare utter a single one.

’Demoted... to the warehouse...’

’She wasn’t fired, but this was a complete humiliation!’

’A person of her standing, exiled to the logistics department to count supplies? How could she ever hold her head up in the hospital again?’

’How could she face her colleagues and family?’

Then, Song Qingya turned to look at the ashen-faced Yang Meiling.

Yang Meiling instinctively took half a step back under that gaze.

Song Qingya didn’t speak right away, merely staring at her in silence.

"Yang Meiling. For slandering a colleague, for your questionable motives, and for disrupting order."

"Since you love ’inspections’ so much, you can go and get your fill."

She paused for a moment, the barest hint of a mocking smile touching her lips.

"Effective today, you are transferred to the janitorial team. You will be responsible for cleaning the entire hospital."

As soon as the order was given, the very air seemed to freeze.

"We can discuss other arrangements when you’ve admitted your mistake."

Yang Meiling stood there, stunned. Her eyes were wide, her pupils constricting violently.

’Making her sweep the floors?’

’What kind of joke was this!’

’She was a proper hospital nurse, a professional in a white coat with a license to practice.’

’And now she was expected to grab a mop and broom, to bow and scrape in front of the entire hospital staff?’

A roar filled her head.

"Dean Song!"

Her voice suddenly shot up, cracking under the strain.

"This is completely unfair!"

Her finger trembling, she pointed at Qi Yuanyuan, who stood nearby with her head bowed.

"Qi Yuanyuan switched the equipment and took the medicine! There are witnesses and evidence!"

The words tumbled out of her mouth, as if she feared being silenced if she paused for even a second.

"How can you just demote her one rank but make me a janitor?"

"Are you protecting her just because she has powerful connections?"

As soon as she said this, the onlooking crowd grew even quieter.

The murmuring and whispering came to an abrupt halt.

Many people exchanged quiet glances, a flicker of doubt in their eyes.

It was true, after all. Who didn’t know that Qi Yuanyuan’s father was a deputy director at the Municipal Health Bureau?

And Yang Meiling was just an ordinary employee with no power or influence.

Song Qingya didn’t even raise her eyelids, her expression remaining impassive.

She didn’t even deign to let her gaze linger on Yang Meiling’s face.

Qi Yuanyuan’s shoulders gave a slight tremble, her head bowed even lower as her fingers twisted the hem of her clothes.

"She is at fault, but at least she’s a trained surgeon. She still has her skills."

Song Qingya finally spoke.

"Do you have any idea how difficult it is to train a doctor?"

She slowly turned her head.

"And you?"

Yang Meiling opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"What can you do?"

Song Qingya’s voice was laced with unconcealed contempt.

"You do nothing but gossip and form cliques all day."

"You can’t even get the most basic procedures right, and when you make a mistake, you insist on dragging others down with you."

Yang Meiling had, in fact, skipped a sterilization step during last week’s practical exam, which had led to a complaint about a post-operative infection.