Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 52
byChapter 52 The Second Day of Awakening
“Because you are you.”
After saying this, Lu Changqing did not look up, but raised his hand to help He Chen fasten the button he had just undone.
He Chen remained motionless, as if petrified. However, Lu Changqing sensed his body temperature rising steadily. Finally, the moment Lu Changqing’s knuckle touched his Adam’s apple, He Chen suddenly reacted, stepping back:
“I, I’ll do it myself!”
He raised his hand and fastened the last button of his military uniform, seemingly regaining his composure. “I understand. Senior Brother means we are friends.”
“No, what I mean is—”
“I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll take my leave first!”
He Chen interrupted Lu Changqing, turned, opened the door, and fled in one swift, desperate motion.
*
“Little He? What are you doing, taking another walk?” Elder Fang, carrying a thermos, bumped into He Chen in the lobby and asked with a smile.
“Yes, Elder Fang,” He Chen replied distractedly, preparing to leave, but Elder Fang’s next words stopped him. “Did you meet your father’s comrades today?”
“I did. Thank you, Elder Fang.”
“Don’t be a stranger. Come, tell me what you talked about.” Elder Fang said, and without waiting for He Chen to refuse, led him into the special ward housing the beast-mutated individuals.
He Chen’s mind was unsettled, but out of respect, he followed the elder into the room.
Compared to last time, the room had been adjusted. Three more square isolation zones housing beast-mutated individuals had been added. Inside each zone, besides simple furniture, there were screens playing videos, likely to test or stimulate the consciousness of the mutated individuals.
He Chen didn’t quite understand and didn’t pay much attention. He glanced at the mutated individuals whose eyes and expressions remained rigid, then followed Elder Fang to the third isolation zone at the far end and sat down on a chair.
“Elder Fang treats this place like home?” He Chen asked with a hint of admiration, glancing at the teacups and teapots on the table.
“Not exactly. As you get older, you talk more. It’s nice to chat with them here when I have nothing else to do.” Elder Fang then began questioning He Chen meticulously. He asked for the names of the comrades, their past relationship with He Xiangye, and their experiences during their time in the military.
The questions were very detailed, almost like a background check, but He Chen patiently answered everything he knew.
Just when he thought Elder Fang would be satisfied and let him go, the old man changed the subject. “Tell me about yourself.”
“Huh?”
“It’s nothing, just a casual chat between us, grandpa and grandson. For example, what was your childhood like? Did you ever… imagine your father?” Elder Fang said, glancing at the beast-mutated individual sitting with his back to them in the isolation zone, whose head moved slightly.
“I did, but I only imagined Jing Wendi,” He Chen replied.
After answering, he saw a look of sympathy on Elder Fang’s face and gave a hearty laugh. “It’s alright. I didn’t think about it much. I never had a father to begin with, so I don’t know what it feels like to have one. There’s nothing to be sad about.”
At most, he would feel a pang of sadness when he saw normal children protected by their parents.
After enough pangs, he became numb to it.
“Besides, I met a ‘father’ later on, or perhaps he was more like a grandfather,” He Chen smiled again, this time with genuine warmth.
“Who was that?” Elder Fang asked.
“He was an old man I met while I was wandering. I was sick back then, and he took care of me. He was originally very lazy, content to live on whatever food he could find, but to treat my illness, he started making and selling handicrafts again. He taught me my crafting skills.” He Chen recalled, a glow of happiness enveloping his face.
Inside the isolation zone, the beast-mutated individual clenched his mutated hand and his expression began to change the moment he heard the word “wandering.”
“I was just about to ask you, Elder Fang, how does the profiling work? Can the other party draw a portrait based on my verbal description?”
“Yes,” Elder Fang replied, glancing at the isolation zone again. The beast-mutated individual had stood up and was pacing back and forth rapidly in the small space, appearing agitated.
This state was not right.
“I’ll give you their contact information. You can describe it to them online,” Elder Fang said, raising his voice, sounding somewhat excited. “This is a sign that good fortune follows the virtuous. Although you suffered a little when you were young, you grew up safe and sound, didn’t you!”
“…Yes,” He Chen nodded. If it were any other day, he might have noticed Elder Fang’s slightly deliberate and unusual behavior, but today he was also preoccupied, so he wasn’t as observant.
“Let’s end our chat here today. We can continue another time.” Elder Fang’s voice returned to normal. He patted He Chen’s shoulder, signaling him to leave.
He Chen stood up, but the beast-mutated individual in Isolation Zone Three suddenly let out a low growl and swiped a claw at the special glass of the isolation zone.
“What’s wrong with him?” He Chen stopped.
“It’s nothing, nothing. Just unstable emotions.”
Emotions? The individual already had emotions? He Chen looked at the beast-mutated individual who was still facing away from him.
Just then, a beast-like roar came from Isolation Zone Two, and a thick, mutated hand slammed against the glass toward He Chen in a frenzy.
He Chen became alert, shielding Elder Fang. “Are they acting up?”
“Agitation is contagious, but it’s fine. The isolation zones are specially made; nothing will happen.” As soon as Elder Fang finished speaking, the beast-mutated individual in Isolation Zone Two became even more frantic. The individual in Isolation Zone One also became agitated, sensing the beast-like aura and constantly hitting the glass and roaring at He Chen, who posed a threat to them.
Until a furious, earth-shaking roar, accompanied by the loud sound of glass being struck, erupted from Isolation Zone Three behind He Chen!
The other two beast-mutated individuals froze, as if struck at a vital point or intimidated by a king. They suddenly quieted down, found a corner in their respective isolation zones, and hid themselves obediently.
He Chen instinctively turned around and met eyes that were shrouded in gray fur yet still contained intense rage.
In that brief moment, those eyes looked away, and their owner turned back around, emitting a wild, furious sound in the cage-like isolation zone that no one could understand or decipher, sounding like both sorrow and anger.
“Elder Fang,” He Chen suddenly spoke.
“Ah?” Elder Fang looked at him nervously, worried that He Chen had noticed something and unsure how to explain.
But He Chen was only looking at a corner of Isolation Zone Three. “Your glass here seems to be failing.”
It was indeed failing; a crack had appeared from the impact.
Elder Fang sent off He Chen, who kindly offered to find higher-strength materials, and then looked at the person in the isolation zone with some caution. “Don’t worry, alright? He’s fine, he’s fine. No one can hurt him…”
*
After the interlude with Elder Fang, He Chen’s mind actually settled down, and his feverish, muddled brain cleared up considerably. He assigned the task of finding materials and then gathered his subordinates to discuss and arrange official business.
He worked until nearly ten o’clock. Worried that Leyan wouldn’t be able to sleep without him, he ended the meeting and walked back, surrounded by his subordinates.
However, while his subordinates continued discussing matters on the way, he remained silent, not participating at all, lost in thought.
It wasn’t until they approached the residential building and his peripheral vision caught a fleeting shadow that He Chen’s warrior’s sharpness snapped him out of his detached state. “Who’s there?”
The shadow was extremely fast. Upon hearing his question, it didn’t stop but accelerated, vanishing into the darkness.
He Chen was not about to let him escape. While accelerating his pursuit, he released his Snow Wolf to intercept from the front. With the pincer attack, He Chen had already exchanged one move with the person, and the Snow Wolf was eager, opening its mouth to bite at the person’s vital spot.
At that moment, Lu Changqing suddenly appeared, blocking the person and catching He Chen’s attack. “Misunderstanding. That’s my person.”
“Your person?” He Chen stopped, looking at the mysterious figure whose head and face were completely covered.
“Go down,” Lu Changqing told the mysterious person.
The person nodded and silently, swiftly disappeared.
“How many people do you have, and what are their characteristics? You should report them to Ning Tian and get them a pass, or it will make his defense work difficult.”
He Chen spoke, recalling the sensation of his brief exchange with the person—had they practiced some special technique? The person’s body was exceptionally flexible. Being so heavily wrapped, even for a shadow guard, was quite strange.
He Chen looked at Lu Changqing. Lu Changqing met his gaze, his expression open and calm. “I will have someone coordinate with Ning Tian. Let’s go back first. Leyan is waiting for you to sleep.”
“Commander, we won’t bother you then. Please head back quickly,” several subordinates chuckled, giving He Chen a strange look.
It was dark, and not a good time for a fight, or He Chen would have kicked them a couple of times.
He Chen merely maintained his authority, nodded, and walked into the house with Lu Changqing.
“They’re a perfect match.”
“So we can walk sideways from now on, right?”
“Why?”
“We won’t have to worry about riots without a healer to treat us.”
“Get lost, we can’t sell out the Commander for that…”
“Cough!” He Chen slammed the door shut, cutting off the increasingly outrageous chatter. He glanced at Lu Changqing, and seeing that Lu Changqing was about to speak, he quickly looked away.
“Papa!” He Leyan’s small figure appeared at the top of the stairs, having likely run out upon hearing the door open.
“Why aren’t you wearing shoes?” He Chen said, bypassing Lu Changqing, striding across the living room, and heading up the stairs.
The Great Wolf followed behind, also uncharacteristically bypassing Lu Changqing and going upstairs.
“Good night, Papi,” He Leyan, unaware of anything amiss, happily waved at Lu Changqing from upstairs.
“Good night,” Lu Changqing smiled as usual, standing alone by the door.
It was his birthday today… He Chen remembered.
Come to think of it, Senior Brother Lu seemed to be highly regarded and successful, yet he was always alone, a solitary figure.
“Papa, tell a story,” He Leyan tugged at He Chen’s hand.
He Chen snapped out of his thoughts.
He was still very confused, his head hurt, and his mind wasn’t clear. It would be better to calm down before talking things through with Lu Changqing.
“Senior Brother, rest early,” He Chen said, avoiding Lu Changqing’s eyes, picking up He Leyan, and walking into the room.
Closing the door, he put down He Leyan and stood still, lost in thought again, until he heard a sound—
“Why is your brother here?” Following the sound, He Chen was stunned to see He Moyan lying diagonally on the sofa, head resting on a cushion, fast asleep.
“He fell asleep while telling a story,” He Leyan whispered.
“Telling a story? Who was telling it?” He Chen was surprised.
“Brother was telling it,” He Leyan’s voice was even smaller. “He fell asleep after three pages.”
The child pointed accusingly at the picture book spread open on the sofa.
He Chen curved his lips. “He might be word-blind. It’s a miracle he even offered to tell you a story.”
And he called himself a Shadow Warrior? Knocked out by three pages of a book.
He Chen lifted the warrior’s two long legs, which were dragging on the floor, onto the sofa. He glanced at the small blanket covering him and looked back at He Leyan. “Did you cover your brother?”
He Leyan nodded.
He Chen rubbed his head. “You like him that much?”
He was willing to give his favorite small blanket to his brother.
Ah, he was found out… He Leyan picked at his short fingers. Brother is like Papa, very cool. Brother is also very powerful, a warrior who can protect Papa, just like those adults. Leyan admires him very much.
He Chen smiled at He Leyan’s flushed little face, replaced the small blanket with a larger one that could cover He Moyan completely, picked up He Leyan, grabbed the picture book, and walked toward the bed. “Come on, Papa will tell you the story.”
Five minutes later, He Leyan tiptoed, holding the book, and knocked on Lu Changqing’s door. “Papi, what should I do? Papa fell asleep too…”
He Leyan, who couldn’t read all the words and had a slight compulsion for completeness, finally heard the entire story from Lu Changqing.
Seeing him yawn, Lu Changqing picked him up and took him back to his room. He saw He Chen lying in bed, his face flushed and his breathing slightly heavy, and frowned.
“Is Papa sick again?” Seeing Lu Changqing reach out to check He Chen’s forehead, He Leyan, whom Lu Changqing had put down, looked worried and tried hard to pull the quilt, which was originally covering He Chen, further up.
“No, Papa is just tired,” Lu Changqing comforted him, moved him to the inner side of the bed, and used his mental energy to soothe him to sleep first.
Only after he fell asleep did Lu Changqing get up, wring a towel, and start wiping He Chen down to cool him. Halfway through, he recalled the scene of He Chen eagerly taking off his clothes in the mecha room and smiled, but then he remembered He Chen’s avoidance.
Was it distrust, disagreement, or just not being in the mood?
Or was he simply startled and unsure how to face it?
Lu Changqing pondered. Seeing the pain still etched on He Chen’s features and the wolf ears emerging on his head, he put aside his thoughts, considered for a moment, and still took out an inhibitor, despite the risk of drug resistance, and injected He Chen with a dose.
Perhaps because the pain was blocked, He Chen’s expression relaxed, and his breathing became much smoother.
Lu Changqing quietly watched him for a while. Perhaps only when asleep could he truly put down his burdens and relax for a moment.
Lu Changqing changed the towel and cooled He Chen down again. Seeing him sleeping soundly, he couldn’t help but reach out and touch the wolf ears that hadn’t receded on his head.
He Chen slightly turned his head, as if itchy, but because he was covered by Lu Changqing’s mental energy, he did not wake up.
Lu Changqing retracted his hand, which was halfway in the air, and couldn’t resist touching He Chen’s cheek again.
The sleeping He Chen was completely defenseless, and his cheek rubbed against the side of Lu Changqing’s finger.
Lu Changqing’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. Just as his finger was about to move, he suddenly withdrew it—
“You’re awake?” Lu Changqing turned to look at He Moyan, who had sat up on the sofa and was staring at him.
He Moyan remained silent, staring at Lu Changqing’s hand.
He wasn’t sure if he was confused from sleep, but he thought he had seen dark scales appear on the back of Lu Changqing’s hand just now.
Lu Changqing stood up, his hands naturally clasped behind his back. “Papa is running a fever. Keep an eye on him, and call me if anything is wrong.”
He Moyan frowned and nodded seriously:
Sure enough, he knew he had a fever. And he wouldn’t admit it earlier!