After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

The jeep stopped at the entrance of the Gu family compound. The door opened, and Gu Jianguo and his daughter, along with Gu Zheng and his wife, came to greet them.

As soon as Gu Jianguo finished introducing Zhao Gang, Zhao Gang, a man who shed blood but not tears on the battlefield, actually bowed straight down to Ye Zhen.

It's a standard 90-degree bow.

"Old Zhao! What are you doing!" Gu Jianguo was startled and quickly went to help him up.

"It's only right." Zhao Gang's voice was hoarse, and his eyes were red. "It was my fault, Zhao Gang, who was blind to the situation. Doctor Ye took on this mess without holding a grudge. He is a benefactor to our whole family."

"Alright, Uncle Zhao, come inside quickly, it's windy outside." Ye Zhen turned to the side, her gaze passing over Zhao Gang and his wife, and landing on their backs.

There stood a girl wearing a thick cotton coat.

Zhao Lanlan, nineteen years old.

At an age when she should be blossoming like a flower bud, she was like a withered vine. Because of Marfan syndrome, she was much taller than ordinary girls, very thin, and her whole being exuded a lifeless, ashen aura.

She lowered her head and huddled inside her scarf, as if all the hustle and bustle around her had nothing to do with her.

Upon entering the house, a wave of warmth washed over me.

Grandma Gu was heartbroken and held Zhao Lanlan's hand tightly, saying, "Oh my, is this Lanlan? She's so pretty, tall and slender, a real beauty."

Zhao Lanlan's fingers trembled slightly, and she instinctively pulled them back.

"Yes, Sister Lanlan, your skin is so fair." Gu Linlin chimed in, trying to liven things up. "When you're better, let's go to the department store together to buy a dress."

Zhao Lanlan kept her head down and remained silent.

Like a delicate yet broken doll, left to be manipulated by others, without a soul or a response.

Gu Yue stood aside, watching her once proud and talented friend turn into this, tears welling up in her eyes, but she dared not cry out loud, afraid of making her friend even more heartbroken.

Zhao Gang and his wife exchanged a glance, their faces filled with despair.

Since being diagnosed, the child has been like this. He doesn't speak, he doesn't eat, as if he's silently waiting for the Grim Reaper to come and take his soul.

Just then, the crisp sound of a glass hitting the coffee table broke the carefully cherished warmth in the room.

"clatter."

Ye Zhen came over carrying two glasses of water.

She didn't sit down, but looked down at Zhao Lanlan, who was huddled on the sofa, her tone as calm as if she were making rounds, even carrying a hint of cold indifference.

"Choose one."

Zhao Lanlan raised her head blankly, her eyes unfocused.

"The glass on the left is water, which represents giving up," Ye Zhen pointed. "Drink it, and our previous agreement is null and void. I'll call Williams right now and tell him to stop flying. That way, you won't have to suffer. Go home, eat and drink as usual, and wait for that final hurdle."

The air in the room froze instantly.

Liu Xiumei covered her mouth, almost bursting into tears. What kind of doctor talks to a patient like that? Isn't this like stabbing someone in the heart?

Ignoring the horrified stares around her, Ye Zhen moved her finger to another glass: "This one on the right has sugar in it, which represents survival. But this water doesn't taste good. Drinking it means that for the next week, you'll have to cooperate with me and peel off a layer of skin from your body."

She raised her wrist and looked at the old Shanghai watch: "I'll give you five seconds. Your choice will directly affect the amount of time and effort I invest in you. My time is valuable; I won't invest in projects that yield no return."

Gu Jianguo, listening nearby, broke out in a cold sweat and desperately tried to signal to Gu Zheng: *Has your wife gone mad? Is she trying to provoke the patient or drive him to his death?*

Gu Zheng merely raised an eyebrow, crossed his arms, and leaned against the wall, his eyes full of indulgence.

"Five," Ye Zhen began to count down.

"Four."

A flicker of emotion finally appeared in Zhao Lanlan's lifeless eyes.

She had heard enough comforting words, enough of "It's okay," "It'll be alright," and "Don't be afraid." Everyone treated her like a fragile porcelain doll, handling her with utmost care.

Only this woman in front of her treated her as an equal, a "person" with the right to choose.

Even a... project?

"one."

Ye Zhen's hand was about to reach for the glass of water.

A pale, thin, and somewhat deformed hand suddenly reached out and grabbed the cup of sugar water.

The movement was too hasty, and a few drops of water spilled out, landing on the back of Zhao Lanlan's hand.

She picked up the cup, tilted her head back, and gulped it down in one go.

"Cough cough cough..."

She drank too quickly, choking until her face turned bright red, but a glimmer of life finally returned to her eyes. She stared intently at Ye Zhen, as if he were her only lifeline.

"very good."

Ye Zhen didn't show any relief on her face. Instead, she took out a small notebook and pen from her pocket and started writing.

"Zhao Lanlan, female, 19 years old. Preliminary assessment: Will to survive 60%. Passed."

She closed her pen, pulled up a chair, and sat down opposite Zhao Lanlan with her hands folded.

"Now that you've drunk my sweet soup, we're in a cooperative relationship. I'm the project manager, and you're the core asset. Next, I'll be making a high-risk, high-return surgical investment for you."

Ye Zhen's voice was clear, cold, and powerful, echoing in the living room.

"If the surgery is successful, you will have at least forty years of healthy use of this body, able to run and jump, get married and have children, and go wherever you want. If it fails, the project ends, which means death."

"As the investor, I require you to guarantee the quality of the core assets. From now on, no crying, no self-pity, and you must remain emotionally stable. Because every emotional fluctuation of yours increases the difficulty of my surgery, which in turn devalues ​​your own assets."

This set of "capitalist" theories left everyone in the room completely bewildered.

Even Zhao Lanlan, who had always been listless, was stunned by these strange and absurd theories.

Looking at her sister-in-law, who was cold, domineering, and whose every word was about "assets" and "returns," she twitched her lips twice and then, for the first time ever, burst out laughing.

That laugh shattered the ice in the room completely.

Ye Zhen smiled at her expressionlessly, then glanced down and made another note in her notebook: "Emotional state has reached a positive turning point, will to survive has risen to 75%. Good, keep it up."

She stood up. "Now, carry out the first doctor's order: go to the restaurant and finish the meal that Grandma specially made for you."

……

The food at the Gu family's restaurant was plentiful; the braised pork was a glossy red, and the steamed fish was fresh and delicious.

But Zhao Lanlan was restless.

She lowered her head, placed her hands on her knees, and hesitated to pick up her chopsticks.

Marfan syndrome not only causes cardiovascular disease, but also abnormalities in the skeletal system. Her fingers are long and thin like spider legs (spider fingers), and her joints are hyperextended, making it difficult for her to use chopsticks as nimbly as a normal person.

In the past, when she ate out, she couldn't pick up food with her chopsticks, which would always attract strange looks from others. Some ignorant children even pointed at her hands and called her a "monster".

Gu Yue sat next to her, and was about to serve her some food, but then she was afraid of hurting her pride, so she reached out her chopsticks and then pulled them back, her face turning red with anxiety.

Ye Zhen sat in the main seat, slowly sipping her soup.

She seemed completely oblivious to Zhao Lanlan's predicament, and unlike others, she didn't deliberately take care of or ignore her.

"Linlin," Ye Zhen suddenly spoke.

"Here! What are your instructions, sister-in-law?"

"These chopsticks are too slippery, they're not easy to use." Ye Zhen frowned, casually placing her own chopsticks on the bone plate. "Get me a different spoon, it'll be faster and saves time. I have a class this afternoon."

After saying that, she turned to look at Zhao Lanlan, her tone as casual as if she were discussing the weather: "You should use a spoon too. This kind of braised pork has a lot of broth, it's more fragrant when you mix it with rice with a spoon, using chopsticks would be a waste."

There was no sympathy, nor any special consideration.

This is simply a technical suggestion about "how to make meat taste better".

Gu Zheng immediately understood and threw down his chopsticks as well: "That's right, I'll use a spoon too! It's so much more satisfying to eat meat in big bites, those two sticks are such a hassle."

Although Gu Linlin didn't understand what was going on, she was very efficient and immediately brought a spoon and placed it in front of Ye Zhen, Gu Zheng, and Zhao Lanlan.

Zhao Lanlan looked at the spoon in front of her, her eyes slightly warm.

She stole a glance at Ye Zhen.

The female doctor was scooping a large spoonful of broth onto her rice and eating it with a completely calm expression.

There was no pity, no attention.

This feeling of being "ignored" is surprisingly comfortable and safe.

Zhao Lanlan stretched out her unusual hands and grasped the spoon handle.

The spoon was steady; this time, it didn't shake.

A big mouthful of rice infused with the aroma of meat explodes on the tongue with a long-lost flavor.