Lu Beiting didn’t respond to her. Instead, he stepped closer to her bedside and handed her the jar he was holding.  

Xia Zhi took it curiously, only to find it filled to the brim with White Rabbit milk candies.  

She looked up at him in shock. If she remembered correctly, these candies were expensive and hard to come by in this era.  

A whole jar like this must have cost a fortune.  

“I can’t take this. You keep them for yourself.”  

Xia Zhi puffed her cheeks and shoved the jar back into his arms. Something this valuable was too much for her to accept.  

“I didn’t buy them. They were given to me.”  

Lu Beiting pushed the jar back into her arms, even peeling open a candy and bringing it to her lips. A rich milky scent wafted into her nose, and Xia Zhi eventually opened her mouth to take it.  

A familiar flavor spread across her tongue, bringing a faint smile to her face.  

She thought of the villagers in town who had clamored to give him gifts that day and couldn’t help but feel proud. “You’re a great hero. If I ever have anything to give, I’ll definitely give it to you too.”  

“You don’t need to give me anything. Just eat as much as you like.” Lu Beiting lowered his head. After all, she always carried candies with her, handing them out to everyone she met.  

Xia Zhi turned to look at the man by her bedside. He really was strange—refusing to marry her, yet now acting in a way that… could easily be misunderstood.  

Xia Zhi let out a sigh. Maybe she was overthinking it. Maybe Lu Beiting was just cold on the outside but warm on the inside, which was why all the uncles and aunties liked him so much.  

“Next time something like this happens, don’t take such risks. Or I could ask the chief to assign you…”  

Before he could finish, Xia Zhi cut him off in alarm, “Stop, stop, stop! Lu Beiting, what are you doing?”  

Lu Beiting looked up at her, puzzled. “What do you mean?”  

“Assign me? If others found out, what would they think? That I’m lawless, that my backdoor privileges are bigger than the South Heavenly Gate itself?”  

Lu Beiting chuckled at her exaggerated tone. “Everyone here is good-hearted. They wouldn’t think like that.”  

“Aren’t you afraid someone might use this against you? Besides, what am I to you? How would that look if word got out?”  

Xia Zhi wanted to cross her arms but remembered her injury and quickly adjusted her posture. Luckily, Lu Beiting kept his head down and didn’t notice.  

Lu Beiting suddenly found himself at a loss for words.  

Seeing him so silent, Xia Zhi couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Her eyes reddened as she issued her dismissal.  

“You should go. My hands aren’t broken—I’ll still treat your illness. You don’t have to worry about me backing out.”  

Honestly, if he didn’t like her, why was he so nice to her? If she ended up misreading his intentions, it wouldn’t be good for either of them.  

“That’s not what I meant. I just thought that if something like this happened again, you wouldn’t get hurt. You said I’m a great hero, but Xia Zhi, you’re a hero too.” Seeing how worked up she was, Lu Beiting quickly held her hand and spoke earnestly.  

Xia Zhi’s heart pounded wildly, as if something uncontrollable was growing fiercely inside her.  

“Lu Beiting, it’s getting late. You should go back.” Xia Zhi pulled her hand free and turned away, lying with her back to him.  

Lu Beiting stared at her silhouette in silence for a moment. “Alright. I’ll bring you food tomorrow.”  

Xia Zhi gritted her teeth, gripping the blanket tightly.  

“Lu Beiting, since you won’t marry me, don’t be so nice to me. It’s easy for people to misunderstand. Let’s just keep some distance.”  

After she spoke, the room fell silent for a moment. Then, the sound of wheels rolling echoed, followed by the door closing.  

Once everything was quiet again, Xia Zhi sat up abruptly and angrily punched the blanket.  

“Ahhh! That infuriating man!”

On his way home, Lu Beiting couldn’t stop replaying Xia Zhi’s words in his mind.  

The next morning, when Xia Zhi woke up, she saw Shen Hangzhi entering to change her bandages, and her drowsiness vanished instantly.  

“Doctor Shen, this minor injury is something I can handle myself.”  

She took the tray from him with one hand—if he did it himself, her secret might be exposed.  

Shen Hangzhi assumed she was just shy. “Are you sure you can manage it properly?”  

“Of course. I’m a doctor too, Doctor Shen. Don’t worry.” Xia Zhi began arranging the items on the tray.  

Shen Hangzhi nodded hesitantly but eventually stepped out politely.  

Xia Zhi clumsily wrapped her own bandages with one hand, then discreetly transferred the medicine into her space. When Shen Hangzhi returned, he didn’t notice anything amiss.  

At mealtime, Zhang Yi knocked on her door.  

Knock, knock, knock. “Sister-in-law, I’ve brought you food.”  

Xia Zhi gritted her teeth. Hmph. Lu Beiting really knows how to follow orders.

“Come in.”  

Hearing her response, Zhang Yi pushed the door open and entered.  

Looking at Xia Zhi, he couldn’t help but think of the dark circles under the battalion commander’s eyes this morning—clearly, he hadn’t slept all night.  

“Sister-in-law, this is porridge specially made by Aunt Chen. Try it while it’s hot.”  

Xia Zhi picked up the spoon and leaned forward to take a bite. “Mm, it’s delicious. Aunt Chen’s cooking is always the best.”  

Zhang Yi felt a pang of sadness. If only the battalion commander were here—he could feed her and maybe rekindle their connection.

“I’m done. Thank you, Zhang Yi.” Xia Zhi pushed the bowl forward.  

“No problem, Sister-in-law. I’ll get back to work now.”  

“Mm-hmm. Oh, and from now on, don’t call me ‘Sister-in-Law.’ Since I’ll be working at the military hospital, just call me Xiao Xia or Doctor Xia.” She reminded him.  

Now that things were clear between them, it didn’t feel right to keep the title.  

Zhang Yi stared at her in shock. He’d gotten so used to calling her “Sister-in-Law” that switching felt unnatural.  

“O-okay. Doctor… Doctor Xia.”  

Leaving the ward, Zhang Yi was still in a daze, but one thought dominated his mind:  

The battalion commander and Sister-in-Law have broken up!

She’s so angry she won’t even let me call her “Sister-in-Law” anymore!

Snapping back to reality, he rushed to report the news.  

“Chief! It’s terrible—Sister-in-Law doesn’t want the battalion commander anymore!” Zhang Yi shouted at the top of his lungs as he sprinted into the office, not even checking who was inside.  

Lu Beiting, who had been discussing matters with Li Jianguo, stiffened at the words.  

“What’s all this fuss about?” Li Jianguo set down the documents in his hand and looked up, glancing subtly at Lu Beiting.  

“Huh? Battalion Commander, you’re here too?”  

Zhang Yi scratched his head awkwardly.  

Li Jianguo snorted. “Go on. There’s nothing he can’t hear.”  

Zhang Yi hesitated, then stammered, “Sister-in-Law—I mean, Doctor Xia—said I shouldn’t call her ‘Sister-in-Law’ anymore. She told me to call her Xiao Xia or Doctor Xia.”  

Lu Beiting’s fingers dug into his thigh, his chest tightening. This was what I wanted—to draw a clear line. So why does it hurt?  

Li Jianguo raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Fine, then don’t call her that. That girl has been through a lot, and she’s contributed greatly. Now that she’s helping at the hospital, let’s do this—once she’s recovered, I’ll let her look around the troops. If she takes a liking to anyone, I’ll personally arrange the match!”  

Zhang Yi’s lips twitched, and his eyes darted toward Lu Beiting.