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

Qian Weiguo was taken away, like a dead dog with its spine removed. Li Jian and his men remained rooted to the spot, their faces a complex mix of shock, resentment, and fear.

The suffocating sense of oppression in the corridor gradually dissipated as Gu Zheng's two men escorted the person away.

The operating room door was still open, and bright shadowless lights poured out from inside, casting long shadows of the two people at the doorway.

Gu Zheng did not loosen his grip on Ye Zhen's wrist; instead, he led her back into the operating room.

With a "bang," he hooked the heavy lead door shut with his heel.

The whole world fell silent instantly.

All that remained were the cold metal instruments and the two of them.

The air inside still carried the scent of disinfectant and a faint, almost imperceptible stench of blood. Gu Zheng released his grip, walked to the instrument tray, and picked up the evidence bag containing dark blue fibers with his slender fingers.

He squinted at the light, then turned to look at Ye Zhen. His eyes no longer held the previous mockery and admiration, but a deeper level of inquiry, tinged with a hint of astonishment that even he himself didn't realize.

"When did you find out?" he asked, his voice low.

Ye Zhen was removing her second blood-stained glove when she heard this. Without pausing, she simply replied, "The first thing I saw when I entered his office."

Gu Zheng raised an eyebrow, clearly somewhat surprised by the answer.

"There were slight tug marks on the seam of his left sleeve cuff, looser than the right. Although he tried to cover it with his hand, it was still visible when he raised his hand to drink tea." Ye Zhen tossed the glove into the medical waste bin, her tone as calm as if she were reciting an experimental report. "Those summer uniforms specially supplied to generals are made of single-strand blended yarn for breathability. Once stretched, they are difficult to restore. That's why I concluded that he lost something, something he always wore."

Gu Zheng listened in silence.

He watched Ye Zhen quietly as she took off her surgical gown, revealing a white shirt soaked with sweat underneath. He watched the few damp strands of hair on her forehead and her eyes, which shone brilliantly under the operating lights.

After a while, he chuckled, a laugh tinged with a mix of emotion, helplessness, and a barely perceptible hint of relief.

"Ye Zhen," he called her by her full name for the first time, his tone carrying a strange solemnity, "Fortunately, you are an ally."

He fiddled with the evidence bag in his hand as he walked towards her step by step.

"Otherwise, I'm really afraid that one day we'll be on opposite sides, and I won't even know when you've seen through my underwear."

He stopped in front of her, the two of them very close.

His masculine scent, a mixture of tobacco and gunpowder, forcefully invaded Ye Zhen's breath. The smell of disinfectant seemed to be diluted.

The atmosphere became somewhat subtle at that moment.

Just then, Ye Zhen's body swayed.

Everything went black before my eyes, and my ears were ringing.

After a night of intense concentration and a prolonged period without food or water, the body finally protested the moment the tense nerves relaxed completely.

Hypoglycemia.

She instinctively reached out to steady herself on the operating table next to her, but found nothing.

His body slumped uncontrollably to one side.

The expected cold ground did not appear.

A strong arm caught her waist as she fell, pulling her back.

Ye Zhen bumped into a hard yet warm embrace.

In my ears, I could hear the man's steady and powerful heartbeat, one beat after another, like the beating of a drum.

"What's wrong?" Gu Zheng's deep voice sounded above her head, carrying a hint of tension that he himself didn't realize.

"It's nothing, just low blood sugar." Ye Zhen leaned against his chest, closed her eyes to catch her breath, and her voice was a little weak.

The next second, she felt her feet leave the ground and she was lifted up in a horizontal embrace.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, instinctively reaching out to hug his neck.

Gu Zheng completely ignored her protests, picked her up, and strode out. His previously limping "injured leg" now walked with a powerful stride, showing no signs of injury whatsoever. The metal crutch he cherished was thrown to the ground with a clatter the moment he picked her up.

Walks with incredible speed.

Nestled in his arms, Ye Zhen felt the steady rise and fall of his chest as he walked, and the word inexplicably popped into her mind.

[This guy...'s gotten addicted to faking being lame?']

Gu Zheng carried her and kicked open the door to the makeshift doctors' lounge next door. He carefully placed her on the cot and turned to rummage through the cabinets.

Soon, he returned with an enamel mug and a paper package.

He threw a few pieces of rock sugar from the paper packet into the jar, poured in hot water from the thermos, stirred it with a spoon, and brought it to her lips.

"I'll drink it." The tone left no room for refusal.

Ye Zhen did need to replenish her sugar, so she didn't force herself and took small sips of the warm sugar water from his hand.

His hands were large, with rough knuckles and calluses from years of holding guns. Yet, these were the same hands that held the cup with astonishingly steady movements.

The syrup was so sweet, the sweetness went right to my heart.

After Ye Zhen finished half a glass, her expression softened considerably. Leaning against the headboard, she looked at the man squatting in front of her, staring at her with a serious expression, and felt a strange, indescribable feeling.

Gu Zheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she had regained her color.

He looked at her moist lips and her tired, somewhat languid eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

Ye Zhen felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. Just as she was about to say something, she noticed that his eyes were fixed on the corner of her lips.

Then, he reached out his hand.

With his rough thumb, he gently wiped away a little water stain from the corner of her lips.

The movements were so natural, as if they had been done a thousand times.

Ye Zhen's body stiffened for a moment.

The thin calluses on her fingertips, with their slightly abrasive texture and scalding heat, were imprinted on her skin.

It's etched into my heart too.

Looking into Gu Zheng's deep black eyes, her brain, which had been drowsy after drinking the sugar water, completely shut down.

Looking at her adorable, slightly dazed expression, Gu Zheng finally couldn't help but chuckle softly. He withdrew his hand, stood up, took off his military jacket, and covered her with it.

"Get some sleep." He tucked her in. "Leave the rest to me."

Ye Zhen was so tired. Smelling the comforting scent on his coat, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and she soon fell asleep.

Gu Zheng stood by the bed for a long time, looking at her peaceful sleeping face with an unprecedented tenderness in his eyes.

Then, he turned around and walked out of the lounge.

The moment the door closed, all the gentleness on his face vanished, and he reverted to the ruthless and decisive Commander Gu.

One of his personal guards was waiting outside the door.

"Young Master."

Gu Zheng's gaze was as cold as ice: "Call everyone who saw that my leg was fine to the solitary confinement room." He paused, then uttered the second half of his sentence, "Let them know what it means to keep their mouths shut."