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

At the entrance of the compound, a military green jeep sputtered and puffed out white smoke as it pulled up beside Gu Zheng.

Just as Gu Zheng was about to get into the car, Ye Zhen, as if possessed, spoke up: "Wait!"

Gu Zheng stopped, turned around, and looked up at Ye Zhen: "Wife, is there anything else?"

Ye Zhen regretted her words as soon as she shouted them out. In front of everyone, what did she want to say? Should she tell them to be careful, or that they absolutely had to come back? She had already said these words over and over again last night, and saying them again now would only seem more powerless and pale.

Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably. Avoiding his probing gaze, she hurriedly made an excuse: "I'm just getting you something! Wait a moment!"

A few minutes later, Ye Zhen came downstairs carrying a net bag.

Her eyes were red and swollen; she had cried a lot last night and was exhausted. Her legs still felt weak and unsteady, like they were walking on cotton.

The absurdity of last night had practically drained all the energy she had in the world.

Gu Zheng, on the other hand, was dressed impeccably in his training uniform. The belt accentuated his lean waist, broad shoulders, and straight posture, like a young poplar tree. He was frighteningly energetic, his eyes and brows radiating a satisfied, well-fed vibe. Compared to Ye Zhen beside him, he looked like a cunning old demon who practiced yin-yang cultivation.

"Alright, stop seeing me off. It's windy outside."

Gu Zheng reached out and helped Ye Zhen adjust her scarf, his fingertips gently stroking the redness at the corner of her eyes. His voice was low and husky, "Go back and get some sleep. Your dark circles are practically falling off your chin."

Ye Zhen sniffed and handed over the net bag she was carrying.

The mesh bag was heavy, constricting her fingertips until they turned white. Inside was a large bag of dried sausages, their bright red oil seeping through the casings, and several cans of yellow peaches, the glass jars clinking against each other inside the mesh bag.

These days, these are all precious things.

"Take it with you to eat on the way," Ye Zhen said in a muffled, nasal voice. "Don't just focus on charging into battle; you need to eat your fill."

The thought of yesterday's suicide note, which sounded like a deathbed confession, made Ye Zhen's heart ache.

If this guy really doesn't come back... just the thought sent chills down her spine.

Gu Zheng took the net, its weight warming his heart. Seeing his wife's red-rimmed eyes and her forced tears, his heart melted. His Adam's apple bobbed; he wanted to say something witty, but then realized it was inappropriate for the occasion, so he nodded solemnly, swallowing back his glib words.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely come back safe and sound." Gu Zheng leaned close to her ear, lowered his voice, and his warm breath brushed against her cool earlobe. His tone carried a hint of ambiguity that only the two of them understood. "I haven't bullied you enough yet, I can't bear to see you die."

Ye Zhen's face flushed, and she wanted to glare at him, but tears welled up in her eyes first.

The north wind howls, a time of life and death.

The atmosphere was both tragic and poignant, just like the tear-jerking scene in an old movie where a husband is sent off to the battlefield.

At this critical, emotional moment—

"Clang!"

The driver's side door of the Jeep was suddenly pushed open.

The guard, Xiao Wang, poked his head out, his peaked cap pulled low, revealing a face red from the cold. He looked at the couple reluctant to part, scratched his head with an honest expression, clearly not understanding the sadness that permeated the air.

"Commander, we need to hurry!" Xiao Wang glanced at his watch and shouted in a loud voice, "Even though it's just a joint exercise in the next province, it's a practice exercise with our brother units in a red-blue force-on-force scenario. If we're late, they'll laugh at us, won't they? Our 761st Regiment can't afford to lose face like that!"

His shout, delivered with great force, startled two sparrows on the treetops, causing them to flutter away.

The wind suddenly stopped.

The solemn atmosphere at the entrance of the compound seemed to be shattered by this loud voice, scattering everywhere.

The tear that was still swirling in Ye Zhen's eye was abruptly held back, teetering on the edge of falling, making her look incredibly awkward.

She blinked, and her expression, which had been so poignant and melancholic, seemed to freeze, cracking little by little until it turned into a blank look of astonishment.

Even though her brain was a little slow due to lack of sleep, she still managed to grasp these key words.

The neighboring province?

Joint exercises?

Red vs. Blue?

Practice your hands?

Ye Zhen slowly turned her head, her neck stiffening and making a mechanical cracking sound. Her gaze was like a hook, locking onto Gu Zheng's face, which was beginning to look unnatural.

"A...drill?"

Gu Zheng's expression froze, the deep emotion on his face gone. The speed at which his expression shifted was so fast it could be used as a teaching example at a film academy.

He whirled around and glared fiercely at Xiao Wang. His eyes were so fierce, it was as if he wanted to sew the kid's mouth shut on the spot.

Xiao Wang shuddered under his superior's murderous glare, shrinking back and looking bewildered: "Huh? Yes... wasn't this all part of the pre-arranged plan? And you even signed it yourself..."

"Shut up!" Gu Zheng roared, the veins on his forehead throbbing twice.

It’s over.

Gu Zheng turned around, bracing himself to meet Ye Zhen's eyes, which suddenly became clear and then began to radiate coldness. His heart skipped a beat, as if he had missed a step on the stairs.

Ye Zhen took a deep breath of cool air. The cold wind rushed into her lungs, making her choke and painful, but it also completely woke up her muddled mind.

The string in my mind called "reason" snapped back on.

Suicide note.

Separation by death.

Leave it for later.

A crazy night of recklessness.

These keywords quickly went through my mind, eventually converging into a clear conclusion—

This bastard is playing the "bitter trick" from "The Art of War" with her!

What do you mean by "nine deaths and one life"? What do you mean by "never to come back"? It's just a business trip to the next province? It might be safer than her having surgery at National Taiwan University!

And what about her?

Like a fool, I hugged him, crying and shouting, and even took the initiative... the initiative...

Ye Zhen's face flushed bright red instantly, not from embarrassment, but from anger.

"Gu Zheng".

She spoke, her voice not loud, but it was colder than the February wind.

Gu Zheng's scalp tingled instantly. He chuckled dryly and subtly moved half a step towards the car door, trying to find a safe escape route for himself.

"Honey, let me explain. It's an exercise... but an exercise is still a real combat exercise! Bullets don't discriminate; even a blank shot hurts! Besides, it's mountain warfare; the terrain is complex, and running around can easily lead to an ankle sprain. There are risks involved..."

"Sprained ankle?"

Ye Zhen laughed in exasperation.

He wrote her a will because of the risk of her spraining her ankle? And told her to find another job?

"Are you going there for a drill? I think you're going to act!"

Ye Zhen looked around, grabbed the large bamboo broom used for sweeping snow next to the guardhouse, and moved with the swiftness of someone holding a hemostat on an operating table.

"Gu Zheng, you big liar! You stop right there!"