Chapter 59

Chapter 59

"Xiu Jin, you..."

Lin Ze was held so tightly in his embrace that he could barely breathe.

He had never been held by him like this before. After a moment of shock, Lin Ze asked, "Did you miss home that much?"

Li Xiujin gave a muffled 'mm-hmm'.

Hearing this, Lin Ze held him tighter.

"The baby and I missed you too."

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Li Xiujin scooped him up into a bridal carry. Being lifted into the air made Lin Ze feel embarrassed, but unlike before, he didn't struggle. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Li Xiujin's neck, letting him carry him back to the bedroom and place him on the bed.

Li Xiujin soon settled on top of him.

Unlike previous times when he returned from a business trip, eager to...

This time, he used those jet-black eyes to meticulously inspect Lin Ze's face inch by inch. Even though they had been married for a long time, being stared at like this still made Lin Ze feel bashful. He gently turned his face away slightly...

Only to have it turned back almost immediately. His lips were captured in a kiss, exceptionally gentle, sending a shiver down Lin Ze's spine.

Before, when he returned from trips, having held back for too long, he would directly... Although it no longer hurt, it still made Lin Ze tense up.

This time, Lin Ze clenched the pillow, bracing himself, but unexpectedly, Li Xiujin was extremely gentle, like being lightly tickled by a feather. A tingling itch instantly spread throughout his entire body...

It was a more tender, lingering feeling...

A flush slowly crept up Lin Ze's cheeks. His limbs and entire body felt numb and tingly, as if he were about to melt...

After it was over, Li Xiujin held his sweaty body, planting fine, dense kisses on his cheeks and neck.

Lin Ze's mind was still quite clear. Being kissed like this made his body quiver lightly...

After cleaning up, Li Xiujin didn't burrow into his arms as usual, asking to be held and to sleep with his head on Lin Ze's chest. Instead, like a child who had suddenly grown up, he tightly encircled Lin Ze's entire body in his embrace.

Feeling his body temperature and heartbeat, Lin Ze was filled with an indescribable happiness, but a wave of worry also washed over him.

"Xiu Jin, did... something happen?"

After a long pause, Li Xiujin's voice was hoarse as he said, "I uncovered some things."

"Can you tell me?"

Li Xiujin usually didn't hide things from him. After waiting a while and hearing no continuation, Lin Ze guessed it probably wasn't the right time to tell him yet, or perhaps it was an important military secret.

The next day, Li Xiujin didn't go to headquarters.

"Let's go to the hospital today."

"To the hospital? Is something wrong?" Lin Ze asked with concern.

"Not me. I want you to get a physical."

Lin Ze was taken aback. "Why suddenly think of doing this?"

Lin Ze fed Li Chongyi, soothed him to sleep, and then left him with the maid.

Then they got into the car and went to the hospital with Li Xiujin.

Unexpectedly, they arrived at the military hospital.

The military hospital had more comprehensive and advanced facilities than ordinary hospitals.

Just for a routine check-up, coming here seemed like overkill.

But Li Xiujin seemed to have arranged everything in advance. As soon as they entered the hospital, a doctor inside received them.

"Colonel Lin, please follow us."

Lin Ze glanced at Li Xiujin.

Li Xiujin said, "I'll wait for you outside."

"Okay."

Following the doctor into the room, Lin Ze lay down on the hospital bed. Soon, a nurse drew his blood, and someone else used instruments to scan various parts of his body.

This reminded Lin Ze of some unpleasant past experiences, stirring up an instinctive aversion. But when he turned his head, he saw Xiu Jin waiting for him outside the one-way glass.

Xiu Jin wouldn't hurt him.

The aversion in Lin Ze's heart slowly subsided.

Back in military school, Lin Ze had also undergone physical exams, but never like today, feeling as if every single inch of his body was being thoroughly examined.

After it was over, Li Xiujin opened the door and came in, pressing on the needle site that was still bleeding slightly.

"Xiu Jin, when will the physical exam results come out?"

"It might take a day. I'll tell you when the results are ready."

Once the bleeding stopped, Li Xiujin helped him straighten his clothes and sent him home. Then he returned to the hospital, heading straight for the doctor's office.

The doctor looked at the examination report. "Colonel Lin is very healthy in all aspects. The alpha-omega duality won't have a significant impact on his lifespan either."

Li Xiujin let out a slight sigh of relief.

Lin Yujing should have called Zhou Dingshan 'cousin'. If they really were the parents, that would mean the child was born from close relatives. Children born from close relatives often have many health issues. Fortunately, Lin Ze only had issues related to differentiation, with no other problems affecting his health.

"Do those two have a blood relationship?" he asked, his expression turning slightly cold after confirming Lin Ze's health.

In addition to checking Lin Ze's body, he had also asked the doctor to perform a paternity test.

"Yes," the doctor said, handing him the report. "The genetic loci of Colonel Lin and the other sample you provided are a complete match. The probability of paternity is over 99.99%. They are biological father and son."

The report stated it clearly.

He had overseen the entire process, so there was no possibility of forgery. Lin Ze was indeed Zhou Dingshan's child.

"All of Colonel Lin's examination results here, including this paternity test, are not to be disclosed to anyone," Li Xiujin ordered, his voice low and serious.

"Yes, General."

Li Xiujin returned to the military headquarters and sat in his office, chewing on a cigarette as he thought.

After confirming Lin Ze and Zhou Dingshan were biological father and son, an even more puzzling question came up.

Who framed Lin Ze?

"General, I have something to report." Yang Yu's voice came from outside.

Li Xiujin let him in.

"As you ordered, I investigated Zhou Dingshan's family again and found that before Zhou Dingshan's father died, they had a live-in nanny. I went to see her, posing as Zhou Dingshan's subordinate."

"Get to the point." Li Xiujin frowned.

"The nanny said that after Lin Yujing arrived, all three Zhou men—the father and his two sons—treated her very well. Zhou Dingshan's father worked, so he couldn't always look after them, but Zhou Dingshan and his younger brother Zhou Yun were around her age. The three of them went to school together, came home together, and went out to play together, and grew very close."

"However, after the three of them differentiated, Zhou Dingshan and Zhou Yun fell out for some unknown reason. Not long after, Lin Yujing came to this city to study and work. She only went back after her uncle died... and shortly after returning, she became pregnant."

"By then, Zhou Yun and Zhou Dingshan were already generals. The nanny said after Lin Yujing became pregnant, their home was heavily guarded, and no one could leave."

"Zhou Dingshan really pulled such a stunt." Yang Yu sighed. "But back then, no one dared to defy his orders. After the child was born, Lin Yujing threatened to kill herself. Only then did Zhou Dingshan let her go and allowed her to take the child. Lin Yujing then lived with the child and Zhou Yun, publicly claiming they were Lin Ze's parents until Lin Ze was ten."

"Actually, it's no wonder Lin Yujing treated Colonel Lin poorly. Being forced by Zhou Dingshan was traumatic enough, and to top it off, she ended up pregnant. She couldn't even get an abortion and had to give birth. But the one who had it worst was still Colonel Lin."

Li Xiujin sneered coldly.

"General, should we tell Colonel Lin about this?" Yang Yu asked again.

Li Xiujin closed his eyes. Of course, he had to tell him.

But...

Li Xiujin ached for him.

During differentiation, due to his physical condition, he was subjected to brutal experimentation for an entire year. As an adult, he repeatedly made contributions and went to the front lines. Yet, because of an unresolved incident, he bore the stigma for a full seven years, even though he could have accomplished so much more.

His biological father forced his mother to give birth to him, and his biological mother wasn't just strict with him—she harbored deep hatred toward him.

Seeing he didn't answer, Yang Yu also knew this would be a cruel thing to tell Colonel Lin. If it were him, he wouldn't have the heart to tell him either.

"Dismissed." Li Xiujin said.

After Yang Yu left, he sat alone in the office.

Lin Ze was a good person—maybe that was just his personal opinion, but he believed that Lin Ze's subordinates, those who knew him, or even just met him briefly, were all very clear that Lin Ze was a person with a strong sense of dedication and social responsibility.

Even someone as ruthless and indifferent as Li Xiujin felt that he deserved at least *some* good luck in his life. But there was none; instead, he still bore the stigma to this day.

At this moment, besides heartache, Li Xiujin felt a wave of deep anger.

He shouldn't be treated this way.

*

"General." Two soldiers stood outside the villa. Upon seeing Li Xiujin, they immediately saluted.

Li Xiujin: "How is it?"

"He has been staying inside the whole time, hasn't come out, and hasn't asked us to do anything for him. Su Wang came over in the afternoon and hasn't left yet."

Li Xiujin gave a slight nod. After entering, he found Su Wang and Zhou Dingshan in the living room, with some photos spread out in front of them.

"General Li, you're here. Please, have a seat." Su Wang tried to put away the photos.

Zhou Dingshan, however, had no intention of hiding them from him.

"Actually, you weren't wrong before. Seven years ago, I did suspect that you and Su Wang were behind it, but I never expected that you and Lin Ze were..."

Li Xiujin sneered. This kind of person was only related to Lin Ze by blood and could hardly be called a father.

"So, all the clues I have now are useless." Li Xiujin crossed his legs, staring at Zhou Dingshan.

"To be honest with you, General Li, Commander Su and I are also investigating this matter." Zhou Dingshan said. "Xiao Ze is a kind-hearted child. I can't stand by and watch him be framed like this."

Just as Li Xiujin had guessed, he frowned. "So, what do you plan to do? Or rather, what are you doing now?"

Zhou Dingshan's expression turned serious. "We've found some clues."

*

Lin Ze, who had been watching Li Chongyi sleep, turned around and noticed Li Xiujin staring intently at him.

It had been like this for the past few days.

"Xiu Jin, is there something wrong with my check-up?"

"No, you're very healthy."

Li Xiujin shook his head, then hugged him. "Have you gained some weight recently?"

"Have I?" Lin Ze felt slightly embarrassed. Because he had to breastfeed, he needed to eat a lot of nutritious food. "Once I finish taking care of Li Chongyi, I'll eat less."

"You're not allowed to eat less."

Li Xiujin nuzzled against his neck, then began to suck on his earlobe and lips.

Lin Ze trembled with shame.

But before they could take the next step,

Li Chongyi started wailing.

Lin Ze, his face flushed, broke free from his embrace and went to pick up Li Chongyi.

Li Xiujin just stared at him.

The desire faded, leaving only a thorny issue.

On a selfish level, he wanted to keep the fact that Zhou Dingshan was Lin Ze's biological father a secret forever. Zhou Dingshan was likely too ashamed to tell Lin Ze the truth. He had given orders to Yang Yu and the hospital, so as long as he didn't say anything, Lin Ze would never know.

But what he hated most was when Lin Ze kept anything from him. Ever since they got married, he had been pushing Lin Ze to be honest with him. Now, Lin Ze told him everything. How could he, in turn, keep something from Lin Ze...

No matter how much his heart ached for Lin Ze, he couldn't deprive him of the right to know.

Li Chongyi fell asleep again after being comforted by Lin Ze for a while.

Li Xiujin swallowed hard. "There's something I want to tell you."

His tone was very serious. Lin Ze put Li Chongyi down and looked at him.

"Seven years ago, when you were still a colonel, do you remember who the commander was at that time?"

"I remember... It was Commander Zhou who awarded me my colonel rank back then." Lin Ze said.

Li Xiujin paused for a moment. "He is your biological father."

Lin Ze's face went blank.

*

"General, Sir hasn't eaten a thing all day. I took the meal up to the bedroom, but he didn't touch it."

Li Xiujin took off his coat, went upstairs, and opened the door.

Lin Ze was sitting in front of the cradle. After a long moment, he managed a pale smile.

"Why aren't you eating?"

Afraid he'd worry, Lin Ze explained, "It's not because of *that*... that I'm not eating. I'm just not very hungry today..."

Li Xiujin, his heart aching, held him in his arms. "It's normal not to eat after news like that."

"It's normal to feel pain too."

Lin Ze let out a bitter laugh. "Actually, I don't feel as much for my parents as I do for my teacher. I'm not too sad. I just think that if you choose to have a child, you should at least give the child some love and take some responsibility..."

"Otherwise, why have one..."

Li Xiujin didn't speak, just held him tighter.

Lin Ze woke from a dream in the middle of the night and found Li Xiujin wasn't asleep. Instead, his eyes were open, staring at him, unmoving.

"Xiu Jin, did a dream wake you too?"

"I didn't sleep."

Lin Ze quickly realized Li Xiujin was keeping watch over him, very worried about him.

"Xiu Jin, I'm fine... I still feel very happy right now. You're sleeping beside me, and there's Chong Yi, sound asleep..."

Although they didn't experience much paternal or maternal love, at least their child wouldn't be so pitiful.

Li Xiujin gave a soft hum of acknowledgment, then stared into his eyes, his voice hoarse. "No matter what they are like."

"I will always love you."