“Sister Qiao, are you home?”

Zhang Xiao knocked softly on the door, whispering as she leaned close, careful not to wake the neighbors.  

“Who is it so early in the morning?” The morning air was chilly, and Li Qiao draped her clothes over her shoulders as she went to open the door.  

The moment she saw Zhang Xiao standing outside, she was startled. “Sister Zhang, is something wrong?”

“Sister Qiao, let’s talk inside!” Zhang Xiao glanced furtively at the neighboring houses—still shut tight, their occupants likely still asleep.  

Though puzzled by her secretive behavior, Li Qiao let her in.  

As soon as they sat down, Zhang Xiao pulled a few eggs from her basket and placed them on the table. “Sister Qiao, take these eggs for your little one—help build up his strength.”

“Oh, no, no! I can’t accept this!” Li Qiao stared at the eggs, both shocked and delighted. Eggs were a luxury—something they usually couldn’t afford to eat.  

“Come now, Sister Qiao, we’re neighbors—no need to be so formal.” Zhang Xiao pushed them closer. “Actually, I came to ask for your help with something.”

Li Qiao’s eyes lingered on the eggs, her mood lifting. “Sister Zhang, just say what you need.”  

Zhang Xiao’s expression turned serious as she leaned in and whispered a few words into Li Qiao’s ear.  

Li Qiao’s face instantly paled. “This… Sister Zhang, this isn’t right.” It was downright immoral. Xia Zhi hadn’t done anything wrong, and lying to Battalion Commander Lu? If he found out…  

“No, no, Sister Qiao, I can’t do this. You know my eldest son just joined the army—if this blows up, it’ll ruin him!”

Her expression grave, Li Qiao pushed the eggs back.  

Zhang Xiao’s face darkened. “Sister Qiao, we all live in the same compound—no need to make things ugly, right?”

Li Qiao stayed silent, but when she caught sight of the basket full of eggs Zhang Xiao was carrying, her heart skipped a beat.  

Was she planning to bribe the entire courtyard into lying for her?  

After a moment of hesitation, Li Qiao softened her tone. “Sister Zhang, don’t take it the wrong way—I really can’t. My son just enlisted. Please don’t make this hard for me.”

Seeing her stubborn refusal, Zhang Xiao angrily snatched the eggs back, stuffed them into her basket, and stormed out with a cold snort.  

Once outside, she immediately started knocking on other doors.  

Li Qiao pressed her ear to the door, listening, then patted her chest in relief. The Gu family has some nerve!

As dawn broke, the roosters crowed, and the quiet courtyard gradually stirred to life.  

The women who stepped out to fetch water exchanged glances, then looked at the eggs in their children’s hands—understanding dawning instantly.  

There’s strength in numbers. Having accepted the bribes, their initial guilt faded, replaced by a newfound boldness.  

Just then, the tightly shut door creaked open, and Xia Zhi stepped out, stretching lazily.  

Finally, a good night’s sleep.

The others had expected her to start another scene like yesterday, but after a long wait, she simply sat on a small stool by the door.  

Zhang Xiao, having already arranged everything, shot a smug glance her way. With so many of us against her, what can one orphan girl do?  

Xia Zhi yawned, bored. I wonder if Lu Beiting will show up. If he doesn’t, this whole show can’t start.

She stood and walked outside. They’ll get what’s coming to them soon enough.

A group of curious onlookers followed her. Normally, shouldn’t Xia Zhi be throwing a fit after waking up?  

Xia Zhi wandered near the military base entrance, pondering how to get an audience with Lu Beiting.  

Then, the sound of rolling wheels reached her ears.  

She looked up to see Lu Beiting dressed in a Zhongshan suit, his usual cold demeanor softened slightly by a touch of scholarly elegance.  

Lu Beiting lifted his gaze indifferently, meeting her eyes without a hint of surprise—as if he had known she would be here all along.  

Xia Zhi grinned, stepping forward with her hands behind her back, bending slightly to meet his sharp gaze head-on.  

“Battalion Commander Lu, how about we strike a deal?”

Lu Beiting watched her with mild interest, responding sparingly, “Oh?”

“Simple. You marry me, and I’ll cure you.” Xia Zhi raised an eyebrow, her voice brimming with confidence.  

Lu Beiting rested his chin on his hand, narrowing his eyes. “Miss Xia, surely you know military marriages can’t be dissolved?”

Xia Zhi frowned slightly, tilting her head in confusion. “So Battalion Commander Lu thinks his health is less important than this marriage?”

“If that’s the case, then I’ll take my leave.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Lu Beiting’s stern face, his expression turning more serious. “Not necessarily. But how confident are you?”

As he spoke, his hands clenched slightly at his sides. His injury wasn’t simple, after all.  

And he was still a man—no man could bear being… incapable.  

Yet, as far as he knew, this woman had no medical background.  

Could she really heal him?  

Xia Zhi crossed her arms, her eyes gleaming with certainty. “Eighty percent!”

Originally, it would’ve been fifty or sixty percent, but with the medical system now, success was practically guaranteed.  

The moment she said this, even Zhang Yi behind Lu Beiting couldn’t hold back. “Miss Xia, are you serious?”

If true, this would be incredible.  

The Battalion Commander was a hero. Ever since his injury, Zhang Yi had often seen him lost in silent sorrow, his eyes filled with regret for the future. If he could truly recover, he’d go even further on this path!  

Lu Beiting remained silent, but the faint trace of hope in his eyes was unmistakable.  

“Dead serious. So, Battalion Commander Lu—”  

“Fine. I agree.” Lu Beiting cut her off, his voice betraying rare urgency before he caught himself, a hint of awkwardness flashing across his face. “As long as you can cure me, I’ll agree to anything—within the bounds of law and discipline.”

Xia Zhi exhaled inwardly in relief. If he had refused, she’d have been in real trouble.  

“Deal. Then, for now, I’ll borrow Battalion Commander Lu to… borrow his authority to intimidate others.”

She walked over to Zhang Yi, who immediately understood her look and stepped aside, letting her take over pushing the wheelchair.  

In the distance, the onlookers buzzed with speculation.  

“Ugh, what’s Xia Zhi doing with Battalion Commander Lu now? Are they whispering about something?”

Hao Liping, standing at the back of the crowd, clenched her fists in lingering resentment.  

Lu Beiting—the illustrious Battalion Commander, influential in the military, with no shortage of benefits.  

The only pity was that he was… broken. Even if he could stand again, it wouldn’t matter.  

Good riddance. She would no longer endure the world’s scorn and disdain.  

Besides, Lu Beiting’s family wasn’t exactly easy to deal with either. Let Xia Zhi suffer that hardship instead.  

“Oh no! Xia Zhi’s pushing Battalion Commander Lu toward us—is she coming to pick a fight?”