Chapter 19: Enemies on a Narrow Road

Ye Qing smiled as she waited for her to approach, then greeted her proactively: “Nurse Li, just now my Qin Ye mentioned you. He said it was thanks to you this time. He asked me to thank you properly on his behalf!”

“Really, thank you, Nurse Li!”

Li Lan sized her up calmly. This rural woman had changed into a new outfit today and didn’t look the least bit like a country bumpkin. Her delicate face was so soft it seemed as if water would come out with a pinch, even Li Lan couldn’t help feeling envious.

Could it be that Qin Ye was the type to be seduced by beauty and forget loyalty? Had he forgotten about her, his savior, the moment he saw such a beautiful Ye Qing? Was that why he had the hospital replace her?

She didn’t believe Doctor Yang’s explanation at all. Qin Ye would get nervous when he saw her? Ridiculous! She had dragged him for two hours in the snow and never once saw him nervous!

Li Lan put on a polite smile. “I’m a nurse. This is all part of my job. How is Regiment Commander Qin doing?”

Ye Qing’s smile deepened. “He’s doing very well! And that’s all thanks to you! If you hadn’t helped him in time, who knows how badly he could’ve been injured. Once he’s recovered, we’ll definitely host a banquet to thank Nurse Li.”

“Nurse Li, if you have nothing else, we’ll be heading back now.”

Li Lan blocked her path, biting her lip as she asked: “Ye Qing, I want to ask—why did Regiment Commander Qin have me replaced? Did I do something wrong?”

Knew it. It was about that!

Ye Qing kept smiling, though inwardly she curled her lip in disdain. Coveting someone else’s man, and still having the audacity to ask why you were replaced? How thick-skinned could she be!

Of course, she wouldn’t say that out loud. She had already prepared a proper answer.

She said: “I’m not sure either. Today, other than saying you saved him, he didn’t mention anything else. I just heard him say to Doctor Yang that he gets nervous when he sees you. Maybe your aura is too strong—he’s a patient, after all, and couldn’t handle it.”

“Nurse Li, you’ve worked hard. You should go back and rest.”

Li Lan gritted her teeth, unsure what to say.

Her aura too strong? Stronger than him? Qin Ye was someone even the military district’s dogs feared! Those fierce military dogs didn’t even dare bark when they saw him—tails tucked, they ran off faster than anyone!

Someone like that would be afraid of her? Absolute nonsense!

These two must’ve plotted this together!

As she watched Ye Qing’s figure walking away, Li Lan shut her eyes, forcing down her resentment, fists clenched tightly, shouting inwardly:

“I won’t give up! I’m the true female lead!”

“Ye Qing, you’re just a rural woman—how can you compare to me? No matter how pretty you are, you’re still not worthy of Qin Ye! You definitely don’t deserve his background!”

Ye Qing was well aware that Li Lan was unwilling to accept the situation. The fact that she stopped her today to ask about it said everything.

She was the female lead of the book, after all. Ye Qing had no choice but to take her seriously.

She mixed dough, let it rise, prepared the filling, and wrapped the buns. She even made a small pot of millet porridge. She and Nannan ate to their heart’s content.

These days, Nannan’s little face had visibly filled out. It felt soft and tender to the touch, and when she pouted, she looked even cuter.

Looking at Nannan’s little face, Ye Qing couldn’t help but think of her other daughter in another world. That child was about the same age as Nannan and even looked a bit like her. She didn’t know what would happen to her daughter after her death in that world.

Nannan noticed her dazed expression, looked up, and asked: “Mommy, why are you crying?”

Ye Qing quickly wiped her tears and forced a smile. “Mommy’s not crying. Mommy’s eyes just got steamed up. Nannan, eat up. Once we’re full, we can go to sleep. Tomorrow, we’re going to find Papa again, okay?”

Nannan immediately brightened and took a big bite of the bun. “Okay! Tomorrow I’ll give Papa a yummy bun to eat!”

Nannan’s little body was fragrant and soft, and cuddling her made sleep extra cozy. Ye Qing slept soundly all the way until morning.

There was still some of the bun filling from last night! Ye Qing steamed another batch of buns and brought them along as she headed to the hospital.

When Ye Qing arrived at the hospital, Gao Hao was just about to head to the canteen for food, but Ye Qing stopped him and invited him to have breakfast together.

Seeing the freshly steamed buns from Ye Qing, Gao Hao chuckled and looked at Qin Ye. Seeing that Qin Ye didn’t object, he sat down and joined them for the meal.

Ye Qing’s buns were fragrant and soft, and with just one bite, the mouth was filled with delicious meat juices. Gao Hao couldn’t help but let out a satisfied “Mmm”: “Sister-in-law’s buns are really tasty!”

“This seems to be just cabbage and pork, how come it tastes so different from the ones wrapped by the canteen?”

As he spoke, he took another big bite, and in just a few mouthfuls, one bun had been swallowed into his stomach. He reached out to grab another.

Qin Ye gave him a glance and said in a deep voice: “Slow down! As if you’ve never eaten before. Useless!”

Saying that, he also popped a bun into his mouth.

Gao Hao didn’t dare talk back. Helplessly, he watched as Qin Ye picked up another bun and took a big bite, then turned to Ye Qing with a look of grievance: “Sister-in-law, can’t you control our Regiment Commander? He’s eating even faster than me, and still lectures me!”

Ye Qing smiled. “Eat as much as you like! If it’s not enough, I’ll wrap more for you. Eat up and go catch up on some sleep. You don’t get good rest here anyway.”

With Ye Qing’s assurance, Gao Hao finally felt at ease. He ate three big buns in a row and drank a bowl of millet porridge before standing up: “Thank you, Sister-in-law! Your cooking is truly delicious!”

Hearing this made the corners of Qin Ye’s mouth twitch.

This brat—when did he learn how to flatter people? But Ye Qing’s buns really were tasty! Much better than what the canteen made. He licked his lips as if still savoring the deliciousness of the buns.

Just as Ye Qing finished packing up the food containers, a nurse came in to administer injections. Nannan covered her eyes, too scared to look, yet couldn’t resist peeking through her fingers.

Seeing this made the corners of Qin Ye’s lips lift uncontrollably. Even Doctor Yang, who was checking Qin Ye’s wound, couldn’t help but laugh.

Since there was nothing else for her to do here, Ye Qing took the kettle to fetch some water. As soon as she stepped out, she ran into the mother and daughter-in-law of Executive Secretary Sun—Li Cuihua and Liu Qinglian—rushing over in a panic with their precious grandson.

“Doctor! Doctor! Please come quick! Save my grandson!”

“Oh dear! Where is everyone?”

Li Lan rushed over: “Ma’am, what’s wrong with the child? You need to queue for treatment. Shall I help you register first?”

Seeing someone in a white coat, Li Cuihua couldn’t tell if she was a nurse or a doctor, and pushed the child in front of her: “My grandson says his stomach hurts—a lot. Please, doctor, take a look quickly!”

Li Lan quickly said: “Auntie, I’m not a doctor. I’ll help you—”

Before Li Lan could finish speaking, Li Cuihua suddenly exploded.

“You’re not a doctor? If you’re not a doctor, then why are you wearing a white coat? If you’re not a doctor, why are you running around here? I want a doctor! My grandson is in agony!”

Liu Qinglian tugged at her mother-in-law’s sleeve and gently tried to reason with her: “Ma, the nurse already said she’ll help us register. We’ll be seen very soon. Please don’t worry, this is a hospital—there’s a process.”

Li Cuihua glared fiercely, and Liu Qinglian was so frightened she didn’t dare say another word.

Li Cuihua furiously scolded her: “Useless! If you hadn’t let him eat so much chicken last night, would his stomach be hurting like this now? It’s all your fault—you call yourself a mother! Scram!”

Turning her head, she saw Ye Qing carrying a kettle and walking outside, with white coats still visible inside the room. She immediately let go of Liu Qinglian and rushed toward Ye Qing.

“You little bitch, what are you doing here? Huh? So there is a doctor right here…”

Ye Qing raised her hand to block her. “Doctor Yang is currently treating a patient. This is a public space. Please keep your voice down!”

But Li Cuihua wouldn’t listen. She shoved Ye Qing and shouted toward the room: “Doctor! Doctor! Please save my grandson!”

Seeing that Ye Qing still refused to step aside, she tried to push her again, but was grabbed by Li Lan.

“Auntie, please stop. This is Regiment Commander Qin’s ward. This lady is a family member of Regiment Commander Qin. The doctor is currently tending to Regiment Commander Qin’s wound. If you go in now, you’ll be disturbing both the doctor and the patient.”

Slap!

Having been blocked repeatedly, Li Cuihua finally lost her temper. Used to throwing her weight around, she slapped Li Lan hard across the face.

“What are you supposed to be? Regiment Commander Qin is a person, and my grandson isn’t? He’s a grown man already. What’s wrong with letting my grandson see the doctor first? Will he die just because my grandson gets treated before him?”

Li Lan clutched her face, eyes brimming with tears. That slap was meant for Ye Qing—if it weren’t for her just now, the one who would’ve been hit was Ye Qing!

If Qin Ye truly cared about Ye Qing, how could he just sit there and do nothing?

Ye Qing was stunned as well.

She knew Li Cuihua was unreasonable and had seen her act like a shrew before, but never did she expect that she would go so far as to hit medical staff in a hospital.

While she was still frozen in shock, Li Cuihua gave her another shove. This time Ye Qing was unprepared—she fell straight to the ground, and the kettle in her hand shattered.

Her hand landed on the shards of glass on the floor, and blood gushed from the cuts.