Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 24
byChapter 24 He Moyan
“Your brother isn’t very talkative. If he doesn’t say anything when you meet him later, don’t misunderstand. He likes you very much. These past few years, since Dad hasn’t been in Star Capital, he has been assigned to protect you.”
—At least, nominally assigned him, just so he could keep that kid studying in Star Capital.
In the speeder, He Chen gave the somewhat bewildered He Leyan a heads-up.
—He Moyan was rescued by He Chen from a cage of space pirates. He had a unique background, wasn’t very good at social interaction, and his logic differed from ordinary people. He Chen was afraid He Leyan would misunderstand.
“Protect me?” He Leyan’s small brain couldn’t process He Chen’s “heads-up.” “When did he protect me? I haven’t even met… Brother.”
He Chen smiled, “He’s a Shadow Warrior. He likes to operate in stealth. If you saw him, he’d be angry at himself.”
“What is a Shadow Warrior?” He Leyan asked.
“Someone who executes missions silently, like a shadow. That’s a Shadow Warrior.”
Sounds impressive.
He Leyan picked at his small hands, feeling a little curious and a little nervous: It’s too, too sudden. He hasn’t even gotten used to one big monster, and now another brother pops out!
So he doesn’t just have one family member, he has two?
Brother, what does a brother mean?
He Leyan’s mind was racing with various thoughts until the speeder pulled up to a tall building. When he heard He Chen call the person on the other end of the phone to come downstairs, he finally calmed down and looked out the window.
“We’re here.” He Chen helped He Leyan unbuckle his seatbelt and carried him out of the car.
He Leyan’s feet touched the ground, and before he could get a clear look at his surroundings, his vision suddenly blurred—
The big monster reached out and clashed with something, moving incredibly fast, creating a whistling sound like the wind.
“Dad!” He Leyan cried out nervously.
The moment the words left his mouth, the wind stopped, and the fighting ceased. He Chen held a black-clad youth, who was a head shorter than him, clamped in the crook of his elbow. He looked at He Leyan, his eyes exceptionally bright: “What did Leyan just call me?”
“…Dad.” He Leyan’s voice was as low as a mosquito’s buzz, his cheeks flushed. He avoided He Chen’s gaze for a moment, then couldn’t help but look up to check if He Chen was truly fine, also glancing at the youth clamped in He Chen’s elbow.
He Chen was overjoyed by the word “Dad,” but he didn’t press his luck. Instead, he released the restrained youth and introduced him to He Leyan: “This is your brother, Moyan.”
Then he turned to the youth: “Moyan, say hello to your little brother. He’s still small, don’t scare him like that next time.”
What little brother? He Moyan glanced at the little sprout who barely reached his knee, then looked back at He Chen: “I am Shadow.”
He had no name; he was only He Chen’s shadow. He had sworn allegiance to He Chen as a shadow, not as a son.
He Chen rubbed He Moyan’s head and whispered, “Give me some face.”
He Moyan fell silent. Generally, a shadow does not refuse the master’s request.
He could temporarily act as a son, but saying hello, he couldn’t do that.
He Moyan remained silent, but He Leyan obediently called out “Brother,” sticking close to He Chen’s leg. He looked up curiously and cautiously, observing He Moyan, especially his face—it was very serious and bore a scar, making him look a bit scary.
He Chen also noticed the injury on He Moyan’s face: “Did you lose a fight?”
“I won.” He Moyan replied.
“You won with a scratch? You’re slipping.” He Chen said, pressing down on He Moyan to check him. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“No.” He Moyan shook his head, not explaining that he was injured because he fought five people, nor did he show He Chen any other injuries.
In his mind, those things weren’t important. What was important was—”Go back.”
“There you go again.” He Chen twitched his mouth. “I’ll be in Star Capital for the next few days. Are you coming back with me? Back to the He family.”
“No.” He Moyan answered quickly.
He Chen wasn’t surprised and was about to speak when He Moyan added, “You shouldn’t go back either.”
He Chen paused for a moment, then smiled and poked him: “Are you trying to manage me now?”
He finished speaking, bent down, and retrieved a tote bag from the speeder: “Here, I brought you some good food from Hanxiao Star.”
He Leyan: …But he just bought it at the school gate. The supermarket name is still printed on the bag.
He Moyan, however, lived up to his name, Moyan (Silent Speech), and silently accepted the bag.
He Chen rubbed He Moyan’s head again—He Moyan instinctively tried to dodge but failed. “Go back. I’ll make time to take you out to play these next couple of days.”
“I don’t play.” He Moyan replied coldly. He was a shadow; shadows never slack off or play.
“That’s an order.” He Chen said.
He Moyan fell silent again.
Not only did he not speak, but he didn’t even spare He Chen an extra glance. He carried the snacks and turned to walk into the dormitory building.
He Chen, standing by the car door, watched him enter the building before turning back to He Leyan, waving his hand in front of him: “Don’t look, Leyan. Your brother is just like that. He was injured here,” He Chen pointed to his head, “‘Politeness’ doesn’t exist for him. He doesn’t understand that concept. But he will protect the people he likes in his own way.”
He Leyan nodded, half-understanding.
He Chen paused: “Leyan, now Dad is taking you to another place. It’s… Dad’s home. You’ll meet some people. They are considered Dad’s relatives, but we’re not very close. You don’t need to worry about them; just think of it as visiting.”
He Leyan still only half-understood, but he sensitively noticed that He Chen sounded different than usual when he said this, like the sun covered by dark clouds.
He Leyan felt a nervousness he couldn’t quite explain, unsure of where they were going or what kind of people they would meet.
When they arrived at the He family residence, he realized he had seen these people before: they had visited him at the Medical Institute right after his potential test.
One said she was his grandmother, and two others said they were his uncle and aunt.
They were all quite amiable, both then and now, but He Leyan just didn’t like them much.
He greeted everyone as He Chen had taught him, then barely spoke again.
“Look, Leyan, this is a toy Auntie prepared for you.” Xia Xue took a robot toy from a servant and enthusiastically handed it to He Leyan.
But He Leyan hid behind He Chen.
“Thank you, Eldest Sister-in-law.” He Chen took the toy for He Leyan but didn’t hand it to him, placing it aside instead.
He was paranoid and didn’t want He Leyan to touch anything he hadn’t inspected.
“Second Brother, sit down.” After the pleasantries, Xia Xue assumed the role of hostess and invited He Chen to sit. She couldn’t help but glance at He Chen, then quickly looked away, her expression somewhat strange.
This illegitimate younger brother rarely returned to Star Capital. She hadn’t seen him before or after her marriage. She had assumed he rarely came back because of his low status and shame, never imagining he looked like this…
Of course, looks didn’t matter much compared to family background, and her husband’s appearance wasn’t bad either.
As Xia Xue thought this, she looked at He Siyuan. For some reason, her husband, who was usually very charming, suddenly seemed ordinary today…
“You left before me, so why are you returning later?” He Siyuan looked at He Chen and spoke casually.
“I took Leyan sightseeing.” He Chen said.
“You should take Leyan out more. It’s rare for you to return to Star Capital yourself.” He Siyuan said.
He adopted a casual, familial tone, but unfortunately, Mother He seemed impatient and interrupted with a single sentence: “What did you say to Chu Yunqi? He’s threatening the military to make things difficult for Siyuan.”
She stared at He Chen, her eyes full of blame and annoyance.
He Leyan, sitting next to He Chen, sensed the gaze and pressed his small body closer to He Chen.
He Chen shielded He Leyan behind him, his voice calm: “I don’t know what you’re referring to.”
“Don’t play dumb. If you hadn’t cried poverty and played the victim, what would that Chu Yunqi know about logistics or budgets?” Mother He said coldly.
“Mother, don’t be like that. This has nothing to do with Xiao Chen.” He Siyuan interjected.
“Exactly. To put it plainly, the Third Highness wants to compete with us to be Leyan’s godfather, which is why he’s targeting Siyuan.”
Xia Xue also chimed in, looking at He Chen: “Second Brother, Siyuan is your older brother. Resources are scarce, and his work in logistics isn’t easy. He hasn’t deliberately made things difficult for your base. Don’t let outsiders provoke you with a few words.”
“I won’t.” He Chen naturally responded. “Big Brother is fair and keeps work separate from personal matters. I haven’t misunderstood. If there are any rumors in the military, I can go clarify them.”
“Then you should—”
“Mother!” He Siyuan stopped Mother He from speaking. What was there to clarify about such rumors? Forcing He Chen to step forward would only escalate the situation. He Chen probably knew this, which was why he spoke so readily.
He Siyuan glanced at He Chen, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes: His wings were getting harder.
However, they weren’t hard enough yet. He still needed to borrow the He family’s influence, which was evident from his willingness to endure his mother’s cold shoulder and obediently return to the He family residence.
Thinking this, He Siyuan’s mood improved. He smiled gently: “It’s rare for you and your son to return. Let’s not talk about these trivial matters. Mother had the kitchen prepare a big meal. Let’s eat first.”
“Alright.” He Chen cooperated and stood up. “Leyan must be hungry too.”
He wasn’t hungry. He Leyan followed suit and stood up. For some reason, he felt a little nostalgic for the big mess hall at Hanhe Base and the uncles who liked to tease him.
However, when he sat down at the large round dining table, he couldn’t help but swallow.
So many dishes, they looked beautiful and delicious…
“What flavors do you like, Leyan? Sweet or savory?”
Seeing He Leyan swallow, Xia Xue blinked. As she served him a piece of truffle omelet, she coaxed him: “Star Capital has lots of delicious food and fun things. Leyan can stay here. Auntie will take care of you. Auntie has plenty of time to research and cook delicious things for you.”
“Thank you, no need.” He Leyan said politely and quietly, picking up the omelet with his small fork to eat.
He Siyuan gave his wife a look, signaling her to stop talking. He wasn’t as hasty as his wife. He cared about the “godfather” matter, but not that much. Of course, he wanted to control He Leyan, but given his mental domain condition, he probably couldn’t control He Leyan even if he became his “godfather.”
He needed to proceed slowly with this matter.
He Siyuan ate elegantly, seemingly casually asking He Chen, “Did you interact with Director Lu when you were studying?”
“I only dealt with him once or twice.” He Chen said. “Big Brother, is your condition serious? Why are you seeking treatment from Director Lu?”
“It’s not serious. I just feel more reassured having Director Lu check it.” He Siyuan said lightly.
“To be able to consult Director Lu for a minor issue, it seems Big Brother has a good personal relationship with him.” He Chen observed.
“Not really,” He Siyuan smiled modestly. “We can just chat a bit. Director Lu is busy with important matters after all.”
Hmm, I wonder if he’s busy plotting against you.
Director Lu? Were they talking about Dadbi? He Leyan opened his mouth to speak, but a spoonful of soup was suddenly placed in his mouth.
“Good boy, you said you were hungry earlier. Eat more.” The big monster fed him soup and winked at him.
Liar, he never said he was hungry.
But He Leyan didn’t expose He Chen. He cleverly realized that He Chen didn’t want him to say what he was about to say. Although he didn’t know why, He Leyan cooperated, swallowed his words, and ate quietly.
The adults at the table started talking about other things.
The “Grandmother” had a servant place a bowl of food in front of the “Eldest Uncle,” saying it was good for his unstable mental power.
He Leyan couldn’t help but glance at the big monster: His mental power is unstable too.
But no one here seemed concerned about the big monster. The big monster didn’t even care about himself, instead raising the spoon again to feed He Leyan another mouthful of soup.
He Leyan swallowed the soup, looked at the unfamiliar dining table and the “relatives” he barely knew, timidly clenching his hands, but then suddenly spoke: “My dad is unstable too.”
After he spoke, his eyes shifted from the dish to the “Grandmother”: Isn’t she Dad’s mother?
Shouldn’t a mother care about her child?
He Yarun met the child’s questioning eyes for a moment, then expressionlessly looked away, coldly and impatiently instructing a servant: “Bring another bowl.”
“Second Brother’s mental power has been unstable recently too? Why didn’t you tell the family? We didn’t know.” Xia Xue laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
He Siyuan then asked He Chen about the nature of his mental power problem.
He Chen casually brushed them off, his hand gripping He Leyan’s small hand under the table.
The child seemed frightened by that cold gaze—a gaze directed at him for defending He Chen.
He Chen clenched his other hand, then released it, continuing to feed He Leyan as if nothing happened. He simply adjusted the direction of the dining chair so He Leyan no longer faced the table.
He Leyan accidentally ate too much again during this meal.
Back in the room, after the servants had left, he sighed in relief, wiggled his small legs, climbed onto the sofa, sat down, and rubbed his belly.
“Stuffed?” He Chen knelt down, lifted his shirt, and checked his little belly: truly round.
“You kept feeding me.” He Leyan said.
“My mistake.” He Chen smiled. He did keep feeding him, but the child ate happily and didn’t refuse.
“Why didn’t you eat yourself?” He Leyan asked again.
He Chen met his big eyes and paused: “I did eat.”
Just not much.
“I’m not hungry—” He Chen was saying, then paused again:
The cub slid off the sofa, stood on his tiptoes to reach his small backpack on the luggage rack, rummaged through it, and placed something in He Chen’s palm.
He Chen looked down at the two dog-shaped chocolates, barely enough to fill a gap in his teeth, and felt a warmth spread through his heart. “Thank you.”
He said, then suddenly leaned in and kissed He Leyan.
Oh, He Leyan picked at his small hands. What was that for, suddenly doing that…
He Chen’s face was also a little red, and he couldn’t suppress his happiness—the cub didn’t resist his kiss!
He temporarily set the chocolates down, full of energy, lifted the cub to stand on the sofa, and started taking off his outer clothes: “First, a bath. After the bath, Dad will give you a massage.”
“Are we going to live here?” While cooperating with the undressing, He Leyan looked around the unfamiliar room.
“Just one night.” He Chen said.
He had his reasons for returning to the He family. It wasn’t time to completely break ties with them. He didn’t want his words or actions to arouse suspicion from the He family. Tomorrow, after meeting the He family patriarch, his nominal uncle, and briefing him on the base situation, they could leave.
He Chen thought this, then saw He Leyan frown slightly and asked, “You don’t like it here?”
He Leyan neither nodded nor shook his head. The room was large but dim. He really didn’t like it much. “I want to stay at Dadbi’s house…”
No, you don’t.
He Chen’s expression was complicated: “Dadbi and we are not related. We can’t just stay at someone else’s house.”
“What does ‘not related’ mean?” He Leyan asked.
“It means not being relatives.”
“But Dadbi… is my Dadbi.” He Leyan said the tongue-twister-like phrase, his expression suddenly confused, even serious, as if he had understood something from He Chen’s words.
“I misspoke.” He Chen regretted it a little. “Dadbi is your Dadbi, he is your relative. It’s just that he’s not Dad’s relative, so Dad shouldn’t stay at Dadbi’s house.”
Is that so? He Leyan was somewhat appeased, but his small brows remained furrowed.
He Chen didn’t know what he was thinking. Afraid he was still dwelling on that sentence, he diverted his attention: “Have you stayed at Dadbi’s house before?”
“Mhm.” He Leyan nodded.
He really did stay there? He Chen paused his movements: “What is Dadbi’s house like?”
He wasn’t curious; he was just trying to know his enemy.
“Big.” He Leyan said.
“Bigger than this place?” The He family owned an estate, and where they were staying was just one building within the estate.
“No.” He Leyan thought about it and shook his head. The house wasn’t that big, but—”Dadbi’s house is quiet.”
There weren’t so many servants constantly watching him and the big monster, whispering to each other.
“You don’t like crowds?” Seeing the cub frown again, He Chen asked.
“I don’t like them hugging me.” He Leyan said.
When they first arrived, a maid had hugged him with great strength and tried to hand him over to the “Grandmother” with the cold eyes.
“I’m sorry.” He Chen rubbed his hair guiltily. “I won’t let them hug you anymore.”
“I don’t want to stay here forever.” Remembering what the Auntie said during dinner, He Leyan added.
“Absolutely not!” He Chen promised.
The anxiety in He Leyan’s eyes faded.
He Chen removed He Leyan’s last pair of small pants, wrapped him in a blanket, and took him into the bathroom for a bath.
After the bath, he changed He Leyan into pajamas and massaged his belly for a while. Only when He Leyan closed his eyes did He Chen leave the bedside. He picked up the chocolates left on the sofa, first quietly taking a picture, then reluctantly walked onto the balcony. He looked at the night view while opening and eating them.
He Leyan, however, quietly opened his eyes and glanced at He Chen on the balcony: Big dummy, Dadbi said you need to have a regular schedule.
He Leyan waited a little longer. Seeing that He Chen still didn’t intend to come back into the room, he finally got out of bed and walked out: “Why aren’t you taking a bath and going to sleep?”
He Chen turned his head, saw the child with bare feet, and picked him up—since He Leyan stopped resisting his hugs, He Chen seized every opportunity to hug him. “What’s wrong with you now? Can’t sleep, or still stuffed?”
He Leyan felt a little embarrassed: “Not stuffed.”
He changed the subject: “What are you looking at?”
As he walked over, He Leyan saw He Chen staring intently at one spot.
“Nothing.” He Chen paused, then reached out and pointed for He Leyan. “I was looking at a house. See that small house? That’s where I used to live.”
“You didn’t live in this house before?” He Leyan asked.
“No. Living here is thanks to you.”
What did that mean? Before He Leyan could understand, he heard He Chen ask: “If you can’t sleep, do you want to walk around to aid digestion and see the room Dad used to live in?”
Mainly, He Chen himself wanted to see it since he hadn’t been back in a long time. There were also some small trinkets of his inside that he could take out for Leyan to play with.
He Leyan didn’t object, so He Chen took it as agreement. He quickly put a jacket on him, didn’t bother with socks, and just slipped on his shoes before heading out.
It was late, and the estate was quiet. The father and son didn’t encounter anyone on their way to the house.
At this point, He Leyan realized that this house was indeed much smaller than the one they were currently staying in, and it was different from the other houses on the estate. Next to it was a row of even shorter houses, squeezed together. There were no trees or grass in front or back, but there were several thin steel wires strung up, hanging clothes that were drying—they looked like the uniforms worn by the servants he saw during the day.
He Leyan was looking up at the clothes when He Chen pushed open the door: “This is it—”
He Chen said, turning on the light, and the faint smile on his face suddenly froze.
He Leyan poked his small head out from beside He Chen’s leg, looked inside the room, and his eyes widened in surprise—
The room, from the furniture to the walls, was covered in ragged cracks, as if it had been whipped once, or several times.
There was a mirror in the room that was shattered into pieces. A set of clothes was draped over the chair in front of the mirror—identical to the uniform the big monster often wore at the base. He Leyan knew this was called a “service uniform”—but this service uniform was wrinkled and tattered, as if it had been beaten.
“What happened here?” He Leyan turned back, asking anxiously.
“Nothing happened.” He Chen regained his composure, hastily suppressing the gloom in his eyes. “It’s been uninhabited for too long. Houses get like this when no one lives in them for a long time.”
He Chen glanced at the clothes, his tone calm and reassuring as he pulled He Leyan out, closed the door, and the veins on the back of his hand tensed for a moment before relaxing.
“Second Young Master?” A maid pushed open the door from the adjacent flat house and was startled to see them. “What are you doing here?”
“Just looking around.” He Chen said. “Has anyone been here?”
“No.” The maid’s eyes flickered. “Madam said Second Young Master is grown up and can’t live here anymore, so it’s been vacant. No one has been here.”
“Second Young Master, is it dirty inside? Should I clean it?”
“No need.” He Chen coldly looked at the shifty-eyed maid, pulled He Leyan, and left.
His legs were long, and his steps grew faster. He Leyan couldn’t keep up, so He Chen scooped him up and carried him all the way back to the small villa with a courtyard where they were staying.
“What’s wrong?” He Leyan asked anxiously after being placed on the sofa.
“Nothing.” He Chen pulled over the suitcase. “We’re not staying here anymore.”
“Really?” He Leyan was a little happy, but then frowned. “Why?”
Did it have something to do with the room just now?
“No reason. Didn’t you dislike it here?” He Chen said, pausing for a moment. “If you don’t like something, you shouldn’t force yourself.”
He moved quickly, repacking the suitcase at the speed of a forced march. He led He Leyan into the speeder. By the time the He family reacted, he had already driven the speeder away from the estate gate, speeding toward the brightly lit central district of Star Capital.