Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 208: Straight for the Jugular

Her heart plummeted. She looked up.

When she saw Yang Meiling’s feigned shock, an expression that couldn’t hide the smugness in her eyes, everything clicked into place.

Alarm bells screamed in her mind as a cold dread shot up from the soles of her feet.

But she managed to suppress her emotions, her expression remaining perfectly composed.

"Oh? Ms. Yang, this... where did this medicine come from?"

Feigning confusion, she crouched down, cautiously picked up the box of medicine, and turned it over and over. Her voice was filled with shock and suspicion.

"We’ve never stocked this kind of medicine. It’s not even on any of our purchase orders. How... did it get mixed in with this equipment?"

This was the exact moment Yang Meiling had been waiting for!

She sneered inwardly, but her expression became hesitant and she began to hem and haw.

"How would I know?"

She pursed her lips and gave a helpless shrug.

"Dean Song packed these boxes herself. She even specifically instructed me and Ye Yuan to deliver them together. Nothing should have gone wrong... But this medicine... could it be that she saw the poor conditions here and secretly set it aside for us out of consideration?"

She paused, deliberately lowering her voice.

"But... I don’t think this follows proper procedure... If anyone were to find out, it would be a serious problem."

Dr. Xiao Yu and Ya’er exchanged a look. The moment their eyes met, they knew exactly what the other was thinking.

Before they left, Dean Song had taken them aside and given them a stern warning.

’Just as they’d expected, here it was.’

And it had come fast and hard, striking right at the heart of the matter.

Ya’er took a deep breath, forcing down a surge of rage. Her expression immediately hardened, her gaze turning sharp as a knife.

"Ms. Yang, watch what you’re saying!"

"Everyone knows what kind of person Dean Song is! She keeps her public and private life strictly separate and always acts on principle. Why would she ever do something that violates regulations? She has no reason to, and even if she did want to help us, she would never resort to such methods!"

"I don’t think she put it there at all! You’re the one who knocked over the box while moving it, weren’t you? I’ll bet you slipped this medicine in yourself to frame her. You’re just trying to use this to smear Dean Song’s name! Aren’t you?!"

"Bullshit!"

Yang Meiling shrieked and jumped up, her face instantly turning beet red.

"I... How could I do something like that! You’re spouting shameless lies! Twisting the truth!"

She planted her hands on her hips, and just like that, tears welled up and streamed down her face.

"I get it! Dean Song made me copy out the medical protocols the other day as punishment, so now you’re all taking her side and ganging up on me! You’re conspiring against me! This is a setup!"

She immediately adopted the pitiful air of a victim, wronged and under attack.

She knew that if she played the victim, someone was bound to feel sorry for her.

"Yang Meiling!"

Dr. Xiao Yu, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.

He took a sudden step forward, his face livid, and stared her down.

"We are sticking to the facts! Not emotions! And certainly not baseless accusations!"

"Everyone here knows exactly what kind of person Dean Song is! She’s not like that! She’s always thinking of others. When dysentery broke out in the village, she was the one who worked through the night to contact the county, secure life-saving medicine, and save countless lives. Who could forget that? We all remember the good she has done!"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, his voice trembling slightly.

"But what about you? All you do is stir up trouble and spread rumors. One day it’s that the accounts aren’t clear, the next that there’s an issue with purchasing! And now you pull this stunt, deliberately tossing a box of medicine on the floor and putting on a show of ’discovering’ it. What is your goal?! Will you not be satisfied until you’ve thrown this entire clinic into utter chaos?!"

With that, he took another step forward, subtly positioning himself in front of Ya’er.

"Let me tell you something. Stop spouting this nonsense and trying to ruin Dean Song’s reputation! If you keep making things up, we will have no choice but to go to the hospital and settle this matter once and for all in front of the leadership!"

Seeing that neither of them was backing down and that they stood firmly with Song Qingya,

Yang Meiling’s gaze suddenly turned cold, a sinister glint flashing in her eyes.

’A direct confrontation clearly wasn’t working. They were unmoved, and it was only making them more defiant.’

’Her mind raced. She had to change tactics, to try something more vicious.’

"Fine! So you don’t believe me? You think I, Yang Meiling, am just trying to cause trouble and frame Dean Song?"

"All right! Then I’m done wasting my breath. We’re taking this medicine back to the hospital—right now!"

"We’ll get to the bottom of this bottle of medicine, from start to finish, right in front of all the doctors, nurses, and hospital leadership!"

She猛地提高声音.

"So? Do you dare? If you have nothing to hide, what’s to fear about a direct confrontation?!"

Dr. Xiao Yu and Ya’er’s hearts seized. A light sheen of cold sweat broke out on their backs.

’This woman was actually serious.’

’She really intended to blow this up at the hospital, to expose everything.’

They exchanged a glance, a flicker of hesitation in their eyes.

Of course, they had unconditional faith in Dean Song’s character and were certain she would never violate regulations.

But the problem was, the medicine was right there in front of them.

With its jumbled label and unknown origin, if it were taken to the hospital for an official investigation,

Even if it was eventually cleared up as a misunderstanding, Dean Song’s reputation would inevitably be damaged.

Ya’er had a fiery temper and couldn’t stand being blackmailed like this.

Goaded by Yang Meiling, her anger flared, and a hot flush spread across her chest.

"Fine, let’s go! We do everything above board, never behind closed doors!"

"And Dean Song’s record is spotless! She is upright and honest, never shows favoritism, and never breaks the rules!"

"But you, Yang Meiling! If it turns out this medicine has nothing to do with this—that you were mistaken, overthinking, or just making a scene for no reason—we’ll see how you explain yourself then! How will you face everyone!"

Dr. Xiao Yu hurriedly tugged on her sleeve, whispering for her to calm down.

Then, he turned his head and stared coldly at Yang Meiling.

"Fine, Ms. Yang. Since you insist on doing this, on escalating this to the leadership, we’ll see it through to the end."

"However, before we go, we’re moving all the equipment and medical supplies inside. We’ll inventory everything, box by box, item by item, right here in front of everyone."

"Who handled it, who logged it, who signed for it—everything must be on record. We can’t leave any room for loopholes, and we certainly won’t allow anyone to plant evidence or frame someone."

Seeing them finally give in and agree to go to the hospital, Yang Meiling’s lips curled into a smug, cold smile.

’Hah. Just as I thought. They’re still so green.’

’A little prodding, a few harsh words, and they took the bait immediately.’

’These kids have never seen a real fight.’

’They can’t handle the slightest bit of pressure.’

"Good! Then get moving! Stop dawdling and wasting time! None of us can afford to be held responsible for delaying official business!"

She urged them on with an aggressive, demanding tone.

But she herself stood to the side without moving a muscle, not even lifting a hand.

She just stared intently at the boxes filled with equipment and the medicine box lying on the floor.

Ye Yuan had been silently observing from the side, his brows tightly furrowed, his expression grave.

He had seen from the start that Yang Meiling was up to no good. From the moment she walked in, her words had been cutting and her pressure relentless.

Dean Song had sent him over precisely to watch Yang Meiling’s every move, to prevent her from playing tricks or setting traps.