Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 48
byChapter 48 A Goodnight Kiss
The next day, the aftershocks in Hanxiao City completely ceased, and the weather finally cleared.
He Chen was still busy until evening before returning to his temporary residence at the Han River Sanatorium. The sanatorium had vacant rooms in several small buildings, each with four or five rooms. Since arriving on Hanxiao Star, he and Lu Changqing and others had temporarily settled here.
Upon returning, He Chen first looked into the living room. Wen Yi was helping He Leyan draw, and Ning Tian was playing a virtual combat game with He Moyan.
He Chen walked over and tapped He Moyan’s head. “Who told you to log into my account?”
“You did,” He Moyan replied curtly, focused on dealing with Ning Tian.
He Chen then remembered that he had given He Moyan his account to help him grind points, and incidentally, to train He Moyan’s practical combat thinking, since the boy disliked theoretical study.
Thinking of this, He Chen recalled the annoying matter of his son taking a leave of absence from school, and his face darkened. “That was a reward for attending school. It’s gone now.”
As he spoke, he forcefully confiscated the optical computer in front of He Moyan.
He Moyan stood up, glanced at him, said nothing, and turned to go back to his room.
In the room, Ning Tian, Wen Yi, and the others looked at He Chen.
He Chen: …
Did he mess up even when disciplining his child?
“Dad, is school very hard?” He Leyan asked softly.
“Not hard. School is very interesting,” He Chen quickly said.
The older one was already a lost cause; the younger one absolutely could not follow suit!
“Then why doesn’t Gege like school?”
“Because everyone has their own aspirations—” He Chen paused mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something.
“Good boy, you’re the best!” He Chen pinched He Leyan’s cheek, paused again, and walked toward He Moyan’s tightly closed door.
[So Leyan really has a Gege? He Chen really has two kids?] The live stream was on, and the audience immediately started discussing.
[Can beautiful people do whatever they want! Wuwu, let me join this family quickly!]
[The older kid is cool, but I can’t see his face. This mosaic is annoying. Can it be removed?]
[I also think the mosaic is annoying, but I’m more honest than the person above. I’m not looking at the older kid; I just want to see the kid’s dad…]
[Speaking of which, who is the older kid’s mother? Is it that person?]
[Which person?]
[Lu Changqing.]
[That must have been ages ago. The older kid is so big.]
[Maybe when they were in school. Rumor has it they had a relationship back then.]
[No, wake up, people. Our Blue Star reproductive technology hasn’t advanced to the point where two men can have a baby.]
That was true. The bullet screen users sobered up and started gossiping about other things concerning He Chen.
Just then, He Moyan’s door opened again. Apparently, something had been settled. He Moyan changed into a black combat uniform and walked with He Chen to the open space behind the small building, where they adopted stances and began sparring.
However, He Chen used one hand, while He Moyan used both.
He Leyan excitedly scampered on his short legs to the glass window and clung to it, watching. One moment he shouted, “Go, Dad!” and the next, “Be careful, Gege!”
“Whose side are you on, exactly?” He Chen asked the little one irritably while parrying a move.
“I’m on Dad’s side!” He Leyan immediately yelled. “And Gege’s side too!”
That meant he hadn’t chosen a side…
Little dummy.
He Chen grumbled, but a smile bloomed on his face, so bright it was dazzling. Lu Changqing appeared in the living room at some point, staring intently at He Chen’s figure.
Wen Yi happened to turn around, saw his Director’s focused expression, and smiled, but quickly composed himself when Lu Changqing looked his way.
By the time He Chen finished his sparring session and returned inside, Lu Changqing was no longer in the living room.
“I thought I saw your Director come back just now?” He Chen glanced toward Lu Changqing’s room upstairs and looked at Wen Yi.
“He did come back for a moment, but he went out again for something,” Wen Yi said with a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Commander He, you have eyes everywhere and ears on all sides.”
He Chen detected the teasing and gave Wen Yi a look. “I have serious business with him.”
“May I ask what it is? Should I relay a message?” Wen Yi asked seriously.
“No need,” He Chen said.
Actually, it wasn’t very serious business. It was just that he hadn’t done his treatment for the past two days. Didn’t they say quality must be compensated by quantity?
“By the way, Commander He, the Director instructed me to help you with some mental soothing, as you’ve been working hard during this period of unrest.”
“No need,” He Chen instinctively refused. “I’m fine.”
He Chen then asked, “What is he busy with? Are you short-handed? Do you need me to send people to assist?”
“We’re not short on people. But after the earthquake the day before yesterday, the condition of some special patients became unstable, and only Director Lu can calm them.”
“Understood.” He Chen said no more. Seeing Leyan yawn, he picked him up to take him to bed.
The bullet screen comments scrolled rapidly: [Oho, serious business~]
[What exactly is their relationship? It doesn’t feel like a romance. That’s Lu Changqing, after all.]
[What about Lu Changqing?]
[I heard he has the power of an ancient high priest, communicating with spirits above and understanding human hearts below. He’s transcendent.]
[I don’t know if the transcendence part is true, but I know the kid’s dad is truly ‘uncommon’ in appearance…]
[It’s not as mystical as a high priest, but I heard Lu Changqing sees right through people and isn’t concerned with superficial looks. Speaking of which, someone so insightful probably wouldn’t be shallow enough to fall in love like ordinary people, right?]
[Hey, don’t represent us as ‘shallow’ first…]
[It’s not romance, stop spreading rumors. Brother Lu doesn’t like beast-type mental entities. They only interact because of He Leyan.] An ID named “Xiao Zhuang” popped up.
[Which expert is this? Do you have insider info?] The bullet screen users chased after “Xiao Zhuang,” but before they got an answer, the screen went black, and the live stream ended.
He Chen, holding He Leyan, was about to go upstairs when Ning Tian called out to him.
Seeing the boxes Ning Tian pointed to, He Chen was puzzled. “What are these?”
“They were sent to Leyan,” Ning Tian replied. “Hanxiao City announced an address for material donations, and some people sent things for Leyan along with their donations.”
“Our Leyan is so popular,” He Chen said, pinching He Leyan’s cheek. Leyan shyly twisted his head away and nestled against He Chen’s shoulder.
“Were they checked?” He Chen asked Ning Tian with some caution. He had many enemies in the He and Xia families, so he couldn’t be too careful.
“They were checked. They are all safe,” Ning Tian replied. “How should we handle them?”
“Post an announcement, thank them for their kindness, and tell them not to send any more. Donating to the disaster area is enough.”
Even if they were checked, He Chen was uneasy about He Leyan touching things sent from outside. Some methods might not be detected by ordinary checks.
“Find a warehouse for the items. Don’t keep them indoors.” As He Chen spoke, he was about to go upstairs, but Ning Tian stopped him again—
“Chu Yunqi also said he wants to donate,” Ning Tian’s tone was cold. “He keeps calling me asking what Hanxiao Star needs. Can I refuse to answer?”
“Don’t!” He Chen said. “How can you refuse such a kind-hearted rich person?”
However, it was a bit strange that Chu Yunqi only called Ning Tian.
As the saying goes, bystanders see clearly. He Chen looked at Ning Tian, recalled Chu Yunqi’s various attentions toward him, and suddenly understood something.
“Is he interested in you—” He Chen stopped halfway, meeting Ning Tian’s murderous gaze, and slammed on the brakes just in time.
Ning Tian’s older brother had served as a certain noble’s personal guard. When the noble committed a crime, he used Ning Tian’s brother as a scapegoat, and his brother was killed.
There was no way Ning Tian could like Chu Yunqi.
“Got it, I’ll handle it,” He Chen said, taking He Leyan upstairs and into the room.
“If you don’t do the soothing, will Dad really be okay?” He Leyan asked after the door closed.
“I’ll really be okay.” He Chen’s heart, which was filled with mundane affairs and calculations, warmed, and he answered confidently.
He Leyan nodded. However, while He Chen was in the bathroom running the water, he turned around, wiggled his little butt, and grunted as he pulled a thick, large book from his small suitcase under the bed.
“What is this?” He Chen asked, confused, as he came out after running the bathwater.
“Doesn’t Dad know how to read?” He Leyan asked, surprised.
Of course, he knew how to read. He Chen was just puzzled why a copy of Illustrated Guide to Advanced Mental Domain Construction would be in his son’s suitcase.
“I wondered why your suitcase was so heavy. When did you pack this?”
“Before we left,” He Leyan answered in his milky voice, carrying the large book onto the bed and setting it down.
“Where did you get it?”
“From Dadbi,” He Leyan said. “Dadbi allows me to look at the books on the shelf.”
But you have to be able to understand it… “Why are you looking at this?”
He Chen scanned the dense text on the book.
“It’s not for me to look at, it’s for you to look at,” He Leyan looked up at him.
“Huh?” He Chen was stunned.
“Dadbi said that a deeply rooted tree is not easily broken. If you don’t slack off on mental domain construction, you won’t easily suffer a mental force rampage.”
“…I didn’t slack off.” He Chen’s expression was complicated. He had slacked off, but his Dadbi had corrected him over ten years ago.
He Leyan’s face was serious. “It’s okay. Dadbi also said that as long as you realize your mistake, it’s never too late to correct it!”
Your Dadbi talks too much…
“I’ll supervise Dad. We’re reading five pages today!” He Leyan opened the large book with his small hand and looked at He Chen.
He only lacked a pointer stick.
“The water is ready. How about we take a bath first?” He Chen suggested timidly, trying to negotiate.
“Alright.” He Leyan was still amenable to negotiation, but he was quite serious about things he set his mind to. After the bath, even though he was rubbing his eyes and yawning, he insisted on “accompanying” He Chen to read five pages.
He Chen wasn’t allowed to read too fast, and after finishing, he was required to explain his insights.
“Actually, Dad’s mental force isn’t bad. It’s S-rank, which is rare among warriors,” He Chen had to boast a little to reassure his son.
“Dad is also Double-S. See, one S for physical fitness, one S for mental force. Double-S, just as powerful as your Dadbi.”
“No, that’s not how you calculate it,” He Leyan wasn’t easily fooled this time. “Dadbi has two S-ranks just for mental force, plus one S for physical fitness. That’s one more than you.”
“You can’t compare people to anomalies…”
“What?”
“Nothing. Let’s sleep. Dad is tired.” After reading those five pages, He Chen was genuinely exhausted.
He Leyan had also been tired for a long time, but he still had one thing left to do.
He scratched his little hands, and while He Chen was busy making the bed, he stood up, wrapped his arms around He Chen’s neck, and gave him a loud “Mwah!” kiss.
“Goodnight.” The little boy, wearing white pajamas with a small bear print, turned his back to He Chen and plopped down, his face flushed.
He Chen sat there, chuckling foolishly for a while, then leaned down and kissed He Leyan’s soft, fragrant cheek. “Goodnight, good boy.”
Goodnight, good Dad. He Leyan closed his eyes contentedly, hugging his stuffed wolf and dog, and quickly drifted off to sleep.
He Chen turned off the light and closed his eyes, listening to the boy’s even breathing.
This was the first time he had slept since the earthquake.
Physically exhausted, he also fell asleep quickly and soon entered a dream, but… it wasn’t a good one.
Shaking ground, collapsing boulders, dark tunnels, explosions like muffled thunder, and endless screams and wails.
He Chen crawled through it, the world before his eyes a dark red—the color of blood, indistinguishable whether it was his own or that of the enemies piled up behind him.
“Why?”
He Chen heard a hoarse voice ask. It took him a long time to realize the voice belonged to himself.
“Why?” he stubbornly asked again.
“Why?” From the end of the darkness, an even hoarser voice finally responded. “You went on patrol. Why did you suddenly come back?”
“If I hadn’t come back, how would I have known who the mole was?”
“Are you satisfied now?”
Are you satisfied now? Are you satisfied now… The voice hammered against He Chen’s eardrums. His head throbbed violently. He painfully turned his head and looked at the severed limbs and rivers of blood in the tunnel.
“Kill me, you idiot. I’ve been waiting for this,” the voice sounded again, accompanied by footsteps approaching him.
“I wanted to become stronger too much. I wanted to catch up to you, surpass you, surpass everyone. They said they would give me blood crystals without any conditions, that they were cultivating your friend.”
“I didn’t know there was a kind of blood crystal called Ice Blood Crystal.”
“They said they only wanted money, not lives. He Chen, believe it or not, I didn’t expect this to happen.”
“Take this—” The footsteps stopped. The person bent down and shoved a sword into his hand. “Kill me, or I’ll kill you and collect the reward outside.”
“And this.” A small, neatly folded square, still warm, was tucked into He Chen’s chest. “My son, I’m entrusting him to you. I trust you with him.”
Son… He Chen’s head hurt again. “Brother Jin…”
“If you still consider me your brother, get up and give me a quick death.”
“No, don’t.” He Chen shook his head. Not don’t kill him, but don’t let… the next scene happen.
But everything still happened. The cave ceiling still collapsed. In a flash of lightning, Han Jin, who could have avoided it, still perfectly and thoroughly shielded He Chen’s body, protecting his vital points.
The massive boulder still struck Han Jin’s back of the head without fail. Hot brain matter and blood still splattered onto He Chen’s face.
“Live… I’m sorr… y.”
No! You did nothing wrong! No!
He Chen struggled, suddenly opening his bloodshot eyes!