AHDIBCB Chapter 22

Three days could pass in the blink of an eye. Yet in these three days, some rejoiced while others worried.

Sirius Fleet Ground Base

Deputy Captain and Acting Captain Fei Qian stared at the words sent through the secret channel, feeling a headache coming on.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand them. Though the General had only sent two words, he knew exactly how many meanings those two words carried.

First, someone was going to officially promote him to Captain.

Second, after being promoted, he’d still be dismissed.

Third, that dismissal was somehow related to Madam giving birth.

Second Guard Commander Jun Jian couldn’t figure out for the life of him how Fei Qian had come to this conclusion. Confused, he asked, “So what exactly does the General want you to do?”

Fei Qian, with his long silver hair, wore a starry-blue uniform and knee-high military boots, idly stretching a piece of colorful soft gel that, no matter how much it was played with, would never dry out.

Lounging on the sofa with one leg bent and the other draped over the edge, he looked both casual and slightly arrogant.

He said, “Can’t figure it out? Obviously, it’s a reminder for me to start planning ahead.”

“How do we respond?”

Fei Qian kneaded the soft gel into the shape of a sword and sighed. “If I had already figured out a good way to respond, would I still be worried? Come here, let me hold you.”

Jun Jian’s ears burned red, but he still sat down between those long legs.

He was a beta, both Fei Qian’s chief guard and his other half. They had only been in a relationship for three months, but he still wasn’t used to some of Fei Qian’s little habits—like wanting to hold him while thinking things through. He spoke bluntly, “Then why don’t we use the same method to contact Winter Wolf and ask them?”

Fei Qian shook his head. “No. This secret channel is only for the General to contact me. If I reach out to them, it could expose them too easily. Right now, the priority is protecting Madam.”

Jun Jian frowned in confusion. “You mean Yuan Yi?”

Fei Qian carefully placed the soft gel into a small, cube-shaped box. “Mm. The General’s meaning is clear—my dismissal is related to the child Yuan Yi is giving birth to.”

Jun Jian said, “Now I’m even more confused. He’s able to give birth, and you just called him ‘Madam.’ Doesn’t that mean the General acknowledges him? Then what does him having a child have to do with you being removed? The person the General recognizes can’t possibly be a bad one.”

Fei Qian patiently explained, “Someone wants to use me as a stepping stone.”

First, they would promote him to an official position. Then, they would drag him down. And the reason they’d use would most likely be tied to Yuan Yi—the future First Lady of the Sirius Fleet.

For example, they could accuse him of failing to protect Yuan Yi properly, or claim that someone he assigned to Yuan Yi’s side attempted an assassination. If anyone managed to prove that he betrayed the General, the entire fleet would tear him apart.

His reputation in the Sirius Fleet was high, but no one—himself included—could stand above Li Heng.

Jun Jian was still puzzled. “But why would they go through all that trouble? Promoting you just to take you down—wouldn’t that be completely unnecessary?”

Fei Qian ran his fingers through his lover’s tea-colored curls. “It’s not unnecessary. Our fleet is highly unified. We only follow one leader. Any outsider trying to take command would struggle to gain the crew’s loyalty. But if they could produce proof that I betrayed the General, that person would become the fleet’s ‘savior.’ At that point, breaking into our ranks would be much easier.”

Jun Jian felt like his head was spinning. “Then what are you planning to do? Find a way to avoid the promotion?”

Fei Qian only smiled without answering.

If it were that simple, he wouldn’t be so troubled.

The two words the General sent him weren’t telling him to give up competing for the candidate position. On the contrary, the General wanted him to fight for it—and that was exactly what gave him a headache.

If he went through with this, he would inevitably attract a great deal of resentment before the truth came to light.

But he was just an ordinary man from a humble background. The only reason he had reached his current position was because of the Marshal and the General’s guidance. That meant he couldn’t disobey the General’s orders.

Jun Jian said, “Looks like you’ve figured something out. But I still don’t understand—how did you deduce the General’s intention from just those two words?”

Fei Qian replied, “It’s simple. Because the method for deciphering secret messages like this was something the General taught me himself.”

He patted Jun Jian. “Get up now, sweetheart. Go tell the team assigned to protect Madam that every time they meet, they must use a special method to confirm each other’s identities. The tech for facial disguise is too advanced these days—if they’re not careful, someone might take advantage of it.”

Jun Jian stood up and said, “I’ll handle it. But don’t call me that again. I’m not a kid.”

Fei Qian smiled and nodded. “Alright, sweetheart.”

Jun Jian’s face instantly turned bright red. He was three years older than Fei Qian, yet somehow Fei Qian still indulged in this ridiculous habit.

Watching his lover leave, Fei Qian gradually wiped the smile off his face. He pondered for a moment before deciding to head to the Air Force General Staff Office.

As long as their faith remained, no one could destroy the Sirius Fleet!

At the same time, the real Captain himself was marveling at how damn hard it was to regain his freedom. He had thought that three days would be enough to fully get through his susceptibility period. But to his frustration, after three days, it relapsed!

With the relapse, he didn’t dare take any chances. One thing led to another, and he ended up waiting another three days—meaning this susceptibility period had dragged on for nearly a full week.

Finally, he had pulled through!

The very first thing he did was reclaim his identity as He Yanwu and return to the academy to take back his tutoring privileges.

A week was admittedly a bit long, but the moment he saw Yuan Yi—and remembered the two little ones in his belly—his mood instantly improved.

What surprised him, though, was that Yuan Yi didn’t look well at all. There was a faint bluish tinge under his eyes, and compared to the day of the campus picnic, his overall state had deteriorated significantly, as if he hadn’t rested in a long time.

Li Heng frowned. “What happened these past few days while I was gone? Why do you look so exhausted?”

He closed Yuan Yi’s notebook and advised, “If you’re too tired, take a few days off. What’s more important, your health or switching majors?”

Yuan Yi said, “The break is coming up soon. I just want to take at least one exam this semester. Even if I don’t pass, seeing more of the question formats will still help, so I’ve just been sleeping less.”

Li Heng frowned. “That doesn’t mean you should push yourself too hard. Have you forgotten your current condition?”

Yuan Yi fell silent.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten. In fact, he couldn’t forget even if he wanted to—his body’s discomfort was becoming more and more obvious. Especially in the past few days, he could feel himself struggling more and more to fall asleep at night.

He had been taking the nutritional supplements Dr. Luo prescribed on time, and he had even been trying to meditate, but none of it helped.

The less he slept, the worse he felt; the worse he felt, the harder it was to sleep. Then, he’d start worrying that his lack of rest would affect the babies’ development, which only made his anxiety spiral further. Unable to sit still, he fell into a vicious cycle.

At some point, as if possessed, he began opening his optical computer to stare at Li Heng’s digital memorial archive. Reading about the General’s life gave him fleeting moments of inexplicable peace.

It was absurd, but oddly comforting. Even though it was all just words on a screen, he couldn’t stop himself from continuing. He felt like some kind of deranged addict—knowing full well this wasn’t good for him, yet still repeating the same behavior every night.

Before leaving home this morning, he had even asked Professor Jian if he could borrow some of Li Heng’s old belongings. He hadn’t meant anything by it—he just… wanted to take a couple of things to look at.

God knew how embarrassed he had been when he spoke those last two words. His voice had nearly disappeared.

Professor Jian, however, had readily agreed. But when Yuan Yi recalled the professor’s reaction at the time, he wished he could have just dug a hole and buried himself on the spot.

Yet this wasn’t something he could talk about with anyone else. Even thinking about it himself felt ridiculous.

A grown man. A fully trained doctor. And here he was, wanting to find comfort in objects left behind by his deceased husband. Absolutely absurd.

This loss of control over himself was unbearable, leaving him feeling deeply frustrated. And frustration was not an emotion he often experienced.

He knew it was because of the pregnancy—his hormone levels were unstable—but that didn’t make the sense of defeat any easier to swallow. Perhaps his emotions were too intense, because Li Heng picked up on them almost immediately.

He sensed Yuan Yi’s low spirits, his unease, and even a trace of irritation. Yuan Yi’s feelings were complicated, yet there was no sign of him backing down.

So Li Heng said, “You’re a doctor yourself—you, more than anyone, should understand that proper rest is essential for both living and learning.”

Yuan Yi didn’t want to explain—of course, he couldn’t explain—so he just gave a vague “Mm” and said, “I’ll be careful. I have class in the afternoon, so I’ll head there now. You didn’t get to try the braised beef last time—I’ll make it again another day.”

Li Heng looked at his weary face. “No need. I don’t always get to eat much of it anyway, but you always have to make so much. I’d feel bad. Let’s talk about it another time.”

They both understood the real reason behind making so many portions. It wasn’t because they owed that many favors—it was simply to avoid unnecessary gossip.

Yuan Yi said, “Then I’ll get going. Goodbye, Senior He.”

Li Heng said, “Your notes.”

Only then did Yuan Yi remember that his notes were still under He Yanwu’s hand. He reached for them, but felt resistance—He Yanwu was holding them down slightly. He looked up in confusion.

Li Heng said, “Leave them with me for now. You’re memorizing medical chemistry drills, right? I put together a tongue twister that’ll make memorization a lot easier. I’ll write it down for you before I return this.”

Yuan Yi had been struggling with that subject. He thought about it—there wasn’t anything in the notes that He Yanwu couldn’t see—so he left them behind. “Thanks, Senior He.”

Li Heng nodded, looking completely confident. “Go on.”

As soon as Yuan Yi left, Li Heng frowned and started making up the tongue twister on the spot.

 It had to be fun, easy to remember, and—most importantly—not immediately reveal his special intent. That was actually pretty difficult.

But what he hadn’t expected at all was that, later that evening, Yuan Yi said he wouldn’t be coming to school for the next few days.

Li Heng asked, “Why? Didn’t you say you needed to make the most of your time to prepare for exams? Where else are you going to find a tutor as professional and articulate as me? Junior Yuan, I advise you not to be so ungrateful.”

Yuan Yi thought to himself: Didn’t you just say this morning that life is more important than anything?

He had already gone too many nights without proper sleep. If this continued, it wasn’t just himself he had to worry about—his children wouldn’t be able to handle it either.

Since he had already thickened his skin to ask for something of Li Heng’s, he figured he might as well make another request. He told Professor Jian that he wanted to move into Li Heng’s room.

Professor Jian agreed.

For the first time, Yuan Yi officially entered Li Heng’s quarters. And then—he discovered that there was something in this room that could lull him to sleep!

Li Heng narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “You don’t seriously think I disappeared for a whole week just to avoid suspicion, do you?”

At school, plenty of people thought the same thing.

Yuan Yi said, “How could that be possible? I just want to take a proper break for a while. It’s a good chance to reinforce everything you’ve taught me. Didn’t you say it yourself, Senior He—resting well is the key to living and learning well?”

Li Heng thought: Well, that’s true. But hadn’t he just decided to treat this person better from now on? Could it be that while he was gone, someone else had swooped in…?

“But didn’t I also tell you that the best way to learn is by trying multiple different approaches? That way, you learn faster and retain more. When I tutor you, we have discussions, and those discussions spark new questions, right? But if you don’t come to school, who’s going to study medicine with you?”

Yuan Yi said, “I have someone.”

Li Heng’s expression suddenly shifted. “What did you say?”

“I have someone to study with me, so I won’t trouble you anymore, Senior He. Thank you for your help these past few days.”

Li Heng: “…” Impossible. It had only been a week—who the hell had the guts to steal his person?

—

Li Family Residence, Li Heng’s Bedroom.

Yuan Yi finished making the bed and took out the AI system that Li Heng had personally trained before his death.