CH 72

In Nebula City, the skies are clear at the end of October, like a blue sea without waves, far-reaching and tranquil.

A variety of aircraft swept over the city along the track, like flocks of white doves speeding across the sky.

Double Star Building, Alliance Military and Political Center.

Hands folded over his chest, eyebrows slightly furrowed, Ling Changfeng’s eyes gazed at the open space in the lower left corner of his vision.

It was a sign that he was thinking seriously.

“How about the Xiavisha Islands?”

Adjutant Qin Yuan leaned against the desk of his commander, holding a cup of black coffee in his left hand, as he studied the image displayed in front of the two of them.

“You can book one of the small islands, such as this Luo Ge Island, and enjoy a two-person world on the island.”

After a period of overtime work, they finally managed to arrange things to be completed before November. With important work matters arranged, Ling Changfeng could finally calm down and plan his two-week honeymoon vacation.

“Latitude Sky City is also a good choice. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions for couples. You can book a sky villa floating on a cloud, the weather is comfortable and the scenery is romantic. You can do whatever and not be ashamed…Cough, you can play whatever you want.”

Critically sweeping over the options laid out in front, Ling Changfeng finally picked out four photos, and said lightly, “I’ll go and ask for his opinion.”

He raised his hand and sent the 4 selected spots with the information Qin Yuan had compiled to Xu Xinghe via email.

Qin Yuan turned his head to look at his superior.

Although Ling Changfeng looked serious at the moment, as if making a major decision, with “Do Not Disturb” written all over his face, Adjutant Qin could see at a glance his boss’s good mood behind his face.

So he was a little more presumptuous than usual, and said with a teasing smile: “I heard that the honeymoon is a good time to make people?”1as in make babies

Ling Changfeng lifted his eyelids, with an indifferent expression of “what’s the matter with you”.

Qin Yuan smiled: “Okay, let’s get down to business. It’s been more than three months since Xinghe’s last estrus period. This time the two of you are going on a trip, spending both day and night together. This may bring forward one or both of your special periods In case… I mean in case, if he enters estrus again, or you enter your susceptible period again—”

At this point, Qin Yuan’s tone changed and his original jovial tone turned serious. “You must remember to take timely measures. You’ve already learned about the use of inhibitors and blockers, and I don’t want to give you any more physiology lessons. Pay more attention to everything, and contact the doctor in time if there are any signs. The accompanying personal doctor has also been arranged. If there is no accident, he will not appear in front of you as a light bulb, but in case of an accident, you can call and he will arrive at the scene within three minutes.”

Ling Changfeng nodded. “I see.”

“Of course, there is another possibility–” Qin Yuan trailed off, returning to his light-hearted, teasing tone, and said slowly: “If an ‘accident’ happens, and the two of you are in your own private, two-person world, such as lying on a king sized bed in hotel… Then congratulations, you can also choose to give up your resistance and follow your instincts. In this case, inhibitors and barrier patches are not needed, and you don’t need to fight the urge. Just let it go.”

Upon hearing his words, Ling Changfeng’s fingertips, that were tapping lightly on the table, suddenly paused.

Then he raised his chin towards the door and said to Qin Yuan, “You can go out now.”

Knowing that he could say no more, Qin Yuan saluted politely: “I’ll leave first.”

After that, he showed a big smile: “I wish you a happy holiday, dear sir.”

After Qin Yuan left, it was as if the huge office suddenly quieted down.

Ling Changfeng got up from his seat, and walked over to the one-way floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Nebula City. His office, on the 88th floor, granted him a perfect view of the bustling city in the middle of the day.

He had long since become accustomed to the scenery, and the once colorful sight had faced from his eyes day after day.

But seeing it again, at this moment, he suddenly felt like the entire scene had become vivid and colorful. Full of life.

Ling Changfeng suddenly realized that he hadn’t looked forward to a vacation like this for a long time.

Standing with his hands behind his back in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, after a while, he heard a hurried knock on the door.

Qin Yuan returned.

And his face was a little serious this time.

The tacit understanding they had cultivated for many years made an ominous feeling well in his heart.

Ling Changfeng turned around and asked, “What happened?”

——

When Ling Changfeng finished the final handover tasks and returned to the Marshal’s mansion, the sun had not yet set.

Wearing loose and comfortable silk grey-blue pajamas, Xu Xinghe lay on the big bed in his bedroom with his cat in his arms and his feet up. With one hand on his chin, the other hand was looking through the information Ling Changfeng sent him, introducing various tourist attractions.

His brows twitched slightly, seeming a little tangled.

But he was still humming a little tune, obviously in a good mood.

Outside the window, the skyline began to blur into shades of red, purple, and orange. The golden-orange sunlight fell on the young man’s delicate face, casting a soft glow on his whole body.

When Ling Changfeng walked in, his gaze flickered slightly.

“You’re back.” Xu Xinghe looked up at him, rolled over and sat up from the bed to greet Ling Changfeng. “I was thinking, since a two-week vacation is long enough, why don’t we go to two places?”

These days, while the Marshal was working overtime, Team Leader Xu had already done his own psychological preparations, and planned to enjoy these two weeks of vacation.

As Qin Yuan said, it’s two weeks of paid leave, why should he waste it? Why does he need to think so much about it, and make trouble for himself?

Sighing silently in his heart, Ling Changfeng stepped forward, and replied according to the topic his little spouse started. “Where do you want to go?”

“I want to go to the seaside, and I also want to go to Arnostar to visit the tech hub.” Xu Xinghe said, stretched out his hand and clicked on the two pictures, “In the case of the seaside, I am debating whether to choose Xavisha Island or the underwater world of Atlantis… Maybe we could see Xavisha this time and wait to see Atlantis next time as it is quite far away.”

Ling Changfeng’s eyes were rarely gentle: “En, wait for the next time.”

Xu Xinghe said with a smile: “That works. Then, let’s go to Xavisha Island in the first week, and see Arnostar’s tech hub in the second week. Oh, by the way, I also want to go to the Mechanical Museum of Arnostar… But it is located in the city center and there are a lot of people. Will it be inconvenient for you to go?”

Ling Changfeng opened his mouth, but said nothing.

Facing the sudden silence, Xu Xinghe seemed to have noticed something, and turned to look at him. “What’s wrong? You’re finally taking time off… aren’t you happy?”

Ling Changfeng shook his head and asked back, “Do you still have any impression of your family?”

The smile on Xu Xinghe’s face froze. “Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

Trembling, he asked in a tentative and cautious tone, “Did something happen?”

Ling Changfeng was silent. After a while, he slowly said: “During your kidnapping, the security bureau checked your information and the information of the people around you and… accidentally discovered something.”

After a brief hesitation, Marshal Ling decided to blur the timeline, and not reveal the extent of his investigation until the truth behind Xu Xinghe’s scar is revealed.

Xu Xinghe felt his teeth chatter a little.

A vague conjecture formed his heart, but his brain refused to think more about it.

He shook his head and asked in a daze: “What thing?”

Ling Changfeng raised his eyes and looked at Xu Xinghe calmly, but his words resounded like a thunderous explosion: “About your biological mother.”

Xu Xinghe felt his heart suddenly halt.

He fell into a long silence.

In fact, from the time Ling Changfeng asked that question, he had been mentally prepared.

However, when he really heard Ling Changfeng speak, his feeling was different than what he imagined.

No surprise, no unease.

Just a little helpless, a little dazed.

This was obviously a scene he had imagined countless times when he was young, but long enough time had passed that all emotionality was washed away.

The halo of sunset light outside the window is infinitely soft, and Ling Changfeng’s eyes looking at Xu Xinghe were also very soft.

He didn’t speak any more, just sat quietly beside Xu Xinghe, giving the young man some time to adapt.

When Xu Xinghe spoke again, his voice was muffled. “You know, I grew up in a welfare center, right? It turns out my biological parents are still alive.”

Ling Changfeng nodded, and his voice was much softer than usual: “En, I know.”

Leaning against the head of the bed, Xu Xinghe seemed to shrink a little as he hugged his knees and said, “Capital Star is so big, I originally thought I would never see them again in this life…”

After Xu Xinghe finished speaking, he was silent for a moment, and then asked, “How is she… how is she doing now?”

Ling Changfeng sighed slightly. “If she wasn’t in a serious situation, I wouldn’t have found out, and I probably wouldn’t have told you either.”

This is true – if Xu Xinghe’s biological mother was living peacefully in a corner of the galaxy now, then not disturbing each other is the best choice.

However, this wasn’t the case, and he could no longer keep one eye open and one eye shut. “Just three hours ago, my subordinate reported that her condition suddenly deteriorated.”

Xu Xinghe’s eyes were shocked, and he turned his head in a daze to stare at Ling Changfeng: “Condition?”

Ling Changfeng lowered his eyes and said in a low voice: “Bowel cancer, late stage. Cancer cells have spread across her whole body…”

Xu Xinghe suddenly felt a little cold.

The setting sun was like melting gold in the west.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, he subconsciously hugged his body tightly, and froze in place.

Ling Changfeng suddenly reached out and held Xu Xinghe’s hand.

He raised his head and asked Xu Xinghe, “Are you going to see her?”

Xu Xinghe shook his head subconsciously, but then nodded again.

“I…” He bit his lower lip lightly, and was suddenly speechless.

Since his childhood, he’s never had a concept of “mother”.

It was only through gossip and slander that let him learn that his biological parents had given up custody of him.

So he had naively and stubbornly thought that if he had children in the future, he would never let them fall to that point, and he would never give up custody no matter what.

At one point, he definitely thought about, read about, complained about, looked forward to, and longed for parents.

But twenty years have passed by, and such feelings are no longer worth carrying after so much time.

He has long since stopped thinking about it and has no complaints.

However, late stage cancer is terminal…

If he doesn’t see her now, he will probably not have another chance.

Raising his head, Xu Xinghe wanted to show Ling Changfeng an apologetic smile, but he couldn’t.

“I’d better go see her…” Xu Xinghe said softly. “Sorry, you finally managed to spare some time… Has Major General Qin finished arranging everything? Why don’t you go by yourself this time. I’ll accompany you next time…”

“What are you talking about?” Ling Changfeng frowned slightly and interrupted him, his tone helpless.

He tightened his palm slightly and held Xu Xinghe’s hand even tighter. “I’ll accompany you.”

“Huh?” Taken back, Xu Xinghe raised his head to look at him.

“You know, I’m not interested in traveling or vacation itself.” Ling Changfeng’s voice was indifferent, but his eyes were gentle. “Two weeks off is nothing to me, I just want to be with you.”

Outside the window, the sun fell little by little, eventually disappearing into the horizon.

Red clouds smeared the sky, and the colorful clouds were ever-changing.

Xu Xinghe fell into a daze under the sunset.

His heart beat erratically, and there was a sense of powerlessness to be tricked by fate.

At this moment, he suddenly smelled a familiar smell, and instantly seemed to fall in a vast ocean.

Closing his eyes momentarily, he fell into a trance and saw a calm afternoon sea, tranquil and sparkling.

Whenever he smells it, this smell always makes him feel an unconditional peace of mind.

He opened his eyes and smiled softly at Ling Changfeng: “Thank you.”

The sea-like pheromone gently wrapped around him, surrounding him with a warm aura, weaving him a blanket of reassurance.

Ling Changfeng sat for a while, then got up and said, “Then I’ll let Qin Yuan arrange it. Getting there will take fourteen or fifteen hours at the earliest. You go and pack up, and we’ll set off tonight.”

Xu Xinghe was slightly startled. “Why does it take so long? Where is she now?”

Even if they fly to Antarctica, it won’t take more than ten hours of travel time.

Ling Changfeng replied, “She’s not in Capital Star, but in Pelpa Star.”

Xu Xinghe’s head drooped down again.

Pelpa, the most barren planet in the Gamma galaxy…

He asked in a muffled voice, “Why did she go there?”

“I don’t know either. You can ask her when you get there.” Ling Changfeng replied.

Xu Xinghe made a soft “en”, then added, “Then I’ll change my clothes first.”

Ling Changfeng nodded. It seemed as if he wanted to say more, but in the end he didn’t speak.

He thought to himself, he can take his time. It won’t be too late to talk about the rest after arranging.

Before turning around, he couldn’t help reaching out and rubbing Xu Xinghe’s fluffy head.

“Don’t worry.” The Alliance marshal, who has always kept his word, said to his young spouse. “No matter what happens, I will be by your side.”

The next arc – with XXH’s family – contains some of my fav chappies.

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