Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 55: Body Search

"You’re lying! I’ve been at the door the whole time. I never left."

Xiao Lin retorted, but her voice was already trembling.

"Then why didn’t you follow regulations and check? Don’t you know everyone has to go through the proper procedure, no matter who they are? What if a thief or some other bad person got in? Is that a responsibility you can bear?"

"I... I don’t know how I was so negligent."

Xiao Lin’s voice grew quieter and quieter, and she didn’t even dare to look at Director Yang’s face.

Director Yang took a bottle of fast-acting heart pills from his pocket. His hand trembled slightly as he took one.

His face was pale.

Director Yang’s voice was flat.

"Xiao Lin, starting tomorrow, you’re off the front desk. At the end of the month, we’ll discuss whether you’ll continue working here at all."

"But I’ve been wronged!"

Xiao Lin nearly wailed.

She had never expected such a severe punishment.

She wept and pleaded desperately.

"I’ll be sure to follow the rules strictly next time. Please, forgive me just this once."

Tears streamed down her cheeks. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"You want *me* to forgive you? I think you should be apologizing to that family, not me."

Director Yang said coldly.

"That’s right!"

At that moment, Song Qingya, who had been watching coldly from the side, finally spoke up.

Only then did Xiao Lin realize her mistake hadn’t just affected her job—it had also hurt other people.

She immediately ran to Song Qingya, pleading desperately as tears poured down her face.

"I’m so sorry. We were negligent. I was deceived and even led the charge in blaming you. It’s all my fault. I was so foolish!"

As she spoke, she raised a hand to slap herself.

But just as her hand came up, Song Qingya caught her by the wrist, stopping her.

Song Qingya’s fingers tightened slightly, halting the motion.

"You were just misled by Wen Xiuxiu. I don’t blame you."

Song Qingya’s voice was gentle.

"R-Really? Is that true?"

Xiao Lin’s voice trembled.

She couldn’t believe her ears.

Song Qingya gave a faint smile.

"I won’t go back on my word."

At the same time, she turned to Director Yang, who was hardly daring to breathe, and said lightly, "Director Yang, I don’t want to make a big deal out of this, so I won’t make things too difficult for your hotel."

Director Yang had been bracing for the worst. He never expected the victim’s family to be so forgiving.

His heart filled with gratitude.

"Thank you so, so much!"

Director Yang was so happy he was almost incoherent.

Just as he was reveling in his relief, Song Qingya cut off his thanks. "Don’t thank me just yet. I know what kind of drug was used on my husband. I’m handling it this way because I don’t want to blow this up."

"But I’ve already made a concession. I hope you can show some sincerity in return. After all, this happened to my husband in *your* hotel."

Song Qingya continued.

"Please, rest assured! Tell me what you require! I will do my absolute best to accommodate you."

Director Yang’s thinking was now aligned with Song Qingya’s.

He wanted to do everything in his power to make up for the mistake.

He just wanted to handle this quietly and make sure no one on the outside found out someone had been drugged here.

If word got out, his path to promotion would definitely be cut short.

If his superiors learned of this incident...

...then not only would Fei Jin himself be in deep trouble...

...but it would also have a huge impact on Song Qingya.

Song Qingya also had a good guess about Wen Xiuxiu’s background.

She suspected the other woman’s status was not simple.

From Wen Xiuxiu’s attire and way of speaking, Song Qingya could already surmise that she must have some powerful figures backing her.

That’s why she wanted to deal with Wen Xiuxiu privately first, without making a scene.

After all, in this society, playing it safe was often the wisest choice.

Especially when something like this was involved, it was crucial to be cautious and prevent the situation from escalating.

A medic took a tranquilizer from their medical bag and gave Fei Jin an injection, which would calm him down for the time being.

The drug quickly took effect. Fei Jin’s tense expression gradually relaxed.

His entire body seemed to enter a state of calm.

Song Qingya knew the most important thing now was to get Fei Jin home quickly.

The crowd on the scene was growing, and they were in a hotel, a place bustling with all sorts of people.

If another accident were to happen, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, some conditions had to be negotiated first.

Song Qingya knew she had to make a few demands. This would ensure the incident was resolved to her satisfaction and that there was a clear chain of evidence for any future disputes.

"Director Yang, my requests are reasonable."

"So many people saw what happened today. I want your hotel to assign someone to search Wen Xiuxiu and see if they can find any evidence."

Hearing this, Wen Xiuxiu’s face turned deathly pale.

"No! You have no right to search me."

She retorted loudly.

"Stay away! If I sue you for indecent assault, I’ll also sue you for harassment!"

"Sue me for indecent assault? And harassment? I’m a woman. How is checking you ’indecent assault’?"

Indeed, under normal circumstances, physical contact between people of the same gender would not be considered a violation.

The older woman assigned to do the search was over fifty, with grandchildren about to start kindergarten. She was close to retirement and had never, in her life, heard of someone accusing her of indecent assault.

Everyone had been on edge, but hearing this, they all started to laugh.

The atmosphere relaxed a little.

People were no longer so tense.

"Oh, Sister Jiang, you must have misheard. She said ’harassment,’ meaning you were being handsy with her."

A colleague beside her explained with a laugh.

"This young lady really knows how to spew nonsense. I don’t know how she can be so shameless," someone in the crowd muttered.

"Search her thoroughly! We can’t let her slander our hotel. Otherwise, who would dare stay here in the future?"

Another person chimed in.

"That’s right! Sister Jiang, give her a good search! Don’t miss anything!"

Wen Xiuxiu tried to struggle, attempting to keep anyone from touching her.

Her heart was filled with fear and anxiety, terrified that something incriminating would be found.

But how could she possibly fend off the experienced Sister Jiang?

Sister Jiang had been doing this kind of work for several years.

She had seen all sorts of situations and was more than adept at handling something like this.

Soon enough, Sister Jiang found a small pocket sewn inside Wen Xiuxiu’s clothes.

Hidden inside was a small incense tube, about the size of a cigarette butt.

Sister Jiang gently took it out and held it up for everyone to see.

"This girl is clever, sewing a secret pocket in her clothes to hide things!"

Sister Jiang exclaimed, her tone laced with sarcasm.

When Wen Xiuxiu saw the item being pulled out, her expression turned utterly ghastly.

Her lips trembled, and her eyes filled with despair.

’It’s useless to say anything now. The evidence is right in front of everyone.’

Wen Xiuxiu shouted, trying to argue.