Chapter 74: Choice (3100+)

"Le Le, wait a moment."

Luo Le held Chen Chen gently, not daring to walk too fast. Huo Lanjing quickly caught up.

He stepped forward and grabbed the corner of Luo Le's clothing. "Le Le."

Luo Le retreated to her left, pulling away from his hand. "Let go."

Huo Lanjing withdrew his hand, looking slightly aggrieved. "Don't blame the child, he didn't—"

"Why should I blame him?" Luo Le scoffed, her tone cold.

Chen Chen was startled by Luo Le's tone and instinctively hugged his neck, crying out, "Daddy."

Luo Le patted his back soothingly. "Daddy won't be angry with you, don't be scared."

He wanted to react, but it wasn't appropriate with Chen Chen around.

Huo Lanjing took a step forward, lifting his gaze. "Let's talk."

At this point, Luo Le knew there was no escape.

When he saw the scene, his first instinct was to take Chen Chen away as far as possible.

But then he realized that the Empire was the best place for Chen Chen, in terms of education and social exposure.

Therefore, he couldn't leave.

However, now that Huo Lanjing knew Chen Chen's identity, there was no way he would give up easily.

Luo Le left first, with Huo Lanjing following closely behind. They entered a nearby café.

There was an area for children to play, so Luo Le released the nurturing robot he had previously purchased from his spatial dimension.

After instructing Chen Chen, he found a secluded spot with a view of Chen Chen, alongside Huo Lanjing.

"I have only one request: please stay away from us." Luo Le sipped his coffee casually.

Huo Lanjing's hand paused in mid-air. Although he had anticipated this response, his heart still felt slightly stifled upon hearing it.

"I've been searching for you for a long time," he said, unsure why he felt compelled to share this.

Luo Le thought he must have misheard. After confirming that he hadn't, he straightened his sleeve and scoffed coldly, "What does that have to do with me? Please understand, we no longer have any connection."

Huo Lanjing lifted his gaze, shaking his head sincerely with intense eyes, "There is."

Luo Le was amused by the absurdity, "Don't you forget, we're already divorced. If you insist on claiming a connection, yes, we were roommates for four years, but that's in the past. It's over, do you get it?"

Huo Lanjing's pupils constricted at these words, as something suddenly clicked in his mind. He softly explained, "No, there is no past. What I said before was true. Chen Wuxing and I are just comrades-in-arms. The forum rumors are nonsense. There has never been anyone else by my side, you know I've always been busy..."

He had only learned about the forum speculation linking him with Chen Wuxing from Captain Lin. It was ridiculous.

They were merely comrades-in-arms.

Luo Le closed his eyes, inhaling deeply before saying, "Enough."

The events of the insectoid invasion were etched vividly in his memory.

Countless times, in the stillness of midnight, the image that replayed in his mind was Huo Lanjing carrying Chen Wuxing away from him, leaving a receding silhouette.

"Luo Le, since you insist on bringing this up," he rolled up his sleeve, revealing his shoulder. "This scar is from that invasion. And the ones on my back – do you want to see them?" Luo Le's gaze locked onto Huo Lanjing's.

Huo Lanjing avoided eye contact. He knew all too well that if he could turn back time, he would never have overlooked the injured Luo Le.

"What's the matter? You're afraid to look? It's normal to have scars from the battlefield, and compared to Chen Wuxing's, mine aren't much."

"No, it's my fault," Huo Lanjing refuted instantly, lowering his gaze to the cup before him. He clenched his fists, knowing that an Omega should never be hurt in such a manner.

"If it had been a real invasion, I wouldn't have complained even if I died at that moment. But was it really one?"

He admitted his wrongdoing and apologized repeatedly, "I'm sorry..."

A self-deprecating smile tugged at Luo Le's lips. "Back then, I was just a lowly soldier. It's understandable that decisions of that magnitude weren't shared with me. It's just laughable how anxious I was, like an ant on a hot pan. And that honor I received, only disclosed when everyone else was gone – am I really that unbearable to look at?"

Huo Lanjing's eyes flickered slightly. "No, I was afraid that if the military personnel heard your name, they would start rumors about you again. You were unhappy with me before because of this, so I decided not to mention you in front of them. But on the official list, your name was at the top."

He had assumed Luo Le joined the military to keep an eye on him, and since quite a few people in the army already knew Luo Le's name, announcing it publicly would undoubtedly spark gossip.

After much deliberation, he had crossed Luo Le's name off the list.

"Huo Lanjing, can you convince yourself with those words? Regardless of whether my name was on that list or not, the moment you erased it, my glory vanished."

What difference was there between a glory that wasn't announced and one that was taken away?

"I can explain," he offered.

"Explain? No need. All your decisions make sense, but have you forgotten that back then, I was your wife? Before anything happened, shouldn't you have informed me and reassured me?"

At this, Luo Le chuckled. "Oh, wait, how could I forget? I wasn't your wife, but your brother."

Huo Lanjing's brows knitted slightly. "When did I ever say I treated you as my brother?"

"That's not important..."

"No, who told you that?" Huo Lanjing pressed on with his questioning.

The name Chen Wuxing lingered on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Huo Lanjing gave him a sidelong glance, pressing his lips together. "If I treated you like a younger brother, I wouldn't have slept with you."

Looking at his earnest face, Luo Le's lips twitched. How could this person be so shameless?

He huffed coldly, "You really are forgetful with all your noble affairs. If you didn't say anything, how would Chen Wuxing have taken me as your brother?"

Huo Lanjing lowered his gaze in thought. He had never said such a thing.

After a moment, an answer formed in his mind. He lifted his eyes to look at Luo Le and spoke deliberately, "I said family."

"Do you want to say he misunderstood your words?"

Huo Lanjing nodded seriously.

Luo Le suddenly burst into laughter. "Do you honestly think that after explaining all this, everything that happened can just be swept under the rug?"

Huo Lanjing shook his head; he had never thought along those lines.

"Luo Le, do you know Chen Chen's identity?" she asked abruptly.

Huo Lanjing paused but still nodded honestly.

That same night, he had conducted a paternity test on himself and Chen Chen, confirming that they were indeed father and son.

When Luo Le had left back then, Chen Chen was six months old, which matched the timeline.

Sure enough, his guess was correct.

"He's just my child. Do you understand?" Luo Le warned in a cold tone.

How could Huo Lanjing not understand his meaning?

"Le Le, Chen Chen also has a choice, right? Yes, the kindergarten you've sent him to now is excellent, and he'll be interacting with influential families. But does Chen Chen genuinely want all of this?"

Luo Le gazed at Chen Chen in the distance without responding.

"Chen Chen is fond of mecha theory, enjoys deciphering those intricate formulas. There, his peers perceive him as introverted and reluctant to engage with them. The Huo family could tailor their education to his interests. If he wishes, the family's mecha storage and research facilities would be at his disposal to tinker with. Even if he dismantles every mecha and can't reassemble them, it wouldn't be an issue. Should he express an interest in the military, that path would also be open to him."

Huo Lanjing paused, waiting for Luo Le's response before continuing, "I won't vie with you for Chen Chen, nor will I pressure you into making a choice. He is a part of you, and without your consent, I can only be Chen Chen's uncle. But, Luo Le, I hope you can give me a chance, and allow Chen Chen the option to choose."

Luo Le was already simmering with anger. Hearing this, her temper flared uncontrollably.

In the next moment, she poured the remainder of her coffee over his head.

The coffee drenched his hair, trickling down his face, staining the white parts with a brown hue, leaving him a mess.

Huo Lanjing wasn't angered by this. He calmly picked up a piece of paper and wiped the coffee stain from his face.

"Do you think I'm incapable of giving Chen Chen what he wants without you? You seriously underestimate me."

"Don't look back at the Jiang residence."

Luo Le's grip on the blanket tightened. "You investigated me."

Huo Lanjing lowered his eyes for a while, "I'm just worried... Gu Heting is not as good as you think..."

Luo Le abruptly stood up. "It's none of your concern. Remove all your spies near us. Also, don't show up in front of Chen Chen again, and stop disrupting our lives. Huo Lanjing, if I could escape once, I can do it again."

Huo Lanjing's expression darkened. After a moment of hesitation, he reluctantly agreed, "I understand."

Luo Le didn't bother with further conversation and left after saying his piece.

Huo Lanjing watched their departing backs and sat in the café for a long time.

Until the sky began to darken, Uncle Wang came in to find him.

The dried coffee stains had glued his hair together, and they were clearly visible on his clothes.

It was obvious who had done it.

Aside from Madam, no one else would dare treat Young Master like this.

He hesitated before saying, "Madam was just upset. Don't take it to heart, Young Master."

Huo Lanjing didn't respond and got up to leave without another word.

Uncle Wang hastily followed, "Young Master, please don't be angry, don't hold it against Madam..."

He was afraid that the Young Master would rush over and forcefully bring Madam back. If that happened, there would truly be no way to salvage the situation.

"No, I won't."

Huo Lanjing continued walking, not feeling angry at all; in fact, he was somewhat pleased.

The fact that Luo Le was upset with him indicated that those matters still weighed heavily on her heart.

Everything was still possible.

On their way back, Luo Le's mind was filled with Huo Lanjing's words.

If what Huo Lanjing said was true, then hadn't Chen Chen been pretending to be a normal child all this time?

Chen Chen was only one year old.

"Chen Chen, do you like mecha?"

Chen Chen waved playfully. "I like it, it's cool."

"Chen Chen, be honest with Daddy. Have you been watching mecha theory?"

Chen Chen lowered his head, not attempting to deceive. "Yes, I did. But Chen Chen doesn't understand it, and Chen Chen wants to figure it out."

Luo Le heaved a sigh of relief. Of course, a one-year-old could only be curious about such advanced topics.

"Alright, Daddy will teach you later."

"Okay!"

The next day, Luo Le took Chen Chen to school and repeatedly exhorted the teacher not to let that man from yesterday near Chen Chen before leaving.

However, when he went to pick Chen Chen up in the evening, the teacher said that Chen Chen had been picked up by a friend.

Luo Le panicked. The first person who came to mind was Huo Lanjing.

But then he realized that Huo Lanjing wasn't the type to go back on his word.

Who else could it be?