Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 80
byChapter 80 The Little Wolf is Suspicious Again
“Your people?” He Chen stared at Rupert, his expression strange.
“Of course. Only we Misters, or Blue Star people like you who have received the blessing of the Sirius God, can withstand the Sirius Poison.”
“Nonsense. We Blue Star people are no worse than you!” He Chen retorted, suppressing a flicker of suspicion rising in his heart.
No, his Senior Brother trusted him unconditionally. He couldn’t just listen to the one-sided story of this alien and blindly suspect his Senior Brother.
He had already resolved to cure himself of his bad habit of being overly suspicious.
“You said you wanted to defect to me. Who did you offend in the Sirius Clan?” He Chen put aside the matter of the poison and pressed Rupert for the real reason.
Rupert reluctantly replied, “Who else but the Second Prince, my arrogant second brother.”
“Did you leave any traces when you entered Hanhe? Are there any pursuers behind you?” He Chen asked again.
“No. I wouldn’t expose you to them. You are mine alone—”
“Hiss!” Rupert cried out in pain, cutting himself off mid-sentence.
He Chen pressed a button in his hand, and Rupert twitched and shivered again, looking at He Chen. “What is that thing?”
“A gift from the Blue Star people to distinguished guests.”
He Chen sneered, pointing to the area behind his own ear. “A reciprocal courtesy.”
Rupert’s face changed. “Just now, when your men disarmed me—”
As he spoke, he reached up to touch behind his ear, but found nothing. At a look from He Chen, two soldiers twisted Rupert’s arms behind his back and tightly cuffed him.
“Tie up his men. I will interrogate them one by one,” He Chen ordered coldly, staring at the struggling Rupert.
His tone was calm and measured, with an unreadable, deep light flowing in his eyes.
*
“I heard that Sirius Clan member came to Hanhe again?” Lu Changqing asked He Chen during their video call.
“How did Senior Brother know?” He Chen couldn’t help but ask.
He Chen had strictly controlled the scope of knowledge regarding the Sirius Clan’s appearance. The fact that Lu Changqing, who was not in Hanhe, received the news immediately made He Chen, the commanding officer, feel slightly uneasy.
Lu Changqing paused for a moment. “My intelligence network in Hanhe is still operating. If you don’t like it, I will withdraw them today.”
He Chen lowered his head in thought, then looked at Lu Changqing. “Senior Brother, if you want to know anything, you can ask me directly.”
“Alright, I understand,” Lu Changqing replied.
Both fell silent for a few brief, yet long, seconds.
Then they spoke simultaneously:
“He came to Hanhe—”
“He is being pursued—”
“You speak,” Lu Changqing said.
“Mm.” He Chen began, “Rupert is being pursued by the Sirius Clan’s Second Prince and had nowhere to hide, so he jumped here. I have separately interrogated his men, and their testimonies are consistent. It’s highly likely he is not lying about this.”
“The subordinates Senior Brother sent to Mister should not have encountered him yet. I have probed indirectly,” He Chen added.
“Speaking of which, Senior Brother can call them back, right? After all, I already, cough, well, I don’t need them anymore.” He Chen, who had been speaking seriously just a second ago, suddenly became awkward when mentioning this.
Lu Changqing smiled. “I understand.”
He Chen watched his smile across the screen for a moment, then asked, “Are the people Senior Brother sent also Misters, like that Job before?”
Lu Changqing’s expression didn’t change. “What made you think to ask that?”
“It just occurred to me,” He Chen said.
“Yes,” Lu Changqing answered directly. “I have a total of five people like them under me. You can meet them all sometime.”
His tone was very candid. He Chen secretly observed his expression but found nothing unusual.
Feeling a little guilty, He Chen steered the conversation back to the intelligence topic. “From now on, I will have the intelligence department compile and copy the daily military clues for Senior Brother.”
“I will also consult with Senior Brother on important matters.”
“Good. We will keep each other informed at all times,” Lu Changqing said. “There’s another thing. Shen Xian has arrived at Hanxiao Star.”
“Shen Xian? How did he get here?”
“He came on the star pirate subordinate’s spaceship.”
“He is truly audacious,” He Chen chuckled. He knew Shen Xian was part of the “reinforcements” and had contacted him privately, but he hadn’t expected the guy to risk coming to Hanxiao Star.
“Is he trying to see Marshal Shen?” He Chen quickly deduced.
Lu Changqing nodded.
“Did he see him?”
Lu Changqing shook his head. “Marshal Shen still doesn’t want to see him.”
“Mm.” He Chen felt sorry for his friend for a second.
“When are you coming back? He can’t stay too long. Even though he didn’t see Marshal Shen, he still wants to see you.”
“I understand.” He Chen nodded, exchanged a couple more words with Lu Changqing, and ended the call.
Turning off the terminal, He Chen sat behind his desk, playing with a pen and sinking into deep thought:
Shen Xingzhou, Fu Chen, Mister experimental subjects… Fu Chen’s experiments, for reproduction…
Senior Brother’s father is Lu Jingshan, and his mother is the person Lu Jingshan “hated,” a “plaything”…
Regarding Rupert’s claims, He Chen had interrogated Rupert’s subordinates. They were either unaware or their statements matched Rupert’s, insisting that non-Misters could not withstand the Sirius Poison.
He Chen suddenly put down the pen.
He didn’t want to suspect Lu Changqing like this. It was too absurd! Different species, different races—how could they conceive offspring?
He Chen decided not to dwell on it and focus on military affairs. Just then, someone knocked and entered.
It was He Moyan.
The young man was in a neat military uniform, his face serious. He snapped a salute. “Report! Sergeant He Moyan of the Ninth Squadron, Eleventh Platoon, is here to, to—”
He Moyan’s aggressive recitation stalled halfway.
He had only memorized the opening words…
He glanced at He Chen, who was sitting imperiously behind the desk, watching him with a half-smile, and gave up. “To stand guard for you.”
Silly boy. He Chen stood up, walked over to him, straightened his cap, and flattened his smile. “You are a formal soldier now. You must obey superiors, cooperate with comrades, know your mission and tasks, and not only focus on things you care about. Can you do that?”
“Yes,” He Moyan replied.
After answering, he thought for a moment. “What are missions and tasks?”
“Whatever your superior assigns you is a task. As for mission—”
He Chen paused, waited a long time, and finally answered, “Guardianship. Protecting your kin, your compatriots, protecting your home, protecting the weak—that is your mission.”
“Is it yours too?” He Moyan asked.
“It is mine too.”
He Moyan nodded, looking like he understood. He was a Shadow; he had to guard He Chen. He understood what “guardianship” meant. His future mission was simply to guard He Chen’s “guardianship.”
He Moyan’s logic was clear and unhindered.
He Chen didn’t think the child truly understood, but he wasn’t in a hurry to indoctrinate him. He patted He Moyan’s shoulder. “Go now. Stand properly by the door.”
He Moyan snapped another salute and walked toward the door with somewhat unfamiliar, stiff, standard steps.
He Chen leaned against the desk, watching him with a smile, then suddenly called out, “Wait—”
He Moyan turned back.
He Chen’s smile had vanished at some point. “That day you asked me what Uncle Lu’s Mental Body was, why did you ask that?”
*
“You look energetic again, General He.” As soon as they met, Shen Xian clapped He Chen on the shoulder, teasing him playfully.
“What’s wrong with you? Dark circles under your eyes,” He Chen asked Shen Xian.
“Don’t even start. Rushing here to suppress the rebels, I haven’t slept well for days. Then I stood outside my dad’s hospital room for half the night. That stubborn old man just won’t see me,” Shen Xian complained bitterly.
His tone was joking, but his eyes held genuine disappointment.
He Chen patted his shoulder. “Senior Brother said his condition is improving. He’ll see you sooner or later.”
“Let’s hope so,” Shen Xian said, then looked up at him, becoming mischievous again. “‘Senior Brother’? Haven’t changed the address yet?”
“Change what address?”
“Change it to ‘Brother Lu,’ of course,” Shen Xian leaned in, whispering the sickeningly sweet suggestion.
“Get lost.” He Chen pushed him away, suppressing a blush, and asked him about serious matters. “What’s the situation outside?”
“Minor skirmishes locally, mostly troop build-up. No full-scale fighting yet, but the storm is coming. I have to leave soon. How was ‘Zero’? Have you used it?” Shen Xian asked in a low voice.
“I guarantee you won’t be disappointed,” He Chen replied in an equally low voice.
Shen Xian nudged him, a spark igniting in his eyes. “Are we going to play a big one together this time?”
He Chen’s eyes held the same spark. “We are.”
Shen Xian smiled, extended his hand to shake He Chen’s, then suddenly pulled him into a hug over the shoulder. “Don’t be sad about Xiang Heng.”
He Chen froze for a moment.
Shen Xian suddenly released him and looked toward the doorway. “Director Lu, you’re here?”
“Don’t misunderstand, this is purely brotherly affection.”
He even pushed He Chen away to distance himself.
Lu Changqing nodded. “General Shen, you worry too much.”
His words were gentle and calm, making the deep look Shen Xian thought he saw in Lu Changqing’s eyes seem like a mere illusion.
Shen Xian felt a tingling on his scalp. He looked back at He Chen. “I’m afraid of causing trouble if I stay too long. I’ll withdraw first.”
He habitually reached out to pat He Chen but quickly pulled his hand back.
He couldn’t casually touch this brother anymore…
He nodded to Lu Changqing, walked around him, and strode away.
Lu Changqing looked at He Chen, and He Chen looked back at Lu Changqing, speaking first. “He was comforting me about Brother Xiang.”
“I know,” Lu Changqing replied. “I’m not that petty. You should interact with your friends as you normally would.”
“Mm.” He Chen nodded, glanced at him, looking like he wanted to say something, but stopped.
“Is something wrong?” Lu Changqing asked.
“No.” He Chen clasped his hands behind his back. “Senior Brother, are you free? Let’s have a meal with Leyan. I have to go to Liaoshan afterward.”
“I’m free.” Lu Changqing stepped aside from the doorway, waited for him to come out, and walked with him toward the dining room.
Was he overthinking and calculating too much? Why did he feel He Chen was carrying an unusual burden? Lu Changqing felt something was off, but couldn’t pinpoint what it was…
*
“Papa, you’re back?” Led to the dining room by Deng Tie, He Leyan’s eyes lit up when he saw He Chen, and he rushed forward to grab He Chen’s large hand.
Then, he became a little quiet.
It was different from his usual excitement when He Chen returned.
He Chen was preoccupied with his own thoughts and didn’t notice at first. He picked him up and sat him in the dining chair to eat.
During the meal, he put aside his worries, wanting to use this short time to properly accompany Leyan. It was then he realized something was wrong: Leyan seemed low-spirited, hadn’t talked about his “work,” and was listless and unenthusiastic about eating.
“What’s wrong?” He Chen touched his forehead. “Are you unwell?”
He Leyan shook his head.
“Tummy ache?” He Chen asked again, placing his hand on Leyan’s belly.
It wasn’t as round as usual either.
“Then what is it?” Seeing Leyan’s little head bowed, He Chen was puzzled and looked at Lu Changqing for help. Lu Changqing shook his head, apparently also unsure.
“Is Papa not spending enough time with you, and you’re angry at Papa?” He Chen tentatively asked.
“No.” He Leyan finally spoke, looking up at He Chen, his eyes red-rimmed.
He Chen was even more confused. “Leyan, what is it?”
He Leyan bit his lip, finally asking, “Papa, is my Papa a bad person?”
? He Chen was bewildered. He didn’t understand the question.
It was Lu Changqing who frowned and realized. “Is Leyan talking about Han Jin’s Papa?”
He Leyan nodded, and as his long eyelashes fluttered, several large, round tears suddenly rolled down. He wiped them away, sobbing as he looked at He Chen. “I heard the uncles say that Han Jin’s Papa is a traitor, and he hurt, hurt so many people…”
“Which scoundrel said that?” He Chen’s face darkened, and he looked at Ning Tian.
Ning Tian immediately stood up and walked to his side, reporting in a low voice, “The Third Highness released a video exposing the He family’s crimes, and this case was mentioned, revealing some ‘inside information.’ There has been some private discussion recently.”
He Chen clenched his fist. “Order them not to discuss it randomly.”
Ning Tian answered, “Yes.”
He Chen then looked coldly at Chu Yunqi, who was also at the dinner table. “Your Highness, when someone picks up a knife to hurt people, is it the person’s fault, or the knife’s fault?”
What the hell? Was he wrong to help them denounce the He family? Chu Yunqi, feeling unfairly targeted, retorted, “If I were that knife, I would rather destroy myself than aid and abet evil.”
“How do you know he didn’t destroy himself?!” He Chen challenged, suddenly crushing the teacup in his hand.
Everyone at the table was stunned.
Most of them had never seen He Chen lose his temper like this.
He Leyan had certainly never seen it—He Chen never lost his temper in front of him.
He looked up at He Chen, forgetting to cry.
“I apologize.” He Chen knew he had lost his composure and disturbed their meal. He apologized, his tone calming down, and looked at Chu Yunqi. “Your Highness, that ‘knife’ was also a person of flesh and blood, who once worked a hundred times harder than average to live every day, who had lofty ideals and intense aspirations. If his fate hadn’t been interfered with and altered, he should be standing here openly and honestly right now.”
“Your Highness will be the one wielding the knife in the future. I hope Your Highness thinks twice before acting.”
After speaking, He Chen picked up He Leyan. “You all eat. I’ll take Leyan next door for a moment.”
Chu Yunqi watched him stand up, wanted to say something, but closed his mouth, frowning as he pondered He Chen’s words.
*
“Leyan, Han Jin’s Papa is not that kind of person.”
Walking into the empty private room, He Chen placed He Leyan on a chair, pulled up a chair opposite him, and began to explain in a low, patient voice.
“Han Jin’s Papa was controlled by bad people. They framed him and made him use a Blood Crystal he didn’t know was harmful—the Ice Blood Crystal. Once you use this thing, you can’t stop. The bad people used this to control him and make him do bad things.”
“Those things were all related to money, not harming lives. To survive—”
He Chen clenched his fingers. “Leyan, Han Jin’s Papa, like Papa, grew up wandering outside. You might not understand, but in the eyes of people like us who grew up like… weeds, ‘survival’ is always the most important thing.”
He Leyan nodded, half-understanding, and reached out to touch He Chen’s face. Hearing Papa say he grew up like a weed made He Leyan a little sad.
He Chen held He Leyan’s small hand and continued, “To survive, Han Jin’s Papa… temporarily compromised with the bad people. But unexpectedly, one time—the time the uncles were discussing—the bad people didn’t just want money. They also wanted to kill people to silence them because… Papa discovered their whereabouts.”
“Papa’s soldiers fought with the bad people, which triggered a mining disaster, and that’s why many people died.”
When mentioning “many people died,” He Chen’s voice lowered.
He had never discussed this matter in such detail with anyone.
But to explain it clearly to Leyan, he didn’t hesitate to reopen the wound, and in doing so, finally reviewed and confronted the incident once. “Han Jin’s Papa was wrong in this matter, Papa was also wrong, the weather was also wrong, the mine was also wrong, but the biggest mistake, the true sin, lies with those bad people.”
“And Han Jin’s Papa, he didn’t get a chance to correct his mistake. He deeply regretted being a knife in the hands of bad people, so he protected Papa to survive, allowing Papa to seek revenge against the bad people and punish them.”
“Leyan, do you understand when Papa explains it like this?”
“I understand.” He Leyan nodded vigorously.
The matter was actually too complicated. Three-year-old Leyan understood every word, but strung together, it was confusing. However, he wanted to answer “I understand” because Papa’s eyes held so many heavy things.
He truly wanted to understand Papa, and if he understood, Papa might feel relieved.
But at least one thing Leyan understood: “Even if Papa is wrong, he is still my Papa.”
He jumped off his chair and nestled into He Chen’s arms, whispering, “Han Jin’s Papa is too.”
“Good boy.” He Chen was stunned for a while. He picked up Leyan and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Leyan.”
After resting his face on the little one’s shoulder for a moment, He Chen released Leyan, a smile appearing in his eyes. “No matter what mistakes Papa makes, he is still Leyan’s Papa, right?”
“Yes!” He Leyan nodded his little head hard, answering without any conditions or hesitation.
“Even if Papa is a liar and not good at telling stories?”
“Papa’s stories… are okay.” He Leyan thought about it and said against his better judgment.
He Chen laughed again, his eyes clearing like the clouds had parted. He kissed Leyan with a loud smack.
He Leyan was happy too, hugging He Chen’s face and kissing him back.
“Did you explain it?” Seeing He Chen about to kiss him back, and the father and son about to fall into an infinite kissing loop, Lu Changqing, standing at the door, couldn’t help but speak. “If you’ve explained it, let’s eat first. The commander can’t go into battle on an empty stomach.”
As he spoke, he placed two prepared meal boxes, one large and one small, on the table. He pushed the large one toward He Chen, opened the small one for He Leyan, and took out a wet wipe to clean Leyan’s tear-streaked face.
“Thank you, Senior Brother.” He Chen said, holding his chopsticks and looking at him.
“Eat. You have medicine after the meal,” Lu Changqing said, placing a small packet of divided pills in front of him.
He Chen twitched his mouth. “Thank you…”
“No need to thank me.” Lu Changqing poured him a cup of warm water. “I’ve never seen you get so angry.”
“I know. I’m usually not like this,” He Chen said, lowering his head.
“I know. You were just defending your comrade.”
He Chen paused his chewing motion.
He looked for a moment at Lu Changqing’s smooth arm, which showed no sign of abnormality, and suddenly spoke:
“Brother Jin, Brother Xiang, they really were very good people. If only they hadn’t kept things bottled up and had told me earlier, things might have turned around.”
He Chen looked up.
“Senior Brother, don’t you agree?”