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Even though the officer was disabled, he was still an officer. But facing him gave Su Ying the same pressure she felt when dealing with the hospital director—only this man’s rank was clearly much higher. She honestly didn’t know how she was supposed to interact with him going forward. As a superior? As a friend? She certainly couldn’t treat him like a real husband, right?
In modern relationships, a husband was someone you could order around, act cute with, or throw a tantrum at. But this man…
Su Ying couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Gu Jinghong.
She couldn’t act spoiled, couldn’t give orders, and if she dared lose her temper, his soldiers would probably beat her up.
Gu Jinghong had sharp senses—he clearly noticed Su Ying’s furtive glances but didn’t turn to look at her. His gaze remained fixed on the scenery outside the window.
It was rare for him to leave the house, and the sky and view outside were precious. He treasured every chance to see the world beyond his walls.
It was Su Ying’s first time at the military family compound. At the gate stood armed soldiers on duty, saluting as their car passed.
The vehicle drove straight in and stopped at the last courtyard in the row.
Leng Weimin got out slowly and opened the door on Gu Jinghong’s side, then crouched down.
Su Ying glanced at him and helped unfasten the straps securing Gu Jinghong to the seat, then supported him onto Leng Weimin’s back. Leng carried him into the house.
Su Ying noticed the courtyard was quite large, though rather rundown. She hesitated, then stepped inside as well—after all, she’d likely be living here too. No harm in looking around early.
The moment she entered, she was hit with a musty smell. Su Ying wrinkled her nose and followed Leng into the bedroom, just in time to see him throwing a thick quilt over Gu Jinghong.
She rushed forward.
“Aren’t you going to take off his clothes? It’s summer!”
She touched the quilt—it was the thick kind meant for winter.
Now she understood why Gu Jinghong had developed bedsores. Wearing clothes and being wrapped in such a heavy quilt in the summer would make even a healthy person break out in ulcers, let alone a paralyzed man who couldn’t control his bodily functions. Of course he’d develop sores!
She forcefully lifted the blanket and looked at Gu Jinghong.
To her surprise, he didn’t say a word—just stared blankly at her.
“What are you looking at? Can’t you speak up if you’re hot?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Su Ying regretted it. She’d forgotten he was her superior.
She looked away and quickly tried to explain.
“I mean… you shouldn’t keep everything bottled up.”
Then she turned to Leng Weimin and asked,
“It’s September—do you sleep at home with such a thick quilt? Fully dressed, too?”
Leng gave Su Ying a once-over, looking completely unapologetic and utterly self-righteous.
“The commander isn’t in good health. How can he be treated like a normal person? We have to make sure he doesn’t catch cold. And you’re not even officially part of this household yet—why are you acting like the officer’s wife already? Also, I’m just the commander’s orderly. You, as the ‘wife,’ don’t have the right to boss me around.”
He emphasized the word wife sarcastically, and then muttered under his breath:
“Just some village girl. The city girls didn’t want him—that’s the only reason you got the spot. Don’t go thinking you’re anything special.”
Su Ying’s face flushed with anger. She’d always admired soldiers, had a positive image of them—but she never imagined someone in the army could be this infuriating.
“You know you’re his guard, yet this is how you take care of him? Even if his condition could be improved, you’d make it worse with how you ‘help.’ And instead of reflecting on your mistakes, you’ve got the nerve to speak to me like that? I don’t care who the political commissar is—he’s my husband now. If you dare harm him, I will not stand by and do nothing.”
Leng Weimin clenched his fists and took two steps toward Su Ying.
“What are you going to do? I—”
“Get out.”
A deep voice, laced with cold authority.
Though Gu Jinghong was lying there, his eyes—sharp as a tiger’s—locked on Leng Weimin, making the man freeze in place. He dared not move.
Leng shot Su Ying a furious glare, then turned and left the room.
Su Ying’s heart was still racing. Just now, she really thought he was going to hit her. Her tongue could hold its own in a verbal fight, but if it came to physical strength, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
She turned to look at Gu Jinghong. His eyes still held a trace of frost. The chill made her instinctively tense, and she didn’t dare approach.
Seeing the girl’s rigid posture, Gu Jinghong’s lips tugged slightly into a smirk.
“You were pretty bold just now. Are you saying I’m scarier than Leng Weimin?”
Su Ying quickly glanced at him, then turned away, unable to stop herself from saying:
“You’re his superior. Why would you let an orderly treat you like that?”
“Because I’m paralyzed. If this were before, I’d have kicked those brats across the room for even trying to act up. But times have changed. Now? I can’t even lift my leg.”
Su Ying looked back at him. His face was calm, as if none of it had stirred any emotion. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t bitter. It was like he was talking about someone else’s life—just a spectator.
What kind of inner strength must it take to be this composed?
But really, it wasn’t that he didn’t care—he had just gone numb. People say even the most filial children grow weary of long-term care. These soldiers had no blood ties to him. Who could truly be wholehearted in such a situation?
Su Ying crouched beside the bed and reached out to touch his leg.
“What are you doing?”
She didn’t look at him and instead carefully felt along his calf, moving upward.
“I want to find out what caused your paralysis.”
Gu Jinghong raised his eyebrows, surprised.
“You know medicine?”
Su Ying smiled to cover her embarrassment.
“I learned a bit from an old village doctor. Read a few medical books too. I know I probably can’t tell much, but hey—it won’t hurt to try, right?”
Gu Jinghong pursed his lips slightly, his gaze dropping to her hands.
Those soft, delicate hands touched his legs—but he felt nothing. That familiar surge of helplessness and frustration surged again, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
But the girl was so young. He held back the anger that almost erupted and stayed quiet.
Su Ying didn’t sense his emotional shift. She just carefully checked his bones and skin.
Because of the paralysis, his legs had significantly atrophied—especially thin. Su Ying felt like she could wrap her entire hand around his ankle.
Possibly due to poor care, his skin was very tight. As she examined him, she also tried to massage the skin to stimulate circulation.
Just as her hands moved up to his inner thigh, Gu Jinghong’s voice suddenly rose.
“That’s enough. I… The doctors in the capital have already checked me. The problem isn’t in my legs. Or… or up there either.”
Su Ying froze. Up until now, she had treated him purely as a patient and hadn’t thought much about where she was touching. But Gu Jinghong was different—she was now legally his wife. Her actions couldn’t help but make his thoughts stray.