Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Lin Fu's gaze flickered.

He looked at Cheng Jiu, his fingertips twitched as if a fire had ignited at their tips, spreading towards his heart, setting his mind ablaze.

The thread named "reason" was stretched to its limits, snapping back, teetering on the verge of breaking.

Rarely did he let his emotions lead, but still, he couldn't help but step forward, almost pressing against Cheng Jiu, and with his hand pressing Cheng Jiu's head closer to his own, he said: "General, there's a mini camera up on the right, remember to keep up your charm."

With that, he pulled Cheng Jiu back two steps into the camera's view, tilting his head so their kiss would be perfectly captured without missing a detail.

Lin Fu was extremely proactive, pressing down on Cheng Jiu's head.

The slight difference in their heights was cleverly complementary, with one needing only to tilt up slightly, or the other to stoop a bit, for their lips to meet.

His technique was limited, everything he knew learned from Cheng Jiu, the rest reliant on feeling and instinct.

Like a fruit gradually ripening, exuding a faint sweetness, tempting one’s resistance to steadily weaken.

Cheng Jiu was initially stunned, then with drooping eyelashes, he compliantly followed Lin Fu's lead, warmth rising between them.

No one noticed how long the kiss lasted, but when Lin Fu, held in Cheng Jiu's embrace, lowered his head, he truly felt his wounds might have been quite severe, enough to make him dizzy.

By the time Lin Fu had steadied his breath, that clever mini camera had already flown away.

It was probably well aware it had captured a sensational scene, better to scoot before it got annihilated.

He inquired: "Now, can General Cheng hold out for a while longer?"

Cheng Jiu, with a smile, took his hand: "At most for a week, Major, I’ll need you to resupply me with ammunition in due time."

……

The banquet ended, but Simon Constantine didn’t become the center of public attention.

A media outlet unexpectedly captured footage of Lin Fu kissing Cheng Jiu, which made headlines the next day and spread like wildfire.

In the image, under the dim light, Lin Fu is seen taking the initiative to kiss Cheng Jiu. After being kissed, Cheng Jiu paused briefly in a slight daze before lowering his eyes to embrace and return the kiss.

The kiss was undoubtedly beautiful, and the attractiveness of both individuals was beyond question. However, every minute detail and every second of their pause was fervently analyzed by netizens.

"General Cheng hesitated, he clearly hesitated! If he really liked Lin Fu, why the hesitation?"

"It's obvious that Lin Fu is the one throwing himself at him, isn't it? I wonder why he suddenly thought of making amends with the Lin family. The severing of ties back then was so dramatic, almost to the point of becoming mortal enemies. Isn't this like slapping his own face?"

"At the Crown Prince's celebration banquet, the two of them ran off to the garden for some lovey-dovey time. Would the Crown Prince spit blood if he knew?"

"Lucky for the Crown Prince that he left early, tsk tsk."

"This must be an attempt to retain General Cheng. Right now, the Fourth Army is barely maintaining its last shred of dignity thanks to their commander's sacrifices. Without the Ninth Legion's protection, they would have been annexed by the other legions long ago!"

"Indeed, I heard the Fourth Army suffered heavy losses. I wonder what goes through their minds when they see their useless commander. Don't they think of deposing him and electing someone capable as their new leader?"

The Imperial Palace.

The Crown Prince didn’t get to see the news any sooner than the online public.

Therefore, when the photo of Lin Fu kissing Cheng Jiu in the palace garden suddenly popped up on his optical screen, he almost couldn’t resist crushing the device.

His face contorted with anger, and after a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Since you're cozying up to Cheng Jiu, I'll bring down Cheng Jiu. Let’s see who you rely on next time!"

……

Cheng Jiu and Lin Fu briefly parted ways.

Lin Fu needed to stay at the Lin residence for a while, and Cheng Jiu had his own necessities to attend to.

Among the materials sent from Putian towards the sun was a partial analysis of the information left by Cheng Su, pertaining to the communication among the Bug race.

The communication methods and content among the Bug race have always been a headache for humanity. Over the years, countless attempts at decoding have failed to yield any results.

Lin Fu hadn’t expected that Cheng Su would leave behind such a thing amidst his research on mechs.

A real stroke of luck!

The only downside was that the items left by Cheng Su were rather vague, necessitating further investigation by researchers to decipher her logic.

The belongings of Cheng Su that ended up outside were only in the hands of either Peide or the Qi family; there were no others.

If they were to be retrieved, it would have to be from the Cheng family.

Cheng Jiu needed to return.

Coincidentally, they had a common reason, one that both could utilize.

Thinking of this, Cheng Jiu, who had parted ways with his little guide, felt an unusual lift in his spirits.

This would be the perfect opportunity to enlighten those foolish loudmouths on the Star Web, to show them it wasn't Lin Fu climbing the pole to offer himself, but rather, he was in love, deeply in love, and he willingly gave himself to Lin Fu.

They acted separately, and there was still no shortage of matters to attend to.

But now that they had returned to the Imperial Capital Star, all subsequent matters required one thing: "patience."

Take it slow.

*

After Lin Fu settled down in the Lin household, the atmosphere visibly stiffened.

Luo Qirui's position was awkward, and she was promptly sent back to the Luo family by Lin Xiujian to avoid displeasing Lin Fu.

Lin Rui and Lin Yan found themselves in an awkward situation with nowhere to go.

It wasn't appropriate to visit the Luo family, and, inconveniently, the Royal Military Academy had declared a holiday at this time, supposedly to celebrate the Grand Prince, sending all students home to visit their parents.

What was there to visit? Among those attending the Royal Military Academy, how many were poor? If a visit was truly necessary, it was just a matter of a starship ticket from their parents, not even a two-day affair.

The Royal Military Academy had given them a whole half-month off!

Lin Rui and Lin Yan sat together at breakfast, heads bowed in silence.

If not for their grandfather's subtly warning glances, Lin Yan would have grabbed a nutrition solution and stayed in his room all day.

Lin Fu's health seemed a bit better; he ate quietly with his head down, not having much of an appetite.

After finishing a bowl of porridge, he set down the bowl and looked up at his "younger brother and sister" sitting opposite him.

"No need to be nervous. I only left the Lin family at eighteen; I haven't always been away. There's no need to act like strangers."

"Alright." "Understood, Brother Lin."

Lin Yan smoothed his tongue before correcting the latter title, his head bowed in chagrin.

Lin Fu indifferently replied, "Calling me Lin Fu is fine too, it's only a matter of a few months."

Lin Yan didn’t dare to speak.

Before Lin Fu turned eighteen and was still with the Lin family, Luo Qirui never allowed him to call Lin Rui 'brother', always careful of their tender ages amidst the disparaging term "bastard" thrown around.

Fortunately, his uncle Lin Siji's family entered from outside, rescuing Lin Yan from his embarrassment.

Burying his head, he squeezed his eyebrows and complained to Lin Rui with his eyes, daring not to speak again.

Upon entering, Lin Siji immediately noticed Lin Fu sitting properly at the dining table.

Smiling, he nudged his son towards Lin Fu, "Little Fu, it's been years since you've seen your uncle. This is your little cousin, soon to turn eighteen and due for his assessment. You were away at your maternal grandparents’ when you left home, you’ve probably forgotten what he looks like, right? Xiao Yun, call him brother."

Lin Fu first casually greeted his uncle, then his gaze fell on the boy pushed to sit beside him.

A young guide with delicate features, large round eyes filled with a hint of fear towards Lin Fu, half-lidded, shimmering faintly as he softly called, "Brother."

Lin Fu smiled, his voice gentle in response, "Mm. Going for your assessment soon?"

Lin Yun, slightly bolder, confirmed, "Yes."

Lin Fu thought for a moment, "It just so happens I've been idling recently, I'll accompany you to have a look."

Lin Siji immediately agreed, "Of course! Xiao Yun, quickly thank your brother!"

With Lin Fu accompanying him, Lin Yun was destined to stand out among other guides, attracting more attention. As a guide, with different fame and starting points, the paths available to Lin Yun in the future would be vastly different.

The closeness between the two caught the attention of the siblings sitting opposite.

Lin Rui couldn’t help but frequently lift her head to gaze at Lin Fu, especially when he smiled at Lin Yun.

Bowing her head again, she couldn’t help but purse her lips.

Lin Xiujiang turned a blind eye.

He was well aware of his eldest son's plans. It was nothing more than an opportunity to capitalize on his brother offending his own son too harshly. As an uncle, he could take advantage of the situation and get closer to Lin Fu. After all, his family hadn’t done anything back then; though there was no kindness, there was no enmity either.

"It's always much easier than trying to win back Lin Sixing's favor."