First, then, love.

After a restless night, dawn broke.

Shu Yao wasn't fully awake when she heard the alarm clock vibrate, and the weight beside her suddenly disappeared.

When she groggily opened her eyes, He Zheng had already taken a cold shower in the bathroom and changed into a neatly ironed camouflage uniform. Although there was still a trace of fatigue in his eyes, there was no trace of the previous night.

He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

"Go to sleep. I've asked the nanny to keep an eye on the cat. Come home early after get off work."

"Hmm..." Shu Yao hummed twice and then fell into a deep sleep again.

Before leaving, He Zheng made a point of checking on the kittens sleeping soundly in the living room, patted the princess's head, and then closed the door and left.

In the morning, dust filled the air on the police station's compound and training ground.

The provincial special police system conducts a final physical fitness and tactical rotation assessment every three years, with extremely high requirements. Those who fail are directly removed from the front-line combat teams and transferred to logistics.

In the muddy puddles in the center of the playground, a group of strong men, shirtless, were frantically wrestling in the mud.

Old Li was thrown over the shoulder by a troublesome new recruit and slammed into the mud.

"Damn it, did you eat a bomb?" Old Li spat out a mouthful of muddy water and cursed as he got up.

The rebellious recruit wiped his face, his eyes gleaming arrogantly: "Brother Li, you flatter me."

"Give way my ass! Captain, this kid's too arrogant, you teach him some manners!" Old Li yelled at the sidelines.

He Zheng stood outside the barbed wire fence, wearing camouflage training pants and a black tactical vest that clung tightly to his body, revealing his bulging muscles. He held a stopwatch in his hand and his cold eyes swept over everyone in the mud.

Hearing Lao Li's shout, he casually tossed the stopwatch to Xiao Zhao next to him.

"Keep an eye on the time."

With a long stride, he flipped over the two-meter-high barbed wire fence and landed steadily, his military boots splashing into the mud, kicking up a cloud of black water.

He stared at the troublesome recruit, cracked his neck, and his bones made a "crackling" sound.

"Come on, all of you." He beckoned to Old Li and the new recruits with his finger, his arrogance reaching its peak.

The two men exchanged a glance, roared, and pounced on each other from both sides.

He Zheng neither dodged nor flinched, but punched the recruit in the face with such force that he sent the man flying.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lao Li grabbed him from the side and tried to knock him down.

He Zheng sneered, then suddenly exerted force in his waist, turning Old Li's massive body half a circle, and grabbed his wrist with his backhand, a standard armbar about to be formed.

"Clap."

A faint sound of bones grinding came from deep within his left shoulder.

The excruciating pain felt like a red-hot steel needle piercing directly into the spinal cord from the old wound.

He Zheng's movements suddenly froze, the force in his left arm instantly dissipated, cold sweat poured out from his forehead, and his face turned deathly pale.

Old Li noticed the suppression had disappeared and immediately counterattacked. He broke free of the restraints with a burst of strength, but just as he was about to retaliate, he looked up and froze.

"Captain? What's wrong?"

He Zheng gritted his teeth, his jawline taut like a snapping string, his right hand clutching his left shoulder, his left arm hanging limply at his side, trembling slightly.

"It's nothing." He squeezed out the two words through gritted teeth, turned around and walked out of the mud. His back was still upright, but he walked very slowly.

"That concludes today's assessment, Xiao Zhao. Enter the results into the system." He tossed out the words without turning his head and walked straight into the locker room.

*

At home, Shu Yao sat on the carpet, playing with four kittens that were crawling all over the place.

The sound of fingerprint unlocking came from the security door. He Zheng pushed the door open, changed his shoes, and threw his car keys on the entryway cabinet.

"You're back?" Shu Yao called out to him with a smile without even looking up. "Come here, this black and white one can climb the sofa now."

He Zheng walked over, but didn't squat down. He just stood behind her, looking at the tangled mess on the carpet.

"I'm going to take a shower, I'm covered in sweat." His voice was a little hoarse.

Shu Yao stood up, patted the cat fur off her hands, and looked down at his left arm.

The man, who usually walks with a brisk pace and swings his arms naturally, now had his left arm pressed tightly against the seam of his pants, motionless, and the lines of his shoulder under his black short-sleeved shirt were stiff and unnatural.

"What happened to your hand?" Shu Yao frowned, her peach blossom eyes immediately narrowing.

"It's nothing, I bumped into something during training." He Zheng looked away and turned to walk towards the bathroom.

"Stop." Shu Yao stepped forward and grabbed his left wrist.

"hiss."

He Zheng couldn't help but gasp, his tall body swaying violently, and a layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

Shu Yao was so frightened that she quickly let go.

"What's wrong with you? Don't try to lie to me!" She panicked, her eyes instantly reddening, and she reached out to pull up his short-sleeved sleeve.

He Zheng didn't dodge, nor could he avoid it.

The sleeve was rolled up, and a walnut-sized bump had swelled up on the spot on his left shoulder where he had been shot years ago. The surrounding skin was a horrifying purplish-black color, with large areas of ruptured capillaries.

"Get dressed." Without a word, Shu Yao turned to get his car keys. "To the hospital."

"I'm not going." He Zheng frowned, snatched the keys, and said, "It's just a superficial wound. Put some ice on it, and it'll be fine in a couple of days."

"He Zheng! Are you out of your mind?!"

Shu Yao exploded, her voice rising abruptly, tears welling in her eyes as she glared at him: "You call this a superficial injury? Your whole arm is shaking! Do you think you're made of iron?! If you don't go to the hospital soon, this hand will be ruined, and you can forget about ever touching me again!"

He Zheng looked at her reddened eyes, sighed, and gave in.

"Okay, go ahead, you drive."

*

The lobby of the downtown orthopedic rehabilitation hospital was packed with patients suffering from injuries and fractures. The sounds of crutches and wheelchairs mingled together, and the pungent smell of disinfectant filled the air.

Shu Yao had booked an appointment with a specialist and forcibly made He Zheng sit on a bench outside the consultation room to wait in line.

The consultation room door was open, and inside was an elderly expert with gray hair, surnamed Chen, who had a fiery temper.

"Next," Dr. Chen called out.

Shu Yao pulled He Zheng inside.

Dr. Chen glanced at He Zheng's swollen shoulder and pressed on the surrounding muscles. He Zheng remained expressionless and silent.

"Does it hurt?" Dr. Chen asked coldly.

"It doesn't hurt," He Zheng stubbornly insisted.

Dr. Chen sneered, then suddenly pressed his thumb down hard on the purplish-black bulge.

He Zheng shuddered, the veins on his neck bulged instantly, and sweat dripped onto the white sheets. He forced back his scream.

"Why are you sweating if it doesn't hurt?" Dr. Chen retorted without any politeness. "It's an old wound, and shrapnel still hasn't been completely removed, has it? Scar tissue is already fragile, and you still dared to engage in high-intensity physical activity? There's a large-scale tear in the deep muscles. If you had come two days later, you wouldn't even be able to lift a teacup with this hand."

Shu Yao stood to the side, her heart pounding with fear, tears streaming down her face.

"Doctor, what should we do now? Do we need surgery?" she asked anxiously.

"Not for now. First, administer a nerve block injection, followed by two months of intensive physical therapy and rehabilitation. During this time, you absolutely cannot lift heavy objects or engage in strenuous exercise." Dr. Chen wrote out the prescription with a flourish.

"Two months? No way, I have an exercise next week," He Zheng immediately retorted.

"Is the exercise more important or your hand? If you want to be crippled, just say so, and I'll give you an amputation order!" Dr. Chen was even more short-tempered than him, slamming the order on the table.

Shu Yao grabbed the form and glared at He Zheng.

"You dare go to the drill and see what happens! I'll call Dad right now and have him break your legs!"

He Zheng shut up, completely losing his temper under the dual threats from his wife and father.