Font Size:
Su Ying gave a soft “oh” but didn’t stop what she was doing. Her hands continued moving around Gu Jinghong’s waist until her expression suddenly changed.
This is… an issue with the spinal nerves?
She couldn’t be completely certain—after all, back when she was treating patients, she relied on diagnostic equipment. Now, she could only go by feel and experience. Still, her best judgment pointed to a spinal nerve injury.
“Commander, what diagnosis did the doctors in the capital give you?”
Gu Jinghong frowned almost imperceptibly.
“You don’t need to call me ‘Commander.’”
Su Ying instinctively asked,
“Then what should I call you?”
They stared at each other for a moment. Su Ying didn’t press further. Fine, if that didn’t work, she’d just call him by his name—it was he who said not to call him ‘Commander’ anyway.
“So what did the capital doctors say about your injury?”
“Complete spinal nerve rupture.”
Su Ying’s heart sank. Just as she’d suspected, but even worse than she imagined. If it were just nerve damage, it might heal slowly with care. But a rupture? That was irreversible.
Realizing this man might really be bedridden for the rest of his life, Su Ying couldn’t help but feel a flicker of sympathy when she looked at Gu Jinghong.
He was only thirty. At an age when he should be climbing high and achieving great things, his wings had been brutally clipped. It was cruel.
“Xiao Li was sent away yesterday, so there’s no one to cook. You don’t need to stay for lunch—just head back.”
Su Ying was confused by his sudden change in attitude, but Gu Jinghong simply turned his head and closed his eyes.
She took a deep breath and decided not to argue. She’d just treat him like a superior. Superiors were entitled to mood swings.
“It’s summer. Let me help you take off your clothes. And about lunch—don’t you have a cafeteria here? Or a meal card? I could go bring some food back for you.”
As she spoke, she began unbuttoning Gu Jinghong’s military uniform.
The crisp fabric and tight fit made the task more difficult. Su Ying unfastened the top buttons to let him breathe more easily, then carefully removed the medals on his chest.
Each medal was heavy with significance. She dared not be careless, handling them with reverence and setting them neatly on the bedside table.
Gu Jinghong opened his mouth, intending to tell her to stop and leave—but what came out instead was:
“There’s a box in the front cabinet. Put them in there.”
Su Ying stood up and opened the cabinet—only for a puff of dust to blow into her face. She coughed several times and reached in. The surfaces inside were coated with grime, clearly untouched for a long time.
She suddenly understood why Commissar Ye and the others had been so eager to find a wife for Gu Jinghong. They just wanted someone to care for him. But could marriage really guarantee someone would be that dedicated?
She quickly found the box, carefully placed each medal inside according to its shape and size, then closed the lid and returned it to the cabinet.
After much effort, she finally got Gu Jinghong’s jacket off. Panting from exertion, she noticed him staring at her.
“I’ll iron it later and fold it properly,” she explained quickly.
“Thank you,” Gu Jinghong said.
Su Ying smiled. Just as she reached for his trousers, Gu Jinghong stopped her.
“No need. Leave the pants on. You can go now.”
Su Ying ignored him. As long as she didn’t look at his face, she wasn’t afraid.
“You have to take them off. Otherwise, you’ll get a heat rash. Even though it’s autumn, it’s still hot. And this room doesn’t even have ventilation—you can’t stay dressed like this all the time.”
“No, no—you need to leave,” Gu Jinghong said urgently when he saw Su Ying reaching for his belt.
But Su Ying was fast. She undid the belt and began pulling down his pants.
“Don’t be shy. Just think of me as a doctor. Would you refuse to let a doctor examine you?”
Just as the trousers came halfway down, a strong stench of urine hit her.
Gu Jinghong’s tense neck suddenly relaxed, and he collapsed into the pillow, closing his eyes in humiliation, his breathing erratic.
“Just go. Don’t come back in.”
Su Ying paused only for a few seconds, then continued undressing him.
“I’ll wash them and they’ll be dry by evening. You can’t wear wet clothes—that’ll cause rashes and pressure sores.”
She figured that since it hadn’t been many days since she saw him at the hospital, his pressure sores probably hadn’t healed yet.
Gu Jinghong’s eyes snapped open. He stared at Su Ying but saw no disgust or contempt in her expression. She was just as calm as before.
“I used to be a doctor. My patients…” Su Ying realized too late she had slipped up and quickly corrected herself.
“I mean—back in my village, we had patients like this too. I followed my mentor to treat them. I even had to dig out their poop sometimes, so this is honestly not a big deal.”
She wasn’t totally lying. During her early internship, she really had encountered patients with severe constipation. As a doctor, she had no choice.
Though she tried to comfort him, Gu Jinghong’s body remained rigid. When Li Weimin changed his clothes with rough hands, he didn’t feel a thing. But Su Ying was a woman.
“Go… call Li Weimin back,” he said.
Su Ying pretended not to hear. Her hands moved faster, pulling down the damp pants and tossing them aside. Then came the thermal trousers. Finally, only a pair of boxers remained. She looked up at Gu Jinghong—
And saw his face drenched in sweat, neck taut, head turned to the side like… like a scared child about to get a shot.
Su Ying froze. If she pulled off his underwear too, would he faint on the spot? He always looked so stern and intimidating—but now he resembled a bullied little housewife.
“Old Gu, the wedding will be kept simple, but—”
A booming voice sounded from outside. Commissar Ye suddenly pushed open the door—and froze in place.
Gu Jinghong, as if grabbing a lifeline, shouted:
“Ye Guanjun, get her out—take her out, now!”
Commissar Ye blinked, clearly not understanding the situation. It had been years since the Commander had lost his composure like this. He swallowed hard and couldn’t help but admire Su Ying.
This female comrade really had guts—she’d managed to push the mighty Commander to this state.
But when his eyes fell on Gu Jinghong’s half-naked body, he winced and stepped forward to block the view, chuckling awkwardly.
“Comrade Su Ying, I’ll take over. Why don’t you go sit in the living room for a bit? Watch some TV? I’ll help the Commander change.”
Su Ying had indeed hesitated earlier. Gu Jinghong looked like he was being dragged to an execution—she wasn’t sure she could keep going. Now that someone else had come, she nodded and agreed.
“All right. It’s lunchtime anyway—I’ll head back. As for the wedding, I think it’s best not to hold one. Just stick a red character on the door tonight, and I’ll come over.”
She felt completely at ease now. Gu Jinghong was clearly paralyzed—there was no way he could do anything to her. She was marrying him to take care of a patient. Her mindset had fully adjusted.