Chapter 3: Wasn’t That Just Acting Like a Hooligan in Public?

Gu Ye had stormed off in a huff, but he had only taken a few steps when he suddenly heard a loud thud behind him.

He turned back swiftly and saw Jiang Yue, who had been sitting just a moment ago, falling headfirst to the ground.

“Jiang Yue!” Gu Ye rushed over without a second thought.

He helped her up and saw a large bump swelling on her pale forehead, with a thin trickle of blood oozing out. His brows furrowed instinctively.

“Jiang Yue, can you hear me?” Gu Ye gently patted her cheek, but Jiang Yue’s eyes remained tightly shut, completely unresponsive.

He touched her forehead—it was burning hot.

A fever?

Gu Ye recalled how hot her body had felt when she had rushed over to kiss him just now, and his expression darkened further.

His handsome face clouded over, but he still scooped Jiang Yue up in his arms without hesitation.

She didn’t look well. She needed to go to the hospital.

Only when he held her did Gu Ye realize just how light she was.

In fact, when he had pulled her out of the water earlier, he had already noticed—Jiang Yue was as light as a feather.

His brows furrowed even deeper. Their relationship might not have been good, but ever since they got married, he had never withheld money or ration tickets. She had never been treated unfairly. So how had she ended up like this?

“Commander Gu, is Sister-in-law alright?” At that moment, the driver, Zhang Jianguo, came jogging over from a distance. When he saw Gu Ye holding Jiang Yue in his arms, his expression immediately turned serious.

“Bring the car! We’re going to the hospital!” Gu Ye’s voice was deep and grim. Jiang Yue’s body was far too hot—who knew how long she had been burning up?

“Yes, sir!” Zhang Jianguo snapped to attention with a crisp motion and quickly ran toward the parked vehicle, not daring to ask a single unnecessary question.

Just now, when he had turned around, he had seen their infamous devil commander of the 179th Division kissing a woman in broad daylight. It had almost made his jaw drop.

Thankfully, he had cleared out the onlookers in advance. Otherwise, their commander would have definitely become a target of public gossip.

Even if Commander Gu and Jiang Yue were husband and wife, they couldn’t be kissing out in the open under the blazing sun. Wasn’t that basically acting like a hooligan in public?

These days, the Joint Defense Patrol Team loved arresting hooligans. They’d grab anyone they saw!

But then again, Zhang Jianguo scratched his head. Wasn’t there a rumor going around at the Military Division Headquarters that Commander Gu and his wife didn’t get along? Judging by what he just saw, that rumor was obviously false! They had started kissing the moment they saw each other—didn’t look like a strained relationship at all!

Just based on the time he had spent following Commander Gu, even if he didn’t claim to know the man through and through, Zhang Jianguo could still tell that Commander Gu was anything but calm at the moment. The way he was walking—steps uneven and disordered—clearly showed he was deeply worried about Jiang Yue.

Indeed, Gu Ye was far from calm. He looked down at Jiang Yue in his arms. Her hair was soaked through, plastered to her face, her eyes tightly shut. She was wrapped in his military coat, looking like a small bundle—so pale, so frail.

It was almost laughable to think that this was the closest the two of them had ever been since getting married.

In name, they were husband and wife, but she hadn’t even let him touch her hand. Right after they got married, she had said she regretted it, making a fuss and insisting on a divorce.

What kind of man was Gu Ye? How could he possibly agree to a divorce right after getting married? Marriage was not some childish game—married today, divorced tomorrow—what a farce that would be!

The first couple of times, Gu Ye thought Jiang Yue was just not yet used to life in the Family Residential Compound, so he endured it. But later, Jiang Yue became more and more unreasonable, throwing tantrums at him every day.

Not allowing him to touch her was one thing, but then she started frequently exchanging letters with a male classmate.

At first, Gu Ye let it go. He was not the kind of man to stoop so low as to read her private letters. But one day, by coincidence, Jiang Yue hadn’t had time to lock the drawer after reading a letter. The wind blew it out, and Ningning picked it up and handed it to him.

At first, Gu Ye didn’t even realize it was Jiang Yue’s letter. He glanced at it casually—and that was when he discovered that Jiang Yue had been putting a green hat on his head!

Then, as if that weren’t enough, she inexplicably left a letter and ran off, claiming she was going to seek out her biological parents and enjoy a good life, saying that a rough man like him—remarried and burdened—wasn’t worthy of her. She insisted on getting a divorce.

When Gu Ye returned from a mission and saw the letter, he immediately headed to the provincial capital. He thought that even if they were going to divorce, he would at least talk to her face-to-face and get things straight. But he hadn’t expected that when he arrived at the Ji household, they told him Jiang Yue had already left.

Jiang Yue knew she had fainted. She had just been rescued from nearly drowning, and her brain had suffered severe oxygen deprivation. On top of that, she had come to the realization that she had actually transmigrated into a book—into the role of a cannon fodder character.

The double blow, both physical and psychological, had been too much for her to bear.

Before losing consciousness, she had felt someone lifting her up, calling her name beside her ear again and again. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open her eyes. All she could sense was a pair of strong, steady arms embracing her tightly.

…

When Jiang Yue awoke, all she could see was a field of snowy white, accompanied by the strong smell of disinfectant.

As her awareness slowly returned, Jiang Yue heard someone speaking. She turned her eyes stiffly and saw Gu Ye standing at the entrance to the hospital room. Across from him stood a doctor, who was sternly scolding him.

“You, Comrade soldier, if there’s a family dispute, you should sit down and talk it out properly with your wife. Don’t lose your temper like that! Women are sensitive by nature. You two have an argument, and you storm off—sure, you’re fine, but the woman is left heartbroken and hurt. It’s easy for her to spiral! We’ve seen too many cases like this! This time, you managed to bring your wife back in time. But what if? What if you had been just a little too late and couldn’t save her? Tell me, wouldn’t you regret it for the rest of your life?”

“Comrade doctor, you are right! It was my fault! It won’t happen again!”

Perhaps the doctor saw that Gu Ye had a good attitude in admitting his mistake, so his expression softened a little. After giving a few more words of advice, he was called away by a nurse for rounds.

Once Gu Ye saw the doctor off and turned around, he caught sight of Jiang Yue staring directly at him. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stepped into the room and placed the mesh bag in his hand on the bedside cabinet. From it, he pulled out an enamel mug.

Jiang Yue said nothing. From the moment Gu Ye entered, she had been watching him closely. From her angle, she had a clear view of the man’s handsome and sharply defined profile. He was tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. Dressed in a green military uniform, his proportions were practically perfect.

Though her mind was in a whirlwind, Jiang Yue had to admit—this man before her was incredibly good-looking!

The original owner must have had her eyes smeared with filth to describe such a drool-worthy military man as an “Old man.” No wonder Jiang Yue had been misled.

If it were up to her, Jiang Yue, a man this handsome—already a regiment commander at such a young age—even if he came with a whole dozen burdens, she could accept it!

Besides, Jiang Yue knew the plot. She knew the little girl Gu Ye was raising wasn’t his biological child at all, and Gu Ye had never been married before—he wasn’t a second-marriage man.

“Can you sit up on your own?”

Just as Jiang Yue was lost in thought, staring at Gu Ye’s back, a steady and pleasant voice broke her train of thought. It took her a few moments to realize that Gu Ye was speaking to her.

“Can you sit up?” Gu Ye repeated when he saw she was still dazed. He removed the lid from the enamel mug and said coolly: “Get up and eat something. The doctor said you’re suffering from malnutrition and need to replenish your strength.”

Food? The moment Jiang Yue caught a whiff of the fragrant aroma, her eyes lit up instantly, and all the random thoughts in her head vanished.

When Gu Ye had first walked in and taken out the enamel mug, she thought he was just going to drink tea. She never expected that the large enamel mug would contain food—and that it would smell so good!

But Jiang Yue tried several times and still couldn’t sit up, breaking out in a cold sweat. The original owner’s physical condition… was truly awful!

Gu Ye stood beside the hospital bed, watching Jiang Yue struggle to push herself up with both hands, trying and failing again and again. His brows furrowed. Reaching out with one large hand, he placed it lightly behind her back, giving her just enough support to help her sit up with ease.

As Gu Ye leaned in, Jiang Yue caught that pleasant scent again—a mix of cedar and bamboo. But he quickly withdrew his hand, leaving her with a brief, inexplicable sense of loss.

“Thank you!” Jiang Yue smiled at Gu Ye as she spoke.

Gu Ye seemed caught off guard. Jiang Yue smiling at him, even saying thank you—both surprised him enough that a flicker of emotion passed through his eyes.

But Gu Ye quickly sneered inwardly. From the time they got married until now, Jiang Yue had never smiled at him. It had always been arguments and tantrums. Now, all of a sudden, she was acting completely different?

Something was definitely wrong.