Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 68
byChapter 68: I Control You?
“Director Lu—” In the middle of the night, seeing Lu Changqing open the door and step out, Ning Tian, who had been leaning against the corridor wall, abruptly straightened up.
“There’s no danger. Go rest,” Lu Changqing said, glancing at his pale face.
Ning Tian shook his head. “Commander… is he awake? If he is, there are things he needs to handle.”
“What things?” Lu Changqing asked.
Ning Tian hesitated.
Lu Changqing knew he was reluctant to reveal everything, so he spoke first. “Regarding the people at Pingshan Base, have the military step in to calm them down. Tell them your commander is tied up investigating the scene. As for stabilizing public morale, leave that to the media. I’ll send an experienced person to assist you. Everything else can wait until tomorrow morning.”
Ning Tian bit his lip. “Yes, thank you, sir.”
But he still didn’t leave. He hesitated before saying, “Someone wants to see the Commander. He insists on seeing him now.”
“He is… Brother Xiang’s younger brother.”
*
Xiang Zhe was trembling.
The room was warm, he was wrapped in thick clothes, a heating pack was tucked into his hand, and he had been given hot water to drink.
But he was still trembling, curled up in the chair.
He Chen opened the door, watched his shaking form for a moment, then turned to Lu Changqing outside the door. “Senior Brother, could I trouble you—”
Lu Changqing walked in. Seeing Xiang Zhe flinch away in fear as he approached, he stood far away and released his mental threads. After a moment, Xiang Zhe calmed down slightly. Lu Changqing signaled to He Chen that it was alright.
He Chen then walked closer. “Xiao Zhe.”
Xiang Zhe slowly raised his head, staring at He Chen’s face for a while. As if finally waking up, he swayed and stood up.
Then his legs gave out, and he slid downward.
He Chen mechanically but quickly stepped forward and caught him, supporting him under the armpits. “Don’t be afraid. It’s over. Brother is here.”
Brother… Xiang Zhe thought of the brother who had been shattered into pieces that could never be put back together, and he started trembling again.
The difference was that with He Chen’s support and protection, he finally burst into tears as he shook.
He Chen held him tight. A flicker of humanity returned to his numb eyes, and he looked pleadingly at Lu Changqing: intervention was necessary immediately to properly comfort Xiang Zhe.
Lu Changqing naturally understood. In fact, without He Chen needing to ask, he was already walking toward Xiang Zhe.
But Xiang Zhe managed to steady himself, struggling free from He Chen’s embrace. Trembling, he stammered, “I have… something important… to give you.”
*
Xiang Zhe sat back down in the chair and opened his folding optical computer. Navigating through complex code, he finally opened an intricate system. “This is the internal control system… of Pingshan Base. I have… copied the complete set of keys—”
“Xiao Zhe,” He Chen glanced at the system for only a second before looking away. “We can talk about this after you’ve rested.”
No. Xiang Zhe shook his head. “My brother said that if he… ran into trouble, I had to give these to you immediately.”
“This is the Trojan horse Pingshan Base implanted on Lower Cloud Star. I, I wrote an interception program, and an enhanced version that can be used to implant it back into Pingshan Base.”
Wiping away the continuous flow of tears, Xiang Zhe’s trembling fingers opened and closed the Trojan horses and programs he mentioned, then opened an encrypted folder.
“This document is what my brother wrote. It’s about the internal affairs of Ping, Pingshan Base. He said the focus is on the personnel section. Which, which people can be used, which should be treated with caution, and which must be eliminated. He, he analyzed and categorized them all.”
“Mm.” He Chen spoke up. “He knows I’m terrible at that kind of thing.”
He was calm, but he tasted rust in his mouth.
“And this one,” Xiang Zhe pointed to another subfolder within the file. “This is, my brother’s—”
Xiang Zhe paused for a long time. “This is the evidence of my brother colluding with the Star Bandits. But he was forced!”
Xiang Zhe looked up at He Chen, his expression agitated.
“I know,” He Chen said. “I always knew.”
Xiang Zhe’s agitation faded. He slumped down and continued his explanation. “Inside here, there is also evidence that he was forced.”
“And this.” Finally, Xiang Zhe took a thin, pure white envelope from his inner pocket. It was addressed “For He Chen’s Eyes Only.” “He gave this to me a long time ago. His will.”
“That’s all. There’s nothing else…” Watching He Chen take the letter, Xiang Zhe stared blankly down, then his body swayed, and he suddenly fell off the chair.
He Chen, holding the letter, moved sluggishly to catch him but was a step slower than Lu Changqing.
Lu Changqing lifted Xiang Zhe up. “I’ll take care of him. You rest first.”
“No.” He Chen’s tone was numb but firm. “I’ll rest after I know he’s alright.”
Lu Changqing looked at him, said nothing, and led him into the room specially arranged for Xiang Zhe.
“Don’t worry too much. The fact that he can cry and sleep is a good sign,” Lu Changqing told him, seeing He Chen constantly staring at Xiang Zhe.
He Chen nodded. “Thank you.”
Lu Changqing looked at him. “The same goes for you.”
“What?” He Chen asked, his eyes vacant.
“Crying is a good sign.”
“Mm.” He Chen, who hadn’t shed a single tear since the incident, responded. It was unclear if he had truly registered the words.
A doctor came in to perform a physical examination on Xiang Zhe. Lu Changqing felt it was inappropriate to say more, but he instructed the medical staff, “Give General He an examination too.”
“No need. I’m fine,” He Chen said, standing up. “You have enough people here. I won’t disturb you. Be sure to notify me if anything happens.”
With that, he turned and left, but he didn’t go to rest. Instead, he went to handle the aftermath, holding a press conference to stabilize the public and personally inspecting the defense arrangements on both Upper and Lower Cloud Stars.
He was busy until midnight before finally returning to his quarters.
Once in his room, he lay stiffly on the bed for a long time. He reached into his chest pocket for the thin envelope, held it in his hand for a long time, and finally opened it:
“He Chen: As if we were meeting face to face.
If you are reading this letter, it means I am gone. I will try my best not to let you see it.
But if you unfortunately do, don’t be sad. Remember: this is the path I chose myself.
You must have sensed that this is a path I must take, one that even you cannot stop.
Because only by trying my absolute hardest, leaving no room for retreat, can I redeem myself.
I hope my efforts will bear fruit and truly help you. Anything I gained will be given to Xiang Zhe. I entrust that child to you from now on.
Also, I know you have evidence of my dealings with Fire Fox. Make it public. Only by being burdened with guilt can I truly be clean.
Finally, and most importantly: I heard Leyan say that the heart is a vessel. If you fill it with too many worries, there’s no room for good things.
You have a good heart. Remember to fill it with the memory of our high-spirited, best selves. You were not at fault for what happened three years ago. Don’t dwell on it anymore.
I will pay the debt. You walk the path.
Walk it for both of us.
Goodbye, Xiao Chen.
—Elder Brother, Xiang Heng”
He Chen read every word, but the meaning didn’t quite coalesce. His dry eyes drifted back to the top of the letter.
Just then, “Knock, knock.” A knock sounded at the door.
“Junior Brother? He Chen?”
He Chen recognized Lu Changqing’s voice, but he was slow to react.
Since the moment Xiang Heng died, he felt disconnected from reality.
Lu Changqing pushed the door open directly. Only then did He Chen react, sitting up on the bed. “What is it?”
“Checking on you.”
Seeing him sitting there properly, Lu Changqing breathed a partial sigh of relief.
“I’m fine. I was about to rest. I have a lot to do tomorrow,” He Chen said, and lay down, clearly indicating no desire for further conversation.
Lu Changqing watched him for a moment, then placed a warmed nutrient solution pack on his bedside table. “If you want to talk, I’m here anytime.”
He Chen nodded to acknowledge he heard.
Lu Changqing watched him for a few more moments, then turned to leave. But before reaching the door, he stopped and sat down on the sofa.
“I’ll rest here for a bit. You had a mental outburst in my room, and it’s a mess. They haven’t cleaned it up yet.”
Mental outburst? He Chen’s eyes moved. “I don’t remember what happened. I apologize.”
When he woke up, he was clean, dressed neatly, and lying properly on his bed. His memory stopped at the moment he crashed the speeder.
“It’s alright. People don’t remember during a mental outburst. Don’t overthink it. Sleep. We both need to conserve our energy,” Lu Changqing said, lying down on the sofa fully clothed and closing his eyes.
He Chen slowly turned his head and watched him for a while. “Are you afraid I’ll have another outburst?”
“Don’t talk. I’m falling asleep.”
“…” He Chen fell silent. The room became quiet, but it was subtly different now, no longer the completely dead silence it had been.
He Chen held the letter, closed his eyes, and fell asleep—because invisible mental threads were enveloping him like a cocoon.
*
“I’ve decided. We’ll investigate this case according to the original plan.”
The next morning, Lu Changqing had just woken up and hadn’t even sat up from the sofa when He Chen formally addressed him.
He Chen was already in his military uniform, neat and sharp, his expression tense, like a soldier about to enter battle. “With… his evidence, plus what I already had, it’s enough to prove that the He family has been colluding with Fire Fox and engaging in self-dealing for years. Three years ago, to cover up their crimes and illegally transport ore, they teamed up with Star Bandits to attack the Han River investigation team, causing heavy casualties among the Han River soldiers.”
Lu Changqing listened to his long explanation, sitting up with the blanket that had been placed over him at some point. “‘He’? Is Xiang Heng’s name now forbidden?”
He Chen glanced at him, clenching his jaw. “I can say it.”
Lu Changqing noticed the change in He Chen’s expression and felt a slight easing in his heart. His directness was meant to provoke He Chen, because having emotions was better than having none at this point. He Chen was close to withdrawing from reality, and Lu Changqing wanted to pull him back, no matter the method.
“I’m going to get busy. I’ll trouble Senior Brother to treat Xiang Zhe again today,” He Chen said.
“The He family isn’t going anywhere,” Lu Changqing said, glancing at the untouched nutrient solution on He Chen’s bedside table. “But if you don’t eat, your body will collapse.”
“I’ll eat.” He Chen walked back and picked up the nutrient solution. At the same time, he thought of something and asked Lu Changqing, “You mentioned before that the Emperor knew about the He family’s collusion with the Second Prince through Consort He, and was therefore displeased with the He family. Do you have concrete evidence of their mutual collusion?”
“Yes,” Lu Changqing answered without hesitation.
He Chen paused. Lu Changqing answered so confidently, it was as if he knew more than Consort He and the Emperor.
He Chen sipped the nutrient solution and looked at Lu Changqing. “What is the evidence?”
“The He family and the Qian family have many disguised economic dealings that won’t stand up to close scrutiny. Once the Emperor is suspicious, he’ll see clues everywhere,” Lu Changqing said.
“Mm.” He Chen nodded, seemingly deep in thought, his eyes dark.
“If necessary, I can arrange for more clues to be exposed in Star Capital to further provoke the Emperor,” Lu Changqing offered.
He knew that He Chen’s original plan—to reopen the old case and accuse Xiang Heng—had two goals. One was to save Xiang Heng from He Hongsheng, and the second was the “truth revealed” he had always longed for: nailing the He family to the pillar of shame to atone for his two hundred-plus brothers.
At this moment, that second goal was likely the urgent and sole thing He Chen could throw himself into.
It was better for him to have something to do than to be numb, chaotic, and blank. Lu Changqing was fully cooperative.
He looked at He Chen, who hadn’t answered, and frowned slightly. “Are you uncomfortable? A headache?”
It was inevitable that He Chen would have lingering effects after a mental outburst.
“No.” He Chen shook his head. He was thinking about Lu Changqing’s words. “Further” provocation—if it was “further,” then there must have been previous ones…
“If you’re uncomfortable, keep resting,” Lu Changqing said.
He Chen shook his head, suppressing his thoughts. “I need it.”
“Need what?” Lu Changqing didn’t immediately catch on.
“I need to continue provoking the Emperor.” He Chen turned his back to Lu Changqing, tightly squeezing the empty nutrient solution pack before tossing it into the trash. He turned back, his eyes sincere. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”
“No need.” Lu Changqing walked toward He Chen, intending to check his mental domain before he left, but He Chen simultaneously stepped past him. “I’m leaving now.”
Lu Changqing frowned.
In that instant, he felt distance and wariness return to He Chen. What happened? Was the pain too intense, triggering a defense mechanism? Lu Changqing pondered heavily…
Outside the door, the sincere, almost childlike look He Chen had shown Lu Changqing was gone from his eyes.
Instead, suspicion, struggle, and a pain distinct from numbness flashed through them.
But soon, subordinates gathered around, and He Chen suppressed all emotion, leaving only coldness in his gaze.
That evening, around dinner time, Lu Changqing knocked on the door of He Chen’s temporary office and entered, flipping the video call He Chen was on to show him. “Leyan is looking for you.”
He Chen looked up. The video showed He Leyan’s concerned face. “Papa, have you been eating properly?”
Hearing his son’s childish yet serious voice, a flicker of life returned to He Chen’s eyes, and he managed a smile—though it was slightly stiff. “Not yet. I’m about to. Did Leyan eat?”
He Leyan shook his head. “My tummy hurts. I can’t eat.”
“Why does your tummy hurt?” He Chen frowned.
He Leyan paused, seemingly thinking before answering. “I ate too much…”
“My tummy is bloated, and I want Papa to rub it. When are you coming back, Papa?” He Leyan asked.
“Papa—” He Chen hesitated. “Papa is busy. I’ll be back in two days.”
“Okay…” He Leyan said dutifully, but his voice somehow sounded tearful. “Then hurry up and finish your work, Papa.”
After a few more words, He Leyan ended the video call. Sitting there alone, he suddenly started wiping away tears.
“Leyan, what’s wrong?” Deng Tie asked cautiously. “Don’t cry. The Commander really is busy. He’ll be back in a couple of days.”
He Leyan wasn’t upset about that. “Papa is unhappy. Papa is very unhappy.”
This—Deng Tie felt a pang in his nose. Xiang Heng’s incident had happened, and Deng Tie could naturally imagine the Commander’s state of mind, but he hadn’t expected Leyan to be so perceptive. No one had told a child about Xiang Heng’s situation.
“The Commander is fine. He’s just too busy and tired. See, he was even smiling at you, wasn’t he?” Deng Tie tried to comfort the child, feigning cheerfulness despite his own sadness.
“No.” He Leyan sniffled, his eyes redder. He didn’t know why, but he just felt something was wrong. Papa’s face was smiling, but his heart was crying. “I miss Papa…”
*
He had said he would return in two days, but He Chen went back to Hanxiao Star just one day later.
It was because he was worried about He Leyan, and more importantly, because Xiang Heng was to be interred.
Following Xiang Heng’s final wish, he was buried in the cemetery on Hanxiao Star, next to Han Jin’s grave.
After burying the ashes and some old items recovered from Han River Base, and holding a simple ceremony, He Chen dismissed everyone and stood alone before the tombstone for a long time.
The wind blew through, and the cemetery was filled with soft, mournful sounds, as if whispering secrets to him. But when he listened closely, it was empty and silent.
His terminal lit up. Lu Changqing had sent a message: [The base’s spaceship has arrived. Leyan and Moyan are waiting for you to come back for dinner.]
He Chen read the message, stood for a few more breaths, and finally turned to walk out of the cemetery. He walked all the way to the exit before realizing Lu Changqing was waiting there.
“I’ve calmed down. I won’t have another mental outburst easily. Senior Brother doesn’t need to constantly watch me,” He Chen said, stopping briefly before continuing forward.
“I know,” Lu Changqing replied, glancing at him and matching his pace. “How long has it been since you rested? You’re swaying when you walk.”
In just two days, He Chen had lost weight. Dressed in black, he looked even paler.
“I’m fine,” He Chen replied. He just wasn’t sleepy. He would sleep when he was tired, and eat when he was hungry.
Speaking of eating, He Chen looked at Lu Changqing. “Did Senior Brother teach Leyan to say his ‘tummy hurts’?”
“No,” Lu Changqing answered. “Why do you ask?”
“I know Senior Brother is worried about me, so you used Leyan to distract and divert my attention, but—” He Chen paused. “I don’t like being manipulated or deceived.”
Manipulated or deceived?
Lu Changqing stopped walking. “Leyan’s stomach ache was real. I didn’t teach him to say that. However—”
Lu Changqing frowned deeply. “I think that’s not what you really want to talk about.”
“Is there something else on your mind? What happened that makes you feel I’m deceiving and manipulating you?”
He Chen was silent for a moment.
“You’ve known about the He family’s collusion with the Second Prince for a long time, haven’t you, Senior Brother?”
Yesterday, when he asked Lu Changqing if there was concrete evidence of the He family’s collusion with the Second Prince, he heard Lu Changqing say “Yes” without hesitation. At that moment, He Chen felt something was wrong, as if he had overlooked something. When he heard Lu Changqing mention specific evidence and clues, He Chen finally realized what was wrong:
Lu Changqing had always known.
“Senior Brother has always known about the He family’s collusion with the Second Prince, and you probably had the evidence long ago, which is why you could easily ‘continue’ to throw out clues to provoke the Emperor.”
“Since it’s ‘continue,’ the previous provocations must have been led by Senior Brother. You once told me that the Emperor learned about the He family’s collusion with the Second Prince from Consort He, but how did Consort He know? Senior Brother didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t think much of it.”
He Chen curled his lips into a smile, though no warmth reached his eyes. “My mind is still not sharp enough. I should have thought one step further. After all, who in Star Capital has better intelligence than Senior Brother?”
Lu Changqing ignored his barbed tone and answered calmly. “This matter is indeed related to me. I didn’t specifically mention it, not because I wanted to deceive you, but because I didn’t think it was the main point.”
“What is the ‘main point’?” He Chen asked.
Just as Lu Changqing was about to speak, He Chen continued. “You decide what the ‘main point’ is, don’t you?”
His eyes were cold, steeped in the night, almost freezing. “You knew long ago that the Emperor was wary of the He family and the Second Prince colluding, and you held the evidence, yet you watched me, watched me and Brother Xiang stumble along, telling me the He family was too powerful, and that revenge wouldn’t happen overnight!”
Lu Changqing clenched his fist tightly—he was furious.
He had prided himself on his intelligence, but only at this moment did he realize what had triggered He Chen’s outburst.
“I never intended to deceive you, and I was serious about helping you get revenge.” After a few seconds of calm, Lu Changqing spoke in a deep voice. “I did know about the He family and the Second Prince’s collusion, but the He family wasn’t the only military family secretly dealing with the Second Prince. The law doesn’t punish the masses. If this wasn’t brought up at the right time, it would at most severely damage the Second Prince, but the He family might not be fundamentally hurt.”
“What is the right time?” He Chen asked coldly.
“When those families were fighting among themselves over the Blood Crystals, and the Emperor wanted to make an example of one family without fearing their combined resistance.”
“Are you sure?” He Chen sneered. “The ‘right time’ isn’t after you successfully took control of Han River and the ore mines?”
“I control Han River?” Lu Changqing looked up, meeting his eyes. “Is a single soldier in Han River mine? Is a single defense line under my command?”
“No, they’re not yours. The soldiers are mine, and the defense lines are mine, so you—” He Chen stopped abruptly in his angry outburst.
“So I what?”
“So you want to control me,” He Chen said, turning his head away.
Lu Changqing tightly clenched his hand—in anger. “You overestimate me. How could I possibly have the ability to control you? It’s more likely that I’m controlled by you.”
After saying that, he looked at He Chen’s stubborn but visibly thinner face, and his heart softened again. “You’ve just gone through a major upheaval and had a mental outburst. Your emotions are unstable right now. We can discuss these things slowly another day.”
“I don’t want to discuss it slowly,” He Chen looked back at him. “I am calm and rational. I know what I’m saying. Even if everything you just explained is true, and you were just waiting for the right time, why couldn’t you have told me beforehand that you held such important leverage over the He family?”
“Telling me didn’t require a ‘right time,’ did it?”
He asked, “calmly and rationally,” a thin, angry flush coloring his face.
“If I told you, you wouldn’t have been able to keep your composure,” Lu Changqing replied.
“And how do you know I wouldn’t have kept my composure?”
He Chen answered for him. “Because you are too smart. You pride yourself on understanding everyone. Everyone is your chess piece, and you calculate every step we should take.”
“In your view, whether revenge happens today or tomorrow makes no difference to a chess piece.”
“But you are not him. You wouldn’t calculate that some chess pieces can’t keep their composure because they are suffering agony over this matter every day, every moment, every second!”
“You also didn’t calculate that some people would become undercover agents because of that agony, using greater pain to wash away the sins on themselves, only to end up—”
He Chen stopped abruptly, took a large step, and walked away quickly.
Lu Changqing remained in place, watching him leave, then looked back at the cemetery. After a long moment, he slowly and heavily began walking toward the sanatorium.