After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

Gu Linlin grabbed three hard-copy notebooks and ran out of the courtyard gate in a flash.

Her clear, crisp laughter could still be heard clearly through the blue brick courtyard wall.

Grandma Gu brought over two large, rough porcelain bowls printed with peony flowers on a wooden tray and placed them steadily on the bedside table.

The old lady turned around and patted Gu Zheng's broad shoulder with her palm.

"Get some rest. You must drink this red date and white fungus soup while it's still hot."

Gu Zheng nodded in agreement and reached out to open the door for the old lady.

The old lady stepped over the high threshold, turned around, and left the house.

Gu Zheng closed the door behind him, the latch clicking softly.

He did not go inside immediately.

Ye Zhen was sitting in front of the red-lacquered dressing table, removing her hair clips.

The second black wire hair clip was removed and put into the metal box, and her long, black hair fell down her shoulders.

Gu Zheng remained leaning against the wooden door.

His long legs were crossed, and his rough hands were in the pockets of his military trousers, stretching the smooth fabric into two deep creases.

"Should we really start trying to conceive in three months?"

He finally blurted out the question he had been holding back all night.

Ye Zhen put down the wooden comb with half a tooth broken in her hand and turned around, chair and all.

"The prerequisite is that Gao Yuan and Liu Xiaohe can pass my test."

She looked up at the tall man, her tone stern.

"The existing team must be able to handle all routine cases independently."

"If they fail the exam, the deadline will have to be postponed."

Gu Zheng strode up to her, bent one long leg, and squatted down.

His two large, well-defined hands firmly gripped the armrests on both sides of the chair.

"You really agreed?"

"Would I try to fool you with something like that?"

Gu Zheng lowered his head and rested his broad, hard forehead on her knee, remaining silent for a long time.

Ye Zhen raised her hand and gently ran her fingertips through his prickly short hair.

"From the time we got married until now, you've never pressured me."

"I don't dare to rush you. I've been waiting for these words for far too long."

He spoke very softly, his forehead still pressed firmly against her knee.

Ye Zhen's hand paused for a moment before falling back into his hair.

From the time they got their marriage certificate until now, Gu Zheng has never pressured her about having children.

Even if Grandma Gu occasionally looked forward to her great-grandson at the dinner table, he would always find a way to change the subject.

While she was performing those difficult surgeries back-to-back, he just made sure to bring her food on time and watch her sleep, without asking any unnecessary questions.

Gu Zheng suddenly raised his head, used his waist and back strength to stand up and lift her up from the chair.

Ye Zhen took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his stiff neck.

"I have legs and I can walk."

"You don't need to leave today."

"I haven't had the soup yet."

Gu Zheng stopped and gently placed the person back on the edge of the bed.

He turned around and brought over the two bowls of steaming white fungus soup, handing one bowl to him.

"You drink first."

Ye Zhen reached out and took the rough porcelain bowl.

Gu Zheng sat down next to her on the bed, picked up another bowl, and gulped down the sweet soup in a few big mouthfuls.

He turned the empty bowl upside down to show her.

"Not a drop was left. How was my performance tonight?"

"It's acceptable."

"From now on, I must name the child."

Ye Zhen's hand holding the spoon stopped in mid-air, and she turned to look at the man beside her.

"You've already thought of a name?"

"I've been thinking about this for over half a year."

Gu Zheng put the empty bowl back on the bedside table and raised his eyebrows smugly.

"If I have a boy, I'll name him Gu Yidao."

"If it's a girl, we'll name her Gu Yizhen."

Ye Zhen raised her elbow and gave him a light but firm nudge under his hard ribs.

"What kind of lousy names have you come up with?"

Gu Zheng didn't dodge the blow; instead, he reached out and took the nearly empty bowl from her hand.

"I'm just a rough, uncultured soldier, I don't know anything about fancy words."

"With a single scalpel and a single needle, I'll perfectly inherit your mantle."

"If you don't like it, then you name it."

Ye Zhen handed the bowl to him and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

"It's not too late to think about it slowly once you're actually pregnant."

"If we end up having twins, we can each have one."

The probability of conceiving twins naturally is only about 1.2 percent.

Ye Zhen ruthlessly shattered his illusions with professional data.

"That's not impossible."

"Gu Zheng, medicine is not responsible for fulfilling your personal wishful thinking."

"You're in charge of that; I have no say in medicine."

Ye Zhen turned around, lifted the floral quilt, and lay down, too lazy to pay him any more attention.

The bedside lamp was turned off, plunging the room into darkness.

Gu Zheng lifted the corner of the blanket and lay down, pulling her tightly into his arms from behind.

His stubble-covered chin gently pressed against the top of her head.

After a long while, he spoke softly in the darkness.

"I can wait three months."

Ye Zhen turned over in bed and placed her cool palm on his burning chest.

"Gu Zheng".

"Um?"

"Three months later, I was just getting off the operating table and starting to prepare."

"This doesn't guarantee we'll get pregnant right away at all."

"I know it perfectly well."

"Actually, it might take six months, or even a year or longer."

"Then just keep waiting, as long as you're safe and sound."

Gu Zheng pulled her hand, which was pressed against his chest, and squeezed it tightly.

The room fell completely silent, with only the steady, alternating breathing of the two people remaining.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Ye Zhen was still fast asleep.

Gu Zheng had already quietly gotten out of bed, put on his sports vest, and gone out for a morning run.

Just as Ye Zhen finished getting dressed and washing up, Gu Zheng stepped into the courtyard carrying a bag of steaming hot meat buns and fried dough sticks.

After having breakfast in the main room, the two got into the green jeep and headed to the North City Military Region General Hospital.

The wheels rolled over the uneven asphalt road, causing some bumps inside the vehicle.

Gu Zheng gripped the steering wheel with both hands, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

"What's the first thing you plan to do when you get back to the office today?"

Ye Zhen sat in the passenger seat, flipping through a small notebook.

"Let's call Gao Yuan and Liu Xiaohe over for a meeting first. I need to test them in person."

"You just got back from America, you haven't even caught your breath yet, aren't you afraid of pushing those two too far?"

"Medicine allows no room for carelessness."

"If they want to be the chief surgeon, they have to be able to withstand my high-pressure tactics."

Ye Zhen closed the notebook and turned to look at the street scene rushing past the window.

The jeep turned into the hospital gate and came to a steady stop in the open space below the office building.

Ye Zhen pushed open the car door, jumped out, and slammed the door shut behind her.

"What time will I pick you up tonight?"

Gu Zheng poked half his head out of the car window and asked.

"No need to answer. The department will definitely be working overtime tonight to review the cases. I'll sleep in the duty room."

"Sleeping in the duty room on your first day of work?"

"There's a huge mess to clean up; we can't afford to slack off now."

"Okay, I'll bring you dinner tonight."

Gu Zheng didn't try to persuade him any further, and drove off with a throttle.

Ye Zhen turned around, strode up the steps of the office building, and pushed open the double doors of the interventional radiology department.

The corridor was quiet, with several nurses pushing treatment carts to dispense medications at the ward entrances.

When Li Hong looked up and saw Ye Zhen, she was so excited that she almost dropped the tray she was holding.

"Teacher Ye, you're back!"