CH 5

The first time might’ve been a hallucination, but that was no longer an option the second time.

Lin Han still had champagne on his gloves, so he had to continue wiping them casually with the handkerchief He YunTing gave him. Lin Han took the handkerchief and felt the tall, oppressive man in front of him move away from him a little bit — he took a step back in a very gentlemanly manner.

However, the other party’s inner thoughts were still ringing in his ears, and such gentlemanly behavior left Lin Han completely unmoved.

He YunTing, however, didn’t know this, and took a special glance down at Lin Han, and only after seeing no champagne stains on his hands did he faintly look away.

Lin Han raised his head and saw He YunTing looking away, his eyebrows cold, a strand of uncovered silver hair spilling from his military cap.

It was like he wasn’t the one who had just had his wound hit, handed him a handkerchief, and said in his heart that he smelled good.

“General?”

After making sure that this was what he was thinking, Lin Han lost his shock and anger, so when he spoke again, not only did he not look angry, he also raised his face and hooked the corners of his mouth in a meaningful way.

Don’t you have anything to say?

Do you know me? Why can you smell my scent?

Lin Han wanted to ask, but when he looked up and saw the sweat on the side of He YunTing’s face from the pain, the words only turned around in his mouth and were swallowed in the end.

Forget it, he thought.

It was embarrassing to ask. Not to mention, he and He YunTing wouldn’t have too many encounters. As he thought so, he pushed the question to the back of his mind for the time being.

He YunTing heard Lin Han open his mouth and turned around, looking at Lin Han in silence and expressionless, as if he was curious about what Lin Han was calling him for. Lin Han didn’t clarify it, and He YunTing didn’t say anything, nor did he make any extra movements.

But his eyes and hair color were so special that Lin Han couldn’t resist looking into his eyes and saw his blue self in the other’s eyes. The two of them looked at each other quietly for a few moments, until He YunTing voluntarily averted his eyes.

He stopped looking at Lin Han and walked straight to the main hall as if nothing had happened, and he remained arrogant, unconcerned about anything, the coldest weapon of the empire.

When Lu AnHe saw that his boss had already left, he came towards Lin Han, “Mr. Lin, I’ll take you back.”

Lin Han watched the tall pale green back fade away and walk into the gregarious arena of fame and fortune.

When the people in the main hall saw He YunTing return, there was another burst of boisterous and noisy congratulations, and cheers from all sides. Lin Han followed Lu AnHe in the opposite direction, and the noisy voices gradually became inaudible.

Wouldn’t he also dislike such an event? Lin Han was still holding the key to the mecha and He YunTing’s SSS sample, and thought this for no reason.

— 

Lu AnHe was, after all, He YunTing’s most trusted subordinate and could even fly He YunTing’s personal aircraft. Lin Han politely thanked him and gave an address.

Lu AnHe repeated the location Lin Han gave him, “Does Mr. Lin live near the Imperial Military University? Let me confirm the location.”

Lin Han gave a “hm” and said casually, “I studied there for a long time, and then I chose to live there when assigned.”

Lu AnHe started the aircraft, and lightly took out a packet of snacks from the box on the side of the driver’s seat and started eating it, turned his head to look at Lin Han, and handed over a packet, “Mr. Lin, do you want some?”

Lin Han originally wanted to refuse, but thought that he hadn’t had his nutritional packet, the party hadn’t started yet when He YunTing called him over, and he didn’t eat anything. So he took it, “Thank you.”

Lu AnHe smiled and pointed to the place where the snacks were placed, “If it’s not enough, there are still more.”

Lin Han asked with some curiosity, “Isn’t this the General’s aircraft?”

Unexpectedly, he was the type to squirrel away snacks. 

“Yes,” Probably because his boss wasn’t present, Lu AnHe became more relaxed, “I secretly hid them.”

Lin Han found it interesting, “You hid your snacks on his aircraft?”

Lu AnHe had a good personality, when he smiled he had a tiger tooth showing and he was easy going. If he didn’t know, it was almost impossible to imagine that he was actually the cold General’s adjutant, “I often help him fly the aircraft, more times than not, so I simply hid a little.”

Lin Han, “The General also eats the snacks?”

Lu AnHe turned on the autopilot, turned his head and waved his hand at Lin Han, “No, no, no, he never eats these, it’s so boring.”

Lu AnHe wrinkled his nose at a memory. He had revealed his boss’s private matters without the slightest sense of guilt, “Not to mention snacks, he eats only the most standard army meals — the kind that are nutritious but unchanging. If I ate too much of it, I’d want to vomit.”

Lin Han had seen it when he was studying at the Imperial Military University, the standard ration with balanced nutrition, they really were difficult to eat.

Lu AnHe chatted with him a few more times, and the aircraft stopped at the destination.

Lin Han thanked him, “Regarding the mecha, the Institute will repair it as soon as possible, please don’t worry.”

“Okay,” Lu AnHe gave his contact information to him, “If there’s anything else, just call me on the communicator directly. Then I’ll go back, the boss is still waiting for me.”

Lin Han returned home, intending to find nutrients first, but just after washing up, he felt the weak signals from his body. He took two steps, frowned then opened his light screen to his calendar.

This feeling wasn’t unfamiliar to him.

Fever, weakness, dryness and depression.

But the time was clearly several days away.

Lin Han sighed, took the inhibitor out of the fridge, skillfully injected one, and slowly waited for the feeling to subside. He suddenly remembered the two times he touched He YunTing’s hand today. Was it that he smelled his pheromone because he was in early heat?

— 

On the other hand, Lu AnHe parked the aircraft and re-entered the celebration banquet.

The banquet was still crowded and it seemed like the emperor had already made a trip and the crowd was already enjoying the dinner. It wasn’t difficult to find He YunTing if one just followed the focus of the crowd’s attention. Although everyone wanted to be in the General’s good graces, not many dared to toast him.

“General,” Because there were still many people present, when walking to He YunTing, Lu AnHe still used respectful language, “I sent him back.”

He YunTing nodded at his words, and after a second, as if uneasy, he asked, “Did you emphasize to him about the mecha? To be repaired as soon as possible.”

Lu AnHe’s eyelids jumped, “…I did.”

“Mn.” He YunTing finally said in a deep voice with satisfaction.

Lu AnHe’s position was next to He YunTing’s, the dinner had started for some time, the table in front of him was already full of delicate tableware and delicious food. He knew He YunTing would only eat the basic main course as usual, and wouldn’t touch anything else — but he was different, he felt it was a great sin to turn down food.

After the main course, after a while, it was time for a variety of chic desserts.

Lu AnHe had a sweet tooth, so his tray was packed with several kinds of desserts, cake, mousse, chocolate; he didn’t leave anything behind. He was satisfied when he returned to his seat, put the plate down and was ready to pick a good-looking one to eat, when He YunTing beside him suddenly coldly spoke, “Wait a minute.”

Lu AnHe had something in his hand, “What’s wrong boss?”

It was reasonable to say that if it wasn’t anything serious, the boss shouldn’t interrupt his meal ah.

He YunTing rarely felt awkward, his face had a trace of doubt, pointing to Lu AnHe holding something, “What’s this?”

Lu AnHe was confused, “This? It’s creme brulee! What’s the problem?”

He YunTing’s face was serious, “Give it to me.”

“Huh?” Lu AnHe did as he was told, but was still very confused. He saw He YunTing take the pudding in his hand, then seemed to be torn for a while, but then finally with a cold face, he very strictly put his head down and sniffed.

“?” Lu AnHe’s expression gradually became stunned, could it be poisonous?

Something even more shocking happened—

He saw He YunTing pick up the spoon that hadn’t been touched at all, wrinkling his eyebrows, with a stony expression, as if the small bone china bowl in his hand was some enemy intelligence, and knocked on the surface of the creme brulee.

The next second, He YunTing suddenly poked the spoon down so hard that the baked caramel shell shattered open!

Then, he saw General scoop up a spoonful of creme brulee and eat it very seriously.

“???”

Lu AnHe gazed at his immediate leader with a face full of horror.

Why did the boss suddenly start eating that?

What happened?

But before he could figure it out, he heard He YunTing open his mouth again, “Bring me another one just like this.”

Lu AnHe hurriedly handed another complete creme brulee over.

So this time, he saw the general knocking the pudding with a solid gold spoon to make an attractive brown sugar surface after being baked by a heat gun, making a crisp sound, and then tasted it again with less skillful movements. This time He YunTing didn’t eat the pudding, only rolled a bit of the sugar flakes on the spoon with his tongue and slowly put it on the tip of his tongue to melt.

“This is it.”

Lu AnHe looked at him with the same eyes as looking at a ghost.

What was going on? Was the empire going to die?

Or was it that the Zerg race had finally taken over this galaxy?

He YunTing didn’t have time to notice Lu AnHe’s ghostly expression.

His mouth was full of sweet with a little burnt caramel taste, obviously not a delicacy, but he felt, more than all the food in front of him, he liked it. He was born fit for battle, having been pinned with countless hopes from his early childhood and having participated in so much harsh and brutal training that sometimes even he felt like a machine. He didn’t need other unnecessary things, he would only be loyal to the Empire.

Everyone said he was the hope of the Empire, the hardest shield and the sharpest spear. He YunTing had been through too many battles, and at his toughest time, had lasted almost a week with Lu AnHe and one man with only nutrients to gain victory. Recalling it now, it didn’t feel like anything worthy of praise.

Even though his merits had given him a manor and wealth that countless people envied, he still had little interest in material things, and his three meals a day were the standard army meals, that remained unchanged. But now, for the first time, he was interested in food other than the standard meal.

His mouth was full of the sweet aroma of caramel, which he had never tasted before.

It seemed to be the taste of the mecha master who he shook hands with just now.

Not only did it smell delicious, but it was also sweet.