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

The black market, big money, buys lives.

These few words, combined, were enough to terrify any ordinary person. The air in the living room became heavy because of Gu Zheng's words. The old telephone hung quietly on the wall, the lingering echo of its shrill ringing still seeming to resonate in one's ears, pounding at one's nerves.

Ye Zhen's reaction was completely unexpected by Gu Zheng.

She showed no panic, no fear, not even a flicker of her eyebrow. She simply gazed at him silently, her eyes, clear and cold as stars, utterly calm and undisturbed. After a long while, she uttered a question that nearly made Gu Zheng choke on his own saliva.

"How much?"

"What?" Gu Zheng thought he had misheard.

"The price for my life." Ye Zhen's tone was as if she were asking about the price of cabbage at the market today. "If the price is too low, it would be an insult to my professional abilities."

Gu Zheng watched her earnestly conducting her "self-worth assessment," and for a moment, he didn't know whether to be angry or amused. This woman's thought process was indeed different from normal people. In her world, perhaps everything could be quantified, and everything could be deconstructed with surgical logic, including her own life and death.

He stepped forward, extended two fingers, pinched her chin, and forced her to look up and meet his gaze. He leaned down, his forehead almost touching hers, his voice squeezed out between clenched teeth, filled with suppressed anger and a hint of lingering fear that he himself was unaware of.

"Ye Zhen, this isn't haggling over a price at the market! Someone wants you dead!"

"I know." Ye Zhen's eyes didn't waver at all. "So, isn't my living here exactly what you wanted?"

Her words were direct and poignant.

Gu Zheng loosened his grip on her chin slightly. Yes, this was precisely why he had forcibly brought her here. But he hoped she could understand the danger involved, hoped she could rely on him a little, instead of remaining as calm as a detached bystander.

He let go, somewhat frustratedly ruffling his short hair. "Eat," he said, turning and walking into the kitchen.

Ye Zhen watched his retreating figure without saying anything more. She knew in her heart that the people behind Qian Weiguo, after the bombing failed and the framing attempt failed, would inevitably resort to more direct methods. Assassination was the quickest and easiest way. Gu Zheng's appearance had indeed shielded her from some trouble.

She looked down at the luggage Gu Zheng had tossed at the master bedroom door, then at the spacious, bright, and inviting room. This was different from her room at the Lin family home, which only had a bed and a desk, and also different from the drafty mud house in Black Mountain Village. This felt like home.

But can she really have a home?

A moment later, Gu Zheng came out of the kitchen carrying a steaming plate of food. It was scrambled eggs with tomatoes; the golden eggs were coated in a bright red sauce and sprinkled with emerald green scallions, emitting a wonderful aroma.

He placed the dishes on the dining table, then turned back to the kitchen. Soon, a bowl of pork rib and kelp soup, a plate of shredded pork with green peppers, and two bowls of steaming white rice were also placed on the table.

Ye Zhen looked at the excessively lavish "dinner" and fell silent.

Just then, she caught a glimpse of the kitchen door. There was a piece of paper stuck to the door with a simple drawing of a pig's head on it, next to which was written: "Weight Gain Plan Day 1: Dinner".

Her gaze followed the paper to the refrigerator, where a chicken leg was drawn and the words "Lunch for Tomorrow" were written.

What is this...?

Gu Zheng seemed to see through her doubts, took out a small notebook from his pocket, sat down opposite her, and opened it with a serious expression.

"Dr. Ye," he said in a serious tone, as if announcing a battle plan, "given your long-term malnutrition leading to low physical function, which has severely affected your work efficiency as my attending physician, I, as your 'temporary guardian' and creditor, have unilaterally devised a one-month 'weight gain plan' for you."

He pushed the notebook in front of her.

The paper was covered with all sorts of hilarious line drawings. A pig's head represented "replenishing protein and fat," a fish represented "replenishing brainpower," and next to a carrot was written "replenishing vitamins." Below that was a line of large, crookedly written words: Goal—gain five kilograms in thirty days!

Looking at this "feeding plan" that was comparable to a secret military order, and then at the man opposite her whose face was filled with "this is an order, and it must be carried out," Ye Zhen felt powerless for the first time in twenty years.

In her past life, she wielded a scalpel. In this life, however, she has become meat on someone else's chopping board, waiting to be "fattened up."

"Eat." Gu Zheng tapped the rice bowl in front of her with his chopsticks, leaving no room for argument.

Ye Zhen picked up her chopsticks. She always had a small appetite, especially after being under a lot of stress. She ate about half a bowl of rice and then couldn't eat anymore. She put down her chopsticks and looked across at the table.

Gu Zheng said nothing, just sat opposite her, his deep eyes fixed on her. There was no urging, no blame, only silent observation.

That gaze was more intimidating than any harsh words.

Ye Zhen felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, as if she were being interrogated rather than eating. She picked up her chopsticks again and, resignedly, continued to stuff food into her mouth, bite by bite.

The meal took almost an hour to eat.

When she finally finished the bowl of rice, she felt her stomach was so full it was bloated.

"Go take a shower and get some rest," Gu Zheng ordered without looking up as he cleared the dishes.

Ye Zhen felt as if she had been granted a pardon and fled into the master bedroom. The hot water washed over her body, taking away her fatigue, but it couldn't dispel the bloating in her stomach.

Lying on the soft, comfortable bed, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Her stomach felt heavy and blocked, as if a stone was lodged inside. These were typical symptoms of indigestion.

She was in so much pain that she had to get up in the middle of the night and go to the kitchen to get some water.

The living room lights were off, only the moonlight streaming in from the window outlined a blurry figure on the sofa.

Ye Zhen stopped in her tracks.

Gu Zheng wasn't asleep. He leaned back on the sofa, his legs casually crossed on the coffee table, flipping through a document. A military water bottle sat on the coffee table in front of him. He seemed to hear the noise, but didn't look up.

Ye Zhen was hesitating whether to go back when she heard his deep voice ring out in the quiet night.

There's water on the table, it's warm.

Ye Zhen walked over and noticed that next to the kettle was a white porcelain cup and... two digestive tablets wrapped in paper.

He didn't even look up, his gaze still fixed on the documents, only gesturing with his chin to the two pills.

"Drink it before you sleep."

His voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

Ye Zhen looked at the glass of water, a faint steam still rising from its surface. Then she glanced at the two pills, and something inside her felt like it had been gently bumped. This man was frighteningly meticulous. Had he already anticipated her indigestion when he forced her to eat?

For the first time, she didn't argue or say anything barbed. She silently picked up her water glass and put the pill in her mouth.

The warm water slid down her throat, carrying the slightly bitter taste of the pills, yet strangely soothed the discomfort in her stomach and calmed the slight restlessness in her heart.

She put down her cup and whispered, "Thank you."

Gu Zheng paused his hand as he flipped through the documents, then hummed in response.

Ye Zhen turned and walked back to her room. This time, she didn't look back.

In the living room, Gu Zheng only looked up at the spot where she had just stood after she closed the door. He put down the documents in his hand, picked up the white porcelain cup she had used, and gently stroked the rim of the cup where her lips had touched it with his fingertip.

In the moonlight, the lines on his face were incredibly soft.