AHDIBCB Chapter 56

Whether it was a conflict between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, or between the princes and the Emperor, Li Heng would be drawn into it, because he was the backbone of the Sirius Fleet—and the Sirius Fleet absolutely couldn’t escape being used by the royal court, unless they completely severed ties with it.

Yuan Yi understood. Precisely because he understood, he knew that Li Heng had to make this trip.

To say he didn’t feel any reluctance at all would be a lie—after all, they had spent so many days together. And truthfully, across both his lifetimes combined, no one had ever treated him the way Li Heng did. Even if there had been some misunderstandings at the beginning, now their hearts were completely aligned.

Yuan Yi stroked the little stone-carved baby and asked, “Have you decided when to set off?”

Li Heng said, “Not yet, but it should be within the next couple of days.”

Back in the capital, if they waited too long without hearing from him, the Crown Prince would surely take the next step. And given the current situation, the most likely move would be to act against the Qiming Army. The Second Prince’s involvement with the Qiming Army wasn’t something only Li Heng knew about. The Crown Prince wouldn’t wait forever, and the Second Prince wouldn’t keep hiding either.

The Crown Prince was already managing state affairs and had taken the initiative—sooner or later, he would force the Second Prince to make a move.

Having the Sirius Fleet deploy was only a matter of time, and Li Heng needed to go make preparations in advance.

Yuan Yi said, “Then the children and I will wait for you. But it seems going back to the capital is no longer possible. So where will I go?”

Li Heng stroked Yuan Yi’s belly and said, “No matter where it is, I won’t be at ease. But staying by my side is just too dangerous. For now, I’m planning to send you to Aisdaya Star. I have troops stationed there, and geographically it’s rather unique—much safer than other places. There will be people to take care of you once you arrive. I’ll do my best to make it back before you give birth.”

Yuan Yi asked, “Will Mom and Dad be coming too?”

When Li Heng heard he was still thinking about the two elders at a time like this, he couldn’t help but smile. “Dad won’t be coming for now. There’s a very important experiment on his side that’s already starting to transfer—he’ll be going with your grandfather. Mom should be going. Are you scared?”

Someone who had never left the capital before, who’d just barely begun adjusting to interstellar life, now had to go to another planet he’d never even set foot on—indeed, it was a lot to ask.

But Yuan Yi said, “It’s alright. I’ll treat it as an opportunity to learn and broaden my horizons. I’ve never been to another planet before. Is it nice there? I found very little information online about the planet you mentioned.”

Li Heng pulled up some photos on his communicator and showed them to Yuan Yi. “This planet is… unique. Not everyone knows how to live there, but it has its own charm. I think you’ll like it.”

After speaking, he noticed Yuan Yi was looking at the images but didn’t seem to really be focusing on them. He couldn’t help but say, “I’ve wronged you, baby. This period should be the time when an omega needs the most care and stability, and I’ve got you running all over the place.”

Yuan Yi said, “At least it proves you’re still alive. Isn’t that something to be happy about?”

Hearing that, Li Heng pulled him straight into his arms and whispered against his ear, “There’s also an exceptionally good alpha on the planet you’re going to—but you’re not allowed to like him. Not even a little.”

Yuan Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “He Yanwu, right?”

“How did you guess?”

“I heard before that he was doing environmental research on Aisdaya. So that tutor from last semester at school was actually you, right? You pretended to be him on campus. You even said that when I failed my first department transfer exam, you bore some responsibility.” Yuan Yi stepped back slightly and looked into Li Heng’s eyes. “As a married alpha who failed to let his omega understand what kind of physiological changes happen after a full marking—yes, you do bear some responsibility, General Li.”

Li Heng: “……”

The general’s chest pounded like a drum. The look in the other’s eyes was so gentle, tinged with the delight of uncovering a secret and full of unwavering trust. Li Heng’s heart surged with a thousand emotions.

His partner always seemed to have this magical ability to switch effortlessly between cool detachment and tender warmth. To him, Yuan Yi was like… a fresh mangosteen? From afar, it looked cold and tough, unapproachable. But if you squeezed it, it was actually very soft—inside, even more so, smooth and tender, sweet and pure white—something that made you fall for it easily.

Being stared at so intensely, Yuan Yi felt the heat of it and tilted his head slightly. “Did I say something wrong?”

Li Heng smiled. “No.”

Then he cupped Yuan Yi’s face and kissed him.

His broad, warm hands slipped under Yuan Yi’s clothes, gently caressing his body. Yuan Yi raised his arms and wrapped them around him. Li Heng kissed him while stroking the gland at the nape of his neck, then swept Yuan Yi up into his arms and laid him flat on the bed.

The air around them was filled with the alluring scent of golden-edged daphne—like invisible silken threads of desire winding through the space.

At this moment, Yuan Yi was like a flower on the verge of blooming—not yet at its most dazzling, yet already full of enticing promise.

Li Heng held back so hard that his expression turned almost frightening, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. That overwhelming urge to possess and ravage seemed to have him completely ensnared.

Just as the last thread of self-restraint was about to snap, he abruptly stood up, ready to leave the room.

But Yuan Yi suddenly grabbed his hand—

Turning his head to the side, ears flushed red, he said, “It’s not like it has to be a full marking… why do you keep running away?”

The moment those words left his mouth, Li Heng could no longer hold back. The suppressants must’ve long since worn off—or maybe they had never really worked at all? He bent down and planted a hard kiss on Yuan Yi’s lips. “Wait for me!”

Then he went straight into the bathroom.

—

Yuan Yi listened to the sound of running water that quickly came from the bathroom and muttered a low curse at himself: “You must be insane.”

But so what if he was? Not every separation is followed by a reunion. Not every goodbye comes with lingering affection. Besides, the most critical periods during pregnancy are the first three months and the last three—this timing was practically heaven-sent. Absolutely perfect.

Yuan Yi let out a soft breath and got up to go to the bathroom. The door was closed but not locked. He knocked twice, and when he saw Li Heng open the door, he instinctively lowered his gaze and walked in.

Li Heng gently asked, “Why did you come in?”

Yuan Yi felt the water splashing onto him was as cold as ice. He reached over to turn it off, then rose on tiptoe and kissed Li Heng proactively. Looking into his eyes, he said, “I don’t want to wait.”

When Li Heng saw the reluctance in his eyes, the fire in his heart ignited completely. He pulled over a towel and laid it over the sink counter, then lifted Yuan Yi up and sat him on top, wrapping him in his arms, kissing him over and over again…

By the time they came out, Yuan Yi was being carried by Li Heng. He was wearing a dark blue bathrobe—it was a bit big, making him look like he’d been wrapped in a blanket. His hair was still a little damp, and his face and ears were a soft pink.

Li Heng gently laid him down on the bed, warmed a glass of milk with a bit of sugar, and fed him a few sips. Then he asked, “Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

Yuan Yi shook his head. “Don’t worry, I’m really fine.”

Li Heng drank the remaining milk in one gulp, then lay down beside him, carefully covering him with the blanket.

“Wife.”

“Mm?”

“You’re being too bold, aren’t you? Aren’t you afraid that if something happens to me—”

“No ‘if.’ I trust you.”

“……”

With just that line, Li Heng pulled him into his arms and sighed, “What can I do? Now I don’t want to leave even more.”

Yuan Yi snuggled closer, shifting to a comfortable position, “I just want to make sure you have something to hold onto—don’t get so busy later that you forget me and the children.”

Li Heng smiled and said, “How’s that possible? I’ll never forget the way you were back in the bathroom—I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”

Yuan Yi buried himself in his arms and mumbled somewhat sleepily, “Then when danger comes, remember: you still owe me one thing.”

Li Heng replied, “Don’t worry—I’d remember that even if I forgot who I was myself. I now finally understand why all those alpha officers under me who are married or have partners run faster than rabbits the moment vacation comes.”

Yuan Yi seemed to offer a faint laugh. But when Li Heng looked at him, he saw that his eyes were already closed—clearly he was exhausted.

No matter how much he restrained himself, since it was their first time, he couldn’t fully relax—he worried he might have hurt Yuan Yi. So he had Xuan Ying check his heart rate and blood pressure, and after confirming it was just fatigue sleeping him out, he finally exhaled.

He didn’t sleep all night—he kept his eyes open, watching over Yuan Yi through the entire night.

Yuan Yi woke up to see a pair of bloodshot eyes. He didn’t even need to ask to know what had happened. “You’re not allowed to do this again. At a critical time like this, preserving your strength is important.”

Li Heng said, “Once you’re over there, take good care of yourself. I’ll have Flight Wolf and Snow Wolf go with you. We might not be able to stay in contact every day, so if you have time, help me record the children’s condition each month.”

Yuan Yi replied, “Don’t worry, I was already planning to.”

Li Heng wanted to say more, but the more he thought, the more he realized there was too much to say and too little time to say it. In the end, it all condensed into one sentence: “Are you still sleepy? If not, let’s get up and eat in the cafeteria together.”

Yuan Yi didn’t immediately respond—he seemed to be hesitating. Li Heng thought maybe he hadn’t slept enough, so he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yuan Yi said, “How about… you just grab something from the cafeteria and bring it back? I’ll eat in the room.” After a pause, he added, “I’m a little sore.”

Li Heng’s expression stiffened for a moment. He asked with concern, “Your stomach?”

Yuan Yi looked a little embarrassed and turned his face to the side. “It’s not my stomach—the babies are fine.”

Li Heng suddenly understood. “Then why didn’t you say anything last night?”

Yuan Yi glared at him. “By the end I was so sleepy I went numb, alright?”

Li Heng gently touched his face with heartache. “Then wait for me—I’ll be right back.”

At that time, the cafeteria was already filled with people. The moment they saw Li Heng stride in, they all stood up in unison and greeted, “Good morning, General!”

Li Heng waved his hand. “Morning, eat your meals.”

After that, he went to the robot chef station and picked up quite a lot of food, then walked over to the medical officer. The medical officer was also having breakfast. Li Heng gestured for him to step aside for a word. After exchanging a few sentences, he quickly headed to the infirmary.

Yang Mei asked curiously, “Why is the General in such a rush? Is something wrong?”

The medical officer smiled and said, “It’s nothing.”

Li Heng returned to the bedroom with the medicine, and as he applied it for Yuan Yi, he said, “I confirmed with the medical officer—this has no side effects and won’t affect the babies, so don’t worry. If it hurts, tell me, I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

Yuan Yi was so embarrassed he could hardly bear it. He really couldn’t pretend to be totally indifferent anymore. Once the application was finally done, Li Heng wanted to feed him while he lay down, but Yuan Yi felt that wouldn’t be good for digestion, so he sat up.

But after sitting up, he realized that sitting wasn’t very comfortable either.

Li Heng saw the look on his face and knew he couldn’t possibly be pain-free so soon. He rolled a blanket into a ring and had Yuan Yi sit on it while eating.

Yuan Yi buried his head and ate for a long time, but he kept feeling a pair of eyes watching him. He finally looked up. “What is it?”

Li Heng said, “I called Li Mian over to keep you company. But for safety reasons, its physical body can’t come with you, so the little clothes you made probably won’t be seen for now.”

Yuan Yi said, “Then I’ll just make new ones, or maybe none at all. The main thing is having someone to explain problems to me.”

Li Heng peeled the shrimp, tore it into tiny pieces, and put them into Yuan Yi’s bowl of porridge. “He can definitely help with problems. For medical knowledge, you can ask the chief medical officer. I also tried to get you food that’s easy to digest, but you can’t just drink porridge—otherwise, you’ll get hungry too quickly. I told Yang Mei to bring you more food in an hour.”

Yuan Yi was a bit surprised. “You told him?”

Before Li Heng could answer, there was a sudden knock at the door. It was Winter Wolf.

He usually handled things steadily, so knocking so urgently could only mean something important.

Li Heng immediately went to open the door. Winter Wolf said, “General, there’s movement.”

“The Crown Prince?”

“No, the Second Prince,” Winter Wolf replied. “The Brute barbarians have mobilized their forces and are advancing toward the Sirius Fleet’s patrol region. The Owanda army is also among them.”

“Has he gone mad?”

Dong Lang frowned and said, “Captain Mo sent word—the Crown Prince has taken the Second Prince’s mother and several of his children into custody.”

“Get ready. We leave in five minutes.”

“Yes, sir!” Dong Lang turned and quickly ran off.

“I’ll get up and pack a few things,” Yuan Yi said.

“No need. You just keep eating.” Li Heng reached out and ruffled Yuan Yi’s hair.

“You mean… you’re leaving on another ship and I’ll stay on the Ghost Ship?” Yuan Yi asked, stunned.

“Yes,” Li Heng nodded. “You’ve gotten quite familiar with it recently. After I leave, you won’t have to adjust to a whole new environment again. It also has prenatal checkup equipment onboard—it’ll be more convenient to bring it along. And since it’s a quick-response stealth warship, I’ll feel more at ease knowing you’re on it. Plus, the space inside isn’t too cramped—you won’t feel too confined.”

Yuan Yi: “…” He had thought he’d be taking another small ship, like the twenty-meter-long one they’d taken to Sector 72.

A strong wave of reluctance surged in Li Heng.

But this time, he didn’t go to hold Yuan Yi.

Instead, he ran through his mental checklist, making sure he hadn’t overlooked anything.

Outside, hurried footsteps were fast approaching.

Night Wolf stood at the doorway with a group behind him. “General, everything is ready.”

Li Heng gently touched Yuan Yi’s belly, then leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Take care of yourself.”

Suddenly, Yuan Yi called out, “Husband!”

Li Heng turned back, only to see Yuan Yi smiling. “I’ll be waiting for you to come pick me up.”

Li Heng strode back in and pulled Yuan Yi into a tight embrace, kissing him deeply for a moment. “It’s a promise.”

As he passed the doorway, he firmly gripped Flying Wolf and Snow Wolf’s shoulders. “Protect him—please.”

Both replied, “Don’t worry, sir. We guarantee we’ll complete the mission!”

Soon, Li Heng and his group boarded another ship.

Yuan Yi watched as that ship departed from the Ghost Ship, swiftly heading toward another star sector. In no time, it had completely vanished from sight.

Yang Mei, worried Yuan Yi might feel separation anxiety, quickly tried to reassure him. “Madam, please don’t be upset. The General will definitely be back soon. If you need anything during this time, just let me know. Flying Wolf, Snow Wolf, and I will all do our very best to take care of you.”

Yuan Yi’s smile seemed to have left the Ghost Ship along with Li Heng. He returned to his usual, calm and distant demeanor. “Thank you, and sorry for the trouble. I remember Flying Wolf once said he could show me the latest interstellar weapons. I wonder if that offer still stands? If so, I’d like to start tomorrow. Just half an hour to an hour each day, if one of you has time to teach me.”

Flying Wolf hesitated slightly and glanced at Snow Wolf.

Snow Wolf said, “No problem. Let Flying Wolf teach you. If there’s anything else you need, just let us know.”

Yuan Yi replied, “I’d like to learn how to read star maps, interstellar navigation charts, and the latest military defense patterns of Owanda, including the logic behind their layout. That’s all for now.”

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Hello everyone!! I hope you all have been doing well. Thanks for your patience. Hereafter I will be updating as per schedule – each chapter per day. And I would like to work on other Chinese novels too. If you have any recommendations, I’d would be happy to pick it up. Thanks for your support! Love you all!!!