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

In the northern part of the city, winter days are short, and a cold wind whips up withered leaves from the streets, slapping against the gray walls of courtyards. A postman pedals his old-fashioned bicycle, the green canvas mailbag on the back bulging. The crisp sound of his bicycle bell breaks the tranquility of the government compound, and a stack of freshly printed People's Daily newspapers is slammed onto the wooden table in the mailroom.

Instead of a regular meeting report, the front page headline was occupied by a lengthy news article. The bold, large-font headline was visually striking: A Race Against Time Across Thousands of Miles—Military and Civilians Join Hands to Build a Lifeline for Critically Ill Children.

The layout editor deliberately enlarged a black-and-white photograph by two times, placing it firmly in the center of the page. The photo's quality is rough, with some overexposure, yet it truthfully records the scene outside the emergency room of the Beicheng Military Region General Hospital last night. The doors of a military ambulance are wide open, and an Air Force medic in a collared flight jacket and a nurse from the General Hospital in a white coat and a nurse's cap push a stretcher on either side. The background is the reflection of the bright operating lights outside the operating room, and the anxiety and determination on everyone's faces, through the ink on the paper, directly assault the reader's gaze.

The article is divided into three sections, vividly and compellingly recreating the entire event. The first section describes how Shanghai First People's Hospital, facing a child with a rare and critical illness, resolutely sought cross-provincial assistance from Beicheng, upholding a responsible attitude towards life. The second section vividly depicts how the command center of an Air Force unit, upon receiving an urgent letter, broke with routine procedures and decisively dispatched a Y-8 large military transport aircraft, urgently welding shock-absorbing brackets in the cargo hold. The third section focuses on the multi-party coordination and dispatch by the General Hospital of the Military Region, with a top-notch surgical team performing surgery overnight, ultimately pulling the boy suffering from Tetralogy of Fallot complicated by extremely severe outflow tract stenosis back from the brink of death.

Every paragraph, every word, strives to highlight the collaborative capabilities of the national medical system and the great power of the military and civilians working together to save lives. The retired cadres in the compound, wearing reading glasses, sipped their tea from their enamel mugs and pointed at the newspaper, praising it repeatedly.

No one knew that this rescue operation, which sparked city-wide discussion, was originally just a private, illegal operation by Gu Zheng, who, to avoid leaving his wife with regrets, impulsively forced the Air Force to borrow an aircraft across military regions. If investigated by higher authorities, Gu Zheng would undoubtedly face disciplinary action. However, Ye Zhen's strategic planning transformed a potentially contentious disciplinary minefield into a classic political propaganda campaign that achieved a win-win situation for the Shanghai hospital, the Air Force, and the military hospital, demonstrating a strong sense of righteousness.

Inside the administrative building of the Beicheng Military Region General Hospital, the heating pipes were scorching hot. The door to the dean's office was tightly shut. Zhou Hai had laid the newspaper flat on his desk, already examining it four or five times. He had even pulled out a drawer, found a magnifying glass, and peered closely at the black-and-white photograph, carefully scrutinizing the hospital's weathered plaque in the background to ensure the lettering was clear enough. After finishing, Zhou Hai took a large gulp of tea, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes completely smoothing out. With this report appearing before the entire nation, the hospital's application for a national key specialty project this year was practically guaranteed, and it would even elevate his position as dean.

There was a knock on the door, and the young operator in the switchboard stood at the door with a flushed face. He said that Chief Liu from the Air Force Command had just called the military hotline and specifically asked to see Dean Zhou.

Zhou Hai cleared his throat and picked up the red crank telephone on the table. He had barely said "hello" when Old Liu's hearty laughter came through the receiver.

Old Liu was overjoyed and thanked them repeatedly on the other end of the phone. Just half an hour earlier, at the morning meeting, the military region leaders had specifically praised the Air Force duty room in front of cadres at all levels. The leaders praised the Air Force for its people-oriented approach and decisive action in this incident, noting that it was not held back by rigid rules, demonstrating a very high political stance. Old Liu not only escaped criticism but also unexpectedly gained a great deal of credit. He asked Zhou Hai to convey the Air Force's respect to the surgical experts at the General Hospital and said he would personally send two pork patrons to the General Hospital canteen in a few days as a token of appreciation.

Zhou Hai exchanged pleasantries with Lao Liu in a bureaucratic tone. After hanging up the phone, he leaned back in his leather chair. He knew very well that this enormous wealth was all the work of Dr. Ye and his wife.

At the same time, the red brick building where the Gu family lived was quiet.

The honeycomb briquette stove in the kitchen was burning brightly. Gu Zheng, wearing a thin military green shirt with the cuffs casually rolled up above his elbows, revealing his strong forearm muscles, stood in front of the stove, watching the heat of the casserole. He held a long-handled wooden ladle in his hand, slowly stirring the thick broth in the pot. The casserole contained pumpkin and millet porridge; the golden pumpkin chunks had been stewed until soft and tender, blending seamlessly with the blooming millet, bubbling gently.

A little vegetable oil was poured into the iron wok beside him. Gu Zheng cracked two eggs with one hand, the egg yolks sizzling as they fell into the hot oil. He controlled the heat, frying the edges of the poached eggs until they were golden and crispy, while the yolks in the center remained soft and tender. These tasks were originally unfamiliar to him, a commander who had been to the front lines and eaten raw meat in the wild, but in order to replenish his exhausted wife's nutrition, he insisted on asking the experienced cook in the canteen for advice several times.

The porridge was almost cooked. Gu Zheng took an enamel tray with a red double happiness pattern, poured the porridge from the clay pot into a celadon bowl, and then laid the fried eggs on top. The rising steam dispelled the cold air in the room.

In the master bedroom on the second floor, the heavy cotton curtains were drawn tightly, letting in only a few faint rays of light.

Ye Zhen closed her eyes and gradually awoke from eight hours of deep sleep. The aches and pains from the continuous high-intensity mental calculations and standing with a knife for hours finally began to subside after a night's rest. She tried to move her fingers, and her muscles regained their strength.

The cast-iron radiator in the corner of the room emitted even heat. The air was filled with a rich and sweet aroma of millet porridge, mixed with the smoky scent of fried eggs, which unexpectedly stirred up a feeling of hunger in my stomach.

The bedroom door was pushed open. Gu Zheng walked in carrying a tray. He gently kicked the door shut and walked to the bedside.

"Awake?" Gu Zheng placed the tray on the bedside table. He sat down on the edge of the bed, the fabric of his military green shirt taut with his movement, outlining the broad contours of his shoulders and back. He reached out, his large, calloused palm pressed directly against Ye Zhen's forehead. Her temperature was normal; there were no signs of a low-grade fever.

Ye Zhen propped herself up on the bed with her elbows. Immediately, a soft pillow appeared behind her, which Gu Zheng had casually grabbed and placed behind her back.

She took the bowl and spoon from Gu Zheng, and ate the porridge quietly without saying a word. The sweetness of the pumpkin and the soft, glutinous texture of the millet slid into her stomach, filling the emptiness she had felt all night. The warmth spread throughout her body along her esophagus. Her previously pale face finally regained a healthy rosy glow.

Gu Zheng didn't urge her, but simply sat on the edge of the bed, legs spread apart, hands casually resting on his knees. His gaze fell on Ye Zhen's hands holding the spoon. Those hands were fair and slender; last night, under the operating lights, with a thin suture and a few pieces of trimmed pericardium, he had snatched a life back from the brink of death. He watched with great patience as she finished the entire bowl of porridge.

Ye Zhen put down her spoon and was about to hand the bowl over when Gu Zheng took the empty bowl first and casually placed it back on the tray on the bedside table, making a slight clinking sound.

Before Ye Zhen could lean back against the headboard, the man's tall body leaned forward and pressed down on her. Gu Zheng braced his arms on the bed beside Ye Zhen, his broad chest blocking out the light and completely encircling her between himself and the headboard.

The two were very close. Gu Zheng's rough fingertips slowly traced the lines of Ye Zhen's cheek, the purposeful touch sending a faint electric current through him. He patiently tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.

Those deep, sharp eyes no longer concealed their masculine aggression. The commander, who usually directed thousands of troops on the front lines, now focused all his attention on the woman before him.

"The newspaper came out this morning. The General Hospital has gained a lot of attention, and they've also made an appearance in Shanghai." Gu Zheng's gaze slid down from Ye Zhen's eyes, lingering on her lips, which looked even more lustrous after eating hot porridge. His voice was extremely low, with a rough, sandpaper-like quality. "Old Liu from the Air Force just made a special call to the General Hospital. Not only did they not get any punishment, but they also received a large commendation from the military region leaders. He called just to thank me."

Gu Zheng tilted his head slightly, his warm breath falling directly onto Ye Zhen's cheek.

"Wife, you've paved the way so smoothly, you've done a great job." Gu Zheng's voice carried an undisguised demand, "Those 'actions' we discussed in the office yesterday, the person was saved, and they got enough sleep, isn't it time to deliver on them?"

Ye Zhen leaned against the headboard, looking at the man's face so close to hers. Gu Zheng's body heat and aggressive aura completely enveloped her. Faced with this direct demand, she did not flinch.

Just when Gu Zheng thought she was going to use rules or time as an excuse again, Ye Zhen stretched out her hand from the warm bed.

Her fingers gripped Gu Zheng's slightly open shirt collar. The fabric tightened between her knuckles. Ye Zhen exerted force with her wrist, pulling the tall man in front of her towards herself without hesitation.

Gu Zheng lowered his head, and their breaths mingled instantly.

Those hands, accustomed to wielding scalpels, always maintaining absolute rationality in sterile rooms, and solely responsible for cleaving the line between life and death, were now securely wrapped around Gu Zheng's strong nape. The man's attack was fierce, yet he was exerting considerable restraint in his strength.

The room was filled with the faint aroma of pumpkin porridge. Outside, the north wind howled, but inside the red-brick building, a quiet warmth prevailed. All the meticulous planning, the chaos caused by the struggle to save lives, and the enormous turmoil they were creating in the outside world all settled completely in this pure and passionate kiss.