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Dean Li shook his head.
“It’s nothing. Just find out how many new hires came in yesterday and report back to me when you’ve confirmed.”
With that, he opened the conference room door and left.
All the department heads and doctors looked at each other in confusion.
Since when did the dean care about janitorial hires? And it sounded like he was referring to a cleaner.
Someone quietly approached Director Zhao and asked in a low voice:
“Was one of the new hires the dean’s relative or something?”
Director Zhao frowned. She was still totally in the dark and in a foul mood.
The dean’s relative? That couldn’t be… could it?
But then she recalled Su Ying—no formal education, no medical license, yet somehow hired by their hospital. That faint sense of unease returned.
Given her background, it definitely looked like she had connections.
As soon as the meeting ended, Director Zhao went straight to the HR office. Since Yang Tianjiao hadn’t shown up for work today, someone else was covering her desk. When they saw Director Zhao arrive, they immediately stood up with a flattering smile.
“Director Zhao, what brings you here today? Is there something I can help with?”
Zhao Dongmei (Director Zhao’s full name), a top candidate for vice-dean, had been enjoying newfound fame since the case of the pregnant woman yesterday. With her position all but locked in, people were lining up to curry favor.
Zhao Dongmei took a seat but didn’t accept the water handed to her.
“It’s nothing urgent—I just wanted to ask how many new hires we had yesterday, and what roles they were assigned to.”
“I’ll check that for you right away.”
After checking the records, the staffer looked up and reported:
“Director Zhao, we only had one new hire yesterday. Her name is Su Ying, and she was assigned to the logistics department.”
While speaking, they discreetly watched Zhao Dongmei’s expression—only to see her face undergo a subtle shift, her features tight with concern and urgency.
They cautiously asked:
“Director Zhao… is there something wrong with this Su Ying?”
Zhao Dongmei stood up and forced a smile.
“No, not really. Tianjiao just mentioned her in passing, so I thought I’d ask. I’ll be going now—carry on.”
Once she left the HR office, all signs of her earlier smile vanished, replaced by worry and tension.
She quickly returned to her office, took off her white coat, and instructed the other doctors in her department:
“I have to step out for a while—cover for me.”
The implication was: if the dean or any higher-ups come looking, tell them she was on hospital business. After all, it was during work hours.
Zhao Dongmei hopped on her bicycle and headed straight to the Linshi Textile Factory. The gatekeeper didn’t recognize her but could tell she had an air of importance, so he greeted her politely.
“I’m looking for Zhao Yumei. Is she working right now?”
The old man smiled, Peking opera playing softly on the radio. Seeing her serious expression, he even turned the volume down.
“She’s working. I’ll go get her for you.”
Soon, Zhao Yumei came out—wearing a white cap and a factory uniform. She looked surprised to see her sister.
“Sis? What brings you here now? Just wait for me to come home tonight. I was going to make ribs for dinner!”
But Zhao Dongmei was in no mood to eat.
She pulled Zhao Yumei aside and asked anxiously:
“Yumei, tell me the truth—what’s going on with this Su Ying? Who is she really? You asked me to make her quit the hospital, but why? What grudge do you have with her?”
At this point, Zhao Dongmei was beginning to regret it. She hadn’t asked any questions earlier—just agreed when Yumei told her to get Su Ying fired.
Now, things clearly weren’t that simple.
Zhao Yumei looked puzzled.
“Why are you so worked up? She’s just Su Jianshe’s daughter—came with her mother to look for him. You think I’d let them come ruin my family? I just wanted her to go back to the countryside.”
Zhao Dongmei frowned.
“Su Jianshe’s daughter? From the countryside? Then how did she get into our hospital? Did Su Jianshe pull some strings?”
Yumei curled her lip and dropped her arm from her sister’s.
She instinctively turned her head aside.
Zhao Dongmei grabbed her arm.
“Yumei, you better tell me everything right now. Do you know that because of her, I might’ve offended the dean?”
Hearing this, Zhao Yumei’s face changed too. She looked regretful.
“Ugh… I didn’t think it would be a big deal. There was just a supply issue at the factory. Dad said the military was helping veterans find wives…”
Zhao Dongmei’s eyes widened.
“Wait—you didn’t… You didn’t marry her off to someone in the army, did you?”
Zhao Yumei nodded.
“Yeah. But now the factory’s supply problems are solved, and thanks to that connection, Su Jianshe’s position is much more stable too.”
“Then why are you still targeting her?!”
Zhao Dongmei snapped, practically shouting.
Zhao Yumei’s face was twisted with resentment.
“Because I want her gone! Her and that mother of hers are an eyesore to me. I feel disgusted every time I see them. Sis, you’ve got to help me. Drive her out—take her disabled husband with her too. Just let them leave the connections behind.”
Zhao Dongmei frowned, thinking back on the dean’s reaction earlier. Her mind was spinning—this might be more serious than she thought.
“So, she got into the hospital because someone from the military pulled strings for her?”
Zhao Yumei rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed.
“That’s probably it. But no one mentioned anything about her getting a job when we arranged the marriage. What’s the military thinking, really? That disabled vet she married—shouldn’t she be at home taking care of him? Why let her work?”
Zhao Dongmei shot her an exasperated look.
“You’re really causing me trouble here. Why didn’t you explain all this before? Let me think. If the military is still watching her situation, I might not be able to do anything. But if it was just a favor and they’re done with it, then kicking her out of the hospital shouldn’t be a problem.”
Zhao Yumei brightened and quickly grabbed her sister’s arm again.
“Thanks, sis! I knew you’d handle it. You’ve never failed me!”
Zhao Dongmei sighed.
“Alright, get back to work. I’m heading back to the hospital. Oh, and one more thing—what’s Su Jianshe’s stance on all this? If he finds out you’re going after his daughter, will he fight you on it?”
Zhao Yumei snorted with disdain.
“Him? Fight me? Please. He’s totally on my side now. He dotes on my son Xiaohan way more than his own daughter. He doesn’t care about her.”
Zhao Dongmei nodded and rode off on her bicycle.
From behind, Zhao Yumei called out:
“Sis, come over for dinner this weekend. Xiaohan misses you!”
When Zhao Dongmei returned to the hospital, she had been planning to quietly create more trouble for Su Ying—maybe pressure her to leave on her own. But just as she stepped into the department…
A colleague said:
“Director, the dean was here earlier.”
Zhao Dongmei’s heart skipped a beat. She immediately asked:
“The dean? What was he here for? Was he looking for me?”