The wounded soldiers brought in today were from the bandit-suppression unit. Thankfully, there were no major casualties—even the most severely injured soldier had stabilized.  

Luckily, her younger brother **Gu Liancheng** wasn’t hurt. But the moment he stepped off the battlefield, he had to rush to his wedding.  

Just thinking about that humiliating marriage arrangement made Gu Jiaoxia want to skip the ceremony altogether. She had sworn long ago that if her second brother refused to break off the engagement, she would disown him.  

The angrier she got, the more she noticed the lack of nurses in the department. They were probably all hiding in the restroom, gossiping about whose family drama was the juiciest.  

Today was her brother’s wedding—to the sister of Jiang Zhen’s ex-husband’s new wife. A scandal this big was definitely the hot topic.  

……  

“Did you hear? Head Nurse Gu tried to set up Jiang Zhen with Dr. Qi from the OB-GYN department, but he turned her down.”

“Nurse Jiang is gorgeous, sure, but she’s divorced with two kids. And her ex-husband works with Dr. Qi! Our head nurse is way too optimistic.”  

“Still, I hope Jiang Zhen can stay at the hospital. Our department is already short-staffed—we could use the help.” 

“Our OB-GYN department is understaffed too! She should come to us instead—”  

“And work alongside her ex-husband? No way. She’s better off staying in pediatrics.” 

“Enough! You’ve been hiding in here long enough—get back to work!” Gu Jiaoxia stormed in, cutting off the gossip with a sharp reprimand.  

The nurses scattered like startled birds. Left alone, Gu Jiaoxia thought of her stubborn younger brother and sighed. “I can’t really skip his wedding… I’ll just ask for leave and go.”  

……  

After Gu Jiaoxia left, Jiang Zhen finally stepped out of the restroom stall.  

She turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on her face as she calmly reviewed the surreal events of the past few days.  

**Bandits on the first day.**  

**Fleeing into the arms of PLA soldiers.**  

**A ferry capsized by a murderous boatman.**  

It was clear—someone in her “ex-husband’s” new family didn’t want her alive.  

Jiang Zhen had grown up under the law of **survival of the fittest**. Spotting an opportunity at the hospital, she seized it. They were short on medical staff, and while she wasn’t a doctor, her suturing skills surpassed even their best nurses. That was how she secured a temporary position.  

But without a household registration (hukou), she couldn’t stay long. There was, however, one solution:  

**Find a man to marry.**  

Gu Jiaoxia’s suggestion lingered in her mind.  

As she walked home under the morning sun after her night shift, the hospital staff dormitory was decked out in red lanterns and banners. Today, Gu Jiaoxia’s younger brother, Gu Liancheng, was marrying his bride—right in this very building.  

The groom was a promising young battalion officer with a bright future ahead. By all accounts, the bride should be overjoyed.  

Yet the girl was fighting like a madwoman, refusing to go through with it.  

“I won’t marry him! I want the engagement called off!”