After leaving Bai Bing's office, Ye Qiu was so wronged that he almost cried. Guo Shaocong had not only stolen Zhang Lili but also framed him with her. Worst of all, Bai Bing had actually believed them and demoted him to a care worker.
What was a care worker?
Put bluntly, a servant.
His daily duties would be washing patients' faces and feet, feeding them, cleaning their bodies, doing laundry, tending to their toileting needs…
He was a top graduate from medical school, for goodness' sake. If he was reduced to this, then his five years of medical study had all been for nothing.
Ye Qiu understood. In the end, he was powerless and poor, which was why he had ended up like this.
"If I were from a rich family, Zhang Lili would never have betrayed me, Guo Shaocong wouldn't dare hit me, and Director Bai would never have made me work as a care worker."
"At the root of it all, I'm poor and powerless. That's why I'm suffering like this."
"In this life, I will rise above everyone else. I will climb to the top and stamp on everyone who looks down on me."
Ye Qiu clenched his fists and swore silently in his heart.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened. Ye Qiu stepped inside, and immediately, a familiar perfume hit his nose. He looked up to see Guo Shaocong and Zhang Lili standing inside. The mark on Guo Shaocong's nose was obvious—the injury Ye Qiu had given him earlier at Zhang Lili's apartment.
Talk about bad luck running into enemies!
Ye Qiu's first instinct was to back out. He wanted nothing to do with the pair of scumbags in the same elevator. But unexpectedly, Guo Shaocong grinned mockingly:
"Hey, look who it is—Care Worker Ye. What a small world!"
Zhang Lili shot Ye Qiu a disgusted glance. "Why do I have to run into you everywhere? So unlucky."
Ye Qiu chose to ignore them. He truly had nothing to say to the two of them.
Little did he know that his indifference only infuriated Guo Shaocong.
"Ye Qiu, I'm not letting this go," Guo Shaocong said. "You got lucky today—that bitch Bai Bing is covering for you. Otherwise you would've been kicked out of the hospital already. You wouldn't even be qualified to be a care worker."
"What does this have to do with Director Bai?" Ye Qiu asked.
"Hmph. If Bai Bing hadn't sworn to the medical administration department that she'd take full responsibility if you messed up again, do you think they would've let you off easy?"
"I just don't get it. What exactly is your relationship with Bai Bing? Why is she protecting you so much?"
Guo Shaocong eyed Ye Qiu curiously. "You two sleeping together or something?"
"None of your damn business!"
"You—" Guo Shaocong raised his fist, ready to strike.
"Don't be stupid," Zhang Lili quickly pulled him back, whispering, "There's surveillance in the elevator. If you're caught on camera, you'll be in trouble."
Guo Shaocong lowered his fist with a cold huff. "Ye Qiu, as long as you're still in this hospital, I can ruin you."
Ye Qiu ignored him. His mind was elsewhere.
"So I misunderstood Director Bai. If she hadn't defended me, I would've been fired already."
Warmth spread through Ye Qiu's heart.
Seeing that Ye Qiu was still unresponsive, Guo Shaocong's eyes flickered. He turned to Zhang Lili.
"How did you ever end up with this loser?"
"I must've been blind."
"Right. If you weren't blind, you never would've fallen for him. Hey, Lili, that fancy hotel we went to last time was great. Let's head there later."
"You pervert. Thinking about that in broad daylight."
"Don't you like it? I remember you were screaming for half an hour last time…"
Their words grew more and more lewd.
Rage flared inside Ye Qiu. The pair was clearly saying these things in front of him just to provoke him.
He almost lost control and attacked them.
But in the end, he held back.
Ye Qiu knew that if he threw a punch, the elevator camera would catch it. Then Guo Shaocong would take the footage to the medical administration department, and even Bai Bing wouldn't be able to protect him.
He would be kicked out of the hospital, left with nowhere to go.
"A gentleman can wait ten years to take revenge. What's a little patience to me?" Ye Qiu thought to himself.
The elevator reached the first floor, opening directly into the hospital lobby.
The lobby was packed—people lined up to register, pick up medicine, pay fees…
Guo Shaocong stared coldly at Ye Qiu, thinking: Let's see how long you can keep this up.
Ye Qiu noticed his gaze and felt uneasy. He quickened his pace, ready to leave quickly.
"Care Worker Ye, don't rush off!" Guo Shaocong blocked his way, wearing a fake smile.
"What do you want?" Ye Qiu asked warily.
"You'll find out soon enough." Guo Shaocong smirked, then raised his voice and shouted, "Everyone, gather 'round! Let me introduce someone to you all!"
At once, many people turned toward them, drawn by his voice.
Guo Shaocong pointed at Ye Qiu and announced loudly:
"This is Ye Qiu, a probationary doctor at our hospital. He's dishonest and plagiarized my medical records. When I caught him, he even attacked me!"
"You see this injury on my nose? He did this!"
"Now he's been demoted to a care worker. Make sure you remember his face—don't hire him if you need care. If he hits you, don't say I didn't warn you!"
Not knowing the truth, the patients and their families in the lobby began shouting angrily:
"Jiangzhou Hospital is a Grade-A Tertiary Hospital—how could they hire someone like him?!"
"He's nothing but trouble!"
"Kick him out of the hospital!"
"…"
Ye Qiu knew full well that no matter what he said or did now, no one would believe him. He shot Guo Shaocong a cold glare and prepared to leave.
"What, guilty and trying to run?" Guo Shaocong blocked his path again, then announced to the crowd, "Everyone, I have one more earth-shattering secret to tell you!"
At the word "secret," Ye Qiu immediately realized what Guo Shaocong was about to do. He snapped, "Guo Shaocong, don't push this too far!"
Guo Shaocong smiled coldly and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Listen up, everyone! This Care Worker Ye is a bastard—born to a mother but no father!"
Boom!
The entire lobby erupted in shock.
"I had no idea Ye Qiu was a bastard!"
"No wonder he plagiarized Dr. Guo's work and hit him—no proper upbringing!"
"Kick this bastard out of the hospital!"
"…"
Everyone stared at Ye Qiu with judgmental eyes.
Ye Qiu's face turned ashen. He glared at Guo Shaocong, his eyes practically spitting fire.
Guo Shaocong wasn't done humiliating him. He stepped forward and slapped Ye Qiu across the face, arrogantly sneering:
"I'm bullying you. So what?"
Ye Qiu was seething. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles turned white.
That bastard Guo Shaocong was trampling his dignity in front of everyone. It was unbearable.
But Ye Qiu also knew that if he fought back, he would be fired.
Jiangzhou Hospital was the best in the city. If he was dismissed, his reputation would be ruined, and no other hospital would hire him.
"It's all because I'm powerless. Otherwise Guo Shaocong would never dare act this way. If only I…"
Suddenly, Ye Qiu had an idea.
Why not give it a try?
The thought flashed through his mind. Ye Qiu shouted:
"Guo Shaocong, you twist the truth like this—aren't you afraid of heaven's wrath?!"
"To hell with heaven's wrath! I'm afraid of no one!"
Bang!
As soon as the words left Guo Shaocong's mouth, blood began streaming down his forehead.