The craft came to a stop outside the small courtyard. Lian Qiguang jumped out, turned without looking back, and stared impassively at Xiahou Shaoxuan, who was right behind him: “Are you coming to my place?” Xiahou Shao Xuan stowed the imposing-looking craft—which clearly didn’t belong to Zone 3—back into his spatial device. He reached out and placed his hand firmly on Lian Qiguang’s small head, his voice low: “Let’s go.” As if he were already accustomed to this gesture from Xiahou Shao Xuan, Lian Qiguang remained expressionless as he bore the hand resting on his head and calmly walked into the courtyard.
“Second Brother!!” A cheerful shout rang out as Lian Xiaozhu ran over, closely followed by 009-a. “ “Second Brother, you’re back?” Lian Xiao-ju ran up to Lian Qiguang, tilting her little head back to look at him happily. The corner of Lian Qiguang’s eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly; he remembered that this step-sister had always been afraid of him.
“Say hello.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and gestured expressionlessly toward Xiahou Shao Xuan behind him. “Hello, Sister-in-law,” Lian Xiao-ju obediently called out, lowering her head and timidly staring at her toes, not daring to look at Xiahou Shao Xuan’s face.
Sister-in-law???
“. ………………….” Xiahou Shao Xuan’s hand paused slightly. Her cold, somber eyes swept over Lian Xiao Zhu like a biting cold wind, and her resolute, stern face instantly darkened.
“Don’t press down on me—it’s uncomfortable.” As if oblivious to the sudden drop in temperature, Lian Qiguang expressionlessly moved the hand resting on his head aside and calmly walked into the house.
“Second Brother.” Intimidated by the chill radiating from Xiahou Shao Xuan, Lian Xiaoju dared not get too close and timidly followed behind Lian Qiguang. “Eldest Brother has business at the company and won’t be back today. He said to get plenty of rest after you return, and that he’ll take you to register at school tomorrow.” “Got it.” Upon entering the room, he slumped heavily onto the sofa, shoved his hands into his pockets, lazily propped his feet on the table, and stared expressionlessly at the smart light on the wall, responding with a blank “Mm-hmm.” “Second Brother, are you hungry? “Should I have 009-a make you something to eat?” Lian Xiaoru cautiously leaned in and asked softly.
“I’m not hungry.” He continued to stare at the smart light, his face expressionless.
“Then I….”
“Whoosh!!” A large bag of candy slammed down on the table in front of Lian Xiaoju. Xiahou Shao Xuan stepped forward and hoisted Lian Qiguang up as if he were a kitten, his expression cold and stern as he looked at Lian Xiaoju: “Where’s his room?” “Up, upstairs.” ” Stunned by Xiahou Shaoxuan’s sudden outburst, Lian Xiaoju blankly pointed toward the room upstairs. “ “Eat the candy here. Don’t move.” Xiahou Shaoxuan coldly tossed out the order, then strode upstairs with Lian Qiguang in tow, paying no further attention to the terrified Lian Xiaoju left behind.
Lian Qiguang, who hadn’t struggled once from start to finish, remained expressionless as Xiahou Shao Xuan dragged him upstairs, into the room, and set him down. Once he regained his freedom, Lian Qiguang calmly smoothed out his clothes, turned, walked over to the bed, sat down, and stared impassively at Xiahou Shao Xuan: “You gave my candy to him.” “ “I already gave you my Star Card. Go buy whatever you want to eat.” Xiahou Shaoxuan sat down beside Lian Qiguang, placing his strong hand on the boy’s fuzzy head as he spoke in a deep voice.
“I’m going back to school tomorrow.” Lian Qiguang brushed the hair away from his eyes and looked at Xiahou Shaoxuan impassively. “ “I should be going, too. “You’re a really nice person. I’ll miss you.” Lian Qiguang looked at Xiahou Shaoxuan earnestly. A barely perceptible warmth flashed in his eyes, and Xiahou Shaoxuan pressed Lian Qiguang’s small head into his chest, a hint of gentleness creeping into his deep, quiet voice. “ “Mm, me too.” “ “Take good care of yourself over there. When I’m on leave, I’ll come visit you.” Lian Qiguang lifted his head, staring at Xiahou Shao Xuan’s resolute jawline, and spoke without emotion.
“……………….” Xiahou Shao Xuan paused for a moment, then a hint of a smile flitted across the corners of his eyes. “ “Okay, I’ll be waiting for you.” Xiahou Shao Xuan wouldn’t tell Lian Qiguang that, as Blue Star’s frontier defense, its first line of defense, and its most important military base, no one was allowed to enter—or even approach—without orders or special permission. But if it were his wife, he’d be more than happy to welcome her in person.
“Once you’re back at school, are you planning to switch majors?” Xiahou Shaoxuan ruffled Lian Qiguang’s hair and asked casually, in high spirits. “What’s a major switch?” Lian Qiguang didn’t even look up, continuing to pick at Xiahou Shaoxuan’s military insignia with a blank expression. “ “Now that you have superpowers, are you still planning to study battlefield rescue? ” Xiahou Shao Xuan grabbed Lian Qiguang’s restless hand and gave his waist a gentle squeeze to get his attention. Lian Qiguang grabbed the large hand resting on his waist, looked up, and stared expressionlessly at Xiahou Shao Xuan: “I don’t get it.” “ “If you’re willing, there are better options—like the Combat Department or the Command Department.” “ “Where were you back then?” Lian Qiguang asked, somewhat puzzled. “I was in the Command track,” Xiahou Shaoxuan paused for a moment before continuing. “If you don’t want to switch tracks, that’s fine too. Just come work as a military doctor under me after graduation.” He hoped Lian Qiguang would stay safe. “Sure,” Lian Qiguang nodded impassively. “I’ll do as you say.”
“Do you have any regrets?” With your talent, your future should have been bright. Once you become a military doctor, you might be confined to that small space for the rest of your life.
“No.” If I didn’t particularly enjoy spending time with you, I would’ve become a mercenary long ago. Compared to the military, with its rigid frameworks and endless rules, I prefer fighting solo and completing missions on my own.
Neither of them voiced the unspoken thoughts that followed—not out of concealment, but simply because they were both too lazy!
Scene Divider
Due to an unexpected situation, An Yi sent a message via his optical computer: something had happened on Buluxing. Without waiting for Lian Yucheng to return, Xiahou Shao Xuan hurriedly bid farewell to Lian Qiguang and rushed off to District 1.
Not long after seeing Xiahou Shao Xuan off, Lian Yucheng returned. Lian Qiguang was lazily slumped on the living room sofa, his mind a blank, staring expressionlessly into space—he hadn’t heard a word Lian Yucheng was saying.
“Lian Qiguang! Did you hear what I just said?” Lian Yucheng’s angry voice snapped Lian Qiguang out of his daze and back to reality. Lian Qiguang turned his head and stared impassively at Lian Yucheng’s furious face. After a long silence, Lian Qiguang took his foot off the table and looked at Lian Yucheng without expression. “I’ll go to school by myself tomorrow.” “No way!” Lian Yucheng refused without a moment’s hesitation. “You’ve lost your past memories; it’s not safe.”
“I’ll go to school by myself.” His expression remained unchanged.
“No! I won’t feel at ease.”
“I’ll go to school on my own.” His expression remained impassive.
“You……………” Lian Yucheng furrowed his brow. “Big Brother,” Lian Xiaoru interrupted their argument softly. “I can go with Second Brother. School starts for me tomorrow too, and my school is very close to Second Brother’s.” “. ……………….” Looking at Lian Xiaoju, Lian Yucheng furrowed his brow, seemingly deep in thought. Although Xiaoju wasn’t in the best of health, she had always been very sensible. Compared to Lian Qiguang, Lian Yucheng felt much more at ease with Xiaoju. “ “Big Brother, I’ll bring 009-a with me. ” Seeing that Lian Yucheng seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, Lian Xiaoju quickly added, “009-a and I will take good care of Second Brother. If anything happens, I’ll let you know right away. Besides, haven’t you been really busy with work lately, Big Brother?”
Lian Yucheng looked at Lian Xiaoju, then shifted his gaze to Lian Qiguang, who stood with his head tilted back and an expressionless face, feeling a bit hesitant.
“Open your lightbrain.” As if a thought had occurred to him, Lian Qiguang opened his lightbrain and stared impassively at Lian Yucheng. Lian Yucheng frowned slightly but didn’t ask any further questions; he obediently opened his lightbrain.
No sooner had Lian Yucheng opened his lightbrain than he received a message asking if he wanted to accept it. Lian Yucheng accepted the content sent by Lian Qiguang and casually tapped to open it. Instantly, four large characters appeared on the virtual screen floating above his lightbrain: *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*.
“What’s this?” Lian Yucheng asked, somewhat puzzled. “A novel,” Lian Qiguang replied expressionlessly as he stood up, shoved his hands into his pockets, and calmly walked upstairs. “Aren’t you working at Star Entertainment? This could be adapted into a TV series.”
Whenever they left the base to clear out towns, Lian Qiguang’s greatest interest—aside from collecting crystal cores—was gathering books and discs. After all, for the world’s strongest human—a man of high standing who wielded immense political power yet preferred to stay at home—life without entertainment would truly be tedious.
Watching Lian Qiguang’s retreating figure, Lian Yucheng opened the file with a mix of puzzlement and curiosity.
Ten minutes later, Lian Yucheng was completely engrossed in it, unable to tear his eyes away.