Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 20
byChapter 20 Little Monster (Part 2)
“I’ve met you,” He Chen replied. “When you were ‘hatched,’ I was the one who picked you up from the genetic matching center.”
“What happened after that?”
“After that?” He Chen blinked. “After that, they said your mental strength was unstable and you needed long-term care from a therapist, so I sent you to the Medical Academy.”
“That’s it?”
“No,” He Chen said.
He Leyan looked at him, his eyes lighting up.
“I went to see you several times after that, but you were too young to remember,” He Chen said.
“I haven’t been able to visit you recently because Dad has missions, and it’s inconvenient.” The missions were an excuse. In reality, he was secretly investigating certain people and events. He was neither free nor safe. Whether one called him cautious or paranoid, under these circumstances, he was afraid that getting close to He Leyan would put him in danger. He had only secretly visited him twice when passing through Star Capital.
He didn’t even want to leave too deep an impression on He Leyan. He had arranged for more than one person to protect him in secret, but he rarely video-called or phoned him, fearing that if something happened to him, it would leave a psychological shadow on He Leyan.
Because he himself had taken a long time to recover after the old man died.
He Leyan was quiet for a moment, then looked up and asked something He Chen hadn’t expected: “Are those missions very dangerous?”
“No, not dangerous,” He Chen said, his heart softening. “They are just very confidential. Dad is a Captain, you know. What Dad does is very important and can’t be talked about casually.”
He Leyan didn’t quite understand but tried to: “Can’t you even tell Daddy?”
Why Daddy again… He Chen felt like he had eaten a chili-flavored candy, sweet yet burning his heart. “Yes, not even Daddy!”
Okay. He Leyan pouted, reluctantly agreeing. “Then, besides these, is there anything else?”
“Anything else?”
“Have you seen me anywhere else?”
Yes, he had, but he couldn’t tell him. He Chen was an active-duty officer. If he went to that place without orders, being convicted of collusion wouldn’t be an exaggeration. A child couldn’t keep a secret, and if he spilled it, the father and son might only meet in prison afterward.
He Chen couldn’t let that happen. No matter what, he wouldn’t let Leyan have a criminal father too.
“What other place could there be?” He Chen rubbed He Leyan’s head, feeling a little strange. “Why do you ask that?”
He couldn’t possibly remember things from when he was so small, could he?
“No reason,” He Leyan bit his lip, feeling a little disappointed. “I see.”
So, it was just a dream after all. No wonder he had grown a tail and fur in it…
Daddy had said that people fabricate dreams. Whatever they see during the day, or whatever they lack in their hearts, they dream about at night.
He, he actually knew that the Big Monster wasn’t his “biological father”—he had heard that His Highness Uncle say so.
Maybe he kept having those dreams because he was too greedy and wanted the Big Monster to be his “biological father.”
He didn’t want the other children to say, “Don’t think you have so many fathers, they are all fake fathers!”
But whether they were real fathers or fake fathers, all his fathers were actually very good to him. If he was still not satisfied, he must be a bad child… He Leyan bit his lip, glanced at He Chen, and suddenly, with red-rimmed eyes, scampered away on his two short legs.
What’s wrong??
“Slow down, don’t fall!”
The moment the words left his mouth, “Thump”—
[Oh no, little one!] The live broadcast happened to start at this moment, and the audience watched the little one tumble toward the ground.
But he didn’t hit it: a large wolf appeared just in time, spreading itself out beneath the child like a wolf-skin rug.
[Phew, thank goodness!]
[Mental bodies are sometimes quite useful.]
[Progress! It didn’t snatch the little one…]
He Leyan was stunned for a moment, then climbed up from the “wolf-skin rug.”
The large wolf also got up, looked at He Leyan as if confirming he was alright, and seeing that he was fine, it immediately lowered its head and vanished.
[My god, why do I see self-doubt and grievance in a wolf’s eyes…]
Because it was indeed quite self-doubting and aggrieved. After returning to the mental domain, the large wolf slumped down listlessly, whimpering softly, staring blankly at a small “snow” wolf…
He Chen’s mouth twitched. Before he could comfort the wolf, he heard a sob. He quickly looked down at He Leyan: “What’s wrong? Did you fall somewhere?”
He Leyan shook his head, letting the squatting He Chen examine him thoroughly.
“You’re not hurt, so what is it? Does it hurt?” Seeing no actual injuries on the child, He Chen was confused.
He Leyan still shook his head, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to hold back the tears.
The audience was also confused: [What’s wrong, baby?]
Ah, He Chen suddenly understood: “Did it scare you again?”
No! He Leyan immediately looked up: “It didn’t scare me, I’m the bad one!”
He was the bad one. He didn’t want to be friends with the Big Wolf, and the Big Wolf was very sad.
And He Leyan keenly received this sadness, making him doubly sad now.
“No, you’re so well-behaved, how are you bad?” He Chen comforted him, completely bewildered. He sat down cross-legged and used his large hand to wipe He Leyan’s tears.
“I’m bad everywhere, I’m a bad child, I’m bad all over.” He Leyan stated matter-of-factly, and the tears he had been holding back burst forth again.
[Pfft!]
[Baby, don’t misuse words…]
[Hahahaha, sorry Leyan, but Auntie wants to laugh everywhere!]
Why “everywhere”? The timing was wrong, but He Chen genuinely felt like laughing a little. He forced himself to hold it in and asked, “Then tell me, how are you bad?”
“I, I ignore the Big Wolf.”
[Aww, baby] [Leyan little angel, sob sob] [That’s not your fault!]
He Chen hadn’t expected the child’s “badness” to be this. His heart softened, and he stroked He Leyan’s little head: “It’s right for you to ignore it.”
Huh? He Leyan paused his sadness and looked at him with red eyes.
“Being vigilant and afraid when seeing a fierce beast is an instinct carved into our genes. People without this gene would have been eaten by fierce beasts long ago.”
“This is self-protection, not being bad,” He Chen said.
After he said this, He Leyan didn’t seem to react much, but the Big Wolf in the mental domain became even more listless, “whimpering” and burying its entire head in the snow.
…”However, Dad’s Snow Wolf is different from a wild beast. Although it looks fierce, it will never hurt you. Maybe when you are ready, you can try interacting with it again?”
“Okay.” He Leyan bit his lip and nodded seriously.
Actually, he could try now… or maybe wait until he was a little more prepared.
[Good little one! Pat pat head!]
[The little one’s dad is also quite good, more reliable than rumored.]
[But that hand… won’t it chafe the little one’s skin?]
He Chen wiped He Leyan’s tears again, and seeing that he was still preoccupied, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is there anywhere else you are ‘bad’?”
Of course there was. He, he was very sad that the dream was just a dream.
He wanted the Big Monster to be his real father.
He didn’t just want the father in reality, he also wanted the father in the dream—he hadn’t wanted it that much before, but as soon as he got close to the Big Monster, he wanted it very much.
That feeling and longing were too complicated, so complicated that He Leyan couldn’t figure it out himself, let alone express it.
“Daddy…” He Leyan said with red eyes. He wanted Daddy. If Daddy were here, Daddy would understand through their link without him having to say anything.
Daddy? He Chen understood again: “I know, you must have fallen and knocked ‘Daddy’ out, didn’t you?”
…What? He Leyan stopped crying and looked at him again, covering his chest blankly.
Could it, could it be knocked out?
With a “Waaah,” He Leyan’s sadness became deafening…
*
“Cousin, what good deed did you do? I heard you made Leyan cry again?”
That evening, as soon as they met in the mess hall, Chu Yunqi asked gleefully.
“I didn’t make him cry,” He Chen said. “Leyan fell down, and I was comforting him.”
“Come on, Leyan was almost done crying, and then one sentence from you set him off again.”
“I didn’t set off.” He Leyan was holding He Chen’s hand, looking up with his small head, clarifying for both himself and He Chen.
His mind just hadn’t been able to turn the corner instantly…
His Highness Uncle was bad, always speaking ill of Dad. He Leyan’s small hand moved in He Chen’s palm, wanting to tell him to ignore Chu Yunqi, but He Chen misunderstood, thinking he was hungry. He reached out and grabbed a tray for him, while continuing to talk to Chu Yunqi:
“Did His Highness happen to catch the live broadcast? You know so much.”
“No! That’s just what people online are saying.” Chu Yunqi raised his voice guiltily, then looked at He Leyan and exclaimed loudly, “Leyan, what is that thing you’re wearing?”
He Leyan looked down at himself, straightened his chest, and looked at Chu Yunqi unhappily: “Work uniform!”
“Cough!” He Chen almost choked on his own saliva. “Training uniform, we call this a training uniform.”
Okay, He Leyan straightened his small chest again: “Training uniform!”
“That’s right, training uniform, not ‘that thing’.” He Chen also straightened his back a bit.
Chu Yunqi pouted. He had noticed earlier that the clothes He Leyan was wearing were exactly like He Chen’s ink-blue and black uniform, like parent-child matching outfits.
Except He Chen’s set was more fitted, and He Leyan’s was looser, with all the pockets being semi-circular, reducing the sharp edges of a military uniform and adding a touch of rounded cuteness.
Paired with one large and one small, two extremely handsome faces, and two particularly clear pairs of eyes, Chu Yunqi’s aesthetic sense degraded, and he actually thought this broken uniform looked quite good.
Especially when Ning Tian appeared wearing the same outfit.
“Did you guys plan this?” He followed the gaze of the ice-faced Ning Tian, asking He Chen.
“We are usually training at this time, but since I heard His Highness is hosting a dinner, we naturally came to show our support.”
He Chen said this, seeing He Leyan clinging to the edge of the table watching. He picked him up, held him in his arms, and handed him a pair of tongs to pick food.
“It’s not a dinner party, I just wanted to treat you guys to a meal since you’ve worked hard,” Chu Yunqi said.
In Chu Yunqi’s mind, this simple mess hall didn’t qualify as a “dinner party.” However, Chu Yunqi concealed his disdain well and urged the soldiers and officers to eat freely: “All the food is freshly transported, and the chef came from the Star Capital Hotel! Everyone, eat your fill!”
“His Highness is too generous,” He Chen said, seeing He Leyan fill a plate. He put him down and led him toward a dining table.
“It’s not generous.” In truth, he himself was starving and used this opportunity for celebration and thanks to satisfy his own cravings.
Besides, that wasn’t the truly expensive part. Chu Yunqi followed He Chen toward the table, looking pained: “Cousin, you didn’t mention that your battle armor was the high-tier version, and the upgrade costs so much.”
The moment he finished speaking, a relatively young soldier bumped into them—the pilot of Chu Yunqi’s spaceship during the patrol. He saluted and said with genuine happiness: “Your Highness, thank you for the battle armor!”
“You’re welcome, minor thing,” Chu Yunqi waved his hand.
“It’s a minor thing to His Highness, but a major thing to us, a great thing!” The soldier said with bright eyes, then excused himself and left.
“Hey, wait—” Chu Yunqi called him back and said in a very official manner, “Thank you for protecting me too.”
“It’s our duty,” the soldier smiled brightly, showing a row of white teeth. After smiling at Chu Yunqi, he smiled at He Chen, who patted his cap brim. “What are you grinning like an idiot for? Go eat before they snatch everything up.”
“Yes!” The soldier responded and ran off happily.
Chu Yunqi watched him run to grab a tray, jostling and joking with a few comrades, and inexplicably smiled again, this time with a hint of sincerity. He Chen glanced at him. Chu Yunqi noticed and looked at He Chen: “They don’t seem to be very afraid of you.”
“Why should they be afraid of me? I’m so amiable and kind,” He Chen emphasized “amiable and kind,” then lifted He Leyan, who was focused on his plate and didn’t seem to be listening, onto the seat, setting his small plate in front of him.
“Their relationship seems quite good…” Chu Yunqi glanced again at the group of people laughing and joking while queuing for food, saying unconsciously.
When He Chen looked at him, he withdrew his gaze: “Cousin, I keep my word. I praised you heavily in front of the Emperor for this matter.”
Chu Yunqi sat down opposite him, reporting his achievement: “Your battle armor and spaceship are old, right? I told the Emperor that the blame lies with the Military Logistics department. Cousin, someone in Logistics is making things difficult for you, do you understand?”
“Difficult?” He Chen seemed puzzled, frowning slightly, but quickly smoothing it out. “His Highness is overthinking. The military’s equipment and supplies are allocated by quota. No one is making things difficult for us.”
“Quota?” Chu Yunqi scoffed. “What about outside the quota? Reporting damage and repairs? Various project budgets? Does your Han River Base get approval immediately every time you report?”
He Chen fell silent.
“Cousin, you don’t seem like a dull person. You can guess who is making things difficult for you, right?”
He Chen peeled a shrimp and placed it on He Leyan’s plate, looking at Chu Yunqi: “Your Highness, let’s not talk about work while eating.”
It seemed he wasn’t clueless. Chu Yunqi narrowed his eyes: He had figured out during this patrol that He Chen was very capable but had been suppressed.
Didn’t his Imperial Mother think the He family was disobedient? Then why shouldn’t he find someone obedient for himself? The He family was suppressing He Chen, so he would offer help when He Chen needed it most.
A sharp glint flashed in Chu Yunqi’s eyes: “Cousin, battle armor is nothing. What you should be focusing on now is not that.”
“What is it then?” He Chen asked cooperatively.
“The garrison point,” Chu Yunqi said.
Garrison point? He Chen frowned almost imperceptibly, but when he looked up, it was gone: “I’d like to hear more.”
“There’s nothing much to hear. I don’t like beating around the bush. By changing to a better garrison point, Cousin, you can build up your own influence.”
“I don’t need to build up any influence,” He Chen replied flawlessly. “I am just an employee working for His Majesty and His Highness. In two years, I can apply for retirement. After retiring, I’ll take Leyan traveling.”
Traveling? Chu Yunqi frowned: “A good man should aim high! Cousin, I know you’ve suffered these past years. Don’t lose heart. You watch, during this rotation, I will definitely get you a good location!”
Please don’t, why are you causing trouble!
He Chen wasn’t lying; he genuinely wanted to retire and travel with Leyan, but before that, he had something he needed to accomplish, and to do it, he had to be at the Han River Base.
However, purely regarding this matter, the one who should be most anxious wasn’t him, it was L.
He Chen thought of this and became calm again: “Thank you, Your Highness. Having your intention is enough.” You won’t succeed anyway.
Intention was certainly not enough. Chu Yunqi had secretly decided to win over He Chen and naturally had to offer something real, but since the benefits weren’t in place yet, talking more was useless. Chu Yunqi didn’t dwell on it and changed the subject: “Cousin, I’m sending you a set of questions.”
“Hmm.” He Chen watched He Leyan’s small cheeks puffing as he ate, engrossed, and only reacted a moment later. “Sending me what?”
“Questions, for an exam. Exclusive question bank,” Chu Yunqi said proudly. “Didn’t people online say we don’t know how to raise kids? My Imperial Mother signed me up for a Child Education Psychology exam, and I thought I shouldn’t hog the benefits, so I signed you up too.”
…”That is truly, thank you.”