Volume One, Chapter 53: Ye Sheng Is the Shadow That Haunts Her for a Lifetime

As soon as Ye Sheng arrived at work, she was cornered in her office by Qin Minshu.

"Director Ye, I really had something urgent yesterday when I took leave. Was it necessary for you to go straight to the hospital director and make a complaint about me?"

Right in front of the other doctors, Qin Minshu made no attempt to conceal her anger. She faced Ye Sheng head-on, her words sharp and direct. "We were classmates, after all. If you have an issue with me, say it to my face. Why stoop to backhanded tricks behind my back?"

The doctors in the office fell silent, the tension thick enough to hear a pin drop.

Ye Sheng lifted her gaze calmly, meeting Qin Minshu's fiery eyes with a composure as tranquil as still water.

"We were classmates once," Ye Sheng replied, her voice even and unyielding. "But here at work, I am your superior. You took personal leave without informing me and reported directly to the director. What am I here for, then?"

Her tone was steady, but her words left no room for compromise.

Qin Minshu’s finely sculpted features darkened as she sneered, "You know I’m busy with wedding preparations. Isn’t it normal to request leave? Or is it that, since you’re divorced, you can’t bear to see others happy?"

The room was stunned. Was this really something to say out loud?

"You're reaching," Ye Sheng said softly, eyes lowered to the patient files in her hands, her expression unflinching. "The hospital grants marriage leave and personal leave. If you follow the proper procedure, it's up to me to approve. But bypassing me and reporting directly to the director is a different matter. If you don't respect my position as director, don't expect me to turn a blind eye."

She looked up slightly. "Either you work your way up to my position, or you write a letter of resignation and I’ll sign it. If you don’t want to work, you’re free to go home and enjoy your life as a wealthy wife."

Ignoring Qin Minshu's furious, contorted expression, Ye Sheng swept her gaze over the rest of the staff and tapped her fingers on the desk.

"Everyone here at Haici Hospital is skilled; none of us have had an easy journey. I ask only that you value this opportunity and fulfill your duties. If you think you can get away with slacking off under my supervision, I advise you to abandon that notion. I don't tolerate it, and I won’t pretend to."

Her words were even less courteous now. The group tensed, and all eyes turned to Qin Minshu, knowing exactly who was being addressed.

With a loud bang, Qin Minshu slammed the door and stormed out.

Ye Sheng paid her no mind. She stood and announced, "Rounds."

Everyone quickly got to their feet. Ye Sheng turned to her assistant, Mia. "Send Dr. Qin a copy of the medical handbook. If she doesn’t join the rounds, make note of it. Accumulate three absences and she’s out."

Mia acknowledged the order.

The doctors exchanged covert, knowing glances. Clearly, Director Ye had no need for underhanded tactics; she played her cards in broad daylight.

When a superior wants to make things difficult for a subordinate, it's always effective.

Given Qin Minshu’s usual attitude, it seemed she wouldn’t last long before she really did go home to live as a rich man’s wife...

—

Qin Minshu was on the verge of exploding with rage!

Never in her life had she been so humiliated. Who else but Ye Sheng would dare treat her this way?

She stood in the restroom, hands on her hips, chest heaving as she tried—and failed—to calm herself.

Back in university, Ye Sheng had always overshadowed her. Medical school was grueling, the workload immense, and the endless memorization gave Qin Minshu constant headaches. Before every exam, she’d push herself to extremes, even bribing senior students with meals just to get a glimpse of the important material—and barely scraped a pass.

But she was beautiful and popular, so she always found plenty of help during exams.

Except for the one time she sat next to Ye Sheng. Qin Minshu had pleaded with her, hands pressed together in supplication.

Ye Sheng glanced at her and refused outright. "I won’t help you cheat."

And so Qin Minshu failed that course.

Ye Sheng, meanwhile, topped the class. Looking at Ye Sheng's grades, Qin Minshu's resentment only grew.

From then on, Qin Minshu considered Ye Sheng as rigid and inflexible as a lamppost—incapable of deviation. Or, more aptly, a stone in a latrine: both foul and stubborn.

That was why she could never understand how Huo Mingtin had ever been involved with Ye Sheng, let alone married her and had a child.

Even if she were to marry Huo Mingtin herself one day, the slot for "wife" in his life would always bear Ye Sheng’s name.

Ye Sheng had become a shadow she could never escape.

Her face grim, Qin Minshu was just about to leave when she overheard people outside discussing Ye Sheng—her rescue of Li Mo, and the incident of smoking in the VIP ward...

Her instincts sharpened. She pushed open the door and smiled sweetly at the startled young nurse.

"What photos are these? Let me have a look."