Chapter 286: Confirming Identity

Chapter 286 Establishing the Truth

Ceng Xiaochun’s eyes flashed with panic, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Li Zhen, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Ceng Xiaochun stood up, her voice weak, tears welling up.

Whispers spread through the crowd.

Li Zhen: "I think you know exactly what’s going on, more than anyone else."

Jiang Leyin, seeing Li Zhen’s hostile approach, stood up and shielded Ceng Xiaochun. "Li Zhen, we’re all on the same team. No need for this hostility."

Li Zhen faced Jiang Leyin directly. "If you’re so fond of her, why don’t you let her live with you?"

Jiang Leyin: "If you continue with this attitude, I’ll take this to Head Zhao."

Ceng Xiaochun pulled at Dr. Jiang’s arm. "Dr. Jiang, please don’t argue with others because of me. I’d feel terrible."

Li Zhen scoffed—now they were putting on a show.

Ye Xiaoxiao intervened, pulling the impulsive Li Zhen back. "Dr. Jiang, Ceng Xiaochun’s work at the medical office has been carried out strictly according to arrangements. Claims of isolation are baseless. There’s no need for you to be so upset."

Jiang Leyin: "Head Zhao can arrange work matters, but he can’t micromanage every aspect of a new comrade’s life. As her colleagues, shouldn’t you show her more care?"

Ye Xiaoxiao caught the edge in Dr. Jiang’s voice.

She shot her a wary look.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Comrade Jiang, we’re all adults. If Comrade Ceng Xiaochun has any grievances, she can speak for herself—not have you speak for her."

Hearing this, Ceng Xiaochun just stammered incoherently.

Ye Xiaoxiao’s voice remained gentle, meeting her gaze squarely.

The onlookers waited for Ceng Xiaochun to explain how exactly the medical office had isolated her.

But after a long silence, she offered no rebuttal.

The crowd wasn’t stupid.

The goodwill Ye Xiaoxiao had built over months now paid off.

Li Zhen’s hotheadedness annoyed people, but Dr. Ye was known for her dedication to patients and kindness to the children at the nursery.

Without evidence, no one believed Ye Xiaoxiao would mistreat Ceng Xiaochun.

Feeling the skeptical eyes around her, Ceng Xiaochun sobbed and fled.

Jiang Leyin went after her.

Someone friendly with Ye Xiaoxiao stepped forward. "Dr. Ye, what’s really going on here?"

Ye Xiaoxiao gave a helpless smile. "It seems our new colleague has a real problem with us."

Li Zhen was still seething. "And we just let her run away like that?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Don’t be too impulsive. If you keep grilling her, people will only think we’re bullying her."

Outside the cafeteria, Jiang Leyin-jie caught up with Ceng Xiaochun.

"Leyin-jie, I can’t take it at the clinic anymore."

Jiang Leyin comforted Ceng Xiaochun, "There are plenty of roles at Nalan Base for someone like you. I believe your abilities can help more people. Don’t worry, I’ll put in a word with management and have you work as my assistant first."

Ceng Xiaochun moved out of the clinic housing.

Ye Xiaoxiao went to inquire where she was staying now.

She didn’t actually move into the barracks, did she?

Fortunately, her employment was still under the clinic and couldn’t be transferred so easily. So even if Jiang Leyin wanted to help her, she couldn’t take her to the military.

However, Ceng Xiaochun was now responsible for the children’s health check-ups at the daycare, which allowed her more contact with families in the Nalan Base.

This arrangement was set up by Jiang Leyin.

When Ye Xiaoxiao met Jiang Leyin, she warned her bluntly, "Dr. Jiang, though you’re so helpful, you should be careful not to dig a hole only to fall into it yourself."

The phrase "so helpful" carried a particularly sarcastic tone.

Jiang Leyin looked at Ye Xiaoxiao in surprise.

She had thought Ceng Xiaochun’s words were all nonsense, but now it seemed Ye Xiaoxiao truly had it out for her.

Jiang Leyin said, "Dr. Ye, my stance hasn’t changed—freezing out a colleague is despicable."

Ye Xiaoxiao dropped the argument.

After all, she didn’t know whether Jiang Leyin shared the same motives as Ceng Xiaochun.

So after giving the warning, Ye Xiaoxiao turned and left.

"You want me to keep an eye on Ceng Xiaochun?"

Li Zhen was astonished by Ye Xiaoxiao’s request.

Ceng Xiaochun had already moved out of the clinic housing—why bother watching her?

But Ye Xiaoxiao patted Li Zhen’s shoulder and said, "Do me this favor, and I’ll pay you a buck a day."

That would be thirty bucks a month.

For Li Zhen, it was a tidy sum.

"Really? Then I’ll do it! But I never realized you could be holding a grudge like this."

Li Zhen assumed Ye Xiaoxiao was still upset about the gossip she spread and wanted to get dirt on Ceng Xiaochun.

Ye Xiaoxiao didn’t explain. Li Zhen had light duties, so she was the best person to monitor Ceng Xiaochun.

...

Meanwhile, Lu Hanchuan wrapped up the mission with his team and was in the city for meetings. By the time he returned to the base, it was already mid-twelfth month, with New Year’s just around the corner.

After several days of observation, Li Zhen also noticed something off about Ceng Xiaochun—she often lurked around the research lab in her downtime.

She also met an unfamiliar man when she went out.

When Ye Xiaoxiao heard Li Zhen say this, she was now sure who Ceng Xiaochun really was.

"Did you hear what she and that man talked about?"

Li Zhen shook her head. "No, it was too far away. If I got any closer, I might have been noticed. But since they met outside the base, maybe they're relatives or something."

Though Li Zhen found Ceng Xiaochun's behavior was odd, she hadn't considered the possibility of espionage.

Ceng Xiaochun had been thoroughly vetted to enter Nalan Base—she might have poor character, but her background was clean.

Ye Xiaoxiao thought to herself that Ceng Xiaochun had been here for nearly a month.

If she truly had a hidden agenda, she must be getting antsy by now.

To expose her, they needed to catch her red-handed.

Fortunately, Lu Hanchuan had returned, and she could discuss this with him.

Thanks to Jiang Leyin's rumors, many in the base now believed Ye Xiaoxiao and Ceng Xiaochun didn't get along.

Ye Xiaoxiao had previously considered reporting the matter to others but worried that without solid evidence, it might just be dismissed as girl drama.

After finishing his army business, Lu Hanchuan came to have dinner with Ye Xiaoxiao.

Though he had just returned, he had already heard some gossip around the base.

"So there's a new nurse at the clinic?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Don’t tell me you believe I don’t get along with her."

Lu Hanchuan: "So, you two are on good terms?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Not really, but it’s not as bad as people are saying. No one in the clinic is isolating her—don’t believe everything you hear."

Before coming, Lu Hanchuan had considered reassigning Ceng Xiaochun.

She might do better somewhere else, and the base could get back to normal.

Lu Hanchuan: "I didn’t listen to the gossip. I was just worried you might be upset."

Ye Xiaoxiao wasn’t bothered by it.