The hospital corridor smelled faintly of antiseptic and rain.
It had started drizzling outside sometime during the drive over, and the faint scent clung to the air-conditioning vents, mixing with the sterile sharpness of disinfectant. The First Military Hospital stood quiet and imposing, its white walls indifferent to the chaos of human emotions that passed through it every day.
Stephanie stepped out of the elevator, the hem of her red wedding dress brushing softly against the polished floor.
The contrast was striking.
Red silk against white walls. Celebration against sickness. A bride walking alone toward a ward meant for the dying.
The nurse at the counter looked up instinctively -- and froze.
"M-Miss, this is the VIP floor," she stammered, eyes darting from Stephanie's dress to her calm face. "Visiting hours -"
"I'm here to see Gu Jianlin," Stephanie said.
Her voice was soft, but it carried an authority that made people listen before they realized they were obeying.
The nurse hesitated. "President Gu is… his condition—"
"I know," Stephanie replied. "I won't be long."
Something in her eyes made further objections die unspoken. The nurse glanced at the chart, then pointed silently down the hall.
Stephanie walked on.
Each step felt heavier than the last, not because of fear, but because of memory.
This was the only man who had cried for her when she was forgotten by the whole world.
This was the man who had died because no one believed he was still alive. She knew how he must have felt. Trapped. Angry. Scared.
She stopped in front of the door.
Room 1709.
For a brief moment, Stephanie rested her palm against the cool surface of the door. Her heartbeat was steady, but beneath that calm ran a current of something fierce and unwavering.
"This time," she thought, "I won't let you be abandoned."
She pushed the door open.
The room was quiet.
Machines hummed softly, their rhythmic beeping the only proof that the man lying on the bed was still alive. Sunlight filtered in through half-drawn curtains, casting pale gold across white sheets and steel railings.
Gu Jianlin lay motionless.
For a long moment, she simply looked at him.
In her previous life, she had known him only as a distant figure—her husband's elder brother, the man everyone feared, the president who ruled Gu Corporation with an iron hand. She had never spoken to him privately. Never known what kind of person he truly was.
And yet, in death, he had been the only one who mourned her. And might be, his tears are what gave her this life.
Stephanie walked closer.
Her fingers hovered above his hand, stopping just short of touching him. The skin looked pale, cold, lifeless. If not for the machines, one might believe he had already crossed the line between life and death.
"Gu Jianlin," she said quietly.
There was no response.
She wasn't surprised.
Pulling a chair closer, Stephanie sat down beside the bed. The red silk pooled around her feet like a silent flame.
"I don't know if you can hear me," she continued. "But I'm going to talk anyway."
The machines continued their steady rhythm.
"I am sorry. For not coming to you earlier. For not saving you." she said, ashamed of herself.
Being a renowned prodigy doctor, she wasn't able to give him any treatment. Why? Because her 'husband' thought it was not auspicious for the newly wed bride to enter the hospital rooms.
Her voice broke and wavered.
"And thank you.. T-Thank you" her voice broke at the end. Even god had refused to show mercy until he wept for her.
Stephanie lowered her gaze, studying his face closely. Her own tears falling freely. She didn't try to stop them.
"You cried for me," she said softly. "Even when you couldn't move. Even when you couldn't speak."
Her fingers finally settled over his, resting lightly, not daring to apply pressure.
Though he looked pale, he wasn't all skin and bones yet. That was her only relief.
"I saw it."
"In this entire world," she whispered, "you were the only one who cared enough."
The machines beeped steadily.
"I w-wish you had never given me that ring... Then Li Wenya would have never taken advantage of it."
Yes. Stephanie clearly understood how Li Wenya, who was just a small actress, no where close to the Gu family's background made her way up to Gu Jianlin.
It was because of that damn ring that Li Wenya was able to confuse and manipulate this otherwise unreachable man.
So she decided not to bring up that ring again.
Stephanie straightened.
"I've come here to help you... And also for your help" she said, her voice regaining its firmness. "It's abrupt. Unreasonable. You might even think it's absurd."
She paused, then continued, her words slow and deliberate.
"Marry me."
The room remained silent.
Stephanie did not rush. She had learned patience in death.
"I know you can't speak," she said. "And you can't move. But I know you can hear me, you can understand."
She leaned closer, her gaze determined, unwavering.
"Today is my wedding day. I have every right to choose my groom. And I want only and only you as my husband."
Her hands very slightly tightened around his as she continued. "I don't want anything from you. If after waking up, you decided not to be tied down to me anymore, then I will object. I will walk away quietly."
"But regardless of whether you agree or not, I will save you. I will cure you. You will be back on your feet again." her voice was soft and gentle. Like a mother coaxing her little child.
She lifted her hand slightly. "If you agree, move your eyes. Just once."
Seconds passed.
The machines hummed.
Stephanie did not look away.
Then - slowly - his eyeballs moved.
Her breath caught.
His eyes under the eyelids moved again.
It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but unmistakable. With a shaky hand, she rested her palm gently against his cheek.
"C-Can you move them again, p-please?" she requested.
And he did. Not one but twice again. Fearing she miss it and leave.
Stephanie closed her eyes briefly.
That was enough. She sniffed and took a deep breathe.
She stood immediately, all hesitation gone.
"Good," she said calmly. "Then we're married."
—
The legal department of the hospital was in chaos.
"What do you mean she wants to register a marriage?" the clerk exclaimed, nearly dropping her pen. "The patient can't sign! He's unconscious! He might die any day"
Stephanie stood on the other side of the counter, unflinching. "He is conscious. He has consented."
"With what? His thoughts?" the clerk snapped.
Stephanie slid a document across the desk.
A consent form.
"Eye-movement consent," she said. "Legally valid under emergency conditions. I've already contacted a lawyer."
The clerk stared at the paper, then at Stephanie's wedding dress, then at the name printed clearly on the form.
Gu Jianlin.
"This is insane," the clerk muttered.
"Process it," Stephanie replied coolly.
Within an hour, the impossible had happened.
A marriage certificate was issued.
Gu Jianlin's thumbprint—taken carefully, legally—pressed beside Stephanie's signature.
The red seal stamped down with finality.
Stephanie stared at the document, her fingers tightening around its edges.
It was done. The first step to set things right.
—
News traveled fast.
By the time Stephanie stepped out of the hospital to arrange things, the sky was already darkening. Her phone vibrated nonstop in her hand—calls, messages, notifications piling up faster than she could dismiss them.
"Runaway bride marries vegetative CEO."
"Shocking betrayal or long-hidden affair?"
"Gu family scandal explodes on wedding day."
She ignored them all.
Inside the hospital room, Gu Jianlin lay exactly as before.
But something had changed.
Stephanie returned to his side and placed the marriage certificate under his palm.
"We're officially married," she said. "So from now on, you are my husband, and I am your wife. I will do everything to protect you. I promise, you will stand again. Walk again. Rule again."
She pulled a chair closer and sat down.
"I won't pretend to be gentle," she continued. "Your recovery will be painful. Slow. And dangerous. People don't want you to wake up."
Her eyes darkened.
"But I do."
She reached out and adjusted the blanket around his shoulders, her movements careful and gentle.
"Rest husband," she said quietly. "Tomorrow, we will go back home and start your treatment."
Outside the room, footsteps echoed.
A man in a suit hurried down the corridor, his expression strained. When he reached the door and saw Stephanie sitting there, his eyes widened.
"Mrs. Gu?" he asked uncertainly, looking at the dolled up bride beside his boss.
She looked up.
"Yes."
The man straightened immediately. "I'm Chen Rui. President Gu's personal assistant."
Stephanie studied him briefly, then nodded. Yes. She remembered. This was the only man who was by Gu Jianlin's side and accused the Gu family for not giving him proper treatment. But eventually the Gu family got rid of him silently.
"Brother Chen" she said. "You're still here."
Chen Rui swallowed. "Of course. I would never leave President Gu."
A faint, almost imperceptible curve touched Stephanie's lips.
"Then I will need your help," she said. "Because from today onwards, no one is allowed to take what belongs to my husband."
She stood, her red dress vivid against the sterile white room.
"Gu Jianlin is no longer alone."
Chen Rui looked at the young girl. Of course he was aware of her identity. She was genius in her field. He tried to contact her desperately when Gu Jianlin was brought to hospital three months ago after that terrible accident. But the Gu family intercepted all his efforts and arranged everything themselves.
And beneath the machines and the silence, Gu Jianlin's fingers twitched—just barely.