Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 152: He Will Be Fine

"Song Chenglu..." she murmured the name.

"How dare you do this to me..."

She stood up straight, her expression already calm.

As if nothing had happened, she turned and walked out of the room.

This couldn’t be blown out of proportion.

If this got out, it would throw the family into chaos. The elders would be furious, outsiders would gossip, and she herself would be caught in the eye of the storm.

She had to think clearly about how to handle this.

How to quietly dismantle their scheme, neutralize it, and even turn it back on them.

Just as she stepped out the door, Liu Li came up to her.

"Qingya, you’re back?"

"Why do you look so pale? Are you not feeling well?"

As she spoke, she reached out to touch Song Qingya’s forehead.

"I’m fine, Mom. Just a little tired."

Song Qingya lowered her gaze slightly and gently rubbed her temples.

"How’s Dad today?"

She looked up, her voice softening.

"Same as always. He fell asleep after taking his medicine."

Liu Li sat on a low stool across from her, a medicine bottle still in her hand.

She paused, then looked up at Song Qingya.

"By the way, Qingya, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you..."

She suddenly stopped what she was doing, her fingertips tracing the edge of the drawer.

"From now on, don’t let Lu Lu take care of your father in his room."

"Why?"

"I can’t quite put my finger on it..."

Liu Li shook her head. "It’s just... I always feel like her attitude is strange. It’s unsettling."

She didn’t say more, just pursed her lips.

"Okay, Mom. I’ll remember that."

She reached out and gently patted the back of Liu Li’s hand.

"Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on it."

Just then, Mrs. Song came out of the room, holding a freshly folded towel.

She didn’t interrupt or make a sound, just stood there quietly, her gaze falling on Liu Li before shifting silently to Song Qingya.

Her expression was unreadable. She simply pursed her lips, silently committing their words to memory.

’I’ll have to find a chance to talk to Liu Li alone later,’ she thought.

That night, Mr. Fei lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

The medicine’s effects didn’t seem to last long. His consciousness drifted between lucidity and a daze, and his thoughts grew increasingly chaotic.

"Qingya..." he suddenly said. "Tell me, that boy Ajin, why isn’t he back yet? Did... did something happen to him?"

Song Qingya sat by the bed, gently patting his back.

"Dad, don’t overthink it. Ajin will be back soon."

She could only silently hope that Fei Jin would return safe and sound.

"Sis, Uncle Gu is getting on in years. Is he obsessed with missing his son? How much trouble can you get into on a business trip? It’s not like he’s going to run into danger, right?"

Song Chenglu’s voice suddenly cut in.

She stood at the doorway, her tone mocking. The corners of her lips were turned up, but there was no mirth in her eyes.

"It’s normal for older people to worry more."

Song Qingya’s tone was calm.

"But you, on the other hand, have been nowhere to be seen lately. Where have you been?"

"I..."

Song Chenglu’s throat tightened, and she instinctively took half a step back.

"What do you mean, nowhere to be seen?"

"I was just... I mean..."

She opened her mouth, but it was as if something was caught in her throat.

"Just what?"

Song Qingya finally lifted her eyes, her gaze as sharp as a knife, piercing right through her.

"N-nothing."

Song Chenglu trembled, her head bowed so low it nearly touched her chest.

Mr. Fei also coughed twice from the side.

Liu Li stood nearby, her hands clasped in front of her, not saying a word.

Her lips moved, but she ultimately held her tongue.

’She didn’t understand why Song Qingya was so cold to her own sister. It wasn’t like they were sisters at all; they were more like strangers. But she knew Song Qingya never did anything without a reason. Ever since she was a child, that girl had always been meticulous and methodical. She would never turn hostile for no reason.’

A chill crept into Song Chenglu’s heart.

’Sis...’

’Has she noticed something?’

’Does she know what I did that night?’

In the dead of night, it was so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

The Shen Family courtyard was terrifyingly quiet.

Only Song Qingya’s room was still lit by a dim, yellow oil lamp.

She sat at the table, a letter clutched in her hand, the paper already frayed from being handled so much.

She wasn’t reading it, just staring blankly at the familiar handwriting.

Suddenly, there was a frantic knock on the door. The voice that followed was low and trembling.

"Miss Song, something’s happened! The village chief... I’m afraid he’s in danger."

His voice was hoarse. "Vice Village Chief Li sent me to get you. To go to Jing City and find the village chief."

After he spoke, his knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed.

The color drained from Song Qingya’s face. The letter fluttered from her hand and drifted to the floor.

"What did you say? Something happened to Ajin? How could that be? He just left! Yesterday afternoon... he even sent a letter saying everything was fine..."

She choked on her words, unable to finish.

An image of the unopened letter flashed through her mind.

She wasn’t afraid of hardship, exhaustion, blizzards, or blades. She was only afraid she would never see him again.

’I need to see him, whether he’s alive or dead.’

’She had to see for herself, to touch his face with her own hands. She wouldn’t allow herself to live on speculation and lies.’

The messenger didn’t dare look up, keeping his head bowed low. "The command post in Jing City... it was bombed. An artillery shell landed right in the underground bunker. The flames lit up the sky... smoke filled half the street. The village chief was inside... in a meeting... They still... haven’t found him."

"Impossible!"

Song Qingya shot to her feet, knocking her chair over.

Her eyes were bloodshot as she practically screamed, "He’s fine! He promised me... He promised he would come back..."

She lunged for the door and threw open the latch.

"Take me there immediately! We leave now! I’ll tear through the rubble myself if I have to, but I will find him!"

The man hesitated, his feet rooted to the spot, and tried to dissuade her. "Miss Song, Jing City is in chaos right now. Bandits are looting, the city gates are sealed, and there are stray bullets on the main roads... For a woman alone... it’s too dangerous..."

"Stop your nonsense!"

Song Qingya’s sharp cry cut off his hesitant attempt to reason with her.

"I’m a healer! I can save people! Stop with the useless excuses and lead the way now!"

The man’s throat tightened, his body stiffening under the force of her imposing aura.

"Yes... Yes, please follow me."

Without a second glance, Song Qingya turned and strode back into the house.

She moved with extreme speed, her fingers flying as she took a palm-sized cloth bundle from a cabinet and deftly opened it.

She stuffed in several packets of carefully prepared herbs, then grabbed a roll of clean bandages and tied it all together, finally pulling a short knife from under her pillow.

She walked to the bedside, her steps instinctively softening.

Mr. Fei was lying there, his breathing steady.

Song Qingya gazed quietly at his aged face, a sudden pang of sorrow tightening her chest.

’I’m sorry, Dad. I can’t wait any longer. This illness has dragged on for too long, and he... he might be lying in some unknown corner, bleeding, crying out in pain, waiting for me to find him. I have to go to him.’

She took a deep breath, blinked back the stinging in her eyes, and turned toward the door.

But she had barely taken a step when a figure in the doorway blocked her path.

"Sis, where are you going so late at night?"

Song Chenglu stood in the doorway.