Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 66
byChapter 66 A Kiss in the Dream
He had planned to stay at the base for another day to spend time with the little ones, but that very night, He Chen was forced to set off and rush back to Hanxiao Star.
Something had happened with Chu Yunqi.
His security detail was originally tight, and as long as he stayed put, there shouldn’t have been any issues. However, he couldn’t sleep late at night and suddenly decided he wanted to visit some bar. He didn’t report this to the security department and even threatened the soldier who discovered him leaving not to report it.
The soldier still quietly reported it while reluctantly following Chu Yunqi to protect him.
As soon as they arrived at the shady, mixed-crowd bar, a bullet was fired at Chu Yunqi. Chu Yunqi was lucky not to be hit—the soldier had sharp hearing and pulled him aside at the critical moment, saving his life.
But the soldier himself was injured while pursuing the assassin and is now in a coma.
“It’s your own poor public safety; who else is there to blame?”
Back on Hanxiao Star, when He Chen and the others came to understand the situation, Chu Yunqi finished recounting the events and huffed uncomfortably.
Ning Tian’s eyes flashed with anger and he was about to speak, but He Chen pulled him back.
“Besides, isn’t the guard’s duty to take a bullet for me?” Chu Yunqi muttered again.
This time, even He Chen couldn’t hold back: “Your Highness, that is not our duty.”
“Then what is your duty?”
“It is to deal with the person who fired the shot after you die!” Ning Tian said coldly, then turned and left, abandoning Chu Yunqi.
After he dies? Chu Yunqi was furious: “He cursed me! Did you hear that?”
He looked at He Chen like a child tattling.
He Chen suppressed his irritation: “Has Your Highness considered that the soldier who took the bullet for you is also a person, who also knows the bitterness and sweetness of life, who feels pain when injured, and who has family members who worry about him?”
“…He didn’t take a bullet for me,” Chu Yunqi paused, arguing with less conviction, “I just said that offhand.”
“If Your Highness hadn’t acted recklessly, he wouldn’t have suffered this unwarranted disaster,” He Chen said.
Chu Yunqi turned his head away and whispered, “Didn’t he get out of danger? Besides, I didn’t tell him to chase; he volunteered.”
He Chen’s face darkened: “If he didn’t chase, should he have waited for the person to take a second or third shot at you?”
Chu Yunqi was also annoyed. Couldn’t he just complain casually? Why was everyone picking on him? He regretted it too, alright! That lousy bar was completely boring!
Seeing that Chu Yunqi was about to lose his temper, Lu Changqing stepped forward, placing himself between He Chen and Chu Yunqi: “His Highness was startled; those words were likely not his true intention.”
Chu Yunqi quieted down a bit. Lu Changqing continued, completely shifting the topic: “Regarding the assassination, does His Highness have any thoughts?”
“What thoughts?”
“About the mastermind behind the attempt on His Highness’s life.”
“Was it He Hongsheng again?” Chu Yunqi asked.
“His Highness being harmed brings him no benefit whatsoever. He probably wouldn’t be so idle.”
“Benefit”? Chu Yunqi fell silent: If something happened to him, who would benefit?
He could figure out that answer with his toes. But they had coexisted peacefully for so many years; how could he dare? Had it already reached this level of life-or-death conflict?
Chu Yunqi’s face turned pale as he sank into thought.
Lu Changqing and He Chen used the excuse of needing to investigate and walked out of his presence.
“You intend to guide him toward confronting Chu Yunlan?” He Chen asked once they reached a quiet, deserted area.
“Whether I guide him or not, he will figure it out. The conflict between the two brothers is unavoidable.”
“Which side does Senior Brother plan to take?” He Chen asked.
Lu Changqing observed him: “Compared to the Second Prince, who has no qualms about colluding with the Mystics and is ruthless enough to profit from war, our Third Prince is actually not bad.”
He Chen’s body relaxed slightly: “Just picking the best of a bad bunch.”
Lu Changqing confirmed that He Chen’s thoughts aligned with his own and secretly breathed a sigh of relief: “During the Blood God Feast, Chu Yunqi contradicted the Emperor, saying that the lives of cannon fodder soldiers matter too.”
“Is that so?” He Chen was somewhat surprised.
“It is. After all, proximity to cinnabar makes one red. He didn’t spend all this time with you for nothing.”
…Why was he praising him again? This trick was too simple and repetitive. He wasn’t so shallow as to be overjoyed by a few compliments.
He Chen thought this but couldn’t help glancing at Lu Changqing.
Lu Changqing still seemed focused on serious matters: “He may be a wastrel, but if guided properly, he won’t be completely incorrigible.”
“Let’s hope so.” He Chen also brought his mind back to the main topic, and after a moment of hesitation, he looked at Lu Changqing, “Senior Brother, are you truly taking a side? Or would you prefer the clams and the snipe to fight so the fisherman can profit?”
“Are you asking if I have ambitions for that position?” Lu Changqing asked directly, then answered frankly, “No.”
“That’s good,” He Chen said instinctively.
“What’s good about it?” Lu Changqing looked at him.
“Nothing, I just said that casually.” He Chen avoided his gaze and walked forward. “I have something to do. Senior Brother, you should go get busy too.”
Lu Changqing stopped, watching his tall, straight back for a long time until it disappeared before retracting his gaze. After doing so, he pondered He Chen’s reaction just now, a flicker of thought in his eyes…
*
“I have to wear this too? How many things do I need hanging on me?” That evening, when Lu Changqing called him into his room and gave him a new pendant, He Chen couldn’t help but complain.
“The toxin flare-ups are becoming more frequent. Wear this in case of an emergency,” Lu Changqing explained.
The so-called “pendant” actually contained an inhibitor for the Sirius Lake toxin.
He Chen knew he couldn’t do without this item, and he didn’t want to mess up important business due to a toxin flare-up.
“How is this injected?” he asked, examining the pendant.
“Place it near a blood vessel, and pressing the central dot automatically injects it. Don’t press it now—” Lu Changqing pressed down on He Chen’s restless hand.
“I know,” He Chen’s finger twitched.
Lu Changqing let go, watching him pull a cord from his neck—the one with the little wolf tag.
He Chen untied the cord, hung the pendant-shaped injector containing the inhibitor onto it, and felt a bit awkward thinking that this thing was used to suppress the rut.
“Why is your face so red? Are you running a fever again?” Lu Changqing asked, watching him intently.
“No,” He Chen answered instinctively, then paused, “Maybe.”
Lu Changqing sensed whether he was or not clearly.
He curved his lips, watching He Chen try to put the cord back on but struggling to fasten the clasp. He reached out and took the cord: “Shall I help you?”
He Chen hesitated but didn’t refuse.
Lu Changqing walked behind He Chen, his hands brushing over He Chen’s shoulders as he looped the cord around He Chen’s neck, holding both ends.
“The clasp is a little tight,” he murmured from behind He Chen, then fell silent, manipulating the clasp. He fastened the cord neither too quickly nor too slowly.
Throughout the process, their breaths mingled, and neither spoke much.
“Thank you,” He Chen said as Lu Changqing stepped back.
“It’s nothing, don’t mention it,” Lu Changqing’s voice was calm, with a subtle huskiness. He turned and walked to the desk, turning the optical computer screen toward He Chen: “I had someone optimize the suggestions you made. Do you have any ideas for the mecha’s exterior design?”
“Exterior? I can decide the exterior?”
“This unit is exclusively yours. Customization is not a problem.”
Really? He Chen’s eyes lit up: “Could the chest plate be thinner? And could the non-vital areas remove the heavy armor coverage and switch to lightweight materials? It would be even better if some of the transmission cables and joint structures could be exposed. Seeing the internal parts operating and the energy flowing would be absolutely cool—ahem, I mean, it would be more intimidating.”
Realizing he had lost his composure, he forcefully suppressed his excitement and spoke in a mature tone.
Lu Changqing curved his lips: “Safety first. I’ll have someone evaluate it before deciding.”
“Mhm,” He Chen nodded. “Also, the paint job. Can I spray an image of Gear Requiem’s head on it?”
“Whose image?” Lu Changqing raised an eyebrow.
“Gear Requiem.”
“Is that a person?”
“Yeah, a rock superstar. Senior Brother, haven’t you heard of him?”
Lu Changqing genuinely hadn’t heard of him. This was slightly outside his scope of knowledge.
“It’s normal that you haven’t heard of him, though. He passed away a hundred years ago,” He Chen added.
Hearing “passed away a hundred years ago,” Lu Changqing’s expression softened slightly: “You can paint it if you want.”
“Forget it. It doesn’t suit my low-key temperament,” He Chen changed his mind again. “I’ll keep it plain. It has more depth.”
At most, he would secretly carve a small image of Leyan in a corner. Hmm, he couldn’t show favoritism; he’d carve one for He Moyan too.
“What profound matter is Commander He contemplating?” Lu Changqing suddenly asked.
“Nothing.” He Chen snapped out of his thoughts, meeting Lu Changqing’s smiling gaze, and suddenly looked away. “Does Senior Brother have anything else? If not—”
Before he could finish, Lu Changqing, pushing the optical computer back, seemed to accidentally knock something over.
They both bent down simultaneously to pick it up, their fingers brushing unintentionally. He Chen blushed slightly, then stood up as if nothing happened, looking at the topical ointment in his hand. Remembering something, he glanced at Lu Changqing’s neck:
“Right, don’t you need to change your dressing today?”
Lu Changqing nodded.
“I’ll help you,” He Chen said, going to the washroom to wash his hands. He came out and asked Lu Changqing to turn around. Standing beside Lu Changqing, he peeled off the dressing on his neck and applied a fresh layer of ointment.
“It’s getting better,” he said while applying the medicine.
“Mhm,” Lu Changqing responded. It was almost completely healed. Fortunately, he had wiped off the ointment the night before.
“Senior Brother, I apologize for my offense last night.”
After applying the medicine and securing the dressing, He Chen stepped back, clenching his fingers.
Being close to Lu Changqing’s neck just now involuntarily reminded him of the previous night’s events.
“Don’t worry about it. Between friends, there’s no talk of offense,” Lu Changqing said, pulling his clothes back up.
“No, between friends, that shouldn’t happen,” He Chen looked at him, unable to resist correcting him.
“You can consider me a ‘friend’ with whom that can happen,” Lu Changqing looked back at him.
…That was changing the subject.
“Can I ask a question?” Lu Changqing continued. “When your toxin flares up, have you ever had the urge to be intimate with anyone else?”
“Purely academic discussion, don’t overthink it,” Lu Changqing emphasized.
If he truly had, then he… would just have to take strict precautions. After all, He Chen’s appearance last night was too tempting, too easy to fall into.
Thinking of this, Lu Changqing lowered his head slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“My flare-ups weren’t severe before, just heat and fever; I never thought about that. It’s only recently—ahem, besides you, I haven’t been in contact with anyone else when it flares up.” He Chen paused, asking with an academic mindset, “Does this need testing?”
Testing what? No need! Lu Changqing maintained a calm expression and changed the subject: “Your terminal is ringing.”
It was indeed ringing. Leyan was video calling to say “good night” to He Chen.
After hanging up the video call, Lu Changqing asked He Chen again: “Do you have something else to attend to? Go ahead, and get some rest early when you’re done.”
He did have something to do. He had a favor to ask. He Chen looked at Lu Changqing: “Senior Brother, are you free tonight? Could you help me with something?”
“What is it?”
“Ahem, an exam.”
*
It was the child psychology certificate that Chu Yunqi had signed He Chen up for. He Chen had studied for it but hadn’t finished preparing. He had been too busy recently and had put it aside. Today, he suddenly received a reminder that tomorrow was the deadline, and he needed to take the online exam.
“I don’t like giving up halfway, and I told Leyan I would definitely pass,” He Chen explained to Lu Changqing as he opened his book in his own room—explaining why he insisted on taking the test.
The latter half of the sentence was probably the key point.
Lu Changqing didn’t say anything. After asking how many chapters He Chen hadn’t read and quickly reviewing the textbook, he organized the key points, structuring them logically, and began explaining them.
He explained things very well, making complex concepts easy to understand and combining them with real-life examples. Even Leyan himself might have understood if he were there.
But He Chen wasn’t very focused, his gaze drifting away occasionally: Why did he change his cufflinks again today? What was he like when he lectured students at the academy? Was he also this concise and well-organized? He must be very attractive on the podium…
“What are you looking at?” Lu Changqing stopped mid-explanation and looked at him.
“Nothing.” He Chen quickly turned his head back, focusing on the book page and listening intently to Lu Changqing’s explanation.
However, Lu Changqing’s voice was too pleasant, so pleasant that it was hypnotic… As He Chen listened, his eyelids eventually closed.
“If you’re tired, go to sleep,” Lu Changqing said. “You just had a high fever yesterday and took strong medicine. Your body hasn’t recovered yet.”
He Chen shook his head and tried to stay awake for a while longer, but his head kept nodding. Finally… his body slumped, resting on the desk, his arm pressed underneath, his breathing even.
“I told you to go to sleep first,” Lu Changqing said helplessly.
After speaking, seeing He Chen didn’t react, he curved his lips and chuckled softly, then called He Chen’s name again.
He Chen mumbled a hazy response.
Lu Changqing told him to get up and wash up, but he didn’t move again.
This reaction was exactly the same as when he was a student. Lu Changqing smiled again, involuntarily leaning closer, reaching out a hand, and gently stroking his hair.
He Chen’s hair was slightly stiff, pricking his hand a little, but it was also very addictive to touch.
Just like the man himself—clumsy, yet persistent, causing a slight headache, but an addictive headache that made him unable to stop.
As Lu Changqing thought this, his gaze unconsciously slid down to He Chen’s slightly upturned upper lip as he slept.
His hair was stiff, but his lips were extremely soft… right?
Lu Changqing’s hand, which was stroking his hair, paused, and his body instinctively leaned forward a little more…
Just then, He Chen’s eyeballs moved. Lu Changqing performed an instinctive action, unchecked by reason or moral judgment: he released his mental power, and thousands of threads surged toward He Chen, causing him to sink into a quiet, deep sleep…
*
“Did I fall asleep last night?”
The next day, on the shuttle, He Chen stopped by Lu Changqing’s seat and asked in a low voice.
“Don’t you know if you slept or not?” Lu Changqing raised his eyes from the optical computer and countered.
He Chen felt guilty and didn’t press the question. He naturally knew he had slept. He also knew he had a strange dream, dreaming that Lu Changqing had touched his lips…
“How was the exam?” Lu Changqing asked then.
His voice was calm, his expression indifferent—sure enough, that was just his dream, and it had nothing to do with him, right?
“I passed,” He Chen tried hard to gather his thoughts.
“Congratulations,” Lu Changqing said.
He Chen curved his lips. When he put his mind to learning, he was quite fast. He had taken the time to take the exam that morning, and although it wasn’t a perfect score, he had achieved a score far above the passing mark.
“Thank you, Senior Brother. I’ll treat you to a meal later,” He Chen said.
“Just the two of us?” Lu Changqing asked, looking into his eyes.
He Chen paused, glanced around, and seeing that no subordinates were paying attention to him, he whispered, “Just the two of us.”
He then walked away, blushing.
Lu Changqing watched his retreating figure for a moment, then lowered his gaze back to the optical computer, a slight smile on his lips. It shouldn’t be a mistake; he felt that He Chen’s attitude toward him had softened a little more.
If he kissed him “in the dream,” would he wake up to reality outside the dream?
*
The shuttle, painted with the Han River Base insignia, pierced the dark space, heading toward the Shangyun Star reception port.
In another direction on Shangyun Star, He Hongsheng’s shuttle was also silently approaching.
“General, everything is arranged.” A subordinate stood beside He Hongsheng, bowing very low, reporting in a whisper near He Hongsheng’s ear. “The underlying code for several important systems on Xiayun Star has been tampered with. What he takes over is guaranteed to be an absolute mess.”
He Hongsheng nodded and looked at Xiang Heng: “Advisor Xiang’s idea is still the best.”
“I merely offered a suggestion; I dare not take credit,” Xiang Heng replied respectfully, his voice very calm, but his wrists and palms were trembling uncontrollably.
He Hongsheng glanced at his hand, pulled a piece of Ice Blood Crystal from his pocket, and tossed it to him: “Use it. There’s plenty of this stuff.”
“Yes, thank you for your consideration, General.” Xiang Heng put the Ice Blood Crystal in his pocket and gripped it, appearing to absorb it. He closed his eyes, an expression of uncontrollable enjoyment appearing on his face.
He Hongsheng subtly scrutinized him, but another subordinate officer whispered, “Why go to all this trouble? We won’t let that brat live past—”
Mid-sentence, he was silenced by a cold glare from He Hongsheng.
Xiang Heng remained with his eyes closed, seemingly completely immersed in the sensations the Ice Blood Crystal provided, losing all concern for the outside world.
He Hongsheng watched him, his lips curling into a cold smile.