Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 13

Chapter 13 The Big Monster (Part 1)

“What happened? I heard you fainted in the bathroom and smashed the mirror?”

Early the next morning, He Chen burst into the base’s treatment room in a rush.

“It’s nothing. Don’t make a fuss. I just haven’t been resting enough lately, and my mental domain is a bit unstable,” Xiang Heng calmly explained, meeting his anxious gaze.

“Is that so?” He Chen looked inquiringly at Shao Ying, the mental power therapist standing nearby.

“That’s basically it,” Shao Ying replied. “Instructor Xiang has always had trouble sleeping. I advised him to take a good rest for a while.”

“Then rest!” He Chen’s tone was firm. He looked at Xiang Heng. “Three days off. That’s an order!”

“No. I can take leave, but not these two days.” Xiang Heng shook his head, getting up from the treatment table to grab his military jacket. “I’m leading this patrol mission. I’ll rest when I get back.”

“I’ll patrol for you. Just rest assured,” He Chen pressed him back onto the treatment table and looked at Shao Ying. “He’s in your hands. Use mandatory measures if necessary.”

“Yes, Commander,” Shao Ying agreed with a smile.

He Chen patted his shoulder, then turned to Xiang Heng. They were too familiar with each other, so familiar that few words were needed. “I’m leaving.”

Xiang Heng nodded, sitting on the treatment table, watching He Chen stride away.

He Chen, who had been striding away, suddenly stopped shortly after leaving the room.

He stood still for a moment, then turned back and pushed open the treatment room door.

“What is it?” Xiang Heng looked at him gently, exactly as he always did.

“Nothing.” He Chen looked at him seriously. “Brother, take good care of yourself and look after the house.”

Xiang Heng paused for a moment, then nodded lightly.

He Chen seemed reassured. He turned around and truly strode away.

*

“No, I don’t want to go!” He Leyan was inexplicably dug out of bed by He Chen. He was still half-asleep, confused, and very resistant.

He didn’t want to ride any spaceship. He, his dream wasn’t finished. He was dreaming about playing with the children in the medical district!

“It’ll be fun. We’ll be back in two days,” He Chen didn’t understand why the little one was so resistant. Cruising through space on a spaceship—what child wouldn’t like that?

He Chen was puzzled, but time was running out. He didn’t feel safe leaving He Leyan at the base, so he could only pack him up and take him along, then slowly ask and explain later.

Ignoring He Leyan’s struggles, he hoisted He Leyan onto his shoulder, grabbed his small backpack, packed a few items, tossed the bag to Ning Tian, and, carrying the little one, strode quickly onto the boarding ramp, crossed the docking bay, and entered the patrol ship.

Ning Tian followed him onto the ship one step behind and sealed the hatch.

“Hatch sealed. Gravity anchors releasing. Please confirm ship status. Countdown to departure commencing…”

A gentle mechanical female voice sounded. “Waaah!” He Leyan burst into tears. “Bad guy! Let me go back! I want Daddy!”

“Boss, what’s going on?” A question came through the communication channel—He Chen had just opened the channel to issue the departure command, and He Leyan’s loud cry was heard by the entire team.

“He Chen, you brought Leyan?” Chu Yunqi’s voice also came through the comms, sounding quite malicious. “You’re abusing Leyan. I’ve recorded it. The child shouldn’t be with you. It would be much better if I took him back to Star Capital…”

He Chen frowned, closed the channel, and looked at Ning Tian. “Why is he here too?”

Ning Tian was also unaware. He asked someone and then answered He Chen, “He complains about being bored every day. Instructor Xiang agreed to let him join this patrol.”

Ning Tian frowned coldly, but a sharp glint flashed in He Chen’s eyes. He gave a strange laugh. “That’s good news.”

What good news? Before Ning Tian could figure it out, He Chen manually issued the departure command, handed the piloting authorization to Ning Tian, and squeezed into the back row, forcing a smile to comfort the child. “Don’t cry, you’ll get the hiccups again.”

The comfort wasn’t effective, but the ship jolted during self-check, and He Leyan instinctively stopped crying.

“Such a good boy.” He Chen thought his words had worked, and his smile became more natural. He pulled something out of his own backpack. “Look what this is?”

He Leyan looked through tear-blurred eyes and couldn’t help but stare: it was a tiny spacesuit.

So what if it was a spacesuit? He wasn’t curious at all!

He Leyan was still angry about being suddenly carried away. He turned his head away from He Chen, but when He Chen held up the puffy white pants for him, he didn’t refuse and even cooperated by lifting his butt slightly.

He was only doing it for safety, hmph!

After dressing the little one in the full spacesuit, including the round helmet, He Chen looked him over with satisfaction, his eyes full of smiles. He proudly poked Ning Tian to make him look: So cute, awww!

Ning Tian glanced over coolly and calmly returned to the control panel.

Boring ice block.

He Chen stopped bothering Ning Tian, opened the visor on the little one’s helmet, revealing the adorable small face. “How about a photo?”

He Leyan twisted his face away, refusing to look at the terminal He Chen held up. “No!”

“To send to your Daddy and Papa Wen.”

He Leyan stopped protesting.

He Chen quickly snapped a photo, squatted down, and looked into He Leyan’s eyes to explain, “Daddy isn’t kidnapping you. I’m taking you out to play. It’s just like when you went to the park in Star Capital.”

“I only go to the park on Saturdays. Today is Wednesday,” He Leyan said, pursing his lips.

“Just pretend today is Saturday,” He Chen said casually.

But today was clearly Wednesday. He Leyan pursed his lips again. However, he was awake now and didn’t throw a tantrum anymore, though he was a little nervous. His life used to be very stable. He liked knowing what he was doing every day and disliked sudden arrangements.

Especially ones this sudden and unfamiliar.

He Leyan looked at this “spaceship,” which was sealed on all sides with only a circular window in the front.

This “spaceship” was very different from the hovercars and shuttles he had ridden before. It was bigger than a hovercar, but more cramped. Aside from the seats for the big monster and Uncle Ice Block, the control panel covered in buttons, and the virtual screens flashing red and blue lights, there was hardly any space left.

Oh, and the bed he was sitting on, which took up the back half of the ship.

“This can fold up. It’s amazing, look—” He Chen noticed his gaze. Seeing him look at the bed beneath him, he pressed a button.

The bed began to deform and retract. He Chen naturally picked up the little one sitting on the bed.

He Leyan stiffened.

He Chen also stiffened.

He got to hold him!

He Chen’s heart suddenly blossomed, but he dared not show anything. Once the bed transformed into a seat, he calmly placed He Leyan in it, adjusted the safety harness, and maintained his composure and asked, “How is it? Isn’t it amazing?”

“Daddy’s hovercar has that,” He Leyan said, sounding a little distracted.

It’s always Daddy… It doesn’t matter. He wasn’t jealous.

The other person was just “Daddy,” but he was “Papa,” registered on the household register! And he got to hold the little one! If he held him, was kissing far behind? If he kissed him, was becoming a genuine father far behind?

He Chen had a grand vision and a long-term perspective. After giving himself a pep talk, he said steadily, “We’re about to accelerate for departure. It will be bumpy for a while, but it’s very safe. Sit tight and don’t be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid,” He Leyan said, quietly raising his head to glance at He Chen, who was putting on his own spacesuit.

Just now, when the big monster picked him up, he felt like he had smelled the big monster’s scent somewhere before.

Where was it? If he smelled it again, he would definitely remember…

He Leyan tried hard to think, but stopped halfway. “Your—”

He looked at He Chen, who was now fully suited, then at Ning Tian, and frowned slightly. “Why aren’t your clothes puffy?”

Not puffy? He Chen glanced at the streamlined combat suits on Ning Tian and himself, then looked back at the bulky He Leyan, and laughed. “Ours are combat models, different from yours. Yours is the baby model, which is safer.”

And cuter! Personally designed and manufactured by Commander He!

*

Ten patrol ships formed a column, safely departing the port one after another, heading into boundless space.

Xiang Heng, remaining at the base, watched the trails left by the ships through the treatment room window, silently clenching his fingers.

He Chen knew nothing, but Xiang Heng understood that when He Chen returned, things between them would never be the same.

On the spaceship, He Chen also watched the Han River Base receding through the navigation panel, his expression no less complex and profound than Xiang Heng’s back at the base.

However, he quickly masked that depth and looked at He Leyan. “We’re stable now. Are you uncomfortable? Dizzy?”

His answer was a series of dry retches from He Leyan.

He Chen’s expression changed. He quickly grabbed a water cup and held it under He Leyan’s mouth, while his other hand reached out to gently pat He Leyan’s back.

“Why did you insist on bringing Leyan?” Ning Tian looked at him, puzzled.

“I was worried it wouldn’t be safe to leave him at the base,” He Chen answered Ning Tian casually, focused on He Leyan’s reaction.

“Where wouldn’t it be safe?” Ning Tian was even more confused.

“…You wouldn’t understand.”

He Chen casually brushed Ning Tian off. Seeing that He Leyan was only dry retching and hadn’t thrown up anything, he relaxed slightly. He knelt on one knee, dragged a supply box from under He Leyan’s feet, took out a heating strip, and quickly heated a cup of warm water, feeding it to him in small sips.

Ning Tian was still worried. “A therapist’s physique can’t compare to ours, or even to ordinary people. Why would you—”

“Who says it can’t compare?” He Chen interrupted him, stating firmly, “Leyan’s physique is no worse than anyone else’s.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I have my reasons—you wouldn’t understand.”

“How can I—”

“Shut up and fly the ship.”

He Chen angrily cut Ning Tian off. When he looked back at He Leyan, his expression softened as if he had changed faces.

“You can do this,” he encouraged while feeding him water. “You’ll adapt. The sooner you adapt, the more freely you’ll be able to move in space later.”

Ning Tian muttered, “Leyan will be a therapist.”

“So?” He Chen raised an eyebrow.

“Therapists don’t need to move around in space like we do.” And fight.

“Who says they don’t?” He Chen snorted. “Do therapists have to be confined to a greenhouse their whole lives?”

“Besides—” He looked at He Leyan, his expression somewhat serious. “Leyan, if you want to be a therapist later, be one. If you don’t, then don’t.”

How could he not? Double S-class talent. Ning Tian glanced at his boss, wondering which wire had crossed in his head this time.

He Leyan also widened his eyes. “I want to be a therapist!”

He wanted to be a therapist as amazing as Daddy!

“…I know. I’m not stopping you,” He Chen said, slightly embarrassed. He was speaking from his own perspective, thinking that being stuck indoors as a therapist was unpleasant, and therapists absorb a lot of negative energy, risking their own health if they weren’t careful. He Chen didn’t want the little one to suffer that hardship. He had overlooked that the little one grew up in the medical district and would enjoy the identity of a therapist and find joy in it.

“You’re still young. We can decide later whether you become one or not, but even if you become a therapist, you need to exercise well. Strong healing ability benefits others; a good physique is your own,” He Chen rephrased.

This time, He Leyan didn’t argue but nodded. “Daddy also said I need to exercise well.”

…”Then your Daddy isn’t too pedantic,” He Chen said sourly.

“What is pedantic?”

Teaching a three-year-old “if you don’t reach it, you die of thirst on the road” is pedantic…

But He Chen only dared to think this in his heart. “You misheard. I mean your Daddy makes a lot of sense, and I agree with him completely.”

…He Leyan stared at He Chen for a moment: Liar.

The big liar didn’t look at him. His left hand held the water cup, and his right hand moved toward the back of his neck. What was he doing? He Leyan instinctively leaned back slightly.

He Chen paused his movement. “Don’t be afraid. I’m just giving you a massage.”

He bit off the glove on his right hand. Two normal fingers landed on some acupoint on He Leyan’s neck and began to gently rub.

His fingers were a bit rough, but very warm. A warm energy spread from the spot he was massaging. He Leyan truly felt his head settle down, no longer so dizzy and bloated.

He Leyan quietly glanced at He Chen over his arm. The big monster wasn’t scary at all. His eyes were always bright, and his body was always warm…

Also, He Leyan sniffed lightly with his small nose.

The big monster’s scent was kind of pleasant, and truly, kind of familiar…