Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 71
byChapter 71 Mutual Apologies
“Dad!” He Leyan walked into the ward and saw his father sitting up in bed, looking reasonably well.
The golden beans he had been holding back for so long finally spilled out. “Stupid Dad, how could you fall asleep in the mental domain!”
—Lu Changqing’s casual comforting words had been taken seriously by him.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention for a moment.” He Chen waved him over, hugged his head, and also called He Moyan, who was standing at the door, to come closer. “Dad is fine now. Dr. Wen and the others have checked me. Dad just hasn’t slept much lately and is sleep-deprived.”
Wen Yi opened his mouth, wanting to say something but holding back.
“You’re lying!” He Leyan rubbed away his tears, raising his tense little face. “Something is clearly wrong with you! You were very unhappy, so unhappy that you fainted!”
“I didn’t faint… Stop crying, your eyes are getting red.” He Chen lovingly touched He Leyan’s eyes. Seeing his worried expression, he hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Dad… did run into something. Dad’s good friend, Uncle Xiang, is gone.”
“Gone where?”
“Somewhere very far away… He has returned to the embrace of the Blood God.” He Chen briefly clenched his fingers, then forced himself to relax. “But it’s okay, Dad will handle it.”
“Uncle Xiang, is he dead?” He Leyan asked.
The child didn’t shy away from the word “dead”; he asked innocently and directly.
He Chen tightened his fingers again. “Yes.”
As the word “yes” left his lips, his eyes darkened, but his body relaxed slightly.
It was as if a stone that had been lodged inside him for a long time had finally hit the ground.
He had finally accepted the reality.
He accepted it, but He Moyan found it harder to process. “Who died?”
“Uncle Xiang.”
He Moyan said “Oh,” lowered his head, and processed it for a moment. “He promised to teach me a set of blade techniques after I graduated from the military academy. Will he still teach me?”
He Chen was silent for a while. “Haven’t you not graduated from the military academy yet?”
He Moyan looked up at him blankly, then suddenly turned and started to walk out.
“Stop right there.” He Chen called him back. “Come here, give me a hug.”
Seeing He Moyan hesitate, he added, “That’s an order.”
He Moyan silently walked over, let him hug him, and then continued his previous action: walking out of the ward, confused, silent, and irritable.
Silly boy, he doesn’t even realize he’s grieving…
As for the blade techniques, only he himself could teach them now. He Chen hugged Leyan tightly.
*
After He Leyan fell asleep, exhausted, on the small bed nearby, He Chen quietly asked Wen Yi, “How is your Dean?”
“I’m not sure, the Dean might still be resting. Are you looking for him? Should I call him?”
“No need.” He Chen lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time, then suddenly sat up. “I’m going out for a walk.”
Ignoring Wen Yi’s attempts to stop him, he wandered into the corridor with his IV drip still attached. He saw a light shining from the stairs leading upstairs and remembered that Lu Changqing’s office was up there.
He gripped the stair railing and finally walked toward the light.
Lu Changqing had just finished meditating after consuming a piece of Pecan Stone. When he opened the door, he saw He Chen standing outside, wearing a patient gown, leaning against the wall, lost in thought.
He had often been in this spaced-out state privately over the past two days.
“Looking for me? Why didn’t you knock?” Lu Changqing asked.
“I was afraid of disturbing you.” He Chen snapped out of it and looked at him. “I’m sorry, Senior Brother, and thank you for saving my life again.”
“Saving lives is my job, don’t worry about it.” Lu Changqing said, stepping back to let him in. “Your blood is back. Didn’t you feel it?”
Only then did He Chen look at the hand with the IV drip.
Lu Changqing had him sit on the sofa, washed his hands, and got a cotton swab to remove the needle and apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
They sat opposite each other in silence for a moment. He Chen spoke first. “Wen Yi said my state just now was very dangerous. Was Senior Brother injured?”
Aside from… what happened in the lake, and the fever in the mental domain, He Chen’s memory was somewhat hazy.
“No injuries, just some depletion, which I’ve already recovered from,” Lu Changqing replied, pressing down on his hand.
He Chen looked up at him, saw that he looked well, and sighed in relief. He then said, “What I said that day was reckless. Please forgive me, Senior Brother.”
“You didn’t say anything wrong,” Lu Changqing said.
“I said I would try not to hide things from you and hoped you would be more honest with me. In fact, I haven’t been honest with you.”
“I only answer what you actively ask. If you don’t ask, I naturally assume I don’t need to tell you.”
At this point, Lu Changqing paused. Remembering Shen Xingzhou saying he hid himself too deeply, he overcame his hesitation and spoke:
“Because I needed to secretly build up strength to fight my father, I got used to acting without revealing my intentions. However, the reason I rarely volunteer information is partly due to habit, and also because—”
Lu Changqing paused again and looked at He Chen. “It’s also because I selfishly didn’t want you to discover how deep my schemes run. I know you don’t like people like that.”
Even if you didn’t say anything, I didn’t think your schemes were shallow… He Chen thought, lowering his head.
“I deeply regret what happened with Xiang Heng,” Lu Changqing said calmly, removing the cotton swab and applying a bandage to He Chen’s hand.
“You can, and should, blame me. I was wrong. I promised to help you with revenge but withheld information. My need for control is too strong; I’m used to controlling everything, so I chose what I thought was the ‘best’ plan for you.”
“I didn’t consider your feelings, nor did I anticipate that the plan to rescue Xiang Heng would go wrong.”
He Chen was silent for a moment, then withdrew his hand. “I didn’t anticipate it either.”
He had set the specific plan for rescuing Xiang Heng, so what right did he have to criticize others for lack of thoroughness?
He Chen lowered his head, his eyes becoming vacant again.
Lu Changqing didn’t know how long the “time” Shen Xingzhou mentioned would take, or how long He Chen would need to truly emerge from his pain.
He also didn’t know if He Chen could truly let go of his reservations about him.
“If you can’t figure things out right away, you can talk to Old Man Fang. Not for psychological treatment, just a chat,” Lu Changqing finally suggested.
He tried to be objective, offering advice rather than attempting to control him—even though Lu Changqing desperately wanted to control the situation.
“If the pressure is too great and remains unresolved, what happened tonight could happen again,” he finally added.
“I understand,” He Chen replied, looking up at Lu Changqing. “In the future, I will think twice, trust Senior Brother more, and not maliciously speculate about Senior Brother’s intentions.”
“I will organize the personnel at Pingshan Base and take over as soon as possible.”
“No rush, focus on recovering your health first,” Lu Changqing said.
“This is how I recover,” He Chen said, standing up, ready to leave. But before stepping out, he couldn’t help but add—
“Scheming and scheming are not the same thing.”
Hmm? Lu Changqing looked up. “What do you mean?”
“Senior Brother’s scheming is not the same as the scheming of people like He Siyuan or He Hongsheng.” He Chen glanced at Lu Changqing, then lowered his head again. “I also don’t dislike people like Senior Brother.”
He said the second half quickly and quietly. After speaking, he closed the door and hurried down the stairs.
Walking too fast, his still-unrecovered head started to ache and feel muddled again.
He Chen had originally thought he wouldn’t like people who were too smart.
But Lu Changqing was different.
He was different because beneath his schemes lay a compassionate heart, and He Chen’s heart wasn’t entirely blind; he could see it.
He saw it when Lu Changqing used himself as a shield to protect Leyan and the strangers in the collapsed ruins.
He saw it on the nights when Lu Changqing’s eyes were gentle as he told Leyan stories.
He saw it in his daily life, walking alone into dangerous wards, facing dangerous patients alone, constantly walking a tightrope, yet never complaining.
And he saw it the moment Lu Changqing helped him retrieve his father’s belongings and said, “Among friends, you don’t have to keep up the facade anymore…”
Scheming was just a means. Behind those deep schemes was the real Lu Changqing—a person He Chen wanted to explore, understand, care for, and, despite his resistance, desperately wanted to be close to.
Even when Lu Changqing was deeply calculating, He Chen was actually attracted, even if he refused to admit it…
However, a monster named “Suspicion” lived in He Chen’s heart. When he doubted Lu Changqing, all of this was forgotten.
Being repeatedly doubted, even Senior Brother’s good temper must have been chilled and disappointed.
When they met just now, he seemed more distant and polite than usual…
Were his words in the mental domain, “I will always stay with you,” just therapeutic rhetoric?
He was starting to doubt again… He Chen hated this part of himself.
If he hadn’t doubted Brother Xiang, if he hadn’t talked openly with him, maybe Brother Xiang wouldn’t have—Stop. Halt.
He Chen pinched his throbbing head and quietly climbed onto the bed—the one with Leyan.
Hugging the soft, fragrant little body like a koala, his eyes, dry for many days, suddenly felt moist.
He Chen didn’t make a sound, covering his eyes with his arm for a moment, then wiping his eyes dry and silently falling asleep next to his cub.
Lu Changqing had followed him downstairs. Seeing this scene from a distance, he didn’t approach the ward but quietly sat down and kept watch outside.
*
The next day, He Chen had business on Shangyun Star. Before leaving, he first went to the Beast-Human ward to find Old Man Fang:
“Old Man Fang, could I trouble you to talk to Xiang Zhe when you have time and offer him some guidance?”
“Of course.” Old Man Fang enthusiastically agreed. “I will do my best, but I can’t guarantee the effect. Any little bit helps.”
“Thank you, Old Man Fang.”
“No need to be polite with an old man like me. Are you rested? Going off to work already?”
“Yes, I am.” He Chen was slightly infected by the old man’s warmth and vitality, and he managed a slight smile. “The busier I am, the faster I recover.”
“Even so, you need to balance work and rest. Someone is worried about you,” Old Man Fang said, glancing toward the isolation area in the room.
He Chen assumed the “someone” Old Man Fang referred to was Lu Changqing. He was used to this kind of teasing and just smiled without saying anything.
But after smiling, he thought for a moment and suddenly asked, “Old Man Fang, can excessive caution, always distrusting others, be cured?”
“It depends on the specific situation,” Old Man Fang replied. “Who are you talking about?”
“Ahem, me,” He Chen said.
“You?” Old Man Fang looked at him. “I think you’re fine, but if you truly have this problem, we can find time to talk about it specifically.”
“Mhm.” He Chen glanced at his terminal and tapped his fingers. “I have twenty minutes. I wonder if that’s enough.”
“It’s enough.” Old Man Fang sensed his reluctance and took the initiative. “Xiao Chen, I know a little about your past experiences, so allow me to start.
“If you are truly overly cautious and find it difficult to trust others, it might be related to two things: your experience three years ago, and your childhood experiences.”
“Childhood?” He Chen looked at Old Man Fang. “Do you know what I went through as a child?”
“I don’t know the specifics, but I can make a reasonable inference.”
“You didn’t have a stable, safe living environment as a child. Most of the time, you probably had to rack your brains just to survive, and you needed to quickly and accurately identify danger. Have you ever seen a wild animal, unprotected by its parents, that isn’t vigilant or wary?”
“Screech!” A sound of scratching through the wall paint suddenly came from the isolation area.
“How about we go somewhere quieter to talk?”
Old Man Fang stood up, and the isolation area quieted down again.
“It’s fine, let’s talk here.” He Chen absentmindedly glanced at the isolation area, then looked away.
“My childhood wasn’t as miserable as you imagine,” he said softly.
He Chen was used to it and genuinely didn’t think it was that bad. He just had to be careful when foraging and observe and consider things more when finding shelter. For example, low-lying areas were no good; once, during a midnight downpour, all his belongings were washed away…
That’s why he still dislikes living on the first floor and always keeps his possessions minimal—thinking about it this way, was he really being influenced by his childhood self?
Old Man Fang then said, “See, when you say you weren’t that miserable, it might be due to your naturally optimistic nature, but there’s a possibility that it’s also a form of self-protection.”
“By making your emotions dull and becoming carefree, you can shield yourself from some harm and focus your energy on survival. However, while your emotions might be dull, you must be sensitive to danger.”
“When you gained a stable living environment, this sensitivity and accumulated insecurity might have receded slightly, but they were re-triggered by certain events.”
Such as being betrayed by a comrade and then stabbed in the back by his birth mother… Old Man Fang didn’t have the heart to say it directly.
Seeing He Chen’s thoughtful expression, he clearly understood what he was referring to.
“Good child, don’t blame yourself, and don’t think of this as a ‘flaw.’ There’s nothing wrong with protecting yourself.”
“Thank you, Old Man Fang.” He Chen said. “Hearing you say that, maybe I… really have extenuating circumstances?”
He smiled, then lowered his head again. “But I still want to change.”
“I feel like my suspicion is hurting others.”
It hurt Brother Xiang, and it hurt Lu Changqing. Even he himself didn’t feel good about it.
Old Man Fang looked at him, wondering who the “others” he referred to were. Considering that his interactions with everyone else were normal, but things were often awkward between him and Lu Changqing, he vaguely understood.
“I want to know how I can improve this problem?” He Chen looked up and asked.
“To improve it—” Old Man Fang pondered for a moment and suggested, “One thing is to actively ask and communicate more when you have doubts.”
“Another is the universal remedy: live a healthy, disciplined life to enhance your sense of control and security.”
“Oh, and also, be aware of your negative thoughts and use reason to analyze whether your suspicions are justified—the fact that you came to see me shows you are already aware, which is a great start.”
Old Man Fang looked at He Chen, implying, “When you have someone you care about, someone you don’t want to hurt and want to protect, that is your opportunity for change. In fact, you don’t even need to ask me; your heart will naturally know what to do.”
Is that so? Then his heart must be a stupid one, because he was still completely confused.
He Chen frowned, wanting to ask for more clarity, but his terminal suddenly rang.
“I’m sorry, Old Man Fang, I have to go now.” He stood up after checking his terminal.
“Go on, go on. We can talk when you get back.”
Old Man Fang stood up to see him out. After he left, he looked at the isolation area. “You’ve been absent for too long. Are you going to continue being absent?”
“Let’s tell him. He won’t mind your appearance—”
“Clang!” A sound of something hitting the wall came from the isolation area.
“Alright, alright, I won’t say anything. Calm down, calm down. Smash it if you must, but don’t use your head…”
*
“Dad!” He Leyan, led by Lu Changqing, appeared and called out to He Chen before he boarded the shuttle.
“Leyan, Dad will be back in two days, or maybe just one.” He Chen rubbed the cub’s little head, thinking the cub was just reluctant to see him go.
He Leyan was indeed reluctant, but he was here for something more important.
“Dad, this is for you.” The child solemnly pulled out a piece of paper.
“What is this?” He Chen opened the paper, confused by the gray, smudged blob on it.
“This is Uncle Xiang,” He Leyan said.
He Chen froze: Although, this was a bit too abstract…
“Dad.” He Leyan tugged at the distracted He Chen. “Sometimes the sky just rains, and bad things just happen. Don’t be sad, Dad.”
He Chen froze again and looked at Lu Changqing.
Lu Changqing shook his head: He hadn’t taught him that.
Strictly speaking, it was taught by him—it was what he had said to comfort Leyan when Moyan was injured last time.
“Leyan is very sensible, more insightful than us,” Lu Changqing said, looking at He Chen.
He Chen nodded, bent down, and kissed the cub. “Thank you, Leyan. Dad will remember that.”
After saying goodbye, he boarded the shuttle. Once seated, he took the drawing out of his pocket again.
After turning it around and struggling to identify it, he suddenly understood. That gray blob was clearly a tombstone.
Although his mood was not light, He Chen managed a slight curve of his lips: his cub’s way of comforting people was certainly unique.
Folding up the “tombstone” Xiang Heng and placing it in his breast pocket, He Chen pulled out a dagger—the one Xiang Heng kept close to him. He gripped the dagger, his eyes looking out at the boundless star river outside the viewport.
Below, He Leyan was being led back by Lu Changqing, looking a bit listless. “I miss Dad.”
“Dad left five minutes ago,” Lu Changqing said.
He Leyan yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Daddy, my head hurts.”
Lu Changqing frowned, squatted down, and touched his forehead. “Leyan, you have a fever.”