Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Jiang Linchuan had intended to ask Shen Jin about his dinner, but before he could get a word in, the call was cut short again. He decided to simply let it go.

After all, the brat was shrewd enough—he’d never let himself go hungry. No one enjoyed life more than him.

Just then, Bai Wuyue rushed over: "Captain Jiang, General Wu has personally gone to Nanshan Tunnel and wants you there."

Geng Yang, overhearing, stubbed out his cigarette and approached: "Shall I go with you?"

Jiang Linchuan considered for a moment: "Zheng Jian will accompany me. You stay and lead the investigation."

"Understood."

After a quick briefing in the conference room, Jiang Linchuan called Zheng Jian, and the two headed downstairs. Their vehicle swiftly departed from the Special Operations Brigade.

*

A small delivery truck charged a hundred yuan for the mattress transport. Pulling over by the roadside, Hua Fudie hoisted the mattress onto his back and led Shen Jin along a weed-choked dirt path into an unfinished building, devoid of guardrails. Huffing and puffing, they ascended the stairs, step by laborious step.

Shen Jin had visited Hua Fudie’s derelict building several times, but each visit had been for other reasons, so the environment had never mattered to him.

Today, however, he was here to sleep.

He was extremely particular about his sleeping arrangements, and this unfinished building…

It was filthy, chaotic, and utterly unpleasant.

It reeked.

There was no sofa, no dining table, and certainly none of the floral-patterned tablecloths that, while not fitting Jiang Linchuan’s image, Shen Jin rather liked.

As they rounded a stairwell, Hua Fudie caught sight of Shen Jin’s disgusted expression and quickly interjected, "Godfather, just stay here for now. I’ll soon find that woman to take you away."

That woman?

Which woman?

Oh, right—the new person designated to serve him.

Shen Jin lowered his eyelids, his thin lips pressed into a tight line, and remained silent.

Hua Fudie carried the mattress up to the 19th floor.

Hua Fudie had only tidied the 19th floor, making it the sole habitable level.

The concrete floor was strewn with all sorts of miscellaneous household items—from a table missing a leg to pots, pans, and bowls placed directly on the ground, alongside a rusty single bed.

The luxurious mattress, valued at over two million, was placed in a doorless bedroom. As it was set down, it kicked up a cloud of dust that settled all over Shen Jin’s face.

"...I haven’t had time to clean yet," Hua Fudie chuckled dryly, quickly fetching a broom. Before sweeping, he poured a basin of cold water onto the floor to prevent dust from flying.

Seeing the muddy water droplets splattered on the mattress, Shen Jin’s expression grew even darker.

The unfinished building was located in the suburbs. Apart from a few structures, the surroundings were barren, dark, and empty.

The building had no doors, and a draft made the dim lightbulb sway precariously.

"This electricity is generated by solar power. Gotta admit, humans are really clever. Just a simple panel can generate electricity," Hua Fudie said, cooking two bowls of instant noodles on an electric hot plate and adding two extra eggs for Shen Jin. He fawned, "I usually only eat one egg. Only someone like you, Godfather, deserves two."

Shen Jin had never tried instant noodles before. They tasted quite good, but his mood remained sour.

He didn’t know why.

He should have been happy.

After eating only half of his noodles, Shen Jin set the bowl aside and stood up listlessly. "I’m going to sleep. Where can I shower?"

Even though he had bathed earlier, he had gone out and climbed stairs. He needed to shower again before bed, and he also had to brush his teeth.

Hua Fudie was shocked: "Godfather, you still need to shower? I don’t have a bathroom here, and I don’t need to shower anyway—after all, I’m a bee..."

At this, Hua Fudie grew somewhat embarrassed, twisting awkwardly and pitching his voice higher: "I’m naturally fragrant anyway."

Shen Jin: "Get out."

Hua Fudie scrambled out, though he was only a wall away. Shen Jin could see the rusty single bed through the doorless frame and hear Hua Fudie’s giggles as he watched short videos.

The mattress was still comfortable.

But Shen Jin couldn’t fall asleep.

Hua Fudie was even more annoying than that useless fool.

After his tentacles sent Hua Fudie flying, the world fell silent. Shen Jin buried his head under the covers and closed his eyes.

Hua Fudie, clinging to the wall, took a deep breath. I’ll endure it!!!

*

The next morning, Yun Zheng knocked on the door but got no response. He tried again at noon, and again, no one answered. By evening, he called Jiang Linchuan.

Jiang Linchuan was about to board a helicopter when he received the call.

The Nanshan Tunnel had collapsed, cutting off the only road to Baigu Town. The only way in was by helicopter.

Amid the roar of the rotor blades, Jiang Linchuan covered one ear and stepped aside to take the call.

"What? The brat hasn’t been seen all day?"

"Just help me take care of the little one."

"Don’t worry about that brat. He won’t starve."

Battling the wind, he boarded the helicopter. General Wu, seated inside, looked at him: "What's going on? Something urgent with the Special Operations Team?"

"No," Jiang Linchuan straightened his slightly disheveled clothes and sat down beside him, legs slightly apart, back straight. "Personal matter."

General Wu glanced at him, raising an eyebrow: "Personal matter? Rare to hear that from you."

Jiang Linchuan smiled but didn’t respond.

"Girlfriend?" General Wu pressed.

"No." Jiang Linchuan shook his head.

"No?" General Wu tapped his fingers on his crisp military trousers, his tone gentle. "Actually, at your age, it’s about time you settled down."

"Settled down?" Jiang Linchuan gazed ahead calmly. "For humans, settling down often involves raising children. I may not be so lucky."

General Wu sighed and patted Jiang Linchuan’s shoulder. "There’s plenty of time ahead. You never know what might happen."

"Maybe someday I’ll adopt a child," Jiang Linchuan added casually, as if making small talk.

"Adopt a child?" General Wu was surprised for a moment before nodding. "That’s fine too. Having a little one makes the house feel more lively."

Zheng Jian, who had been sitting quietly with his head down, was completely confused by their conversation.

What did that mean?

The captain can’t have his own children?

Is that what it meant?

Why???

!!!

Holy shit!!!

He got it.

The captain is infertile!!!

Having grasped this huge secret, Zheng Jian buried his face deep into his chest.

The plane landed at the military airfield in Baigu Town, and the group quickly made their way to the camp there.

[ad script omitted]

Jiang Linchuan was swamped with work, and by the time he remembered the brat at home, another day and night had passed.

After showering at the guesthouse, Jiang Linchuan leaned back on the bed and started making calls.

Great.

This time, instead of not answering, the call was outright hung up.

Jiang Linchuan let out a frustrated laugh. As the old saying goes, "three strikes and you’re out"—he had repeatedly emphasized answering the phone, but the brat was stubborn as hell.

The sixty-yuan balance hadn’t changed in two days. The brat hadn’t spent a single cent—had he not been eating at all?

Jiang Linchuan sighed, completely exasperated.

He went across the hall and knocked on Zheng Jian’s door. Without any embarrassment, he said bluntly, "Can you lend me two thousand yuan?"

Zheng Jian widened his eyes, staring at Jiang Linchuan in disbelief, then waved a hand in front of his face. "Whoever you are, leave our captain alone."

"..." Jiang Linchuan sighed helplessly. "Lend me two thousand. I’ll pay you back next month."

Zheng Jian transferred the money while giving him a suspicious look.

Their captain usually had few expenses, earned a high salary, owned a house and car outright, and had savings. There was no way he’d need to borrow two thousand and pay it back next month.

So, there was only one possibility: the captain had spent all his savings on treating infertility.

Zheng Jian transferred four thousand to Jiang Linchuan. "Consider the two thousand a loan. The other two thousand is to support you—no need to pay it back."

?

Support him?

"Are you out of your mind?" Jiang Linchuan accepted the transfer and turned to go back to his room. "I’ll return four thousand next month."

Zheng Jian leaned against the door, full of sympathy. "Hang in there, Captain."

Jiang Linchuan: "..."

Back in his room, Jiang Linchuan sat on the bed and started to transfer money to Shen Jin.

He typed 4000...

Then deleted it.

He couldn’t give him all four thousand at once. A hundred a day...

That seemed too little. Make it two hundred.

Jiang Linchuan sent a two-hundred-yuan red envelope and started typing.

When Shen Jin received Jiang Linchuan’s barrage of messages, he was sitting on a barstool, sipping a colorful cocktail.

Lights flickered, the crowd was lively, and Shen Jin looked around curiously. This place was vastly different from the human world he had come to know over the past few days—it seemed like another side of human life.

It was wild, lively, and noisy.

The cocktail touched his lips, and the young man wrinkled his nose in distaste, pushed it away. He then stabbed a piece of watermelon with a fork, biting into it to let the juice wash away the taste of alcohol.

Hua Fudie, who had been slapped so hard he went flying five times in two days and was now bruised and swollen, leaned over, covering his mouth as he yelled, "See that woman over there? It’s her."

Shen Jin slowly looked up and followed Hua Fudie’s pointing finger.

The woman sitting on the long sofa wore a tight black dress, surrounded by three young men raising their glasses to toast her.

"Is this the new attendant you found for me?" Shen Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, exuding a sinister aura that screamed of wanting to swat away a fly.

"Yep." Still oblivious to the danger, Hua Fudie blinked at Shen Jin, beaming with pride. "I picked her based entirely on your preferences. So? Good-looking, right?"

Small eyes, big mouth, dark skin, a round face, short and chubby—finding someone who even remotely fit these criteria had been incredibly difficult. It took him a lot of effort to track down one who barely qualified.

Perhaps sensing their intense stare, the woman looked over. Her eyes lit up when she saw Shen Jin’s face.

She raised her glass in their direction. Hua Fudie, thrilled, quickly raised his in return. Money was on the line.

"Godfather," Hua Fudie said, smiling at the woman while whispering quickly into Shen Jin’s ear, "She’s rich, incredibly rich—worth billions. Single, no children, owns countless luxury properties. If we can control her, we’ll have all the money we could ever want. No more living in abandoned buildings."

This past few days, this ancestor had nearly driven him insane.

Nothing pleased him—Hua Fudie couldn’t handle it anymore. He needed to find someone to take over as soon as possible.

Who knows how the previous attendant managed to serve him, ending up with this mess.

If he weren’t outmatched in a fight, he’d have slapped Shen Jin silly—what a problem child.

Shen Jin remained expressionless and silent.

His phone vibrated on the table again.

Shen Jin finally checked it.

It was all messages from Jiang Linchuan.

Old Nag: Have you eaten the last two days?

Old BS: Reply to my message.

Old BS: Shen Jin, stop being such a brat.

Old BS: At least let me know you’re safe.

He even transferred two hundred yuan to him.

Shen Jin pursed his lips and stared at his phone.

Truth be told, aside from all the nonsense and meddling, Old BS wasn't all bad…

"Hello," a man's voice said.

Shen Jin looked up to see one of the men who had been sitting beside the woman (Ms. Qin) now standing in front of him.

The man smiled at him and placed a slip of paper near his hand. "Boss Qin says that if you have a drink with her, this check is yours."

Shen Jin glanced at it. What the hell is this?

Hua Fudie leaned over, his eyes widening, and grabbed Shen Jin’s arm, hissing frantically in his ear, "Five hundred thousand! Five hundred thousand! One drink for five hundred thousand!!!"

Author's Note:

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