HLLY Chapter 50

Shen Shanwu really wanted to curse, blaming himself for insisting on approaching and taking a knife. It’s his own fault for feeling so much pain. But as the words reached his lips, he involuntarily switched to a concerned tone: “Are you in pain? If you don’t eat on time, do you want to make things worse?”

“Worried about you,” Jiang Huan said, “You haven’t been going out.”

“I’ve been sleeping in my room, there’s nothing to worry about,” Shen Shanwu walked over to Jiang Huan, carefully helping him back to his seat, “Don’t move, I’ll go to the cafeteria, get some food, and bring it over. You can eat in the office.”

Jiang Huan held onto Shen Shanwu’s hand that was resting on his arm, gently squeezing his fingertips. “Okay, come and eat with me.”

“I’m not hungry, I’ll just watch you eat.”

“That works too.”

Upon receiving the affirmative response, Shen Shanwu was about to head to the cafeteria to get some food, but as he turned around, he saw that Lu Jingzhi was standing outside the door with a subtle expression, seemingly hesitant to speak. Jiang Huan also seemed to have just noticed him and asked, “Is there something you need?”

“…Jiang Huan, what if we bring in a doctor to take another look at your injury?” Lu Jingzhi expressed concern, “Could it be that we didn’t examine it closely enough in the morning, or is there a chance that an important organ might have been accidentally injured?”

Jiang Huan shook his head, “No need, I’m fine.”

“You’ve been in pain all afternoon!” Lu Jingzhi exclaimed urgently, even Jiang Huan couldn’t help but wince, indicating that the injury was undoubtedly quite severe.

“…” Jiang Huan, true to his role as the captain, remained composed in such an awkward situation and said expressionlessly, “It doesn’t hurt.”

Lu Jingzhi: “…”

What’s going on? You’re in pain one moment and not in pain the next. Captain, something doesn’t seem right.

The care package from the old lady was eventually forcefully piled up outside the captain’s office by Gong Wei. The package was full of tempting food, medicine, clothes, and other daily necessities. Every time Yao Wuque passed by, he couldn’t help but drool, yet he didn’t dare to touch it, so he could only quench his desire from a distance, like a greedy big golden retriever.

Inside the office, Shen Shanwu pulled over a small chair and sat across from Jiang Huan. With his legs crossed and hands in his pockets, he lazily leaned against the back of the chair, “The new mutant’s name is Tao Yi. He’s Tao Han’s nephew, and Tao Han was my homeroom teacher, that male teacher with a very refined and scholarly appearance.”

Jiang Huan has always maintained a very dignified and elegant manner while eating. After swallowing all the bamboo shoots in his mouth, he slowly asked, “Is it okay for you to tell me all of this?”

“Your help has been invaluable to us in this matter, and you were injured as a result. You deserve to know the outcome,” Shen Shanwu replied with a smile. “Rest assured, we trust you.”

Jiang Huan also smiled slightly at him, “If there’s anything you need my help with in the future, feel free to ask. I’m glad I can assist you.”

“…” Shen Shanwu adjusted his posture somewhat awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. Jiang Huan had always been straightforward. Even as a child, he would say things like ‘Brother Shanwu, I really like you, don’t leave me’ nonstop, and that habit hadn’t changed as they grew up. It made Shen Shanwu feel quite embarrassed.

Seeing Shen Shanwu remain silent, Jiang Huan lowered his head and continued eating. The wound on his waist didn’t seem to affect his appetite, and in fact, he ate a bit more heartily than usual.

After a brief period of silence in the room, Shen Shanwu found another topic to discuss, saying, “After hearing that his uncle, Tao Han, is still alive, Tao Yi really wants to see him. However, we don’t plan on letting them meet in the near future. We’ll first need to teach Tao Yi what he can and cannot say, and then arrange a meeting between them.”

“Ah,” Jiang Huan nodded. He quickly finished his dinner and was about to ask some seemingly innocent questions like ‘Do you want to take a shower?’ or ‘How are we sleeping tonight?’ when suddenly, there was an urgent knocking on the door. Before he could react, Lu Jingzhi burst into the room, exclaiming, “Jiang Huan, your grandfather, Marshal Jiang Duotang, is here!”

At the news, Jiang Huan furrowed his brow in confusion. “Why is he here?”

Before he could finish speaking, a commanding voice sounded from outside the door. “Why wouldn’t I come?”

Dressed in an impeccably tailored military uniform, Jiang Duotang appeared before them, his appearance meticulous from his hair to his shoes. His expression was stern as he noticed the bundles piled up at the door.

Lu Jingzhi was momentarily petrified, but fortunately, although the Marshal frowned disapprovingly, he didn’t say anything. He simply ordered the guards behind him to collect and store the items, which were then neatly arranged on the coffee table inside Jiang Huan’s office.

Jiang Huan stood behind the desk, silently observing the scene, saying nothing.

After all the items had been forcefully brought in, Jiang Duotang waved his hand to dismiss everyone with an air of no room for refusal. He said, “Everyone, leave. I have something to discuss privately with Major General Jiang.”

Lu Jingzhi gave Jiang Huan a look that conveyed “take care of yourself, buddy” and quickly tidied up the desk, picked up his meal tray, and was the first to make a swift exit. The guards respectfully retreated as well. Only Shen Shanwu remained, glancing at Jiang Huan as he stood up, ready to leave if there was any resistance from Jiang Huan. However, seeing that Jiang Huan didn’t show any signs of objection, he also stood up, preparing to depart.

Unexpectedly, as Shen Shanwu took only a couple of steps, he was called by Marshal Jiang, who said, “Jiang Tong.”

Shen Shanwu looked over in surprise, seeing Jiang Duotang observing him with slightly pursed lips, his deep eyes carrying a trace of reproach but not sternness. It suddenly dawned on Shen Shanwu, and he quickly bowed slightly, addressing him, “Greetings, Grandfather!”

Jiang Duotang nodded satisfactorily and walked up to Shen Shanwu, asking, “Are you still adapting well to life on the coast? Have you been studying properly?”

“I’m adapting very well, and I’m studying diligently!” Shen Shanwu boldly claimed, never one to underestimate his own cheekiness.

“When you have time, remember to visit your grandfather’s house often.”

“Sure thing!” Shen Shanwu readily agreed with a beaming smile, his words filled with enthusiasm. As for whether he would actually go or not, it all depended on Jiang Huan’s attitude… After all, he was just a poor little guy living under someone else’s roof.

After Jiang Tong left and the office door closed, Jiang Duotang’s expression immediately turned gloomy. He took off his white gloves and stuffed them into his pocket before sitting down in Shen Shanwu’s previous seat. “Jiang Huan, what exactly happened this morning?”

Jiang Huan stood upright, explaining earnestly, “I was taking Jiang Tong to school. There was a spy lurking in the school who attempted to assassinate me. After stabbing me in the abdomen, they escaped into the dormitory area…”

“Heh.” Jiang Duotang interrupted Jiang Huan’s words with a cold chuckle. He glanced at the loose hem of Jiang Huan’s shirt, which wasn’t neatly tucked into his belt as usual due to the injury. “You can deceive others with that story, but not your grandfather. No chance.”

He pulled out a cellphone from his pocket. In times of communication difficulties, cellphones were mainly used for storage and recording. Jiang Duotang opened the latest edited video clip and then pushed the phone towards Jiang Huan. “Have a seat first and watch carefully.”

The video showed the surveillance footage of the assassination attempt on Jiang Huan. Jiang Huan had intentionally chosen a location with surveillance cameras in the school, which was why he had improvised with Xu Ye to use a real knife instead.

The entire assassination attempt took only a few seconds, and the video, including before and after, was just over a minute long. It ended with the sound of Shen Shanwu’s exclamation, his acting extremely convincing with no loopholes. If Jiang Huan weren’t the main actor, he would have been easily deceived by it.

“What’s the matter?” Jiang Huan asked in confusion, but Jiang Duotang could see that he was still pretending not to understand. He knocked on the table with his knuckles heavily and said, “What’s the matter? Xu Ye is a soldier under my command. Back when your team was nothing more than a mediocre squad, it was your grandfather who strongly urged him to join your team. While others might not recognize him, I can tell at a glance who this masked person is! So, right after I entered the room, was this traitor enjoying himself outside?”

“…” Jiang Huan fell into silence once again.

Seeing his desolate expression, Jiang Duotang grew even angrier. There was no trace of the vibrant vitality that had been so unique to young people when he first returned to the base. Even the charming, exasperating, and pitiable side of him seemed to have vanished.

“Still unwilling to tell the truth?” The marshal retrieved his phone and after waiting for about ten seconds, he said impatiently, “Do you think that not telling me means I won’t figure it out? Is it related to the mutants?”

“…” Jiang Huan pursed his lips and remained silent for a while before finally saying, “The situation has been resolved, and it didn’t cause any damage or casualties.”

“Why so nervous? No one else knows, and I haven’t told anyone either,” Jiang Duotang said, crossing his legs and speaking calmly, “It’s just that I understand you. Only someone like that surname Shen could make you go to such great lengths and involve half of Shanhai in it.”

Jiang Huan’s gaze flickered slightly, and he slowly averted his eyes. He then heard Jiang Duotang continue, “He’s still alive, isn’t he?”

“…”

“Is it really that difficult to give your grandfather a bit of a response? Can’t your grandfather still eat?” Jiang Duotang asked, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

“Yes, he’s alive,” Jiang Huan replied earnestly, lifting his gaze. “I’m very glad about that.”

“Still glad… Going to such lengths for a man, holding grudges against your own grandmother for three or four years for not coming home…” Jiang Duotang practically expressed his disdain for his rather ineffectual grandson. “Since he’s alive, why hasn’t he come to report?”

“There have been a lot of recent developments, and I haven’t had the chance to do so,” Jiang Huan explained.

“The excuses are too perfunctory. I can’t be bothered with that,” Jiang Duotang exclaimed, slamming the table in frustration. “Jiang Huan, always remember, you are a human being. No matter what you do, your starting point must be from the standpoint of a human, not like now, leaning so heavily toward the side of the mutants.”

“Human beings and mutants are not in opposition,” Jiang Huan said calmly, his gaze meeting Jiang Duotang’s with an unwavering steadiness. “I believe you, just like me, understand this.”

Jiang Duotang was momentarily caught off guard by his words, and after a while, he couldn’t suppress his frustration any longer and slammed the table once more, lowering his voice. “Tomorrow or the day after, bring that person with the surname Shen to our house for a meal.”

“…” Jiang Huan’s right hand tightened slightly in surprise. “What?”

“Which word didn’t you understand?”

“But…”

“Don’t say anything about him not being able to enter the base. Whether he can enter or not, your grandfather is well aware.”

“…”

“What’s with that expression? Do you think it’s a grand feast like the Hongmen Banquet? Inviting a mutant to your home for a banquet, do you think your grandfather, an old man, can handle a mutant?”

Jiang Huan couldn’t say that he did indeed think along those lines, but as Jiang Duotang pointed out, even with twenty Jiang Duotang holding machine guns, they might not be able to overpower Shen Shanwu. “Then why…”

“Hmph.” Jiang Duotang said coldly, “A few years ago, I never thought I’d have such a deep connection with this kid. I haven’t really taken a good look at him. This time, I’m going to seriously and carefully see what charm this Shen guy has that turned my grandson into this noisy appearance.”

“…”

After seeing off Marshal Jiang, Jiang Huan immediately went to Shen Shanwu’s room and conveyed the Marshal’s invitation for Shen Shanwu’s original form to be a guest.

“If you don’t want to go, I can decline on your behalf, no need to force it,” Jiang Huan sat by the bedside, while Shen Shanwu comfortably leaned against the headboard. One of his long legs was folded, and a section of his snow-white ankle peeked out from his pants. Jiang Huan’s gaze was repeatedly drawn to this spot of white, and he couldn’t resist reaching out to give it a light pinch.

A delicate squeeze, enough to fit entirely in his palm, Jiang Huan held onto it and didn’t let go, inadvertently starting to imagine the ankle of the adult Shen Shanwu – distinct contours, each movement revealing a beauty in lines and shadows.

Shen Shanwu was originally contemplating what gift to bring when meeting the old marshal in the next couple of days. He couldn’t possibly give another Immortal Flower, could he? However, in an inadvertent glance, he saw Jiang Huan’s current expression, which was both dark and heavy. Jiang Huan was staring fixedly at his ankle, and the kneading motion of his hand was gradually becoming less serious. It was obvious he wasn’t thinking of anything good.

Shen Shanwu reflexively pulled his leg back, almost blurting out: “Jiang Huan, please don’t tell me you’re having thoughts about me in this childlike appearance of mine?”

Jiang Huan instantly understood the unspoken words, and blushed as he said, “No, I was thinking about you…” He meant he was thinking about Shanwu’s original form, which triggered his reaction…

It seemed like this behavior wasn’t going well either?

 

 

 

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The author has something to say:

35: The eternal flower, the everlasting love, gifted to the forever old man.

Marshal Jiang: …I’m speechless!

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