“Was the anonymous letter written by you?”
Ruan Qiu turned her head and directly questioned Nurse Yan without the slightest bit of concealment.
Nurse Yan’s expression changed drastically. Stuttering, she said, “Ruan Qiu, you are turning things around and blaming me! It was clearly your behavior that was improper, yet you are falsely accusing me of writing an anonymous letter. Director Tian, she is going too far!”
Director Tian narrowed her eyes as she stared at Ruan Qiu. Though she was only eighteen years old, she handled matters with a ruthless and seasoned demeanor, something the director thoroughly disliked.
“Comrade Ruan Qiu, since someone wrote an anonymous letter, it means there must be something wrong with you.”
What kind of nonsense was that?
“Director Tian, this letter claims my behavior is improper. I would like to know what was improper about it? And with whom was it improper? Since ancient times, catching an adulterer requires finding the pair, and catching a thief requires seizing the stolen goods. Without any substantive evidence and relying solely on an anonymous letter to convict me is far too rash.”
These words left Nurse Yan speechless. It took her a while before she stammered, “You and Tan Bo were making eyes at each other. Everyone saw it.”
Ruan Qiu understood now: this Nurse Yan was determined to push her out.
“Nurse Yan, you are quite bold. Director Tian, since Nurse Yan says so, please bring Tan Bo here so we can confront each other face-to-face. That way, everyone will know how I supposedly committed misconduct, giving everyone a proper explanation and giving me one as well.”
Panicking, Nurse Yan opened her mouth to say something, but Director Tian cut her off with a sharp reprimand.
“Enough!”
Of all people, Nurse Yan should never have brought up Tan Bo. He was Director Tan’s son; slandering Ruan Qiu and Tan Bo for improper conduct was a direct slap to Director Tan’s face.
Do not assume a man like Tan Bo would not face consequences, as destroying a military marriage was a grave, unforgivable crime.
“How is it I hear someone here scheming and claiming I am destroying a military marriage?”
Before Director Tian could react, Tan Bo walked over with a cheeky grin, the back of his hand still bearing the mark of a freshly removed IV needle.
“Tan Bo, was it Ruan Qiu who seduced you?” Nurse Yan asked, trying to seize the initiative.
Tan Bo frowned, fixing his eyes on Nurse Yan. His expression instantly turned serious, and his voice dropped significantly colder: “Are your eyes just there for decoration? Which of your eyes saw Comrade Ruan Qiu seduce me? Or do you think I am that kind of frivolous person?”
Nurse Yan was left speechless, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
At this moment, saying anything would be a mistake.
To say Ruan Qiu seduced Tan Bo would make Tan Bo look of poor character.
To say Tan Bo seduced Ruan Qiu would mean he was destroying a military marriage.
Either way, she would offend Director Tian!
Director Tian also saw through the situation: Tan Bo was very keen on protecting Ruan Qiu.
Although her rank was on par with Director Tian’s level, she certainly did not want to offend him either.
“Nurse Yan, from now on, you had better figure things out clearly before speaking.”
Realizing Director Tian’s stance, Nurse Yan reined in her previous attitude.
“Director, I understand.”
“Wait a minute!” Ruan Qiu stopped Nurse Yan as she was about to leave, fixing a sharp gaze on her: “Nurse Yan, have we met before?”
Nurse Yan looked surprised, then shook her head.
“Since we have not met, I find it strange, why are you targeting me so much?”
Hitting right at the crux of the matter, Ruan Qiu tilted her head and waited for an answer.
Nurse Yan instantly grew nervous.
“Ever since my very first day of training, you have shown immense hostility toward me. Anyone who did not know better would think I went and dug up your family’s ancestral graves.”
Nurse Yan turned pale, yet she still retorted defensively, “Ruan Qiu, do not speak so harshly!”
Harsh?
Ruan Qiu not beating her up already showed great restraint.
“I earned my regular staff position through my own abilities. If you are not convinced, step up and prove yourself with actual skill. Using these low-handed tactics to target me is beneath your dignity. Besides, this is a military hospital; it is hard for me to imagine how a nurse like you can properly serve our brave soldiers.”
“You.”
Director Tian had been watching Ruan Qiu’s relentless and sharp demeanor. Her mind was flooded with memories of her own youth, back then, she had been just like this, willful and fiercely particular about right and wrong.
“Nurse Yan, Comrade Ruan Qiu makes sense. You indeed do not quite fit the role of head nurse,” Director Tian said, stepping in to uphold justice.
Panic gripped Nurse Yan even tighter. Clearly, Director Tian was the one who originally wanted to target Ruan Qiu; how had things turned around so that she was now in the wrong?
“Director Tian, I.”
“Considering your jealousy and inability to tolerate capable people, your position as head nurse is removed. You will start over as a regular nurse.”
With those words, Director Tian turned and walked away.
Nurse Yan was dumbfounded. No, that is not how this started! How did it end up like this?
She opened her mouth, but not a single word came out.
“A pawn used by others.”
Ruan Qiu and Tan Bo uttered the exact same phrase in unison, then turned away together.
Tan Bo even remembered to give Ruan Qiu a thumbs-up in approval.
Ruan Qiu knew very well that Director Tian’s decision was a way of smoothing things over. If this had truly been escalated to the hospital president, Nurse Yan might well have been fired.
In a way, Director Tian had saved Nurse Yan’s job.
Having neutralized a major trouble without firing a single shot, Ruan Qiu naturally had no desire to pursue the matter further.
“What happened?” Tian Ruanruan asked, having caught wind of the commotion and hurried over.
“Nothing much. Someone wrote me an anonymous letter, but it is all resolved!”
Tian Ruanruan looked deeply puzzled: “How could someone write an anonymous letter? Sister-in-law, did you offend someone?”
She had not offended anyone else, but there was one person who must be sitting on pins and needles knowing she successfully entered the hospital: Zhou Yinian.
“I have no idea. But look, whoever wrote this actually has quite pretty handwriting.” Ruan Qiu pulled out the anonymous letter, talking to herself.
Reaching out, Tian Ruanruan snatched the paper away, eager to see what that person had actually written.
Upon seeing the handwriting, Tian Ruanruan froze.
This font, these brush strokes, those uniform vertical hooks, why did it look so much like Zhou Yinian’s handwriting?
Impossible.
Tian Ruanruan immediately told herself: why on earth would Zhou Yinian write an anonymous letter targeting her own sister-in-law?
It must just be two people with coincidentally similar handwriting.
“It is fine, it is already resolved. My record is clean, so I am not afraid of false accusations. Besides, after this, I doubt an anonymous letter like this will ever appear again.”
Speaking briskly, Ruan Qiu went back to work.
Tian Ruanruan, however, fell into deep contemplation.
As the shift was drawing to a close, Ruan Qiu handed over her duties to the oncoming shift and went to change her clothes.
“Hurry! Several military officers have been injured in the emergency department and we need a few capable nurses. Follow me, you lot!” The night shift head nurse anxiously rattled off a few names and hurried off.
Hearing that military officers were injured, and remembering that Zhou Yishen was an officer and a battalion commander, Ruan Qiu did not even bother changing her clothes; she just ran straight to the emergency department.
A group of soldiers was carrying wounded men on stretchers, rushing alongside nurses toward the operating tables.
At a single glance, Ruan Qiu spotted the man lying on the stretcher. It was none other than Zhou Yishen. He was covered in blood, his entire left arm-soaked red.
Yet he remained fully conscious, continuously holding up that injured arm.
With her professional sensitivity, she instantly recognized it as a grenade shrapnel injury. Fortunately, it seemed only his arm had taken the hit. Judging by his current condition, shrapnel had pierced his arm, and while his life was not in immediate danger, the shrapnel needed to be extracted quickly.
Ruan Qiu rushed straight into the trauma room, only to be blocked.
“Sister-in-law, do not worry, the battalion commander will be fine.”
“I know he will be fine, but I can tell that shrapnel is not just in his arm, it might be in his abdomen as well.”