Chapter 4: No physical contact between men and women

“Not dizzy anymore? You can still roll around? Impressive,” Lin Suisui muttered to herself.

Even with her slow reactions, Lin Suisui could tell that Huo Changzheng was definitely upset. But she truly didn’t understand what he was mad about. No matter what, she was legally married to him—her name was on the marriage certificate. He was the one entangled with another woman out there, and she hadn’t even gotten angry. What right did he have to be upset?

She was feeling bitter too, but since she was currently “living under someone else’s roof,” she had no choice but to swallow her frustration.

“Mama, I want to sleep,” Doubao said, snuggling into her arms and acting spoiled.

“Okay, Mama will hold Doubao while you sleep.” Lin Suisui gently picked him up, but just as she was about to lay him across her arms, she heard Huo Changzheng say:

“Let him sleep here with me.”

Lin Suisui looked up and saw Huo Changzheng shifting over on the bed to make room.

“No need. Doubao moves a lot in his sleep—he might kick you,” she quickly declined.

“A four-year-old little thing isn’t going to hurt me,” Huo Changzheng said nonchalantly, patting the empty space beside him. “Doubao, come sleep here. Don’t cling to your mom all the time.”

“I don’t want to sleep with you,” Doubao pouted, grumbling. “And I’m not a little thing—I’m a big, strong man who can protect Mama!”

“With how much you cling to your mom, you’re no big strong man,” Huo Changzheng shot back. “Come on. Your mom’s been carrying you all this way—let her rest.”

Doubao was angry at first, but the second half made him feel guilty. So he climbed out of Lin Suisui’s arms on his own, walked to the bed, and climbed up with his stubby little legs, glaring as he went.

Once Doubao was settled, Huo Changzheng turned to Lin Suisui and said, “Go ask the nurse if they have a camp bed. If they do, borrow one.”

“No need, I can sit. It’s fine,” Lin Suisui quickly waved her hand.

As if he’d predicted her response, Huo Changzheng added, “If you’re not planning to sleep here, I’ll have Fang Weiguo take you and Doubao back to the base—you can stay in my dorm.”

“…I’ll go borrow one, then. You two rest,” Lin Suisui gave in.

No doubt about it, Huo Changzheng really knew how to handle her. She had to stay and take care of him—otherwise, it would give others something to talk about.

Lin Suisui stepped out of the hospital room. The sign for the nurses’ station was clearly marked, and she spotted it right away.

“Hello! Excuse me, is there a camp bed I can borrow?” she asked softly.

“Yes, are you Deputy Commander Huo’s family? I’ll have someone bring it over,” the nurse replied politely.

“Thank you so much, I really appreciate it,” Lin Suisui said gratefully.

She didn’t want to trouble others—she’d planned to carry it herself—but she wasn’t sure what the hospital’s rules were, so she just returned to the room to wait.

The moment she left, the three young nurses at the station huddled together.

“Wow, I didn’t expect Deputy Commander Huo’s wife to be this beautiful. She’s way prettier than Song Xiao.”

“No wonder Song Xiao keeps hovering around him, but he never gives her the time of day. With someone like that at home, who’d look at her?”

“Still, it’s not like Song Xiao’s ugly. She’s quite a beauty herself, and she’s got the family background. If she married the Deputy Commander, his career would skyrocket.”

“He’s already amazing—he’s a hero. He doesn’t need anyone to boost his career. A good man should have a conscience. Abandoning his wife for someone new? He’d get struck by lightning.”

“…”

Completely unaware she was being discussed, Lin Suisui lay down the moment the bed was delivered and quickly fell asleep. She was truly exhausted—she slept from that afternoon straight through to the next morning.

When she finally opened her eyes, she saw Huo Changzheng and Doubao sitting on the bed playing chess.

The two of them—big and small—shared the same face and were both focused intensely. The scene looked so warm, so peaceful, it almost felt unreal.

“You’re awake? There’s breakfast on the table. Eat something,” Huo Changzheng said without looking up from the game.

Even though he was focused on chess, Lin Suisui didn’t know how he had sensed her waking up. Maybe this was the power of being a reconnaissance soldier.

“Okay,” she replied. She hadn’t had dinner last night, so she didn’t hesitate. She got up from the camp bed and went to freshen up.

As she came out of the bathroom, the hospital room door opened. Fang Weiguo walked in and addressed Huo Changzheng, “Commander, there’s a telegram for you.”

At the word telegram, Lin Suisui’s eyes widened.

“Who sent it?” Huo Changzheng asked.

“I did!” Lin Suisui blurted out, rushing over and snatching the telegram from Fang Weiguo’s hands.

Fang Weiguo was a bit stunned by her reaction, but since the telegram really was from her, he didn’t think too much of it. He turned to Huo Changzheng and asked, “Commander, how are you feeling today?”

Huo Changzheng gave Lin Suisui a suspicious glance but didn’t say anything. He looked back at Fang Weiguo and said, “Much better. Later, take my sister-in-law and the others back to the base.”

“No way—sister-in-law has to stay and take care of you,” Fang Weiguo said matter-of-factly. He looked at Lin Suisui. “Right, sister-in-law? Even if I took you back now, you wouldn’t be able to stop worrying about our commander.”

“…Yes,” Lin Suisui said stiffly.

Honestly, if she could go back right now, she really would. After all, the telegram in her hand felt like a hot potato.

“I knew sister-in-law cared about the commander,” Fang Weiguo beamed. “Commander, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

As soon as he finished, he sensibly exited the hospital room.

“You sent me a telegram—was there something urgent?” Huo Changzheng asked.

Changzheng Huo wasn’t easy to fool. As soon as Fang Weiguo left, he fixed his gaze on Lin Suisui and asked, “What was that about?”

“Nothing much, just letting you know I was coming over,” Lin Suisui replied smoothly. She had already rehearsed her story, and now her answer showed no cracks.

It was a perfectly reasonable response, but having seen her flustered earlier, Huo Changzheng still felt something was off.

Just then, the door to the hospital room opened again, and the doctor came in for rounds. Taking the chance, Lin Suisui quickly slipped the telegram into her pocket.

After a round of examination and questioning, Huo Changzheng asked the doctor, “When can I be discharged?”

“Let’s observe one more night. If all’s well, you can go home tomorrow,” the doctor replied, then turned to Lin Suisui and added, “Make sure the patient keeps clean. He’s no longer showing signs of dizziness, but he still shouldn’t overexert himself. You can help wipe him down later.”

Huo Changzheng had been about to say something, but when he heard that, he immediately shut his mouth.

Once the doctor left, Lin Suisui told him, “You look fine to me. I’ll get a basin of water—you can wipe yourself.”

She knew full well he would absolutely refuse to let her help him clean up, and she was sensible enough not to push it. With that, she picked up the basin and walked out. When she returned, she saw Huo Changzheng already lying down.

“Are you feeling unwell?” she asked, placing the basin down.

He glanced at her and said quietly, “A little dizzy. Just wring the towel out for me—I’ll do it myself.”
And with that, he shut his eyes.

Seeing how worn out he looked, and thinking that since he was sick he probably wouldn’t make a fuss, Lin Suisui hesitantly offered, “How about… I help you wipe down?”

The moment the words left her mouth, Doubao suddenly popped up with bright eyes and proudly said, “Mama, boys and girls shouldn’t touch each other—I’ll help Papa wipe!”

At that, Huo Changzheng’s eyes flew open.