Chapter 57

Chapter 57

"Last night, we followed him all the way to the cemetery. After he left, I went to see the grave he was paying respects to. It was a couple who looked very familiar. After I called you, I started to investigate, and then I found out they were Colonel Lin's parents."

"Then, using your authority, I accessed the military's internal system and retrieved Zhou Dingshan's file. I discovered that in the listed family members, besides his parents, there was also a younger brother. This brother died in a plane crash seventeen years ago, which lines up perfectly with the time when Lin Ze's father passed away..."

"Back when you first had me investigate, I pulled Lin Ze's parents' files. Lin Ze's father's next of kin was listed as blank. Plus, the focus of the investigation wasn't on his parents but mainly on Lin Ze's life after he started living with his teacher. That's how we overlooked such an important detail..."

"General, we originally suspected Zhou Dingshan was the one pulling Su Wang's strings. But given their blood relation, Zhou Dingshan is Lin Ze's own uncle. Why would he want to harm Colonel Lin?"

"Colonel Lin has been your husband for so long and has never mentioned having a living uncle. Do you think Colonel Lin truly doesn't know, or is there something more important he's hiding from us?"

After listening, Li Xiujin said coldly, "Don't jump to conclusions. We'll discuss everything once I'm back."

"Yes, General."

After hanging up, Li Xiujin studied the photo intently.

It looks like the two parties who came to visit the graves of Lin Ze's parents last night were Zhou Dingshan and Yang Yu.

Was it because they didn't know they were being monitored that they revealed their whereabouts, or was it intentional, planting this clue for us to find?

Zhou Dingshan must be aware of his connection to Lin Ze. Why, after his brother and sister-in-law passed away, didn't he adopt Lin Ze himself, but instead let a stranger adopt him...

Outside, Lin Ze put down the prepared bottle, unbuttoned his shirt, and let Li Chongyi latch on. He was drinking urgently and quickly, like he was starved, even though he had been fed just two hours ago.

Lin Ze, afraid he might choke, kept his attention half on the bedroom while gently soothing him.

"Chong Yi, slow down, slow down..."

Sensing Li Xiujin was about to come out, Lin Ze gently opened the baby's mouth. Fortunately, having eaten his fill, Li Chongyi didn't fuss or cry. Lin Ze wiped the milk residue from around his mouth and let him cuddle against his chest.

Just as Lin Ze finished buttoning his shirt, Li Xiujin came out. His gaze fell on Lin Ze's face, darkening slightly.

"Xiu Jin, I just checked the bathroom; it's usable. There's bedding in the closet in my parents' room too, but it's a bit damp..."

After saying this, Li Xiujin's gaze remained fixed on Lin Ze, putting him on edge.

If he discovered that Lin Ze had been secretly feeding Li Chongyi all along, he would surely be even angrier. Lin Ze tried to keep his expression relaxed. "Is... is there something on my face?"

Li Xiujin walked up to him and reached out. Thinking he had been discovered and that Li Xiujin was going to unbutton his shirt to check, Lin Ze's eyelashes fluttered incessantly. However, he only felt the weight in his arms lighten as Li Xiujin took Li Chongyi away.

"Wasn't there a stroller?" Li Xiujin said.

Lin Ze secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "I was just holding him for a bit..."

After taking Li Chongyi, Li Xiujin, finding him surprisingly cooperative, reached out to feel his belly. Then he glanced at the still-full bottle beside them and frowned.

"Maybe... he drank too much in the car."

Li Xiujin didn't comment.

Lin Ze tidied up the bedroom, took a quick shower, and also wiped Li Chongyi's hands, feet, and bottom before getting into bed to coax him to sleep.

Li Xiujin came in after spending over two hours outside on the phone dealing with work.

As soon as he entered, he and Li Chongyi stared at each other, wide-eyed.

"Why isn't he asleep yet?"

"The unfamiliar environment has him a bit excited..."

Li Xiujin had originally planned to wait until he was asleep. Seeing this, he could only simply lie down on the left side, sleeping next to Lin Ze with Li Chongyi between them.

Lin Ze gently stroked Li Chongyi's cheek. "Xiu Jin, don't you think he's adorable?"

Li Xiujin didn't particularly think so, but he still hummed in agreement.

Li Chongyi, having his face stroked by Lin Ze, beamed...

"Xiu Jin, you pet him too."

Li Xiujin poked him with a finger.

Li Chongyi, who had just been smiling, immediately scrunched up his whole face, waved his chubby arms a couple of times, struggled to turn over, and burrowed towards Lin Ze...

Li Xiujin snorted coldly.

"He might be tired." Lin Ze quickly explained for Li Chongyi. Seeing that Li Chongyi had closed his eyes and wasn't as excited as before, he gently patted his back. "Sleep now."

Within just a few minutes, Li Chongyi was sound asleep.

Li Chongyi, who had been sleeping in Lin Ze's arms, was moved to the far side of the bed, while Lin Ze's embrace was now occupied by his father.

Lin Ze's shirt was open, and milk had leaked, instantly filling the entire room with a rich, milky scent.

Li Xiujin's Adam's apple bobbed. He wasn't in a hurry to start, but instead watched as Lin Ze's snow-white skin grew damp.

Lin Ze was deeply embarrassed. He had thought he wouldn't have enough, but even after feeding both father and son, there was still so much extra that it overflowed. If not expressed in time, it would become painfully engorged...

"Xiu Jin..." Lin Ze called softly.

Li Xiujin lifted his eyelids, as if asking why he was being called.

Lin Ze's cheeks flushed crimson with shame. "Can... can you help me?"

Li Xiujin's breathing grew heavy. He nuzzled it, then opened his mouth, taking a long, deep suck...

After a while, Lin Ze finally felt better. He hugged Li Xiujin's head with deep affection. Li Chongyi's head was soft and downy and prone to sweating; his father's head was the same, warm and toasty. Lin Ze rubbed his cheek against it, then tried to lift his upper body higher to feed him...

As Li Xiujin fed, he began to feel his throat tighten.

Remembering something, he stopped...

Lin Ze, who was already ready for him, asked a little shyly, "Xiu Jin, don't you want to?"

"There's no protection."

Lin Ze's eyelids fluttered. "You could... pull out..."

Li Xiujin stared at him with an unreadable look. In the end, he still got up and went to the bathroom.

Lin Ze watched his retreating back, feeling a pang of shame. Actually, he really wanted to have another baby, but Xiu Jin didn't seem to have that intention. After intimacy, he would clean him out thoroughly, and sometimes even use protection...

After showering and returning, Li Xiujin burrowed his head back into Lin Ze's embrace. Thinking he was going to sleep, Lin Ze suddenly heard him ask, "When you were little, how was your father towards you?"

"My father?"

"Mhm."

"My dad's business kept him very busy, so he was rarely home, but he would occasionally take me skiing."

"After your parents passed away, was there no one fighting over the family property?"

Lin Ze smiled wistfully. "My parents didn't have many relatives. As far back as I can remember, both sets of my grandparents had already passed away, and they didn't have any siblings either."

"So there was no fight among relatives over my parents' estate."

However, Li Xiujin's brow knitted even more tightly. He knew it was true, so he truly had no idea he had a biological uncle—and that this uncle was a former Commander...

*

After returning from Lin Ze's hometown, Li Xiujin went straight to the military headquarters.

A stack of documents lay on his desk.

They were about Lin Ze's parents and Zhou Dingshan.

Photos of the three of them were also on the desk.

He first set aside the information about Lin Ze's mother.

Upon closer inspection, the brother mentioned in Zhou Dingshan's records matched Lin Ze's father in both birth date and date of death.

More importantly, when their photos were placed side by side, their eyes and eyebrows were strikingly similar.

"General, since Colonel Lin told you, he certainly wasn't deceiving you. Colonel Lin genuinely didn't know he had a biological uncle. But... why did Colonel Lin's parents never tell him about Zhou Dingshan?"

"When Colonel Lin first entered the military, Zhou Dingshan hadn't yet stepped down. Lin Ze repeatedly distinguished himself with meritorious service, and later, the Regeneration Plan caused quite a stir. Zhou Dingshan must have known about Colonel Lin. So why didn't he ever tell Colonel Lin about their relationship?"

This was also the point Li Xiujin couldn't understand. He let out a cold laugh. "It seems we'll have to ask the person himself."

"Once his location is confirmed, secure the perimeter and notify me immediately."

"Yes, General."

After Yang Yu left, Li Xiujin, clenching a cigarette between his teeth, took out the group photo he had brought from Lin Ze's home and placed it next to the other two photos.

Looking closely, he noticed that besides resembling his mother, Lin Ze's lower face also bore some similarity to his father, and his father, in turn, resembled Zhou Dingshan.

For a moment, it was hard to tell whether Lin Ze was the child of his mother and her younger brother or of his mother and her older brother.

*

When Li Xiujin arrived home, the sleeping Li Chongyi was being watched by a servant, while Lin Ze was in the study, intently focused on the computer screen. Li Xiujin embraced him from behind, and only then did Lin Ze notice.

"What are you looking at?"

"Lu Mo sent me the latest progress report on the snow mountain excavation."

"Aren't you still on leave?"

"I've been resting for almost three months now," Lin Ze said softly. "Xiu Jin, I want to go back to work."

Being with their child was undoubtedly joyful, but Lin Ze still wanted to return to frontline work. That's what made him feel like a valuable person.

"Go back after Li Chongyi turns two months old."

"Okay."

"Xiu Jin, I haven't finished reading yet. Could you go back to the room and wait for me first?"

"I'll stay here with you."

Lin Ze's cheeks flushed, and he continued to concentrate on his work.

Li Xiujin held Lin Ze, kissing his snow-white earlobe one moment and his neck the next, quickly unbuttoning Lin Ze's shirt as milk dripped down.

Lin Ze only had a little left to read. Though embarrassed, he didn't say anything, letting Li Xiujin carry on like this.

But Li Xiujin grew increasingly unrestrained, breathing heavily as he took Lin Ze's earlobe into his mouth.

"Colonel Lin, didn't you say you needed to focus on work?"

"I..." Lin Ze was so embarrassed he didn't know what to do.

Just as Lin Ze finished reading the last part, he was picked up and placed on Li Xiujin's lap.

Suddenly, the servant's voice sounded from outside: "Sir, the baby is awake."

"Go play with him," Li Xiujin said hoarsely.

"But he won't stop crying."

Hearing the crying, Lin Ze trembled. "Xiu Jin, can we continue tonight after the baby falls asleep?"

Li Xiujin didn't let him go.

Lin Ze cupped his face and shyly planted a light kiss on his lips.

Only then did Li Xiujin release him.

Hurriedly pulling up his pants, Lin Ze, with reddened ears, rushed downstairs. Li Xiujin followed behind, watching as Lin Ze picked up the wailing Li Chongyi, soothing him with an incredibly gentle expression. "Chong Yi, Mama's here..."

Li Xiujin's eyes darkened. Even though he clearly knew it was just an infant, their child, he still felt intensely jealous of the love Lin Ze gave him.

*

Two nights later, through Su Wang's movements, Yang Yu narrowed down the tracking range for Zhou Dingshan to a poor district.

He and two subordinates parked their car not far from a dilapidated hotel, then focused intently on watching it.

Just as their eyelids were growing heavy, a man dressed in black clothes and a black hat emerged from the hotel.

"Colonel, he's come out."

"I see him. Follow him," Yang Yu said calmly.

After coming out, Zhou Dingshan stood by the roadside and hailed a taxi.

Once the taxi started moving, Yang Yu and his two subordinates immediately followed.

The taxi drove through bustling streets and arrived at an upscale residential area reserved for the wealthy.

"This Su Wang is really going all out to hide him, using different luxury houses several times in a row," one of the subordinates couldn't help but comment. "Just how much did this Commander Su embezzle during his time in office?"

Hearing this, Yang Yu smacked him hard on the head. "Watch your mouth. Is this something you should be discussing? Commander Su was an honest and upright official. It's his wife who has money." Yang Yu wasn't defending Su Wang, but compared to other officers, this man was indeed clean.

"His wife has money?"

"His wife is the treasured daughter of a wealthy businessman in this country."

"When will I ever marry a wife that rich?"

Yang Yu snorted coldly. "First, take a piss and look at your own reflection. You have neither looks nor money. Why would anyone like that ever fancy you?"

"Colonel, that's a bit too harsh."

"Shut up and focus on driving."

After that bit of banter, they all got serious again, closely following the taxi.

Once inside the gated community, the taxi stopped in front of the villa at the very center. A minute later, Zhou Dingshan stepped out, keeping his hat low, and used his iris to unlock the gate.

After entering, he cautiously scanned his surroundings before closing the door again.

Yang Yu and his men pulled into a hidden spot.

As soon as Zhou Dingshan entered the villa, Yang Yu immediately planned to call in reinforcements to secure the perimeter, but then he noticed another black car approaching.

When Yang Yu clearly saw the face of the person stepping out, he smiled faintly. "This time, we can catch both of them red-handed."

After dispatching the soldiers, he quickly dialed Li Xiujin.

"General, Su Wang and Zhou Dingshan are meeting tonight."