Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 60
byChapter 60 My Dad Is Not Poor At All!
“I am talking about serious matters, can you stop having dirty thoughts?” Lu Changqing asked with a smile upon hearing He Chen’s words.
“I—” He Chen swallowed his rebuttal: The way to be a smart person is not to argue with a smart person.
“So, can my evidence be used to threaten the He family?” He steered the topic back on track, adding before Lu Changqing could speak, “I’m not talking about the Salamander Clan war, but the fact that the He family still had dealings with the Salamander Clan after the war, and secretly resold the Empire’s military weapons to Myster through them.”
Lu Changqing pondered, “If it’s that, it’s feasible.”
The He family would not fear the matter of colluding with the Salamander Clan back then, because that issue involved the person at the top, and that person would naturally protect them.
But for things that didn’t involve the person at the top, they would have to think twice.
“However, directly reporting the He family won’t work. Given that person’s personality, once they know about this, they will inevitably suspect how much we know. The consequences of exposing this matter are too severe; even a slight suspicion would make them stop at nothing to silence us.”
Lu Changqing analyzed calmly.
“But if it’s a covert threat, there is room for maneuver. He Hongyi and He Hongsheng don’t have a good relationship; He Hongyi might not necessarily stick his neck out for He Hongsheng.”
“I will handle this matter back in Star Capital,” Lu Changqing said.
“Use my name, don’t show your face,” He Chen emphasized.
If one day the Emperor still targeted them because of this, it would be enough if only he was targeted.
“You don’t need to overthink it.” Lu Changqing looked at him. “The matter on Shangyun Star yesterday is the same. Your accident is equivalent to Hanhe’s accident, and if Hanhe has an accident, my mineral veins won’t be mined. I am doing this for myself; you don’t need to feel pressured.”
“Mhm.” He Chen tapped his fingers, silent for a moment, then changed the subject. “There’s one more thing I need to trouble Senior Brother with.”
“Tell me.”
“It’s about Xiang Heng.”
He Chen whispered something else to Lu Changqing, who listened carefully and nodded.
He Chen felt relieved and looked at him. “When are you leaving?”
“Immediately,” Lu Changqing said.
“So soon?” He Chen frowned.
“If I travel at night, I can return one day earlier,” Lu Changqing explained, looking into He Chen’s eyes.
He Chen inexplicably avoided his gaze. “Then you’ll be too tired…”
“Thank you for your concern, ‘sworn brother’,” Lu Changqing curved his lips.
He Chen coughed: Stop saying that, we aren’t yet…
“Remember to rest and take care of yourself.”
As Lu Changqing spoke, he walked closer to He Chen, glanced at the General Star still clutched in his hand, pulled it out, and pinned it back onto He Chen’s shoulder:
“Do you remember your enlistment oath? You are the ‘Shield of the People,’ not the shield of the royals or the nobles. You are upright and have not failed your ideals or violated your oath.”
“…Thank you, Senior Brother.” He Chen wasn’t entirely that upright, but Lu Changqing’s words still made him feel better.
He clenched his fingers, looked at Lu Changqing who was close by, then shifted his gaze away.
Lu Changqing stepped back half a pace, took out two inhibitors used to control the Sirius Lake toxin, placed them in He Chen’s palm, and said in a slightly low, hoarse voice, “I’ll go next door and tell Leyan.”
He Chen nodded, followed him out, and watched him walk toward the bed, lean down, say something to He Leyan, squeeze He Leyan’s small hand, stroke He Leyan’s hair, and kiss He Leyan’s forehead.
He Chen felt a pang of sadness: He empathized, feeling as if he was the one about to be separated from He Leyan.
Lu Changqing then stood up and walked toward the door, meeting He Chen in the dimly lit corridor. They exchanged a look. “I’m leaving.”
He Chen nodded. “Take care, Senior Brother.”
“Mhm,” Lu Changqing replied calmly, finally unable to resist, reaching out and ruffling He Chen’s hair.
He Chen froze for a moment, then suddenly turned his head to avoid the touch.
Lu Changqing said nothing, lowered his hand, and walked past him.
A faint scent of ice and snow, like a fleeting moment, brushed past He Chen’s nostrils.
I should have taken another sniff. He Chen instinctively thought, then quickly slammed on the brakes, standing alone in the shadows, his face silently flushing.
I should have stroked him a couple more times. Lu Changqing thought as he turned the corner, clenching his fingers lightly.
As if by doing so, he could retain that sensation…
“Dad? Dad?”
“Ah? Yes, Dad is here.” He Chen snapped back to reality and walked into the ward. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong with you? You were standing still, it was weird,” He Leyan whispered.
“I wasn’t standing still!” He Chen was mercilessly exposed by his childish words, his face burning with embarrassment. “Dad was thinking, um, thinking about work, very important work.”
“What work? Did another earthquake happen somewhere?” He Leyan asked nervously—lately, he had somehow misunderstood He Chen’s “work” as dealing with earthquakes.
“No, earthquakes don’t happen that easily, Leyan doesn’t need to be afraid.” He Chen rubbed his head and looked at He Moyan: The child was tilting his head, asleep again.
He Chen carefully removed the extra pillow propping him up, gently laid his body flat, checked that the fixed instruments on his shoulder were fine, then pulled up the blanket and covered him. He Leyan, with his short legs, circled to the other side of the bed to help He Chen pull the blanket.
He let out a tiny yawn when they finished.
“Sleepy?” He Chen asked.
He Leyan nodded, proactively climbed onto the empty hospital bed next to He Moyan’s, and patted the sheet. “Dad, go to sleep. Think about work tomorrow.”
He Chen smiled, his handsome face truly bright and radiant.
“How about we don’t think about work tomorrow, and I take you out to walk around?”
He Chen still needed to go to Shangyun Star soon to handle the handover and arrange some things. He wanted to spend more time with Leyan before leaving.
“Go out to walk around?” He Leyan tilted his head and thought: Dad had given him an important mission to make sure his father rested more. Going out to walk around counted as rest, right?
He Leyan nodded. “Thank you, Dad!”
In fact, it had been a long time since he had played with his father. His father was always busy lately, only appearing during meals and before bedtime. Thinking about spending a whole day—or even half a day—out with his father, He Leyan belatedly felt happy, but—
“What about Brother? Brother can’t go.” He Leyan looked at He Moyan on the opposite bed, wrinkling his small brow.
“Don’t worry, Brother doesn’t like shopping. We’ll let Uncle Ning keep him company playing games.”
He Chen knew very well that making He Moyan go out with him would be nothing short of “torture” for He Moyan.
“Staying cooped up in the room is bad for his health. Brother needs to get in touch with nature,” He Leyan said, hugging his little wolf and puppy, full of worry and speaking earnestly.
“Who taught you these big principles again?” He Chen asked with a smile, guessing the answer before He Leyan could speak.
Unexpectedly, He Leyan’s answer was different from what he thought: “Grandpa Fang said it.”
“Oh,” He Chen replied, hugging him and lying down, thinking about someone else as he closed his eyes.
“Dad?”
“Hmm?”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.”
“But your eyeballs are moving,” He Leyan said. “Only people who are thinking have moving eyeballs.”
“They’re not moving…” He Chen reached out and “slapped” the light switch off. Now he couldn’t see if his eyeballs were moving, right?
However, He Leyan was still staring at He Chen. “Dad, why is your face red?”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” He Chen covered the cub’s eyes. “You don’t have infrared sensing.”
“What is infrared sensing?”
“It’s like your Dad—it means becoming a spirit…”
The next morning, He Chen indeed instructed Ning Tian to watch over He Moyan, and he took He Leyan to the busiest pedestrian street in Hanxiao City.
—The result was that it nearly caused a traffic jam.
Hanxiao City had a small population and underdeveloped economy, so the “busiest” was relative. He Chen hadn’t expected so many people to show up.
He called the security team to maintain order and disperse the crowd before they could continue their walk down the street.
“Commander, what would you like to see?”
He Chen took He Leyan into a toy store. The owner excitedly greeted them, his hands and feet unsure where to place themselves, backing up to lead the father and son in, almost tripping.
He Chen quickly steadied him. “No need to be polite, we’ll look around ourselves.”
[Ahhh, so gentle!] The live broadcast had just started, and the comments screamed—screams that would never have happened before.
[It’s so rare today, seeing the father and son together! But can this mosaic be removed? We already know what he looks like, so there’s no privacy exposure!]
[Full marks for logic upstairs, I’ll buy you a drumstick.]
[Ten thousand drumsticks!]
The comments were lively, the live audience was excited, and the store owner was also thrilled, but the person opposite him was the Commander of the Hanhe Base, a dignified Major General. Moreover, up close, the man had an undeniable sense of propriety and severity that prevented the owner from being too casual.
“Thank you, Commander.” The store owner looked up at He Chen with reverence, trying to remain calm. “Are you choosing toys for Young Master Leyan? Our store is divided by age group. Toys suitable for Young Master Leyan are over here.”
The store owner pointed to an area in the back left of the store.
“Thank you.” He Chen nodded and walked over with Leyan.
“This, this is the most popular pet robot in Star Capital!” Although He Chen had said they would look themselves, the store owner noticed his gaze and couldn’t help but introduce it.
He hadn’t planned to stock this furry little robot; the cost was too high. Hanxiao Star had a small population, even fewer children, and expensive goods might sit on the shelves for a year without selling.
But by some strange impulse, a genuine strange impulse, he thought that the most precious cub in the entire galaxy was right here on Hanxiao Star. Although the probability of him visiting his store was low, what if?
What if Young Master Leyan really came? The toys Star Capital children had, they should have here too!
At this moment, seeing Leyan also look up at the robot on the shelf, the owner’s excitement was indescribable. Seeing that He Chen didn’t object, he took down the robot and introduced it to He Leyan:
“This little pet is called ‘Pipi.’ Of course, you can give it a new name after adopting it. It can tell you stories, sing, chat with you, and even accompany you on walks.”
“Walks? Doesn’t it… not have legs?” He Chen couldn’t help but ask.
To be honest, regardless of whether Leyan liked it, He Chen quite liked this robot. Except for the different color and the addition of two big eyes, it looked exactly like the mass of energy He Leyan’s mental body had been when it entered his mental domain.
“It has wings, Commander!” The store owner turned on the robot’s switch.
The little robot’s big eyes lit up. “Hello, I am Pipi.”
“Pipi, can you fly?” the store owner asked.
“Yes, Pipi can fly very, very high,” the little robot said, and with a “flapping” sound, it extended four small round wings, lifting its chubby body about half a meter high, looking even more endearing.
He Leyan couldn’t help but curl his fingers, looking like he really wanted to touch it.
“It has follow mode and obstacle avoidance. You can rest assured about safety,” the store owner respectfully explained to He Chen.
He Chen nodded, looking at He Leyan, who was staring intently at “Pipi.” “Do you like it?”
He Leyan nodded, but for some reason, he shook his head again, looking elsewhere.
“The Young Master doesn’t like this one?” The store owner was a little disappointed but contained himself. He had the clerk put away the robot and, following He Leyan’s gaze, introduced another toy nearby.
“This is called the ‘Life Cube.’ Each small block contains a miniature landscape, such as hills or lakes. Different combinations can create more complex landscapes.”
“This is good,” He Chen couldn’t help but nod.
Lu Changqing had been using a cube to train Leyan, and Leyan seemed to like cubes very much.
Sure enough, He Leyan’s eyes brightened. After taking the cube handed to him by the store owner, he instinctively started rotating it. In less than ten seconds, he completed one side. The miniature landscape inside the cube automatically changed, merging into a scene of an ice and snow field, complete with two incredibly realistic polar bears, a father bear and a cub.
“This—” The store owner and the clerks, who were watching from a distance, gasped in surprise. “Young Master Leyan is amazing!”
“Ahem, he’s quite good at this,” He Chen said.
[Sounds like modesty, but why does it also sound like bragging?]
[I don’t care, is this a genius cub? Wuwuwu, cub, did you start playing with cubes as soon as you grew hands??]
While others were shocked, He Leyan had already completed the second side, a forest landscape.
Seeing him play so intently, He Chen didn’t interrupt. Only after he had completed four sides did he stroke his hair. “Buy this one?”
He Leyan clutched the cube, hesitated for a moment, and then shook his head again.
[Leyan says: Too easy, no challenge!]
“The Young Master still doesn’t like it?” Seeing Leyan shake his head, the store owner quickly looked up at the shelves, searching. There must be something that the cub would find appealing!
He Chen, however, sensed something was wrong—Leyan wasn’t usually a picky person, and he clearly liked both toys.
He Chen squatted down, looking at Leyan. “Leyan, what’s wrong? Don’t you like playing with the cube?”
“I, I already played with it once,” He Leyan replied.
How could playing once be enough? When He Chen was little, he used to stare longingly at toys outside the store. He could tell He Leyan clearly still wanted to play.
“You can still take it home and keep playing. Aren’t there new variations of the landscapes?” He Chen asked.
No good. He Leyan shook his head, hinting at something, glanced at the shelf, and winked at He Chen.
What does that mean?
He Chen didn’t understand.
He Leyan had no choice but to lean into his ear. “It’s too expensive!”
“Cough!” He Chen looked embarrassed, glancing at the store owner who maintained a smile as if he hadn’t heard anything. “It’s not expensive, Dad has money.”
“The money you owe Uncle Ning—”
“Shh!” He Chen covered Leyan’s mouth. “I paid it back, long ago.”
Leyan blinked: Oops, he forgot again that some things shouldn’t be said!
Fortunately, he quickly made amends:
After He Chen released him, He Leyan looked up at the store owner and clerks, stating solemnly, “My dad is not poor at all!”
…My ancestor!
[Hahahaha, I want to see how wonderful Commander He’s expression is.]
[We heard everything, Leyan! From beginning to end, we heard it all!]
[So, does this live stream not have a tipping function? Hurry up and open it! I won’t allow my cub and cub’s dad to be unable to afford a toy!]
“Ahem, Commander, you are the great benefactor and hero of Hanxiao Star. You and the Young Master can choose any toys in the store and take whatever you like. Don’t worry about the price.” Unlike the live audience, the store owner didn’t have a mosaic in front of him. He took in the awkward expression on He Chen’s handsome face and quickly spoke.
“No need, I appreciate the kind offer. Just wrap these two up for checkout.” He Chen’s voice was forcefully steady, maintaining his dignity, acting as if nothing had happened.
The owner somehow found him a little cute—of course, he only dared to think it, not show it on his face. “I’m sincere, Commander! Two toys are nothing. Although I wasn’t personally in danger, my parents were rescued from the rubble by you and your subordinates. If I charged you for this, my elderly parents would kill me when I got home!”
“One thing at a time. Saving people is our duty.” He Chen insisted on paying. Seeing the store owner about to say something else, he cut him off. “How about this: I’ll buy two, and you give me a discount.”
“Yes, as you wish!” The owner didn’t dare truly defy him and had to comply.
He Chen chose another small toy that could be played with one hand, perhaps to alleviate He Moyan’s boredom, and checked out all three items.
“Young Master Leyan, please come again next time. Commander, take care.” After checking out, the owner and clerks respectfully saw the father and son out.
Just as they were about to reach the door, the owner suddenly called out, “Commander—”
He Chen turned back and saw him bow deeply, a ninety-degree bow. “Thank you!”
The owner looked up, and his slightly cloudy eyes shimmered with genuine tears.
He Chen paused, stood still, raised his right hand, and gave him a military salute.
Looking toward the light… He Chen turned around, thoughtful, took He Leyan’s hand, and strode out.
“Bastard!”
“Useless trash! Not a single person injured?!”
Xiang Heng was passing through the corridor with documents when he heard He Hongsheng’s voice, suppressed with rage, coming from the office.
“Who is the mole on our side? Who gave them intelligence about the operation on Shangyun Star?!”
“It was…”
Xiang Heng slowed his steps for a moment, sensed a gaze sweeping over him, and then continued to walk away with the documents as usual.
[Brother, you’re back. Can I come see you?]
A message popped up on his terminal as he entered his office.
Xiang Heng’s expression softened for a moment, then hardened again: [No.]
[Be good. Don’t contact me unless necessary.]
He sent the message, started processing documents, and stopped looking at the terminal.
But when the terminal faintly lit up again, he looked at it immediately.
[Brother, they rescued that mole.]
[Got it.]
[It’s a good thing they rescued that person, otherwise, Brother, you would definitely have been suspected.]
[Enough, stop sending messages.]
[Brother, how did you know they would rescue that person?]
[A guess.] Xiang Heng replied.
Because a certain idiot treats his soldiers like infants and never easily gives up on anyone.
[But what now? Who else can we leak information to?]
[You don’t need to worry about that. Be careful, and don’t send any more messages.] Xiang Heng sent one last message and turned off the terminal.
What now? There wouldn’t be many “now”s left.
Xiang Heng knew He Chen’s reverse scale.
He also knew that the current moment was crucial.
The veins on the back of his hand suddenly tensed. Xiang Heng’s face showed pain, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but his eyes held a genuine smile.
After playing with Leyan all morning and eating local snacks, He Chen sent him back to Ning Tian and went to deal with his own matters.
He could delegate other tasks to his subordinates, but the crucial one required his personal analysis and calculation.
He calculated and deliberated alone until the moon was high in the sky. Leyan called to ask when he would return. He stretched and finally walked out of the office.
The entire sanatorium was quiet, but the sentries were much denser. He Chen reviewed the defenses as he walked. When he reached the site of the fire, he paused, thinking of Lu Changqing’s words.
He said he had a way to prevent the Emperor from pursuing the matter. Was he planning to use He Hongsheng’s reckless act of setting fire to Chu Yunqi’s residence? That was a handle He Hongsheng had handed over on a silver platter.
He wondered how Lu Changqing would handle it, and whether his injuries were serious…
Perhaps people are susceptible to being talked about. Just as He Chen thought of Lu Changqing, a video call came in from him.
“Senior Brother.” Not wanting the guards to overhear the conversation, He Chen stepped into the charred house.
“Leyan said you haven’t rested yet,” Lu Changqing said from the other end of the terminal.
“Did Senior Brother arrange a ‘spy’ to monitor me?”
“In a good mood?” Lu Changqing asked from the terminal.
“Mhm, I took Leyan out to play today. Is everything going smoothly on your end, Senior Brother?” He Chen asked. His foot hit a burnt piece of wood. He kicked it away but suddenly noticed something, frowned, and bent down to pick it up.
“Smoothly. What is it?” Lu Changqing asked, seeing his movement in the video.
He Chen was silent for a moment before speaking. “I found something.”
“What is it?”
“Senior Brother, see for yourself.” He Chen adjusted the camera to focus on his fingers.
Between his thumb and index finger, he held a thin, fingernail-sized piece of black membrane. It looked like some kind of scale, but softer and less regularly shaped than a scale.
Lu Changqing was usually expressionless, but his pupils contracted the moment he saw the object.
“Senior Brother recognizes this?” He Chen asked, staring at his face.
“I seem to recognize it,” Lu Changqing answered calmly. “I have a subordinate who is quite unique. This looks like it belongs to him.”
“Is it the person I encountered downstairs that day?” He Chen asked directly. “My mental body came into contact with him that day, and coincidentally, I grabbed this thing off him.”
“Yes, I will explain when I return.”
“I have already shielded my senses, Senior Brother can speak freely.” He Chen paused, his voice as calm as possible, devoid of accusation. “I just want to know now, why was your person at the scene of the fire?”
“He Hongsheng certainly hates me, but would he really risk the crime of murdering a prince and offending the Emperor just for revenge?”
“You suspect—” Lu Changqing paused. “That I deliberately set the fire to pin the blame on He Hongsheng?”
“No, the fire was set by their people,” He Chen thought for a moment. “But they probably originally intended to light the house next door to Chu Yunqi’s. Just the house next door would be enough to alert the guards and bring them over to extinguish the fire.”
“Then did you investigate the wind direction that night?” Lu Changqing asked.
He Chen frowned.
“After you mentioned reporting to Ning Tian, my people all received passes from him. The passes have entry and exit records; you can ask Ning Tian to check. While we were on Shangyun Star, I had them all guard the mine to prevent accidents.”
“I only temporarily transferred people back after Moyan was injured, so that you are in the open and I am in the dark, adding an extra layer of protection for Moyan and Leyan.”
“The reason you found what you have in your hand is because I had people investigate the fire scene after the incident.”
Lu Changqing explained, every sentence clear and logical.
After hearing his words, He Chen’s throat bobbed, unsure what to say.
“I’m sorry, Senior Brother.”
“It’s alright,” Lu Changqing’s voice was calm. “You had suspicions, and instead of bottling them up, you asked me directly. I think this is a good thing; it means your trust in me has grown a little more.”
“I—” He Chen started to say something, but Lu Changqing suddenly interrupted him. “I have an incoming call. If it’s not urgent, shall we talk when I get back?”
“…Okay.” He Chen ended the call, stood there for a while longer, then turned and walked out.
“Dad!” Seeing him return, Leyan happily climbed down from his chair. Behind him followed the newly bought flying toy, “Pipi.”
He Chen glanced at He Moyan, who was now able to sit up and move around, playing a game. He picked up He Leyan and kissed him. “Did you take a bath?”
He Leyan nodded, then asked, “Is Dad very tired?”
“No, why do you ask?” He Chen focused on him.
“Dad was doing this just now—”
He Leyan struggled free from his embrace, looked up, and made an expression of deep thought, with his small eyebrows slightly furrowed.
…He imitated it well, but don’t do it again next time.
The expression was serious, but on his soft, squishy face, it was indescribably comical.
However, being imitated by Leyan made He Chen laugh and relax, his brows genuinely smoothing out. “Dad was thinking, not tired.”
“What were you thinking about, Dad?”
“Hmm.” He Chen paused. “I was thinking about whether your Dad was angry…”