Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting

"Dean Song, you really don’t remember?"

She was practically shouting, her trembling finger pointing at the medicine box. "That day, you told me to go deliver some equipment and just shoved the medicine into my hands!"

"You said... the health clinic is in poor condition and couldn’t afford it, so you asked me to help take it to them as... as a kind of subsidy."

She spoke with such sincerity that her eyes even welled up with tears.

"You also said that going through the official channels was too much trouble and would force them to pay, so you told me to handle it quietly..."

"I honestly didn’t think much of it at the time. I figured you were just being kind and I didn’t want to cause any delays. I also thought if I could save some trouble, I should, since it’s all for the sake of our work... Who could have known... that things would turn out like this..."

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at the faces of the people around her.

Sure enough, the expressions on many people’s faces had already changed.

"Ms. Yang was just trying to help out of the kindness of her heart. How did she end up in trouble?"

"That’s right. The medicine is in her hands right now. Dean Song has to give some kind of explanation."

"We can’t just let an honest person get the short end of the stick, right?"

"Besides, if there really is a misunderstanding, it should be investigated properly. We can’t just listen to one side of the story."

At that moment, Qi Yuanyuan shuffled forward half a step and sighed pretentiously.

"Sigh, Ms. Yang was just acting out of goodwill. She’s a kind soul who didn’t want everyone to run extra errands or spend more money..."

"Maybe Dean Song was just too busy and momentarily forgot, or perhaps she has her own reasons."

"We can’t just judge by appearances. We have to be considerate of our leader’s difficulties."

Listening to everyone chattering, Lu Mei felt even more conflicted.

"Yang Meiling, I’m so sorry. I was too rash just now. I spoke without understanding the situation... Please don’t take what I said to heart."

Yang Meiling lowered her head without a word, just giving it a slight shake.

She looked so incredibly wronged it was enough to make one’s heart ache.

Watching from the side, Ya’er was so furious her palms were sweating in her clenched fists.

"Sister Lu Mei, don’t let her fool you! She’s just putting on an act! It’s all for show!"

"Just look at her! It’s obvious she has a guilty conscience! Crying on command like that—who would believe it?"

As she was being yelled at and pointed at, Yang Meiling’s eyes immediately reddened.

She lifted the back of her hand to wipe her eyes and choked out, "I... I just wanted to help... I never thought... I never thought it would turn out like this..."

Her crying only made the surrounding crowd feel even more sorry for her.

"Oh dear, the poor girl is crying so hard. She must have been wronged."

"Dean Song is usually so fair. Why is she being so cold-faced about this?"

"Could there really be more to this story?"

Song Qingya had remained silent the whole time, coldly observing the drama unfold.

"Yang Meiling."

"You say I told you to take the medicine to the clinic?"

Yang Meiling nodded quickly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Song Qingya nodded, as if she believed her.

"Fine. Then explain it clearly."

"When? Where? And how did I give you the medicine?"

"Was anyone else there at the time?"

"What did I say when I handed you the medicine? Repeat it for me, word for word."

"And what was I wearing that day? How was my hair done? Tell me that, too."

She fired off one question after another.

The wronged expression on Yang Meiling’s face froze instantly.

She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Her hands hung uselessly at her sides, completely at a loss.

At a time like this, tears could no longer win her any sympathy. They only made her look even more guilty.

’How was she supposed to invent all those details out of thin air?’

Hiding at the back of the crowd, Qi Yuanyuan clutched the hem of her clothes tightly.

She kept her head down, trying to shrink into the spaces between people.

She knew that every word from Yang Meiling’s mouth was pushing her one step deeper into the abyss.

And at this moment, all she could do was pray.

Song Qingya’s gaze swept lightly over the crowd.

But it landed on Qi Yuanyuan’s face, in a corner of the crowd.

In that instant, Song Qingya caught the slight contraction of her pupils and the unnatural twitch at the corner of her eye.

It was an unmistakable flicker of panic.

Yang Meiling took a deep breath, trying to steel her nerves.

She knew she had no way out; she could only bite the bullet and continue.

Now, she was just taking what had really happened and secretly substituting Song Qingya as the person who had said and done those things.

"You went to the warehouse to inspect old equipment..."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"You called me over to a corner. That area... not many people usually go there, so it’s pretty secluded..."

She tried to describe the scene in greater detail to make her lie seem more believable.

But the more detailed she became, the more her conscience pricked at her.

"Then... you secretly slipped me the medicine and whispered for me not to make a fuss. You said to just hand it directly to the clinic and not tell anyone else..."

As she spoke, she subconsciously glanced down at her own hands.

"You also said... that going through official channels was too much trouble, that the department would have to bear the cost, and you didn’t want everyone to have to chip in... so you told me to handle it privately..."

She did her best to make her tone sound natural.

But her eyes kept darting away, not daring to meet Song Qingya’s gaze.

They would occasionally flicker elsewhere before she hastily pulled them back.

"Is that right?"

Song Qingya finally spoke.

"Then why don’t you tell me what I was wearing that day?"

Yang Meiling’s heart tightened. She answered almost by reflex, "Huh? You were wearing... a white coat..."

"Oh?"

Song Qingya raised an eyebrow slightly, a glint of coldness in her eyes.

"And underneath? What was I wearing?"

Yang Meiling froze, her mind going completely blank.

"Underneath..."

She stammered, her lips trembling and her eyes darting about frantically.

’But she hadn’t even seen Song Qingya go to the warehouse yesterday!’

’Qi Yuanyuan hadn’t mentioned any of these details!’

’How could she possibly know what she was wearing underneath?!’

Cold sweat trickled down her temples.

She could only make a wild guess based on a vague impression.

"Underneath... I think it was something blue..."

"Blue?"

Song Qingya’s brow furrowed. Her tone remained calm, but it now carried an oppressive weight.

"What style? A blouse? Long-sleeved or short-sleeved? People wear blue in the summer; it wasn’t necessarily long-sleeved, was it?"

Her questions came one after another, like a series of snares.

"I... I don’t remember clearly..."

A fine sheen of cold sweat had broken out on Yang Meiling’s forehead, and her palms were damp.

Ya’er had been standing aside, watching with a cold expression.

But now, her eyes suddenly lit up, as if she’d seen a spark in the darkness.

She immediately seized the fleeting opportunity and spoke without hesitation.

"You don’t remember clearly? Dean Song never even went to the warehouse yesterday!"

"She was in her third-floor office handling documents all day! We have security footage to prove it! And several nurses saw her coming and going!"

She paused, her tone growing even more severe.

"Besides, she was wearing a light green blouse with a pair of cream-colored trousers, not blue! You can’t even get the color right, yet you still dare to claim she handed you the medicine herself?"

"Your lie is just too full of holes!"

Ya’er grew more and more agitated as she spoke, her emotions spiraling as she relentlessly pressed her.

"Explain yourself! Where did this medicine really come from? Tell us! Why were you hoarding the hospital’s life-saving drugs? Do you know that’s illegal?"

"Did you take it from the warehouse when Sister Lu Mei wasn’t looking? You’ve had your eye on that batch of specialty drugs for a while, haven’t you?"

"No! I really didn’t steal anything! I swear I never even touched the warehouse door!"

Yang Meiling was forced back step by step until her back hit the cold wall.