As noon approached, the Hua family hurriedly prepared a meal and invited Sheng Zexi and Gu Jianing to join them.
Unable to decline their warm insistence—and with the need to wait for Hua Zhenrong to wake up—the couple accepted the invitation without further refusal.
During the meal, the Hua family watched in surprise as Sheng Zexi attentively cared for Gu Jianing.
This gentle side of Sheng Zexi was something they had never seen before.
Since Sheng Zexi had been close friends with Hua Zhenrong since childhood, he had practically grown up under the Hua family’s watchful eyes. There had even been times when he’d fought with his father, Sheng Xinhao, run away from home, and ended up staying at the Hua residence to sleep.
The Sheng Zexi they knew in the past was unruly and untamed, as if no one could rein him in. His eyes had always been full of arrogance, and his sharp tongue could leave anyone who crossed him questioning their life choices.
But now…
Sheng Zexi was so gentle—especially toward Gu Jianing. His tenderness was almost palpable, like water softening the hardest edges.
This version of Sheng Zexi was nothing short of astonishing to them.
Indeed, it seemed even the most stubborn thorns could be tamed by the right person.
They thought this was a good thing.
The old Sheng Zexi had been outwardly domineering, yet his entire demeanor had been like a fortress of thorns—keeping others at bay while refusing to let anyone in.
But now, those once-sharp barbs had softened into something delicate, wrapped around a single finger.
He had finally found someone he loved—and who loved him in return.
As elders, they couldn’t help but feel genuinely happy for him.
Sheng Zexi seemed oblivious to the occasional glances directed his way, focusing entirely on Gu Jianing as they ate.
Gu Jianing, however, noticed.
She shot him a reproachful glare, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment.
Sheng Zexi, on the receiving end of that look: “…”
Darling, why are you glaring at me? Did I do something wrong?
No, that can’t be it. She must be batting her eyes at me. Yes, that’s definitely it. Ah, my love, you should really be more mindful of the setting—we’re at someone else’s house, after all. We should keep it discreet.
Sheng Zexi decided he’d have to gently remind his little wife of that once they got home.
Just as they finished their meal, a housemaid came to inform them that Hua Zhenrong had woken up.
The Hua family immediately hurried to his room…
Inside, Hua Zhenrong felt as though he had just emerged from a long, bewildering dream – one filled with the loss of comrades on a mission… and his own descent into madness.
It was as if he had finally awakened, the haze of that nightmare slowly lifting.
He realized he was lying in bed. Scanning the room, he recognized it as his own bedroom at home.
Hua Zhenrong tried to sit up but found his limbs restrained. Lowering his gaze, he saw that he had been tied to the bed with cloth strips.
What was this?
Just as he tried to recall what had happened, there was movement at the door.
He looked up and saw his family standing at the entrance.
“Dad, Mom, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, sisters-in-law…”
It had been so long since the Hua family had seen Hua Zhenrong in such a lucid state, even calling out to each of them properly.
Mother Hua was so overcome with emotion that tears instantly spilled from her eyes. She rushed forward and threw her arms around him on the bed.
“My son, you’re finally awake, you’re finally awake! Your mother thought… she thought…” She thought she was going to lose you.
The rest of the Hua family also crowded in, their eyes red and brimming with tears, yet their faces brimming with joy.
As he took in their expressions, Hua Zhenrong’s memories slowly pieced themselves together.
He began to remember.
He remembered going on a mission, only for someone’s betrayal to lead to the deaths of all his comrades—except for him and one other soldier.
Some had even died saving him.
Badly wounded, he had been brought back.
His physical injuries had healed, but the wounds in his mind had not.
……
Guilt and self-blame had consumed him, driving him to the brink of madness. He had relived the mission over and over, trapped in the nightmare—until, in the end…
The last thing he recalled was losing his mind, even injuring his eldest brother in his frenzy.
After that, his memories were a blur.
Only a heavy, muddled haze, an unbearable torment.
But now… it was like waking from a long dream. Finally, he had come back to himself.
“Eldest Brother, your injuries…” Hua Zhenrong asked.
The eldest Hua brother hadn’t expected his younger brother to still remember accidentally hurting him. Quickly, he reassured him, “I’m fine.”
Just then, Hua Zhenrong noticed movement at the door again.
A familiar figure appeared.
“Zexi…” he called out—though the Zexi before him now seemed… different.
He was carefully supporting a beautiful, heavily pregnant woman, his touch gentle and cautious in a way Hua Zhenrong had never seen before.
When Sheng Zexi heard Hua Zhenrong call his name, his own eyes reddened involuntarily.
After Gu Jianing sat down, Sheng Zexi stepped forward. “Do you know how long it’s been since I last heard you call my name…?”
Hua Zhenrong froze slightly.
Then, with his family’s explanation, he pieced together everything that had happened.
He had been ill.
This much he knew.
Later, his condition had worsened—he was aware of that too.
He knew his situation had been dire. He’d even had a premonition that if he didn’t receive proper treatment, it wouldn’t be long before he died—lost in delirium, slipping away in madness.
But now, he was awake. And he *had* been treated.
The one who treated him… turned out to be Zexi’s wife.
He never expected that after just one long sleep, Sheng Zexi—this kid—would already be married, with his wife heavily pregnant. In just a few months, he’d be a father.
Nor did he expect that Zexi’s wife, despite her youth, would have such extraordinary medical skills.
Countless renowned doctors had been helpless against his illness, practically sentencing him to death.
Yet she—with just one treatment—had pulled him back from months of unconsciousness.
A woman so capable and beautiful… No wonder Sheng Zexi, that stubborn iron tree, had finally bloomed.
Once, Hua Zhenrong had even thought Zexi would stay single forever.
But now… this was better.
“Comrade Gu, thank you.” After his family untied the cloth strips binding him, he was helped up and solemnly expressed his gratitude to Gu Jianing.
Gu Jianing smiled. “You’re Zexi’s comrade and sworn brother. As his wife, if I have the ability to treat you, of course I can’t stand by and do nothing.”
“However, you should eat something first. This was only the first treatment. Though you’ve regained consciousness, it likely won’t last very long yet.”
“Alright.” For the first time in a long while, Hua Zhenrong actually felt the gnawing sensation of hunger.
The Hua family quickly brought him a bowl of easily digestible noodles they had prepared.
Hua Zhenrong wanted to eat on his own, but he simply didn’t have the strength. In the end, his second eldest brother fed him.
Half an hour after eating, he took his medicine.
Then, as predicted, his mind began to cloud again. Gu Jianing administered acupuncture, and soon, he drifted back into sleep.
“This time, he’ll sleep longer—probably until tomorrow morning,” Gu Jianing said.
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