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Seeing how anxious Zhao Dongmei looked, her colleague couldn’t help but chuckle.
“No, don’t worry, he didn’t find out you were out. We covered for you. He came looking for someone named Su Ying, a janitor. But it was really strange—Su Ying happened to be cleaning on our floor, and the dean actually came all the way here just to find her.”
Those casually spoken words landed like a thunderclap in Zhao Dongmei’s ears, sending the relief she had just felt straight back up into her throat.
Didn’t Zhao Yumei say Su Ying only married a disabled veteran? Why would a man like that have this much clout?
She quickly shook her head, rejecting the thought.
She must be overthinking. No way. The dean probably just wanted to ask about the incident with Yang Tianjiao. No need to scare herself with wild guesses.
Zhao Dongmei forced herself to sit calmly in her chair. A colleague promptly brought over a mug of hot water.
But even as she held the mug, her heart wouldn’t settle. She stood back up and walked out.
Everyone exchanged glances.
“I heard Su Ying and Yang Tianjiao had a fight yesterday. The Director must be upset about that, right?”
The others nodded. That explanation made sense.
They also silently thought: Director Zhao is a loyal boss—someone worth following.
Meanwhile, in the Dean’s office—
Su Ying stood across from Dean Li, still holding the mop she used for cleaning.
She had no idea why the dean had personally come to find her, but she figured it must be about the incident with Yang Tianjiao.
So even when the dean offered her a seat, she didn’t sit down.
She felt it would just be a short conversation. If this was about being fired, she was already mentally prepared.
When she first decided to work at the hospital, she’d hoped for a job in an auxiliary department. She didn’t expect to end up scrubbing toilets.
If this was the kind of work she’d be doing, then she might as well find a similar job elsewhere.
Dean Li, on the other hand, was baffled by how seriously she was staring at him.
Was he that scary?
Why did she look like she was facing a death sentence?
And she wouldn’t even sit down?
He coughed lightly.
“Ahem, Xiao Su, I called you in because I wanted to ask about what happened yesterday…”
“Why I hit Yang Tianjiao?” she interrupted bluntly.
Dean Li paused, then gave a helpless smile and nodded.
“Uh… yes. Why did you hit her? She was pretty shaken yesterday—she even took the day off.”
Su Ying muttered inwardly, “What weak nerves.”
She hadn’t even really hit her. Yet here she was, skipping work and pretending to be sick.
She didn’t reflect on the fact that she had shoved a toilet mop into someone’s face, and the woman had probably swallowed a few drops.
Just the thought of that would be enough to make someone lose their appetite for a week, if not longer.
Su Ying didn’t have a bad impression of the dean, so she spoke politely and clearly.
She didn’t exaggerate—she simply explained what had happened.
“She gave you a hard time? Put you on toilet duty? Even made you scrub the walls?”
Su Ying nodded.
“That wasn’t all. She also said some pretty awful things. Her words made me uncomfortable, so I made sure she felt uncomfortable too.”
Her blunt honesty left Dean Li at a loss for words.
Was she too sharp, or just too straightforward?
But remembering the call he received yesterday from the Political Commissar, he softened his tone.
“Comrade Su, I understand that Yang Tianjiao’s behavior was inappropriate. Let’s consider this matter closed. We’ll handle things on our end and smooth it over. Now, let’s talk about your situation.”
Su Ying’s eyes widened.
“It’s over? You brought me in… not to fire me?”
Seeing Su Ying’s surprised reaction, Dean Li chuckled again.
She really is just a young girl, after all.
Her earlier sharpness was probably due to youth and pride.
“Now can we sit and talk? I’m getting old—craning my neck like this is uncomfortable.”
Su Ying blinked, then quickly pulled over a chair and sat.
“Sorry, Dean. I didn’t think of that.”
Dean Li smiled and asked:
“Do you know who arranged for you to work here?”
Su Ying shook her head.
She assumed it was Commissar Ye and the others, but didn’t know who specifically had contacted the hospital.
Seeing Dean Li’s proud little smirk, she widened her eyes.
“Wait… it was you?”
Dean Li nodded.
“That’s right. But I didn’t say anything before because I didn’t want people gossiping. Originally, I had you assigned to the registration office downstairs. Somehow, someone mixed things up and put you in logistics. I’ll fix that today, so let’s not hold any grudges, alright?”
Su Ying lowered her head and gave an awkward smile.
“I don’t have any grudges, Dean. You misunderstood.”
Dean Li didn’t press the issue.
“You’ll start at the registration office this afternoon.”
Su Ying took a deep breath and looked at him seriously.
“Dean, can I become a doctor? I’ve studied medicine before—even if I have to start as an intern, I’m willing to try.”
Dean Li flipped through a file on his desk and looked back at her.
“But your file shows no record of medical education. Xiao Su, I’ll be honest with you. Becoming a doctor isn’t something you can do just because you like it or on a whim.”
“If you truly want this, then first you’ll need to pass the exams for both a medical license and practitioner qualification. If you manage that, I can arrange a written test for you. If you pass everything, then we can bring you on as a trainee doctor.”
Su Ying was thrilled. She stood and gave him a deep bow.
“Thank you! I’ll study for the certifications. Thank you so much for giving me this chance.”
Dean Li looked at her, expression awkward.
He hadn’t expected her to take it so seriously.
He’d already read her file—no college education, not even a vocational degree.
She had zero medical background.
What he meant to tell her was: it’s almost impossible.
Even med school graduates struggle to pass those two exams—what chance did someone like her have?
“Xiao Su… I think you may have misunderstood. Those exams aren’t easy. Even university grads from top medical schools find them hard. For someone with no foundation at all, it’s practically impossible.”
But Su Ying still smiled brightly.
She was confident.
After all, in her past life she held a senior physician’s license.
She was once one of the country’s top orthopedic experts.
Passing the entry-level medical exam? That was no problem at all.
Dean Li could see she still didn’t get it. He was about to sit her down and try to reason with her more gently—he was ready to spend the whole morning on this if needed.
But just as he opened his mouth, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
Zhao Dongmei walked in.
As soon as she saw Su Ying sitting there, her eyes narrowed in alarm.