I emptied my family's possessions to join the army, and my abstinent superior doted on me.

Chapter 21 Make You Cry and Beg Me to Stay
"Ouch, Lao Gu, look what you've done, someone's been hurt."

The soldiers inside rushed over to inquire about Qian Lai's injuries.

Tan Yunhai quickly introduced, "Political Commissar Huo, this is Comrade Qian Lai, Deputy Division Commander Gu's fiancée."

"Comrade Qian, this is Political Commissar Huo Guanghui from our division."

Qian Lai covered her head, forcing a smile.

"Oh dear, oh dear, Lao Gu, you've done something terrible. Look at your beautiful wife, she just arrived and you've already disfigured her." Huo Guanghui said reproachfully, "Go and take care of her."

Qian Lai stood still, carefully examining Gu Hanchuan on the hospital bed.

His unkempt hair, disheveled and obscuring half of his face, was a stark contrast to his unkempt appearance.

He should have been a heroic and extraordinary figure, but now he appears dejected and depressed.

His eyes and brows were lifeless, yet they conveyed a sense of resentment and dejection. His lips were cracked, and his beard grew wildly.

His lifeless body barely supported him on the bed, devoid of any of his former imposing presence.

The man was also sizing up Qian Lai. After a moment, he suddenly roared furiously at Political Commissar Huo at the door, "Isn't this a sin?! You're making such a beautiful woman keep an eye on this living dead man like me. Aren't you committing a sin?"

"Get out of here, all of you! I'll die if I don't drink water for seven days, and it's been three days already. Just let me go, can't you just let me die?"

He pounded on the hospital bed.

"No. You can't die yet."

As soon as Qian Lai spoke, the three grown men were stunned.

"You've disfigured me, don't think you can get away with it. I came here beautiful, you can't let me leave ruined. I won't stand for it." Qian Lai walked directly to his bedside and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Everyone knows I'm your fiancée. I've fallen out with my family and come to Xinshi to rely on you."

As a result, you kicked me out on the very first day.

If this gets out, how will I ever get married?

Besides, I'd be homeless if I left here.

Qian Lai bravely met Gu Hanchuan's gaze, her weak and innocent eyes resisting his anger and despair.

"Commander, Aunt Cheng asked me to meet your family yesterday. They were all very fierce."

I beg you, let me rely on you for a while. Once I've gained a foothold and they've stopped making things difficult for me, I will definitely leave.

"Then, you can do whatever you want, okay?"

Gu Hanchuan's expression was unreadable.

Is she alright?
She actually wants to rely on me, a paralyzed person?!

"Hahaha, that's hilarious. Someone actually said they wanted a cripple to be her protector."

"Why not?! Commander, you just can't stand up, you're not a vegetable. With a single word from you, you can decide my fate, even my life or death. Do you believe me?!"

Ha ha!

Gu Hanchuan scoffed.

“I will have everything arranged for you, and you will not be homeless.” His tone was noticeably less resistant than before.

"Look at you, sir, how can you not be a pillar of support for me? With just a word, someone will arrange everything for me. Tell me, are you important or not?"

"Get out! Cough cough cough, I don't want to hear you, cough cough, nonsense!"

She doesn't understand at all!
This is merely the residual power of his own power; it will soon disappear over time.

At that time, he will go from being "respected" to being disliked, and that will be the most painful thing for him.

Just then, an indescribable smell suddenly filled the room.

Gu Hanchuan's expression instantly turned serious, and shame and embarrassment crept onto his brow.

"Get out, all of you get out! Cough cough cough, I don't want to see anyone!"

He angrily pounded his numb legs, his face feeling as if it had been rubbed in mud.

"Where's the caregiver? Go get the caregiver quickly!" Huo Guanghui's order caused a small commotion in the hallway.

A moment later, a man rushed in carrying tools. "Young lady, you can go out now. I'll help the commander change his clothes."

"Get out, and never come back. This is hell, there's no need to go looking for your own death, cough cough cough."

Gu Hanchuan's roar gradually turned into a sob.

Qian Lai felt a pang of sympathy looking at him.

A hero of yesteryear, prematurely aged and frail—this is truly the cruelest reality of human existence.

She secretly resolved to complete the experiment as soon as possible. She believed she had the ability to save this eagle with broken wings.

About half an hour later, the caregiver came out of the ward, covered in sweat.

"The commander's clothes and bed sheets have been changed, and I've also cleaned the floor."

“Political Commissar Huo, the commander probably hasn’t bathed in a long time, has he? He smelled really bad just now. I’m worried he’ll get bedsores. Could this man help him take a bath?” Qian Lai asked with concern.

“He should have washed himself a long time ago. Even just wiping himself off would have been fine. But he won’t let anyone near him,” said Xiao He, the caregiver, with a helpless expression.

Commissar Huo pondered for a moment and said, "Wash him. Even if it's a rough day, get him to the bathhouse. I'll scrub him myself."

He spoke with such conviction, it was like a vow, and Qian Lai laughed himself to death.

"Political Commissar, how about I try to communicate with the leader? Although I'm not sure if it works out, it's not too late to take him there later."

"Okay, we fully support your decision."

The ward had now returned to calm.

Qian Lai quietly slipped into the ward through the crack in the door and saw Gu Hanchuan staring blankly out the window.

Outside the window, a little squirrel was busy climbing up and down a tree trunk.

It seemed to sense that someone was watching it, and occasionally it would stop and turn its head to look back at Gu Hanchuan.

Qian Lai quietly observed Gu Hanchuan's expression.

He stared at it quietly for a long time, and before he knew it, tears were streaming down his cheek.

He suddenly raised his hand, fiercely wiped away his tears, and sniffled hard.

She continued to look out the window, her calm gaze gradually turning into soft sobs, then into whimpers, and finally into loud weeping.

He shouted loudly, as if questioning the heavens, "Why is he so unjust!"

Qian Lai dared not move, letting him vent all his grief and anger.

After an unknown amount of time, Qian Lai felt her legs were sore and numb, while Gu Hanchuan finally calmed down.

She quietly stepped forward and handed him her handkerchief.

The man didn't even lift his eyes, stubbornly averting his gaze and wiping away his tears with his hand: "Why haven't you left yet?"

"Because I won't leave!"

Her tone was as firm as if she were making a vow before being persecuted by the enemy.

The man was somewhat enraged by her words. He straightened up and shouted at her, "I don't want to see you! Get out of here!"

After crying for most of the day and yelling several times, Gu Hanchuan's throat was already hoarse.

"Commander, shouting like that must hurt your throat. Look, you're hoarse now." Qian Lai picked up a teacup and casually handed it to him. "Here, have some water to soothe your throat. Once it's soothed, you can continue your tirade."

The man instinctively reached for the teacup, then suddenly remembered he was on a hunger and thirst strike. To make the girl in front of him back down, he had to act even more violent and ruthless.

As he withdrew his hand, he swung his long arm, intending to overturn the teacup and splash it all over the girl.

He knew she would be so embarrassed that she would flee. This trick had never failed him.

To everyone's surprise, as soon as he raised his hand, the girl seemed to have anticipated it and deftly dodged to the side.

"Commander, don't waste your energy. No matter what you do, I won't leave. When it's time for me to leave, I'll make you beg me to stay. That's just my style, Qian Lai."

(End of this chapter)