CH 73

The universe is like a quiet and deep black ocean, full of twinkling stars, vast and brilliant.

After performing an interstellar leap, the top spaceship in the galaxy continued traveling among the stars and in space.

Xu Xinghe stood in front of the 180-degree glass observation deck in the sightseeing hall, looking up at the shining Milky Way outside.

Stars stretched out across the heavens and earth, forming a brilliant tapestry that could not be contained in one glance.

The stars are so far away from him, yet they seemed to be within reach.

Xu Xinghe remembered that the last time he left Capital Star and went to another planet was his graduation trip several years back.

At that time, he and his classmates didn’t have much money. He could barely afford the ticket and could only ride in a small civilian spacecraft. There was no viewing platform on the ship, so he hadn’t been able to see the spectacle of shining stars up close.

At this moment, standing in the sightseeing hall, surrounded by bulletproof glass, looking up, the stars condensed into colorful light spots, glittering in the boundless, infinite universe.

It felt as if he was one of those specks, transformed into a star, in the vast expanse.

“There are still about two hours left.” Ling Changfeng stepped forward. Standing side by side with him, he peered at the wonders of the universe outside the spacecraft, and said without squinting: “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

Nodding his head, Xu Xinghe replied: “It’s beautiful and shocking.”

Ling Changfeng said, “The first time I saw such a scene, I thought to myself, if I could float in the universe for a lifetime, I would just stay on the spaceship and never step on land again.”

Xu Xinghe turned his head to look at Ling Changfeng in slight surprise. “Why would you think like this?”

Ling Changfeng replied: “At that time, I was not yet an adult, and the Alliance had not yet been established. Warlords in various places fought each other, interstellar pirates were rampant, and my hometown was full of burning, killing, and looting. My parents… lost their lives in the chaotic war. At that time, I almost hated everything on the ground.”

This was the first time Xu Xinghe had heard Ling Changfeng tell his story.

Previously, he only knew that Ling Changfeng’s parents had passed away, so he never asked about those experiences from when he was younger.

Listening to him talk about it now, his heart couldn’t help but move slightly: “What happened later?”

“Later, it was discovered that my mental power wasn’t bad…” Ling Changfeng paused slightly, as if he didn’t really want to mention what happened during that time. He just said, “Afterwards, under the recommendation of a teacher, I was admitted to the military academy by accident.”

Ling Changfeng said that his mental strength was “not bad”, which was definitely an exaggerated expression of modesty.

He was admitted to the First Military Academy with the highest score in history, and got a SSS mental strength rating, and is the current record holder of the First Military Academy.

“So you’ve been on interstellar spaceships since you were very young?” Xu Xinghe was a little curious. 

Ling Changfeng nodded: “It’s a long story, I was sold by someone at that time… But even so, I still didn’t want to go back to the ground.”

Xu Xinghe fell silent. He didn’t ask any more, but suddenly stretched out his left hand and hooked Ling Changfeng’s cuff with his fingers.

Ling Changfeng was wearing a neat black shirt with the cufflinks gifted by his lover.

He stood tall and straight in front of the viewing platform, like a towering pine and cypress.

Xu Xinghe originally wanted to express comfort, but he felt that this action was too intimate, almost provocative.

So his fingertips paused and he silently retracted the hand.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he retreated a few millimeters, his left hand was suddenly held.

Xu Xinghe was taken aback.

Ling Changfeng turned his head, and Xu Xinghe’s shadow was reflected in his pupils. “It’s all over, I’ve been on the ground for a long time.”

Xu Xinghe nodded, feeling that Ling Changfeng’s palm was very hot.

But he didn’t hide, and just said: “Well, the past is over, people always have to look forward.”

——

During the seventeen-hour interstellar journey, Xu Xinghe slept half of the time, and spent most of the other half in the observation hall, quietly looking up at the cosmic scenery.

In fact, it only takes about five or six hours to reach the capital of Pelpa on a supersonic military fighter, but Xu Xinghe was just recently discharged from the hospital, and his body was unsuitable to withstand that kind of high-intensity flight.

Therefore, it took nearly a full day to finally arrive at the capital of Pelpa, Suker City.

Suker City is a city full of cyberpunk style.

The city was cloudy and rainy, with ancient steam engines creating more thick smoke and roaring in the rain.

Under the dim sky, the colorful neon lights were particularly dazzling.

Xu Xinghe got off the spaceship, and looked at the city full of metal punk designs, and murmured: “Suker City… It’s completely different from what I imagined.”

Ling Changfeng asked: “What kind of city do you imagine Suker City to look like?”

Xu Xinghe said: “I saw Pelpa star in a news report before. It was deserted, and many people could not get enough to eat or wear warm clothes…”

To this, Colonel Lewis, the captain of the Marshal’s Guard who accompanied them, replied: “Some areas of Pelpa star can indeed be described as ‘desolate’. The infrastructure here is generally backward, but Suker City is the capital of Pelpa after all, and is the most prosperous city on this planet. If even this place is deserted, then there’ll be nowhere else to live.”

Xu Xinghe nodded, took a deep breath, and exhaled it slowly.

The air was filled with smells of oil and smoke, similar to industrial pollution. For Xu Xinghe, who grew up in the capital city, it was slightly pungent.

Although Marshal Ling’s trip is completely private and not open to the outside world, because the commander of the military region of Pelpa is his old subordinate, he still lined up at the airport to welcome the arrival of his superior.

After having a brief conversation with his former subordinate, in the shocked eyes of everyone, Ling Changfeng held Xu Xinghe’s hand again. He then turned to the people around him, and said, “Lead the way, let’s go to the hospital.”

After being greeted by people from Capital Star cryptically, Xu Xinghe’s biological mother was transferred to the best local hospital for 24-hour special care.

But Pelpa’s medical conditions are obviously incomparable to that of Capital Star. Adjutant Qin originally inquired whether it was possible to bring her directly to Capital Star for treatment, but local experts said that the patient’s disease was too far along, and she couldn’t stand the bumps of an interstellar journey. Moving her rashly will only aggravate her condition.

So in the end, I chose to let her receive local treatment for the time being.

“What did the doctor say?” Xu Xinghe asked Ling Changfeng on their way to the hospital.

“He said if she’s lucky, she can live for another three or five years, but if her condition deteriorates further…” Ling Changfeng paused and said in a low voice: “Then each day lived is an extra day gained.”

Xu Xinghe closed his eyes.

“She…does she know me?” After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes again, looked at the hazy city in the rain outside the car window, and asked softly.

Ling Changfeng said: “I don’t know much about the specifics, but I think she can probably guess something.”

Xu Xinghe asked again, “Has she been alone all these years? Or does she have a family now?”

He took the initiative to ask, and Ling Changfeng also took the opportunity to explain: “Seventeen years ago, she remarried a local businessman, but that businessman died of illness ten years ago… and left behind a pair of children, a boy and girl.”

“What?” Xu Xinghe turned his head suddenly, his eyes widened, “A boy and girl?”

Ling Changfeng nodded: “Well, a son and a daughter. The boy is sixteen years old this year, the girl is only ten years old. They were all raised by her alone these years.”

The unexpected news made Xu Xinghe unable to recover for a long time.

Originally thought that the sudden news of his biological mother was magical enough, but now an extra pair of younger siblings appeared out of thin air.

Ling Changfeng continued: “I read the information and it seems that her health has not been very good. The businessman left a small legacy, but it was not enough to pay her high medical expenses, so later, she voluntarily gave up treatment.”

He raised his hand and clicked on the smart terminal, and pulled up the electronic file.

In fact, he hadn’t read the information carefully before.

Ling Changfeng added while reading: “She has worked in various places in her early years. In the past two years, probably due to physical reasons, she quit her job and has been living on the government’s subsidy. Relying on the subsidy to support three people in Suker City is not easy. She should have kept some of the money, and refused to use it for medical treatment… She even provided for the two children to go to school until the beginning of this year, when her condition suddenly deteriorated. Now her older… younger son seems to be making trouble and might have to drop out of school.”

Having said that, he frowned slightly and swiped his fingers up and down: “This little son of hers… he’s not very good. He has been admitted to the juvenile detention center twice this year.”

“Huh?” Xu Xinghe’s eyebrows moved slightly. “Because of what?”

Ling Changfeng’s thin lips pursed slightly. “Fighting, both times were because of fights.”

Raindrops fell on the glass windows, blurring the scenery outside.

Leaning against the window for a moment, Xu Xinghe was silent for a moment, and then suddenly asked, “Then what if she… she’s gone, what about these two children?”

Ling Changfeng looked at him and wanted to say that ‘you are also a child, no need to worry so much about these things.’

But in the end, he just said: “Don’t worry, I will arrange it.”

“Thank you, I…” Xu Xinghe opened his mouth, obviously wanting to say something to express his gratitude. In the end, he could only blurt out: “Sorry for causing you trouble.”

Ling Changfeng reached out and rubbed his head. “Nonsense.”

After a pause, he said, “You don’t need to thank me. Instead, I hope you can take the initiative to trouble me when you encounter difficulties in the future.”

The smell of hospital disinfectant, the pale walls, and the serious-looking medical staff all made Xu Xinghe timid for no reason.

He stood in front of the door of the ward, but did not dare to push the door in.

Ling Changfeng stood beside him and patted his shoulder. “Don’t be afraid, do you need me to accompany you in?”

Xu Xinghe bit his lip and shook his head. “Thank you, but I… I want to be alone with her first and say a few words.”

Ling Changfeng nodded slightly: “Okay.”

Xu Xinghe took a deep breath, pushed the door and walked in…

Ling Changfeng stood at the door for a moment, and then he greeted his men. “There should be two children next to this patient. Where are they now?”

Cold sweat beaded out on the local officer responsible for showing them around; he nearly broke down. “Reporting, sir! There is a little girl taking a lunch break in the next room. There is also a young man who hasn’t come back after going out last night. I will send someone to look for him immediately!”

This and the next chapter were renamed slightly to match the contents better. This one should be “Birth Mother” not “Birth Mother 1”.

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