132 To the Hospital! (Please Save)

Ten minutes later, the military vehicle pulled up to the main gate of the military hospital.

The moment the car stopped, Fu Lin was the first to step out. He walked around to Su Yunjin’s side, yanked the door open, and said with a hint of irritability, "Get out."

"Actually, you don't need to be so nervous," Su Yunjin said to Fu Lin as she stepped out.

She could sense the underlying worry beneath Fu Lin’s irritable mood. However, she knew her own body best; although the wound on her hand was a bit deep, it was not life-threatening. There was no need to make such a fuss.

But as she finished speaking, Su Yunjin could clearly feel the oppressive atmosphere surrounding Fu Lin intensify.

"I said it before: you are my soldier. I am responsible for your safety and your life. Whether you’re all right or not is for the doctor to decide." As he spoke, Fu Lin pulled the door open a little wider to make it easier for her to exit.

Su Yunjin wanted to say more, but seeing the situation, she decided to hold her tongue. Following Fu Lin, she quickly completed the paperwork through the priority lane and headed to the emergency room.

The doctor on night duty was a man in his fifties or sixties. Seeing Su Yunjin and Fu Lin walk in, he asked, "What happened?"

"Her hand was cut by a blade. Dr. Lü, please, could you take a look?" Fu Lin spoke up before Su Yunjin could, explaining the cause while guiding her to the diagnostic table.

Su Yunjin’s hand was wrapped in cloth, making it look bulky and misshapen. Once she placed her injured left hand on the table, she loosened her right hand, and Dr. Lü gently peeled away the fabric.

At first, she didn't feel much, but within a few minutes, Su Yunjin felt the wound being disturbed. She winced and let out a sharp hiss of pain.

Before the sound had even faded, Dr. Lü let out a hiss of his own. "How did you manage to get such a severe cut? Young lady, try to move your hand. Let’s see if you can."

With the wound exposed under the lights, the gash was deep enough that one could almost see the white bone beneath. It sliced across the entire palm; anyone with a weaker constitution might have had a physical reaction.

As the wound was exposed to the air, Su Yunjin felt a piercing, heart-wrenching pain, but she knew she had to cooperate with the doctor. Gritting her teeth, she moved her fingers slightly: index, middle, ring, pinky, and thumb.

All five fingers moved at her command. Seeing this, Dr. Lü finally exhaled in relief. "It doesn't seem to have hit any nerves. That is the greatest fortune in this misfortune."

"And she wasn't even going to come in for a wound like this," Fu Lin remarked from behind her.

He had seen the shocking, gruesome wound on her hand, but his mind was currently filled with an inexplicable, burning rage.

Particularly because, just moments ago, Su Yunjin had stubbornly insisted on finishing the filming schedule. It made him so angry he felt like hitting someone. Did this woman have any idea what was important?!

Amidst Fu Lin’s grumbling, Su Yunjin glanced back at him, wanting to say something, but decided against it.

It was Dr. Lü who spoke up instead. "She wasn't going to come? Do you not want this hand anymore? What is wrong with your unit? How could you let a female soldier suffer such a severe injury? Are you playing with your lives?"

"It’s not his fault, Dr. Lü. I cut it myself," Su Yunjin explained.

Fu Lin snapped angrily, "Did I ask you to speak? You cut yourself, but I am your squad leader. How is that any different from me being the one to cause it? Do you even understand what I’m saying? I am responsible for your safety!"

*What the hell does this have to do with you?* Su Yunjin thought to herself. She wanted to snap back, but seeing the redness in Fu Lin’s eyes, she let it go.

Turning her head, she looked at the doctor. "How many stitches will it need?"

"A dozen or so. The wound is very deep. Once it's stitched, you cannot get it wet, you cannot lift heavy objects, and you must take very good care of it." Dr. Lü looked at Su Yunjin for the first half of the sentence, but shifted his gaze to Fu Lin for the second.

"Mhm, I understand. Don't worry, Dr. Lü, I will make sure of it," Fu Lin replied, as if he were the one who had been injured.

"I’ll start by disinfecting it, then we’ll head to the treatment room for the stitches," Dr. Lü said, pouring hydrogen peroxide over the wound.

"Ah—" The intense, stinging pain forced a cry from Su Yunjin, though she quickly bit her lip hard.

"One more round of disinfection. Hold on," Dr. Lü instructed.

Su Yunjin was breaking out in a cold sweat from the agony. She knew it was necessary, but she was starting to lose her nerve.

"What? Losing your nerve now?" Fu Lin’s cold, biting words arrived right on cue.

Even through the blinding pain, Su Yunjin looked up and glared at him fiercely. "If you don't speak, nobody will mistake you for a mute."

"Can't do that. I have a mouth, and if I don't use it, I'll die."

Fu Lin retorted, showing no regard for the fact that Su Yunjin was a patient.

Adrenaline surged, and for a moment, Su Yunjin actually forgot the pain. Looking at his face, she had an urge to stomp on it.

"You just wait, Fu Lin. When I'm healed, you're dead meat!" She hissed, making a fierce threat.

"Oh? You want to hit me?"
"You think I'm afraid of you?"
"Heh, I'd like to see that. With those skinny arms and legs, what else can you do besides take a beating?"
"Domestic abuser!"
"Oh, look at that. You can't win, so you start throwing around labels."
"You..."

Su Yunjin was racking her brain to find more insults when a sharp, drilling pain shot through her hand again. She almost bit her own tongue off on the word "you."

But in the next second, she was pulled into a gentle embrace. Her head was pressed against a broad chest by a large hand. In the darkness, she heard Fu Lin’s voice from above, "It's okay, it's okay. There, there, it doesn't hurt anymore."

The grievance of being injured, the frustration of being angry, the lingering fear—all of it was magnified a thousand times over by the sting of the disinfectant. At that moment, Su Yunjin could no longer hold it back. Burying her face in Fu Lin’s sturdy abdomen, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

Her cool cheeks pressed against his warm, firm stomach; the searing male body heat seemed to provide a vessel for all her pent-up misery.

"Wuwuwu—"
"Wuwuwu—"

With her head buried, she allowed herself to sob openly.

"It’s alright, it’s alright. Don't cry, don't cry. You're fine now." Fu Lin’s comforting words continued, and she could feel him gently stroking her hair.

Having grown up in the sect, other than the touch of her grandparents, Su Yunjin had always loathed strange men touching her. Yet, at this moment, she felt a profound sense of peace from Fu Lin. She knew that their relationship was only that of friends and that such comfort might be crossing a line, but for once, she greedily indulged in it.

"All right, you two wait here for a moment. I’m going to prepare the procedure room. You’ll have local anesthesia for the stitches, so it won’t be this painful anymore."

After finishing the initial treatment, Dr. Lü stood up and walked out.