Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Li Xiujin hoisted his hips, and Lin Ze naturally wrapped his arms around his neck. The two pressed tightly together. Lin Ze bounced up and down, occasionally brushing against Li Xiujin's lips. An unbearable, tingling sensation spread through every limb. The emptiness inside him was filled again, quickly swelling into an ache...

Yet, he showed no sign of drinking...

Lin Ze asked shyly, "Xiu Jin, don't you want to drink anymore?"

*

Yang Yu was stationed in front of a secluded villa with two subordinates. They took shifts day and night. Finally, one night, they saw the person inside come out.

The figure was clad in black, wearing a black hat and mask, and got into a black car.

As soon as he drove away, Yang Yu ordered his men to follow.

Their car drove through the central district and finally reached the suburbs. They thought he would stop, but he unexpectedly drove out of their city and into another adjacent city.

"Strange, why come here in the middle of the night?" Yang Yu's subordinate asked.

Yang Yu kept his eyes fixed on the car ahead. "Focus on driving."

At first, Yang Yu thought he was heading to a new residence, but he drove further and further out, into increasingly remote areas, until he reached a secluded forest.

"He wouldn't have discovered us and is trying to lure us here to dispose of the bodies, would he?"

Yang Yu frowned and told him to keep following.

Passing through the forest, they saw a cemetery.

What was he doing at a cemetery in another city in the middle of the night?

Yang Yu had his men park the car in a hidden spot. They waited for about three or four hours before the person emerged. Yang Yu told his men to follow him while he entered the cemetery himself.

At the cemetery entrance, there was a caretaker. Yang Yu slipped him some money. "Which grave did that person just visit?"

"Who are you? That's private; I can't tell you."

Yang Yu had no choice but to show his credentials. The caretaker finally told him.

After thanking him and noting the location, Yang Yu went to the grave the person had just visited.

A bouquet of fresh flowers lay before the tombstone. Clearly, the person had come to pay respects to the deceased. And the deceased... Yang Yu looked at the photos on the tombstone. It was a couple. The man had handsome features, and the woman was very gentle and beautiful. Strangely, Yang Yu thought the woman's eyes and brows looked somewhat familiar.

Lin Yujing...

This name also seemed familiar to Yang Yu, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

Strange.

Yang Yu looked at the man's name.

Zhou Yun.

Same surname as Zhou Dingshan?

Yang Yu took a photo of the entire tombstone and then hurriedly left. Exiting the cemetery, he hailed a taxi. As he neared their city, he suddenly received a call from his subordinate.

"Colonel, we've been discovered. We lost him..."

"Idiots."

"What should we do now?"

"Return and stand by."

After hanging up, Yang Yu found it even more peculiar. They lost him not before or after, but right after they found out he'd visited the cemetery.

Upon returning to the military base, he immediately reported the new findings to Li Xiujin.

However, the call went unanswered. Left with no choice, he went to investigate the two deceased individuals first.

Meanwhile, Li Xiujin, who was about to change Li Chongyi's diaper, was deafened by the baby's heart-wrenching cries, so he didn't hear his phone ringing.

"Xiu Jin, maybe I should do it," Lin Ze offered worriedly from beside him.

Li Xiujin placed Li Chongyi on the bed, removed the old diaper, and put on a new one.

Once changed, the baby kicked out angrily, his foot landing on Li Xiujin's face.

His nose turned red from the kick. Lin Ze cupped his face. "Does it hurt? Xiu Jin..."

Li Xiujin nodded.

Lin Ze gently blew on it for him.

But Li Xiujin suddenly kissed Lin Ze's lips. Lin Ze's eyes widened slightly, and soon a flush of embarrassment spread across his cheeks.

A loud cry interrupted them.

Their lips parted with a soft 'pop'.

Li Xiujin picked up Li Chongyi and walked around the room, rocking him.

Li Chongyi had slept with Lin Ze all day, so he was very excited at night and refused to sleep for a while. Li Xiujin told Lin Ze to rest first.

After Li Chongyi fell asleep, Li Xiujin carried him back to the bedroom.

After the full moon, Li Xiujin finally regained the privilege of sleeping in the bedroom. He very gently placed Li Chongyi in the crib beside the bed. After confirming the baby wouldn't wake, he got into bed and hugged Lin Ze from behind.

His hand reached forward, unbuttoning Lin Ze's shirt and removing his top. While kneading the front, he showered Lin Ze's back with soft, dense kisses. After his palm and fingers were dampened with milk, he turned Lin Ze's body over, only to find Lin Ze was awake...

"Why aren't you asleep?"

"You... you can pretend I'm already asleep..." Thinking his wakefulness had spoiled Li Xiujin's mood, Lin Ze's eyelashes fluttered.

Li Xiujin pressed his forehead against Lin Ze's. "Don't you usually sleep at this time?"

Lin Ze lowered his eyes. "Maybe I slept too much during the day..."

Li Xiujin frowned. "Tell your husband the truth."

Lin Ze paused. "Tomorrow is the anniversary of my parents' passing."

Li Xiujin kissed his cheek and held him tightly in his arms.

Regarding Lin Ze's parents, very little could be investigated. Only that they were in a plane crash when Lin Ze was ten. Lin Ze often talked more about his teachers and teammates, never mentioning his own parents.

This was the first time.

"Do you want to go pay your respects to them?" Li Xiujin asked.

Lin Ze gave a wry smile. "I've let them down."

"My father held a very high military rank when he was young and was deeply respected. My mother always hoped I could be the same, but... after what happened seven years ago, I haven't dared to come back to pay my respects."

"The truth about the incident seven years ago hasn't been figured out yet. And I don't think you've let them down. You were still upholding their legacy even while pregnant, and afterwards, not only did you receive no thanks, you were even framed."

Li Xiujin scoffed coldly. Sometimes he felt sorry for Lin Ze, and he was grateful to be by his side now. If he weren't, with Lin Ze's personality, his situation would only be more difficult.

Lin Ze let out a bitter laugh.

"If you don't want to go, then don't."

Lin Ze paused for a moment. "Let's go see them."

"Take Chong Yi with us."

"You only want to take him, not me, is that it?" Li Xiujin questioned.

Lin Ze hadn't expected him to get angry over this and hurriedly explained, "Xiu Jin, I meant the three of us together, as a family..."

Li Xiujin stared at him.

Lin Ze, feeling ashamed, pulled him close. "Don't be angry..."

Li Xiujin then took the opportunity to nuzzle into his embrace, turning sideways to enter...

And Lin Ze, trying to placate him, submitted shamefully and meekly, letting him have his way...

*

Early the next morning, Li Xiujin set off with his wife and infant.

It was a secret trip. Li Xiujin drove, with several soldiers following discreetly for protection.

This was Li Chongyi's first time going out. Unlike other children who might be scared of unfamiliar environments, he was extremely curious. Sitting in Lin Ze's arms, he peeked out the left window, then the right, waving his little fists excitedly whenever he saw birds or trees.

After being excited for a long time, he got hungry. His fuzzy little head burrowed into Lin Ze's chest, searching for milk.

Lin Ze first glanced discreetly at Li Xiujin, noticing that while driving, Li Xiujin was also paying attention to him and the baby. He then held Li Chongyi upright, retrieved the pre-prepared formula, and tried to feed him. As soon as the rubber nipple touched Li Chongyi's mouth, he spat it out with a "ptui, ptui."

Lin Ze coaxed him for a long time before he finally agreed to drink. Once full, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"It'll be a while before we arrive. You should sleep too," Li Xiujin said to Lin Ze after checking the remaining journey.

"I'm not too sleepy..."

"Seems I went too easy on you last night then," Li Xiujin remarked.

Lin Ze blushed with shame, closing his eyes. "Wake me when we get there."

"Mhm."

An hour later, they arrived at the cemetery in the neighboring city.

After parking, Li Xiujin opened the car door, first taking Li Chongyi out, then extending an arm for Lin Ze to hold as he got out.

After greeting the cemetery groundskeeper at the entrance, Li Xiujin, holding the baby with one hand and leading Lin Ze with the other, arrived before the tombstones of Lin Ze's parents.

Although Lin Ze hadn't visited in seven years, he had spent a lot of money hiring people to maintain the site. So, seeing the tombstones clean with a bouquet of flowers placed before them, Lin Ze wasn't puzzled. After arranging the offerings, Li Xiujin, holding Li Chongyi, bowed deeply three times before the tombstones. Then he took Li Chongyi outside to wait, letting Lin Ze have some time alone with his parents.

"It was an accident that led to our marriage, but don't worry, I love him very much now, and I love our child too..."

A happy smile appeared on Lin Ze's face. After a moment, he continued, "Actually, I originally planned to come see you after clarifying what happened seven years ago, but then we had a child. In the end, I wanted to bring the child to meet his maternal grandparents..."

"I'm still investigating the incident from seven years ago. If it was my own doing, I will atone with my death. If it was someone else's doing, then I will make them pay..."

He was actually a soft-hearted person, sometimes even indecisive. But regarding this matter, even if he truly became a demon, he would avenge his teacher and teammates.

While Li Xiujin was playing with Li Chongyi in a flowerbed area of the cemetery, the gatekeeper groundskeeper kept staring at him with a probing gaze. Holding Li Chongyi, Li Xiujin simultaneously felt for the gun holstered at the small of his back, coldly staring back at the man.

"You're also here to pay respects to that couple?" the cemetery groundskeeper suddenly asked.

Li Xiujin withdrew his hand. "Have other people come to pay respects?"

"Yes, two groups came yesterday. It's strange. Ever since I started working here, people only paid to have us maintain it, but no one ever came to visit. These past two days, groups have been coming one after another..."

Li Xiujin narrowed his eyes. "Two groups?"

When it came to specifics, the groundskeeper didn't say more, picking up his security tools and strolling around on patrol...

Having just seen that Lin Ze's father's surname was also Zhou, Li Xiujin, who initially thought it a coincidence, suddenly began to feel things weren't so simple.

When Lin Ze came out, he saw Li Xiujin holding Li Chongyi, leaning against the car door, his handsome face expressionless as he stared at the ground nearby.

"Xiu Jin, let's go..."

Li Xiujin didn't respond. Lin Ze walked over and realized he was looking at tire tracks on the ground.

During their time at the military academy, an important skill was reconnaissance. For example, after someone passed by, you had to remember their accessories, what they wore, facial features; seeing footprints or tire tracks, you needed to discern when they were made and how long ago.

"Someone came by car last night," Lin Ze said.

Li Xiujin nodded.

This cemetery held more than just his parents' graves; there were others. That someone came at night or during the day was normal. Lin Ze didn't dwell on it.

Getting in the car, Li Xiujin didn't drive back the way they came. Instead, he took another road that Lin Ze was very familiar with.

"Xiu Jin..."

"Since we're here, let's go back and take a look."

Lin Ze nodded.

Lin Ze's parents' home was located in a relatively good area of the city. Although the house was somewhat old, it was still quite impressive overall. Lin Ze's file also mentioned that after his father retired from the military, he started his own company. His mother was originally a professor but focused on raising Lin Ze at home after his birth.

Lin Ze used his iris to unlock the door, pushing it open as a cloud of dust billowed out.

The furniture inside was all covered with white sheets. Lifting the sheets revealed the furniture preserved exactly as it was.

Lin Ze stood in the living room, staring blankly at the home he had almost forgotten.

"Where is your room?" Li Xiujin asked. "I'd like to see your room."

Lin Ze opened the door to the left of the living room, somewhat awkwardly showing Li Xiujin the place where he lived as a child.

It was clear that Lin Ze's parents placed great importance on his education. The bedroom was filled with many books.

Li Xiujin randomly picked one up and found it was completely incomprehensible for a ten-year-old.

With a wistful expression, Lin Ze said, "Reading those books back then was painful every day. So painful that I wished my parents would disappear and stop controlling me. After they passed away, I never read those books again..."

Li Xiujin's heart ached as he held Lin Ze tightly.

"Xiu Jin... I'm not that sad anymore." After all, nearly twenty years had passed.

Lin Ze gave a small smile and opened a cabinet. "When I was little, I loved carving things out of wood. These are all the ones I secretly carved without my parents knowing..."

Upon opening it, Lin Ze froze.

He remembered carelessly tossing the finished carvings into the cabinet, but now they were neatly placed in moisture-proof boxes, each lined with thick cotton padding.

Even after so long, these clumsily carved little figures and animals, shaped by childish hands, were perfectly preserved, without a trace of fading.

Li Xiujin randomly picked up one of the boxes and noticed a line of small characters written at the bottom.

Xiao Ze.

Made on XX/XX/XXXX.

Lin Ze recognized his father's handwriting, and he felt his eyes grow warm...

Li Xiujin pulled him into a tighter hug, then noticed a slightly larger box inside the cabinet. He carefully took it out and opened it, finding a collection of photos, mostly of Lin Ze as a child. He flipped through them one by one until the last one, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

It was a photo of Lin Ze's father and Zhou Dingshan together.

Li Chongyi's crying suddenly broke the silence, reminding them of his presence. "Xiu Jin, I'll go feed him."

Li Xiujin nodded.

The baby formula was outside, so Lin Ze carried Li Chongyi out to feed him.

After Lin Ze left, Li Xiujin stared at the photo, took out his phone, and was about to call Yang Yu when Yang Yu's call came through first.

"General, I just found out that Colonel Lin's father and Zhou Dingshan are actually biological brothers..."