Zhou Huai'an knew Lin Xiaoxiao wanted to see his wounds. He obediently sat on the edge of the bed, took off his coat and sweater, and after a brief hesitation, removed his undershirt as well.

Bandages were wrapped around his waist and crisscrossed over his chest.

Tears welled in Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes despite herself. How badly had he been hurt? It must have been serious—she could tell even from how carefully he moved his arms, how stiffly he held his upper body.

Seeing her cry, Zhou Huai'an reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't cry. I'm alright now."

Lin Xiaoxiao glared at him through her tears. "Would you only call it 'something' if you were dying? If you hadn't come back, I would've let our child call someone else 'Dad'."

Her words were sharp, but her hands were gentle as she carefully unwound his bandages. The innermost layer was stained with blood, and the wound beneath showed signs of infection.

Anger and worry tightened her voice. "You were hurt this badly, and you still took a days-long train journey? Were you trying to get yourself killed?"

Zhou Huai'an's gaze remained fixed on Lin Xiaoxiao's abdomen—where their child was growing. He didn't even know when it had happened.

The thought made his eyes grow warm. Instead of answering, he asked softly, "Is the baby behaving for you?"

Lin Xiaoxiao sniffed. "Certainly better than you are. These wounds need proper attention—I'm taking you to get them treated."

As she spoke, she began rewrapping the bandages with practiced care.

She had imagined their reunion differently—like in those dramas where long-separated lovers embrace and kiss passionately.

It wasn't like that. There were no dramatic gestures, but a deep, quiet steadiness settled in her heart.

She helped him back into his clothes. "Stay lying down. If you move around, it'll take longer to heal."

She deftly arranged a pillow behind him. "Have you eaten? There's still some chicken soup from last night. I can make you noodles."

Suddenly, Zhou Huai'an took her hand, his eyes earnest. "I'm sorry I'm back so late."

Lin Xiaoxiao pouted. "Coming back late is one thing—getting hurt is another. What would have happened to me and the baby if something went wrong? Being a widow is hard enough. Did you really want me to raise your child alone? How could you be so thoughtless?"

Zhou Huai'an's expression darkened, but he didn't try to defend himself.

Then Lin Xiaoxiao's stern look broke into a soft laugh. "But I'm really glad you're back. I couldn't focus on anything without you."

She leaned down and planted a firm kiss on his cheek. "Now stay put. I'll make your noodles. What's taking Lin Zihao so long with that cart?"

Muttering to herself, she brought in the aluminum pot from outside—it still held plenty of chicken soup and half a bird. She'd killed one of their hens yesterday when a fierce craving hit.

While the soup was heating, Lin Zihao finally returned. Seeing Zhou Huai'an resting and Lin Xiaoxiao cooking, he realized she knew about the injury. "I'm sorry, sister-in-law," he said apologetically. "I should've taken better care of him."

Lin Xiaoxiao shook her head. "It's not your fault. The ones to blame are the criminals. Do his parents know?"

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. He hadn't seen Zhou Zhennan or Li Yunlan since he was injured, and he'd asked Lin Zihao not to tell them. He'd even returned quietly. "I didn't want to worry them."

After Zhou Xiaocheng's death, his parents had been through enough. Before going into surgery, Zhou Huai'an had asked Lin Zihao for two things: to send Lin Xiaoxiao a telegram saying he was safe and coming home soon, and not to inform the Zhou family.

He'd been hovering between life and death—if things had gone wrong, he didn't think Li Yunlan could bear another loss.

Even after waking up, he kept it from them. He knew they wouldn't let him travel home injured.

Lin Xiaoxiao understood. "Let's call them tomorrow. I haven't told them about the baby yet."

Lin Zihao looked surprised, then glanced at Zhou Huai'an with something like admiration. This guy had luck—knocking up his wife right before leaving.

After a bowl of noodles, Lin Zihao left. Lin Xiaoxiao took Zhou Huai'an to the clinic at the Second Office to have his wounds redressed.

With Zhou Huai'an beside her, she chattered constantly—updating him on everything at home, asking about Beijing, learning that Hu Shiliang and Hu Yaozong were behind Zhou Xiaocheng's death.

She could hardly believe it. "They had such comfortable lives—why would they do something like that?"

The Hu family had been well-off—far better than most. How could they commit such treason? And Zhou Xiaohong... "She really ruined her own life."

Lin Xiaoxiao felt a flicker of pity, but not much. Some people brought disaster on themselves.

Zhou Huai'an wasn't sure how his family would handle the situation, but he knew Lin Xiaoxiao loved gossip, so he shared what he could. "Hu Yaozong raped Zhou Xiaohong and took photos.

That's why she felt she had to marry him."

Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes widened. She'd suspected he had some leverage, but not this. "Why didn't she go to the police? How could a teacher be so ignorant of the law? What's more important—your reputation or your life?"

Zhou Huai'an didn't understand Zhou Xiaohong either. Maybe she was afraid of the scandal. "After Hu Yaozong was arrested, he confessed everything and handed over the photos. He said he didn't want to implicate Zhou Xiaohong since they were married."

Lin Xiaoxiao snorted. "They should execute him. Traitors like that deserve to be wiped out—along with their whole family if others were involved."

The more she thought about it, the angrier she grew. Her loyalty to her country was absolute—she had zero tolerance for treason.

Seeing her flushed with anger, Zhou Huai'an tried to calm her. "It's over now. They've been caught, and their network has been dismantled."

But Lin Xiaoxiao was still fuming, quietly cursing every traitor to a painful end.

At the clinic, she insisted on tending to Zhou Huai'an's wounds herself. Since she'd operated on Old Lady Wang before, the staff knew her well.

And since it was her own husband, no one objected.

She'd known his injuries were serious, but when the last layer of bandage came off, she couldn't hold back her tears. The wound was irregular and inflamed, with pus seeping at the edges.

She called for an anesthetic, then carefully cleaned away the necrotic tissue and resutured the torn flesh.

As they stepped out of the treatment room, Zhou Xiaoling came rushing down the hall, her face sweaty and anxious. "Is my brother back?"