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

Gu Zheng reached out and snatched the medical record from Ye Zhen's hand.

"get off work."

Ye Zhen looked up at him, her brows furrowed slightly.

"I haven't finished writing the custody plan for the three beds yet; I'll need it for rounds tomorrow morning."

"We'll have to talk about that tomorrow." Gu Zheng leaned against the edge of his desk, took out the key he had just taken from his pocket, and tossed it in his hand. "I'm here with my sword on my side today."

Ye Zhen was so angry at his shameless behavior that she laughed.

"What's wrong with you now?"

Gu Zheng straightened up and cleared his throat in a serious manner.

"To convey Commander Chen's original words and the highest instructions from the Central Military Commission: Comrade Ye Zhen is now a national treasure of our country. My only top-level combat mission right now is to keep a close eye on you, make sure you eat on time and sleep on time."

He bent down, placed his hands on the table, and leaned closer to stare at her.

"Daughter-in-law, disobeying orders will be punished."

Ye Zhen was at her wit's end. This man was becoming more and more adept at using a big name to intimidate others, and she had no doubt that if she said "no," this living devil would carry her straight out of the main hospital.

She had no choice but to compromise, taking off the white coat that still smelled of disinfectant and changing into her own casual clothes.

The two walked out of the inpatient building side by side. Along the way, passing nurses and young doctors greeted them, and many covered their mouths to chuckle. Everyone in the hospital knew that Dr. Ye, whom even Westerners revered, had a special forces regiment commander at home who practically treated her like royalty.

Back in the family dormitory, the room had been cleaned up by Gu Zheng.

A delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen. Gu Zheng came out carrying two plates of food. Then, he went back into the kitchen and brought out a bowl of dark, thick soup.

"What is this?" Ye Zhen smelled a strong medicinal odor.

"Political Commissar Zhang got this genuine Dong'e donkey-hide gelatin from his father-in-law, and I stewed it with an old hen." Gu Zheng pushed the bowl in front of her, stirred it with a spoon, and said, "It's good for replenishing your qi and blood. You've been working non-stop these past few days, and your face is as white as paper. Drink this quickly."

Ye Zhen looked at the bowl of soup, which looked terrible, and felt somewhat reluctant. But Gu Zheng's eyes were fixed on it, as if he would force her to drink it if she didn't.

She had no choice but to grit her teeth and drink the soup in one gulp.

After finishing their meal, Gu Zheng neatly put the dishes and chopsticks in the sink. Ye Zhen leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest; the fatigue of the past few days was indeed surging up in waves.

The sofa dipped slightly on the other side, and Gu Zheng sat down next to her, naturally wrapping a long arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his arms.

"Take a nap if you're tired." Gu Zheng's voice was deep, with a touch of rough warmth.

Ye Zhen leaned against his firm chest, saying nothing. The atmosphere was perfect; the only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock. Gu Zheng lowered his head, his breath brushing against her neck, and was about to lean in and kiss her.

"Ring ring ring—!"

The shrill ring of the telephone suddenly rang out without warning.

It wasn't the ordinary landline in the living room, but the red secure telephone in the study.

The two of them paused simultaneously.

Gu Zheng's expression changed drastically; the tenderness around him vanished instantly, replaced by the cold hardness of a special forces commander. He strode into the study and grabbed the red receiver.

"I am Gu Zheng."

The extremely solemn voice of Vice Minister Li from the Ministry of Health came from the other end of the phone.

"Let Xiao Ye answer the phone!"

Gu Zheng handed the microphone to Ye Zhen, who had followed him in.

As soon as Ye Zhen took it, Vice Minister Li's urgent words came at her like a barrage of bullets.

"Xiao Ye, the situation is extremely urgent! Half an hour ago, a top-secret military industrial base in Northwest China experienced a sudden explosion. Worse still, the base's chief engineer was seriously injured in the blast wave while conducting an on-site inspection!"

Ye Zhen's heart tightened. Someone who could elicit such a tone from Vice Minister Li was no ordinary chief engineer.

Vice Minister Li's voice trembled: "He is the top person in charge of a major project in our country! His mind is on the national defense and security for the next thirty years! Absolutely nothing can happen to him!"

Ye Zhen immediately switched into clinical mode and went straight to the heart of the matter.

How serious is the injury? Where is the injury located?

"Shot in the chest. A tiny shrapnel fragment pierced directly through the pericardium and is now lodged next to the left anterior descending coronary artery!"

On the other end of the phone, Vice Minister Li's voice was almost desperate, "It was less than a millimeter away from the blood vessel wall! The shrapnel was covered in barbs!"

Ye Zhen spoke very quickly: "What did the local military doctor say?"

"We absolutely dare not touch it! The medical conditions in the Northwest are extremely rudimentary. The head of surgery at the local military general hospital examined it and said that without an extracorporeal circulation machine, they dared not operate. One incision would rupture the coronary artery, causing immediate and fatal bleeding!"

In an instant, Ye Zhen formed an anatomical model of the heart in her mind.

"Send them back to Beicheng," Ye Zhen decided immediately.

"We can't transport him!" Vice Minister Li's voice suddenly rose. "The injured person has lost too much blood; his blood pressure is currently only 80/50, he's in extreme shock! Any bump on the road, even the slightest movement of the stretcher, could completely sever that shrapnel! Once severed, there's no saving him. He must undergo surgery on the spot!"

Ye Zhen was silent for two seconds.

Without the ability to transfer the patient, without the necessary equipment, and without extracorporeal circulation, they had to use their naked eyes and bare hands to pick up a shard of shrapnel less than two millimeters long from a fully beating heart.

This is like walking a tightrope in a strong wind while also defusing a bomb blindfolded.

This isn't surgery; it's snatching someone from the jaws of death.

Vice Minister Li held his breath on the other end of the phone, waiting for an answer.

"I'll go."

Two words, concise and to the point, without any unnecessary words.

"Great!" Vice Minister Li breathed a sigh of relief. "The military region has dispatched the fastest helicopter, which will be waiting for you on the rooftop helipad of the main hospital in fifteen minutes! All resources from the entire military will be allocated to give you the green light all the way!"

Ye Zhen put down the phone and dialed the duty desk of the foreign-related special ward.

"I am Ye Zhen. Lin Yi, Li Hong."

Lin Yi immediately stood up straight and replied from the other end of the phone, "Teacher Ye, we're here!"

"Take your surgical kits and the microsurgical instruments that Siemens just delivered the day before yesterday. Meet at the helipad on the top floor of the inpatient department in fifteen minutes."

"clear!"

After hanging up the phone, Ye Zhen turned around, about to say something to Gu Zheng.

But they found that Gu Zheng had already taken off the short-sleeved shirt he was wearing and changed into a full set of special operations camouflage training uniform. The tactical vest was strapped to his chest, and a fully loaded Type 92 pistol was hanging from his belt.

Gu Zheng pulled back the bolt with a swift and ruthless motion. "I'll lead the escort team to the Northwest this time. Your safety is in my hands."

Without a word of nonsense, the two turned around and went downstairs in tacit agreement, heading straight for the hospital.

Fifteen minutes later, on the roof of the North City Military Region General Hospital.

The deafening roar of the propellers tore through the night sky. Lin Yi and Li Hong, carrying two heavy black tactical medical kits, came running up, panting. The two young men couldn't hide their tension; this was their first time participating in such a high-level, top-secret rescue mission.

The helicopter door opened, and a gust of wind whipped Ye Zhen's hair.

Without the slightest hesitation, she stepped onto the ramp and entered the cabin. Lin Yi and Li Hong followed closely behind. Gu Zheng was the last to board, and slammed the cabin door shut.

"Take off!" Gu Zheng gestured to the pilot.

The helicopter took off and roared off in the northwest direction.