CH 16.1

Chapter 16.1 – Sleeping Together and Invitation

“Only this time,” Lu Tinghan said.

After the tail was untied, Shi Yuan got what he wanted and entered Lu Tinghan’s bedroom with pillows and quilts.

The bedroom and study room were in the same style, simple to the extreme, the big bed, bedside table, table lamp, and bookshelf were all in plain colors.

Lu Tinghan said, “Go to sleep first, I still have something to do.”

“Okay,” Shi Yuan said. After he went to bed, he wrapped up the quilt in the blink of an eye and curled up in a ball, revealing only his fair face and half of the tip of his tail – the tip of his tail was swinging happily, “I’ll wait for you to come back, you have to go to bed quickly ah.”

Lu Tinghan said goodbye to Shi Yuan and returned to the study.

He processed the documents for half an hour and carefully read the preliminary report issued by the Main City Research Institute on the birds.

The terminal rang, and the caller ID was “Teacher Su”.

Lu Tinghan accepted it, and the white-haired old man appeared under the holographic projection: he was in good spirits, the years had carved deep marks on his face, and the once strong body was bent and thinned, but it did not erase the perseverance in his eyes.

—General Su Enqi.

The only two generals in the Alliance are Lu Tinghan and Su Enqi.

If Lu Tinghan was a sharp blade born out of nowhere, peerless and invincible, then Su Enqi was more like the shield of the Alliance. For a long time, he has resisted the flood and calmed people’s hearts. Due to his old age, he has given most of the command to Lu Tinghan, but he is still a very symbolic existence.

Sharp blade and strong shield have different personalities, different experiences, but the same outstanding feats. In addition, Su Enqi was Lu Tinghan’s mentor, which added a bit of color to a very good story that everyone loved to talk about.

“Teacher Su,” Lu Tinghan greeted.

Su Enqi laughed aloud: “General Lu, you have been a general for so many years now, so I can’t afford to be called that again! Yesterday’s battle was too beautiful, I’m ashamed of myself!”

“You flatter me,” Lu Tinghan still said in a calm tone. “The Air Force can’t lose anymore.”

During the operation, the Alliance lost one of its Cardinal armed helicopters – it took off from the southeast outpost and was surrounded by a swarm of infected birds. Its rotors churned through the monster’s flesh, but the flock’s sharp beaks and claws pierced the steel, and it stalled its rotors on its final lift and crashed to the ground.

The two pilots did not survive, and the outpost lost a soldier to the flock.

The death knell tonight was for the three heroes.

Lu Tinghan said: “In the past 13 years, there has never been such a large-scale movement of bird-infected creatures. The monitoring data of the Abyss Observation Tower is also unstable, and it is not ruled out that there will be other large-scale movements in the short term. Do you think the next peak of infection is coming?”

Su Enqi said with a serious expression: “The possibility is absolutely there. But I have always been an optimist. The low period of infection and distortion has lasted for 20 years. Professor Chen said that the low period is likely to last for another 10 years. His argument is very convincing. There are countless factors that can affect the values, and I don’t think there’s any need to worry excessively, but it’s also important to maintain a mindset of being prepared for danger, don’t be overly confident or hasty, and fight every battle carefully.”

As he talked, he unknowingly took on a teaching tone again.

He had been a teacher for a long time, and he always had this kind of problem. He always thought that Lu Tinghan was still the child who followed him. The child who didn’t talk much and didn’t have much expression, and only when he was lined up, did his gray-blue eyes seem to be burning.

In a blink of an eye, it was 22 years, and the young man’s physique was already taller than him, taking the lead alone, and carrying the heavy responsibility named “Tomorrow” on his shoulders.

Su Enqi quickly realized this and smiled again: “People are useless when they are old. You don’t need me to remind you of this. You already have the answer, don’t you think the peak is coming?”

“I am a pessimist,” Lu Tinghan said. “I think the peak period has already begun, but no one noticed it.”

Su Enqi was taken aback, shook his head, and said, “You are always so pessimistic. Without you, this is not something that can be solved by sacrificing three people.” There were folds at the end of his eyes, which were thin, deep, and knife-like traces. “Besides, Abyss No.0 has disappeared. Maybe all the abysses will be gone when we open our eyes tomorrow. So, we have to retire and go home, hug our children and grow vegetables – I must be a very bad farmer.”

Hearing this, Lu Tinghan showed a subtle expression.

He said again: “Abyss No.0…” He stopped talking, as if he didn’t know how to evaluate it.

“It’s so special,“ Su Enzi said. “It has the highest distortion value, but it hasn’t infected any creatures and suddenly disappeared. We never had a chance to understand it.”

Lu Tinghan: “Well, it is a very strange abyss.”

“Your mother said that Abyss No.0 is the most dangerous source of distortion, but this is never the reason you went to it. Why do you want to be its watcher?” Su Enqi asked, “I have asked many times, do you have an ‘answer’ now?”

Lu Tinghan was silent for a while: “Sorry, teacher, I’m going to rest first.”

Su Enqi sighed, as if he had expected his answer a long time ago: “Go quickly.” He smiled again. “Be tolerant of yourself and smile more. There are so many things to be happy about. Little girls like cheerful men. I’m just waiting for you to bring one to see me one day. I think the girl from Major General Zhang’s family is not bad. Just look at him boasting about his baby all day long. She is beautiful and kind-hearted. Don’t you think about it?”

“Teacher Su.” Lu Tinghan was a little helpless.

“She is also your number one fan, and she adores you very much.” Su Enqi continued, “What’s wrong with it, anyway, you are still single—”

The words just fell when a “squeak!” sounded, the concealed door of the study was pushed open, and Shi Yuan poked his head in: “Lu Tinghan, when will you sleep with me…ah!”

Only then did he find that Lu Tinghan was video-calling with others, and he shrank back immediately.

Su Enqi: “……”

Lu Tinghan: “……”

Lu Tinghan: “…Teacher, it’s not what you think.”

At this time, Su Enqi showed the maturity and high emotional intelligence of the elderly to the fullest. In just two seconds, even though his heart and mind were still in shock, a kind smile appeared on his face – if it weren’t for his eyebrows throbbing slightly, it would be even more perfect. He said: “This, ah, young man, it’s fine, it’s fine, don’t bother, it’s normal, I understand.”

Lu Tinghan: “……”

Su Enqi kept smiling: “Oh, why is it so late? People just can’t stand it when they are old, haha.” After speaking, he hung up the communication with a speed of light.

Lu Tinghan: “……”

Even if he jumped into the Yellow River, he couldn’t clean it up.

He no longer dwelled on it, he got up and hid the files, and returned to the bedroom.

With the bedside light on, Shi Yuan still curled up in a ball and looked at him with wide eyes: “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were on talking to someone.”

“It’s okay, it’s a private call.” Lu Tinghan sat by the bed.

“I didn’t cause you trouble, did I?” Shi Yuan asked again.

Lu Tinghan rubbed his eyebrows: “No, you did me a favor to me.”

“What kind of favor?”

“You helped me block my teacher’s red line, if nothing unexpected happens, my teacher won’t try again,” Lu Tinghan said, reaching out to turn off the light. “Never again, well done, but don’t do it again next time.”

Shi Yuan didn’t understand what Lu Tinghan was saying at all, but Lu Tinghan finally went to bed, he became happy and rolled into Lu Tinghan’s arms.

So, in the darkness, a warm Shi Yuan appeared in Lu Tinghan’s arms.

Lu Tinghan said: “The bed is so big, you can sleep over there.”

“I’ll be scared if I’m that far away.” Shi Yuan refused to move. “I just couldn’t sleep and looked up what ‘social distance’ is. Don’t worry, I will never make a move on you.”

Lu Tinghan: “……”

Shi Yuan said, “But you can move your hands and feet on me.” His tone was particularly expectant. “I’ve just played with myself in bed.”

Lu Tinghan: “……” He was silent for two seconds. “Shi Yuan, I’m a little scared now too.”

Shi Yuan: ?

Lu Tinghan said, “Let’s not mess around and sort it out. What do you mean by ‘moving your hands and feet’?”

“It’s that you can touch my head and tail,” said Shi Yuan. “And scratch my chin too.”

Lu Tinghan asked again: “And what is ‘playing with yourself’?”

Shi Yuan replied: “I like to take care of the scales on my tail, and I like to hold my tail.”

Lu Tinghan was speechless, and finally figured it out.——

Shi Yuan was just talking weirdly.

It’s not that he wanted to do weird things.

He said, “Shi Yuan, these words can’t be said like that.”

“Then how should I say it?” Shi Yuan asked.

“Anyway, don’t say it again to others,” Lu Tinghan said firmly. “These are bad words, I will explain to you when I have a chance.”

“Okay.” Shi Yuan has always been very obedient and agreed to him. After a while, he said again, “Lu Tinghan, can I ask you something?”

“What do you want to ask?” Lu Tinghan said, “Don’t ask me which came first, the chicken or the egg.”

Shi Yuan: “Oh—” He remembered Lu Bafang and the compass. “Actually, I have a friend who can lay eggs. I will ask him then.”

Lu Tinghan: “…what kind of friends have you made? How can people lay eggs?”

“Can’t they?” Shi Yuan asked.

Lu Tinghan said, “Can you?”

“No,” Shi Yuan embodied his diligence, “but I can learn.”

Lu Tinghan: “……”