Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Yi Ye was at a loss for words: "You even forgot what your own son looks like!"

Kewen drew out a long "oh": "I really did forget. Come over here, let me get a good look at you."

He beckoned, and after Yi Ye took off his protective gear and approached, he scrutinized him from head to toe, confirming that nothing was amiss, then lazily reclined again: "So, how'd the assessment go?"

Yi Ye didn't go into detail, just mentioned a few key points to tell Kewen. But when he brought up the "bet," he saw his father frown and mutter: "Still that nutjob..."

"Who?" he asked.

Kewen didn't answer, glanced at him, and then kicked him in the butt.

"Why so many questions? Go shower, you reek, don't stink up the joint."

Yi Ye: ?

Who's the one who really smells! A muscle-bound guy reeking of alcohol has no right to say that!

But seeing Kewen about to kick him again, he quickly covered his rear and bolted into the bathroom, speeding through his shower. When he came out, Kewen was still slumped into the couch, with two newly opened bottles of vodka on the table, one already empty. His capacity for alcohol was bottomless; even after several bottles of strong liquor, he remained sober.

Sometimes Kewen would offer him a drink, but Yi Ye always refused.

He never cared for drinking in his past life.

His teammates were heavy smokers and drinkers, and when they got crazy, they loved forcing drinks on others. Every time, he had to find an excuse to stay far away.

"You should drink less," he couldn't resist advising, "Don't croak from liver cirrhosis before you even hit a hundred."

"Who are you jinxing?" Kewen lifted his foot, but before it could connect, Yi Ye swiftly dodged. He snorted and put his feet up on the table, "Where's Bai Chuan? Why are you back alone?"

"He had some business on the capital planet, he'll be back a day late."

"Capital planet? Did he get assigned to the Central Command for the assessment?"

Yi Ye nodded, and Kewen showed a subtle expression that quickly disappeared: "Alva said you guys did alright at the military academy, even made it into the Honor Committee, huh? Even if it's just a menial job."

"It's just temporary, I'll be promoted soon..."

Yi Ye muttered softly.

"Well, you're not promoted yet," Kewen spread his hands on the edge of the couch, "Overall, not bad, didn't disgrace your old man. The Honor Committee is a tough place to get into, everyone's as proud as a peacock, and they automatically sneer at the sight of the word 'Beta.' By the way, you're the first one, not bad, makes me look even cooler."

He lifted his chin, "Hey, doesn't your school have parent-teacher meetings or something? Let me go brag a bit."

Yi Ye laughed nervously. He thought, this guy at a parent-teacher meeting? He might end up fighting with other parents, and he wouldn't be able to stop him.

"You might as well hope I stir up some trouble at the academy and get the tutor to call you in for a talk."

Kewen pondered and actually thought this method was feasible: "Then give it a try."

"..."

"Dad, I'm seriously asking, am I really your biological son?"

Kewen grinned: "You finally figured out you were picked up from a trash can."

Damn! Yi Ye clearly realized that discussing this topic with Kewen was pointless! Frustrated, he changed the subject, pulling out a black envelope with a metal wax seal from his bag and slapping it onto the table.

"Principal Howard asked me to give this to you. Take a look."

Kewen didn't even glance at it: "Not gonna look."

"This is from Principal Howard of the Imperial Honor Military Academy," Yi Ye thought he might not have heard clearly, so he repeated it word by word.

"Even less reason to look."

"You got beef with the Principal?"

Kewen was silent for a few seconds, then straightened up and put his legs down: "Leave it. Go back to your room and sleep. Whether I look at it or not is my decision."

Once the letter was delivered, it was no longer Yi Ye's business. But he couldn't help being curious. Old man Kewen's usually got a temper and drinks like a fish, but he treats strangers quite well. Why's he so against a letter from Principal Howard? Did he know the Principal before?

"Cut it out with your little theories, either drink with me or go to sleep, your choice."

Yi Ye: ...Later!

He bolted upstairs.

As the sound of footsteps disappeared at the end of the stairs, Kewen looked back at the expensive paper letter on the table, chugged the whole bottle of vodka, and then snatched the letter and tore it open. Under the sprawling penmanship were words dripping with fake friendliness, which made Kewen nauseous. He skimmed to the end, tore it into pieces, threw it into the trash, and gave the pile of shredded paper the finger, cursing: "Dumbass!"

*

Yi Ye slept in.

When he came downstairs, his hair a mess, he didn't see the figure of the muscular, heavy-drinking man. He checked the clock and saw it was past ten, and old man Kewen had already left for work.

After a moment of standing still, he walked to the kitchen and tore off the note on the fridge, which was Kewen's inventory of leftover food, with particularly messy, crooked handwriting.

"Wheat-flavored nutrient, whiskey-flavored nutrient, tequila-flavored nutrient... why's it all booze?"

After rummaging around for a while, he finally found two pieces of dry bread that could be eaten immediately. With milk beer, he sat on the rocking chair in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, rocking like an old-timer, watching the dusty scenery outside. It was actually quite ugly, with no greenery, only steel and iron hidden in the sand mist, reflecting cold neon lights, looking the same whether it was late at night or daytime.

This place is a mess and chaotic, as if anyone who enters the long days of the guard town will lose their way forward.

But this is Yi Ye's home, the starting point he always chooses to return to no matter where he goes or stays. He was actually quite moved by the yellow daffodil fields that Prince Peide mentioned, after all, who doesn't like to see beautiful things, but if Yi Ye had to choose between the two, he would always choose this desolate home.

No reason.

And no need for a reason.

Yi Ye rocked gently with the chair, reading when bored, and when still bored, he would go to disturb old squad leader Elman for a chat. They had exchanged contact information before parting, and old squad leader Elman loved to share his life, posting about ten cooking records every day.

Yi Ye laughed while looking at their records, until a doorbell rang.

He slipped on his slippers and dashed to the door, the wind coming in through the crack, and behind the door was Bai Chuan.

The sandstorm was vast, the background a chaotic mess.

Bai Chuan was wearing protective clothing, with golden hair and blue eyes, clean and fresh.

Yi Ye was slightly stunned: "You're finally back."

A very simple sentence, summarizing all the emotions of the more than ten days they hadn't seen each other.

The door closed gently, Bai Chuan's voice seemed hidden in the wind, but exceptionally clear.

"I'm back, brother."

...

Bai Chuan seemed taller than before. Yi Ye stood by, watching him remove his protective suit, and thought the same.

The muscles in his arms were becoming more defined, and while there were no specific changes in his facial features, they seemed more distinct than before, with a sharpness that straddled the line between adulthood and adolescence.

Yi Ye was really curious about what his daily life was like in the Central Command. After Bai Chuan tidied up and came downstairs, Yi Ye pulled him to sit on the sofa and started asking questions. The youth sat cross-legged, his legs pressed together, holding a yellow cushion in his arms, his face showing brotherly concern.

However, Bai Chuan's assessment life turned out to be even more boring and tedious than Yi Ye had imagined.

He dealt with cold, emotionless data and files every day, with no interesting events to attract attention, completely different from the Vanguard Legion. Yi Ye wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or regretful; he thought Bai Chuan should have a more active life, not just doing these boring tasks all day.

But logically, when the protagonist takes a detour, there should be some kind of adventure, right?

"Didn't you meet any strange or mysterious people?"

Bai Chuan paused, continuing to peel an apple: "No."

Doesn't this world have something like a hidden master? Yi Ye rubbed his chin in thought. A rabbit-shaped apple slice was handed to his mouth, and he naturally bit into it, chewing and swallowing, then he remembered belatedly: "So what happened to you on the main planet? Did the Central Command delay you?"

"No," Bai Chuan focused on cutting the apple for him, seemingly unconcerned about the matter, "I just met someone unimportant."

Yi Ye stopped chewing, slowly looking at him: "You know someone on the main planet?"

"That's why I said it's unimportant."

Bai Chuan didn't want to talk about this topic, using the apple to distract Yi Ye, then gazed at the youth's cheeks bulging as he chewed. After he finished, Bai Chuan handed him a tissue to wipe the juice.

"Are you hungry?" Yi Ye found himself even hungrier after eating the apple, "The nutritional supplements in the fridge all taste like strong alcohol, so hard to drink. Should we grab something to eat?"

"What do you want to eat?" Bai Chuan took the apron stuffed in the sofa seam and put it on, pulled out the last of the wrinkled vegetables from the fridge, walked to the island counter and looked at him, "Stir-fried vegetables or stew?"

"Stir-fried!"

Yi Ye jumped up, ran over with a clatter, grinning, and leaned on the island counter, grinning at him.

"It's great having a brother who can cook!"

Bai Chuan: ...

*

After lunch, Yi Ye and Bai Chuan put on their protective suits and went out for a walk, but they couldn't go too far, just wandering around the vicinity.

The guard town's population was shrinking. Just half a year later, Yi Ye found the town even more desolate than before. The ground was thick with dust, the street greenery withered and yellowed, with only a few resilient wild grasses still green.

He took a flashlight, shining it on a crooked flower in the wild grass, and squatted down.

"If only the guard town could be blooming with flowers," Yi Ye said through the built-in microphone.

Bai Chuan was right behind him, looking at the flower: "Brother, Qixing's climate has been stable for decades; it's tough."

"I know," he raised an eyebrow, with a hint of helplessness, "But people should still hold onto hope, right? Hope is like a seed; plant it, and it will bloom, but leave it unplanted, and the land remains barren."

Bai Chuan fell into thought, not immediately giving an answer. Yi Ye wasn't really expecting an answer from Bai Chuan, and suddenly added: "By the way, have you seen any daffodils on the main planet? Prince Peide said that daffodils are everywhere there, growing particularly beautifully. I've never seen daffodils before. Do you think it would be nice if Qixing were filled with daffodils in the future?"

"Do you like them?"

Bai Chuan squatted down, looking directly at Yi Ye's face.

The latter tilted his head: "I might like them, don't you think the guard town would look beautiful filled with daffodils?"

Beautiful? Bai Chuan didn't know.

But if Yi Ye wanted it, shouldn't he make it happen for him?

They took their time strolling until sunset before heading home.

On the way, the wind grew wild and gusty. Yi Ye, fearing Bai Chuan might fall, grabbed his hand. The two hurried back to the house, and upon closing the door, they quickly brushed off the sand and dust from their bodies.

When Yi Ye removed his head covering, a few strands of hair were swept onto his forehead, slanting down to the tip of his nose. Bai Chuan reached out to brush them away, his fingertips grazing Yi Ye's nose, causing him to pause, his dark, luminous eyes looking up.

It was like a freeze-frame in a movie, every detail standing out with striking clarity.

Yi Ye suddenly felt a bit disoriented and dazed.

He hadn't realized it before, but when had Bai Chuan's hands grown broader than his?

At that moment, a cough suddenly interrupted the atmosphere between them.