Wasn't this exactly what you wanted?

"Your scans look normal, but judging by your intermittent headaches and fainting spells, the bigger concern is soft-tissue damage and swelling. If you're willing, I can supplement your treatment with acupuncture. It should help you recover more effectively."

Gu Zheng didn't answer right away, but Han Xiao spoke up beside him.

"Do it! Song Ning, go ahead! You can treat Elder Zhou, so why can't you treat our boss?"

"Do it, do it! Do what? I think you're the one who needs needles in his head!"

Gu Zheng said from beside him, "Comrade Song Ning still has to look after Company Commander Lu and give Elder Zhou acupuncture. How could she have that much time?"

Song Ning said, "You're all in the same hospital. I can find the time! Besides, you were injured saving me. I want you to recover soon, too, without any lingering complications!"

"I just think... it's nothing major. It's not that serious! What lingering complications?"

Gu Zheng seemed a little resistant.

Song Ning said, "The external injury looks almost healed, but you've fainted several times already. That isn't normal to begin with. The swelling I mentioned just now is the mild end of it. If there's accumulated blood, you won't just be fainting later on. If it progresses, it could affect your mobility, your memory, or even your intelligence!"

Gu Zheng looked at Song Ning helplessly and said,

"Hey! Be honest! Are you trying to scare me?"

Song Ning shook her head. "I'm really not! Anything can happen after a blow to the head. There have been actual cases of adults whose mental age regressed to three after they were struck in the back of the head!"

Gu Zheng let out a long sigh and said irritably,

"Fine, stick me with the needles! You make it sound like I'll turn into an idiot if you don't! I can never win against you lot!"

Chen Liang said quietly from beside him,

"Chief of Staff Xu told you not to call yourself 'this young master,' or to swear! He says that's street-gang behavior and bad for your image!"

Han Xiao glared at him. "Chief of Staff Xu also told us not to call him 'boss'! He says that's street-gang behavior, too! How would he know if you didn't go tattling?"

"But if he hears it, he'll tell us off, too!"

"A little scolding won't kill you! Boss is already injured. Can't he at least have a little freedom of speech?"

"Chief of Staff Xu has Boss's best interests at heart!"

Gu Zheng turned to Song Ning. "Doctor Xiao Song, sorry for the trouble, but could you give me acupuncture right now? Preferably the kind that knocks me straight out!"

Holding back a smile, Song Ning said, "I need to discuss it with your attending physician first. I'll need his approval."

With her treatment of Elder Zhou already establishing her credentials, Gu Zheng's attending physician, Director Li of internal medicine, readily agreed to Song Ning's proposal and insisted on observing the procedure.

Gu Zheng lay on his side, exposing the back of his head and his back, and let Song Ning insert the needles under everyone's watchful eyes.

Song Ning's touch was deft and light. The needles caused a faint tingling itch as they entered his body. Her fingertips were slightly cool, occasionally brushing his skin as she placed a needle.

Gu Zheng kept his eyes tightly shut and tried to empty his mind, mostly to ignore the strange sensations those faint touches on his back stirred in him. Still, he couldn't keep his heartbeat from speeding up.

Thump, thump, thump-

His heart felt ready to leap out of his chest.

"Don't be nervous! It'll only take fifteen minutes!" Song Ning seemed to have noticed something.

Gu Zheng wanted to say that he hadn't been nervous even when he'd faced eight guns alone.

But he couldn't explain his own heartbeat.

Why was it beating so fast?

If this wasn't nerves, what was it?

But what the hell was he nervous about?

While Gu Zheng was still caught between self-doubt and self-reproach, a clear female voice sounded outside the door.

"Excuse me, is this Gu Zheng's ward?"

Song Ning turned around, and her eyes lit up. What a beautiful female soldier!

She was tall and slender, with a shapely figure, dressed in a service uniform and carrying a net bag of fruit.

Director Li was the first to speak. "Oh! Yunzhi! Come in! Regimental Commander Gu is having acupuncture!"

Lying on the bed, Gu Zheng wanted to swear again. My upper body's still bare! How can you just let a woman in?

Director Li had already begun the introductions. "Yunzhi, this is Comrade Song Ning. She's also the one giving Elder Zhou acupuncture. She's very skilled in traditional Chinese medicine!"

Then Director Li said to Song Ning, "Xiao Song, this is Zhou Yunzhi, a younger member of Elder Zhou's family. She's also the star performer of our Military District's Arts and Culture Troupe!"

Song Ning gave Zhou Yunzhi a slight nod in greeting.

Zhou Yunzhi looked Song Ning over, then said with easy confidence,

"Hello! Thank you for giving Brother Gu Zheng acupuncture!"

Brother Gu Zheng?

It seemed this woman had quite a close relationship with Gu Zheng.

When it was time to remove the needles, Song Ning took them out, arranged to return at the same time the next day, and said goodbye.

Han Xiao escorted her downstairs, but his expression was rather strange.

Song Ning asked him, "Why are you making that face?"

Han Xiao curled his lip. "Boss doesn't like Zhou Yunzhi, but she just won't stop pursuing him!"

A younger member of Elder Zhou's family! And the star of the Arts and Culture Troupe!

Her family background and looks were both outstanding. She did seem like a good match for Regimental Commander Gu.

But Song Ning knew nothing about their romantic affairs and was in no position to judge, so she asked another question.

"Your boss is already a regimental commander. How come he still hasn't married?"

Han Zheng said, "Our boss enlisted at eighteen and joined the Special Forces at twenty-one. He spent four years carrying out dangerous missions at the Border, barely surviving time and again. He only left after he was seriously wounded, then spent over six months recovering in Capital City before coming to our 7th Regiment. He became a regimental commander so young because of all his combat achievements. When would he have had time to think about marriage?"

"Chief of Staff Xu is always nagging him to drop those street-gang habits and smoke less. He says they hurt his image as a regimental commander and won't appeal to women!"

"But I heard there's a reason Boss smokes so much..."

"Apparently, when he was at the Border, one of our undercover agents was tortured to death by the enemy. Boss hid alone in a pitch-black cellar for seven days and seven nights before finally finding a chance to wipe out their base!"

"But after he came back, he couldn't sleep, night after night. The doctor said someone else might have gone mad! But he pulled through on sheer willpower. It's just that afterward, he couldn't do without cigarettes anymore!"

"The doctor said he needed some way to ease his anxiety!"

Song Ning felt both moved and wistful. People only saw a young man in a high-ranking position. Who knew how many tales of a hero's blood and tears lay behind it?

Han Xiao had only meant to escort her downstairs, but he was so talkative that he kept talking all the way back to the Guesthouse.

As a result, the two shadowy figures who had been waiting early at the junction near the Guesthouse never dared show themselves and finally slunk away.

After lunch, Song Ning headed to the hospital early.

This time, she first went to the nurses' station to borrow a wheelchair.

When she reached the ward, Zhang Qianjin was indeed there this time. At the sight of her, he called out loudly,

"Hello, Sister Ning!"

With Zhang Qianjin's help, Lu Changqing got into the wheelchair, and Song Ning pushed him out of the ward.

In front of the inpatient building was a small flower garden, with a little grove beside it. Several benches stood among the trees for patients to rest on when they came out for a stroll.

Song Ning wheeled Lu Changqing around once, then found a secluded spot and stopped.

Lu Changqing said, a little embarrassed,

"Thank you for all your trouble! You even have to push me around outside!"

Song Ning said, "It's no trouble! I just wanted to find somewhere quiet so we could say everything we needed to in one go! Besides, me taking you out for a stroll-wasn't this exactly what you wanted?"