Chapter 17 – Why Are You Here

The leg injury required only local anesthesia, so Qin Ye remained conscious. When he saw Ye Qing, he was momentarily stunned and looked up at Gao Hao.

Gao Hao felt like crying. It really wasn’t me! I’ve been in the hospital the whole time! I didn’t say anything!

But he couldn’t explain himself, so he simply watched as Qin Ye was wheeled into the hospital room, following behind with a bitter expression.

Li Lan also froze the moment she saw Ye Qing. Why is she here? Didn’t Qin Ye say he was keeping it from her? How did she find out? And so quickly too!

Could it be… she was reborn as well?

No! Even if she was reborn, she wouldn’t have any memories of the army. She didn’t even exist in the previous life! Someone must have told her! I better not find out who it was!

Li Lan was fuming. Her application had just been approved—she really thought she was about to defy fate. Now, Ye Qing’s sudden appearance had once again disrupted her plans.

But she couldn’t say anything. She could only watch as Ye Qing walked up to Qin Ye’s side, helped him tuck in the blanket, and gently said: “How are you feeling? How did you get so careless?”

Nannan’s little hand gently touched his face. In her babyish voice, she asked: “Daddy, does it hurt?”

Even if it had been painful, with his child’s tiny hand brushing against him, the pain suddenly seemed to disappear.

Qin Ye felt a warm current rise in his heart. He looked at Nannan tenderly, held her little hand in his and said: “Daddy’s not in pain.”

Nannan pulled her hand out of his, puffed up her cheeks and blew gently on his injured leg, then returned to the head of the bed. “Daddy, it won’t hurt after I blow on it! Mommy does that for me when I get hurt.”

That warmth in his heart turned into a pool of spring water. His initial urge to lose his temper vanished in an instant, replaced by overwhelming happiness.

Even the look he gave Gao Hao softened. “There’s nothing more for you here. Go on.”

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Gao Hao quickly rushed out. Thank goodness for Nannan! I’ll make sure to buy her some candy next time!

Seeing that Li Lan hadn’t left yet, Qin Ye slightly furrowed his brows. “Nurse Li, is there anything else that needs to be handled?”

Li Lan quickly shook her head. “Oh, no! I’ll come back later to give you the IV drip. Regiment Commander Qin, please rest well.”

Once everyone had left, Qin Ye turned to Ye Qing and asked softly: “Why did you come here?”

Ye Qing pouted. “You’re my husband. You got injured—why shouldn’t I come? Or do you have a beauty by your side and don’t want me bothering you?”

Qin Ye: …

Why was she being so sarcastic? I don’t think I did anything wrong…

A beauty? Was she talking about Nurse Li?

At that moment, Li Lan came in with the IV drip. Just as she was hanging the fluid on the rack, she heard Qin Ye say: “Nurse Li, please have someone else do the injection.”

Li Lan was stunned. “What?”

Thinking Qin Ye didn’t trust her skills, she added: “Please don’t worry, Regiment Commander Qin. I’m very good with injections. I promise it won’t hurt.”

Qin Ye didn’t reach out, nor did he even glance at her. He simply repeated his request.

The hand that had just picked up the IV set froze. Only then did she realize—Qin Ye was rejecting her! Her eyes filled with tears of grievance, and fearing he might see, she quickly turned and ran out.

Not long after, another nurse came in, administered the IV, and carefully reminded him of the precautions he should take.

Ye Qing pulled a stool over and sat beside his bed. “I heard you got hurt, so I rushed over. And you—getting hurt and not even telling me. Were you planning to just tough it out?”

This time, Qin Ye didn’t avoid her gaze. Meeting her bright eyes, he said: “I thought you were already tired enough taking care of the child. Gao Hao being here would’ve been enough. But now that you know, then stay during the day, and let Gao Hao take over at night.”

“This time, I really have to thank Nurse Li. What I said earlier was a bit harsh. Later, help me apologize to her and find a chance to properly thank her.”

Looking into his clear eyes, completely free of any ulterior motives, Ye Qing knew he meant it sincerely—he hadn’t developed any romantic feelings toward Li Lan yet.

She nodded and agreed.

Nannan was well-behaved and loved clinging to Qin Ye, keeping him smiling nonstop and almost forgetting about the pain in his leg.

Near lunchtime, his attending doctor arrived—a middle-aged woman in her forties, surnamed Yang.

She was the wife of Division Commander Fang and went by the name Yang Xuezhen. She was quite familiar with Qin Ye.

At the time, Qin Ye was eating lunch. Seeing he was in good spirits and showing no other signs of discomfort, she reminded him again of a few things to watch out for before preparing to leave.

Just then, Qin Ye spoke up. “Um, Doctor Yang. I have a small favor to ask. I’m not sure if it’s convenient or not…”

Yang Xuezhen immediately smiled. “You’ve been here before, but this is the first time you’ve acted this polite. Go ahead—what is it?”

Qin Ye organized his thoughts and finally said: “Doctor Yang, would it be possible to have my nurse changed?”

Yang Xuezhen was momentarily stunned, a bit confused. “Li Lan? What about her?”

“What’s the reason for changing nurses? Li Lan was the first to treat your leg injury—she knows your condition best. Besides, I heard your wife couldn’t take care of you, so Li Lan even applied to be your special caregiver, willing to serve you tea and water.”

“As for professional skills, she’s not lacking either. So why the change?”

Qin Ye was at a loss for words. He couldn’t exactly say Ye Qing doesn’t like her.

Ye Qing hadn’t actually said a word against Li Lan. In fact, she even agreed to thank her on his behalf. But every time Li Lan came around, the look Ye Qing gave her carried unspoken meaning. Qin Ye wasn’t stupid—he picked up on it. To avoid unnecessary trouble, it was better to switch.

He quickly came up with an excuse. “Now that Ye Qing can take care of me, I don’t need a special caregiver anymore. I’ll make sure Ye Qing properly thanks Nurse Li. It’s just… every time she comes in, I get a bit nervous. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d prefer someone else.”

It was such a terrible excuse that Ye Qing nearly laughed out loud.

Yang Xuezhen was also very curious. This man who fears nothing—when did he ever get nervous in front of a nurse? This doesn’t sound like the Qin Ye I know!

Seeing that he was insistent, she had no choice but to agree to make the adjustment.

Shortly after noon, Nannan grew sleepy. Her small body leaned against Ye Qing’s arms as she dozed off. Ye Qing had no choice but to lay her on the caregiver’s bed and took off her own coat to cover her daughter.

Watching the busy Ye Qing, Qin Ye was just about to tell her to get some rest when it suddenly occurred to him—she didn’t even have a place to rest.

So he scooted over toward the inside of the bed, leaving a bit of space along the edge, and said to Ye Qing: “Come here. Get some rest too.”

The hospital bed was small to begin with, and with Qin Ye’s tall, broad frame, there wasn’t much space left even after he’d moved.

Ye Qing froze and immediately understood what he meant. Her face turned red. She waved her hand. “No need. I’m not tired…”

Before she could finish speaking, Qin Ye grabbed her small hand and pulled her down to sit at the edge of the bed.

Feeling the roughness of her palm, Qin Ye turned her hand over. What once were soft, fair, and delicate hands were now covered with calluses—so rough they felt even coarser than his own hands, which had long been accustomed to holding guns.

After a moment’s pause, he finally asked the question he had been wanting to ask for a long time.