Volume One, Chapter Fifteen: The Cold and Handsome Top Student, Ye Sheng

As the end of October approached, the medical aid project was nearing its conclusion. There were noticeably fewer patients now, and the medical staff found themselves with more leisure. The local county leadership hosted a banquet, but Ye Sheng did not attend.

She was tied up with work and couldn’t leave.

Truthfully, she had no desire to go.

No matter how exhausting the work was, she could always digest it; but the strain from the social rituals of the banquet culture was truly draining, and she avoided it whenever possible.

With Ye Sheng absent, there were always others eager to go. Qin Minshu, the face of Haici Hospital, had accompanied a few hospital leaders to the dinner even before officially joining the medical team in Meishan County.

Nurse Xiao Liu spoke up for Ye Sheng: “All the work is done by others, but when it’s time to take credit, she’s right there. Isn’t she blatantly stealing someone else’s achievements? How shameless.”

She grumbled for a while, and Ye Sheng’s assistant, Mia, patted her gently.

“That’s enough, don’t be upset. Our Ye Sheng is simply too lazy to go; otherwise, Qin wouldn’t have had a chance. Besides, do you think playing the smiling companion is easy? With that free time, Director Ye could have published another paper. It's just not the same caliber.”

Ye Sheng wasn’t present when they spoke. She was in the consultation area, interacting with patients, when she suddenly heard a commotion outside.

Stepping out, she saw Qin Minshu blocking Nurse Xiao Liu and her assistant Mia in the consultation room, with a crowd gathered around, watching the spectacle.

Ye Sheng frowned slightly and squeezed into the crowd. Qin Minshu stood with arms crossed, commanding and overbearing, chastising them. Xiao Liu’s face was flushed red, shrinking into herself, while Mia protected her, her neck stiff as she glared at Qin Minshu.

The atmosphere was tense, ready to erupt.

“What’s going on?” Ye Sheng asked.

Qin Minshu turned, saw Ye Sheng, and offered a faint smile. “Director Ye, if you’re jealous, just say so. There’s no need to send people to slander me behind my back.”

Her words sent a ripple through the onlookers, who sensed the drama in the air.

Ye Sheng’s expression remained composed as she walked forward, positioning herself between Xiao Liu and Mia. “What happened? Mia, tell me.”

Mia shot Qin Minshu a glare and recounted the exchange with Xiao Liu, saying that Qin Minshu had barged in, threatening to have Xiao Liu thrown out of Haici Hospital once they returned to Beijing.

Qin Minshu, relentless, looked at Ye Sheng. “You’re their leader. Your people have offended me. How do you plan to handle it?”

“Not at all. Such a minor issue—does it warrant this scene?”

Ye Sheng turned to Xiao Liu and Mia. “It wasn’t right for you two to gossip behind someone’s back. Have you apologized?”

Reluctant but obedient, Xiao Liu and Mia apologized to Qin Minshu, “Sorry, Dr. Qin. We shouldn’t have spoken about you behind your back.”

The spectators touched their noses; they too had indulged in private gossip.

Qin Minshu sneered, “A simple apology settles it? What if I don’t accept it?”

“Hmm. Whether they apologize is their choice; whether you forgive is yours.”

Ye Sheng’s tone was calm throughout. “Personal matters should be handled privately. This is a work environment. You two, get back to it—there’s plenty to do.”

Mia and Xiao Liu nodded quickly, dispersing the crowd and returning to their tasks.

Qin Minshu wore no lab coat; her stylish little Chanel suit and refined makeup seemed out of place amid the surroundings, making her look more like a patient than a doctor.

She leaned against the table, her red lips curled slightly. “Ye Sheng, shielding your people like this—it’s not right.”

Ye Sheng was still holding a medical chart. At the remark, she lifted her gaze, cool and distant. “What did you just call me?”

For reasons unknown, that look made Qin Minshu glance at the name badge on Ye Sheng’s white coat, recalling her position. She straightened, throat tightening. “Director… Ye.”

“Mm.”

Ye Sheng lowered her head, flipping through the chart, her demeanor indifferent. “I am the director, your superior. I lead them, but I also lead you. It’s not about favoritism.”

She closed the chart and met Qin Minshu’s eyes.

Her lips curled faintly.

“You haven’t seen what it truly looks like when I protect my own.”

With that, she strode away, chart in hand.

Qin Minshu watched Ye Sheng’s departing figure and suddenly remembered the cold, brilliant Ye Sheng from their university days—a scholar, aloof and striking. Her brows chilled.

Her hand gripped the edge of the table, knuckles whitening with the force.