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

The air in the ward was deathly still.

Gu Zheng's words, "Break my other leg," struck Ye Zhen like a heavy hammer.

The matriarch of the Gu family?

She had never had a proper family in either of her lives, and the moment he opened his mouth, he imposed on her an identity that was enough to crush her.

For the first time, her brain, which could remain absolutely calm on the operating table, went blank for more than ten seconds.

When she regained her voice, she had returned to the absolute composure a surgeon would have when facing an out-of-control situation.

She raised her eyes, her cold gaze like a scalpel, cutting straight into Gu Zheng's smiling eyes.

"Commander Gu," she said, her voice steady and flat, "I think your delusions are more serious than your leg injury. Should I transfer you to a psychiatric ward?"

"Delusion?" Gu Zheng wasn't annoyed at all; instead, his smile deepened. He pointed to his temple. "This has been a little off ever since I first saw you. Dr. Ye, you have to take responsibility."

This person is utterly shameless!

Ye Zhen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil of agitation within her. She decided to switch to a more familiar communication method, one based on logic and reality.

"Gu Zheng, I'll say it again: saving you was a doctor's duty. Our relationship was purely doctor-patient, and that's over." She took a step back, creating a safe distance. "I will repay what you did for me. But binding us with marriage is impossible."

"Still?" Gu Zheng seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He leaned against the headboard, the oppressive feeling of a soldier and the control of a superior intertwined, making the whole ward feel cramped.

"Ye Zhen, what will you use to repay me? How will you repay me for my life, Gu Zheng's life?" He leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing. "Do you think there's only one scoundrel like Lin Weiguo and Zhao Tiancheng? Even without me, if you walked out this door today, Zhang Weiguo and Li Tiancheng would be waiting for you tomorrow. In a society where absolute power and personal connections reign supreme, your skills are just a piece of fat meat that everyone wants to grab. Can you protect yourself?"

His words were like daggers to the heart.

Yes, that's how she died in her past life. She died from jealousy, from conspiracy, and from her incompatible skills.

Ye Zhen gripped the pen in the pocket of her white coat so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"So, this is your reason for forcing me?" Her voice turned cold.

"This isn't coercion, it's cooperation." Gu Zheng's tone suddenly turned serious, as if he were discussing a military deal. "You need a backing, a protective umbrella that can shield you from all open and hidden attacks, allowing you to stand confidently in front of the operating table. And I," he paused, a deep light flashing in his eyes, "I need a wife, a 'Mistress of the Gu Family' who can put my old man at ease."

He referred to "wife" and "housewife" as if they were job titles or code names.

"You act as my shield to deal with the elders. I'll be your protector, clearing away obstacles." He concluded, giving no chance for rebuttal. "Each gets what they need; it's a fair trade."

Ye Zhen's temples throbbed as she listened, and she almost laughed out of anger at this twisted logic of "win-win cooperation".

Good heavens, she'd never seen such a refined and elegant way of talking about forced marriage before.

We were never meant to be, it's all because of your usurpation of power.

Just as she was about to speak, there was a gentle knock on the ward door.

"Knock knock".

Xiao Wang pushed open the door and stepped aside with a complicated expression.

An elderly man, dressed in a dark gray Zhongshan suit, with his hair neatly combed, and a slender but upright posture, walked in. He was about sixty years old, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and had sharp, steady eyes. He carried an elegant wicker food box in his hand.

As soon as he entered, his gaze fell on Gu Zheng's leg, which was in a cast. He frowned slightly, then turned to Ye Zhen and quickly looked her over.

The gaze was not offensive, but rather like a sophisticated instrument, scanning her from head to toe.

"Young Master." The old man bowed slightly, his voice steady, carrying a respectful air unique to the old era.

That one word, "Young Master," instantly changed the atmosphere in the ward.

In the military hospital of the 1980s, this term was even more unusual than hearing about an alien visit.

Ignoring Gu Zheng's glances, the old man walked straight to Ye Zhen, bowed again, and was even more respectful than he had been to Gu Zheng.

"This must be Dr. Ye. My surname is Fu, and I am the butler of the Gu family. When my master heard that the young master was injured, he was so worried that he couldn't sleep all night. He specially asked the kitchen to make some soup and ordered me to bring it over this morning."

As he spoke, he opened the food box, which contained several exquisite white porcelain stewing pots.

"This was stewed under the watchful eye of the old man. He said that the health of the future young mistress of the Gu family is of utmost importance, as she is working hard and needs to be properly nourished."

boom!

The phrase "the future young mistress of the Gu family" is absolutely a bombshell!

This is no longer just Gu Zheng's nonsense; it's a definitive statement from the mysterious "Gu family"!

Ye Zhen's face drained of all color in an instant. She felt as if she wasn't standing in a hospital room, but had fallen into the center of a meticulously woven, inescapable, enormous spider web.

Gu Zheng's face also darkened: "Uncle Fu, who sent you?"

"It's the old master," Butler Fu replied neither humbly nor arrogantly. "The old master said that you're used to charging into battle and don't know how to care for people. If he hadn't sent me, he was afraid you would have scared people away and he would never have a great-grandchild in his life."

He paused, looked at Gu Zheng, and said with a hint of worry in his voice, "When the old man heard about your injury, he was very upset. His blood pressure soared to 180 last night. The doctor said that you can't be subjected to any more stress. This morning, he said only one thing: if you don't bring the person back before the New Year, he will personally come to Beicheng, stay at the military sanatorium, and personally 'invite' the person back."

These words, though spoken to Gu Zheng, struck Ye Zhen's heart with every single one.

An old man who held a high position of power, was in poor health, and had a bad temper.

The pressure is overwhelming!

For a doctor, the hardest thing to refuse is to use a patient's health as leverage to exert pressure.

This is absolutely a precision strike, a dimensional reduction strike!

Gu Zheng waved his hand, signaling Butler Fu to leave.

Once again, only the two of them remained in the ward.

Looking at her pale face and those eyes that were no longer calm and were filled with storm, Gu Zheng felt a sudden softening in his heart, but his tone remained unyielding.

"My grandfather had heart bypass surgery and can't handle any stress." He looked at her, his voice low and commanding. "Dr. Ye, you saved me; you can't turn around and harm my grandfather, can you?"

This is blatant moral blackmail.

Or they're using her professional ethics to blackmail her.

Ye Zhen stared intently at him; his hands, which could hold a scalpel with unwavering steadiness, were now trembling violently in the pocket of his white coat.

From his unfathomable black eyes, she understood three words: "eat," "determined," and "accepted."

She knew she had lost.

It wasn't his power that made them lose, but rather the "grandfather" they had never met who had a heart condition.

Damn it, I'm on a pirate ship now.

After a long while, her cold, clear voice, as if squeezed out from between her teeth, rang out in the ward.

"I can act in this scene with you."

Gu Zheng's dark eyes lit up instantly, like stars exploding in the night sky, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

The prey has finally fallen into the trap.

Ye Zhen raised her hand, stopping him from saying what he was about to say; her eyes were as cold as the Siberian chill.

"But I have three conditions."