“We’re in a private dining room. It would be so inconvenient for you to step outside to take the call.” Wang Zitong smiled brightly.
Luo Ran swallowed nervously.
His parents were deliberately trying to eavesdrop.
…I hope Lucas doesn’t sound too fierce and give them even more room to misunderstand things.
“G-General…” Luo Ran answered the call somewhat nervously.
“DID YOU GO TO THE AMUSEMENT PARK WITH SOME DAMN GUY?!”
The voice was booming, full of authority and overwhelming force.
Every word rang out with the power of a military command, hitting the ground with a resounding thud.
…
Luo Ran: “…”
……………….
The moment Lucas’s voice, loud enough to rival a military order, thundered out of the terminal, Luo Ran caught sight of Wang Zitong and Luo Cheng both jolting in unison from the corner of his eye. Neither of them moved their chopsticks anymore.
The entire scene froze.
Luo Ran: “…”
I want to die right here.
He had imagined countless possible scenarios. Perhaps Lucas would ask him to do something, or perhaps the general was angry and needed him to resolve some problem.
But he had never, ever imagined it would be something so utterly inexplicable!
“I…” Luo Ran was momentarily speechless.
“You really went? Who was it?!”
Lucas had received word that day that Luo Ran wasn’t at home, but he hadn’t found out where he had gone. Meanwhile, Lucas was stuck at military headquarters overseeing a military exercise and couldn’t leave. After all, he had attended the meeting, and there were many matters that required his personal decision.
“…I went home to visit my parents today.” Luo Ran explained helplessly, “I haven’t been going out everywhere to have fun during my leave.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the terminal. Lucas was probably thinking.
A moment later, Lucas snorted. “It’s not that I won’t let you have fun. But if you’re sick, you shouldn’t be running around everywhere.”
“…Oh.”
Luo Ran didn’t even dare look at his parents’ expressions. He lowered his head and said, “Well, if there’s nothing else…”
“Have you been drinking plenty of water?”
“Yes. Um…”
“Have you been eating three meals a day? And eating enough?”
“Yes.”
“Have you been sleeping properly? Getting a full eight hours?”
“Yes…”
Luo Ran noticed a pause on Lucas’s end and immediately seized the opportunity.
“Then I’ll hang up now. General, you should focus on your work, too.”
“Mm.”
After finally making it through that ordeal, Luo Ran instinctively glanced at Luo Cheng and Wang Zitong.
Wang Zitong paused, then changed the subject. “Ranran, did you take leave this time because you were sick?”
“It’s nothing serious, just…” Luo Ran had originally intended to say that he had been overworked, but he changed his mind. “Just a common cold.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Luo Cheng frowned.
“This child… You hide everything from us.” Wang Zitong chided him affectionately. “You didn’t even tell us you were sick. Mom will make you some nourishing soup when we get home. Have you taken any medicine? You need to take medicine when you catch a cold!”
Luo Ran nodded. “I have. I’ve already taken some.”
The family continued eating. His younger brother asked curiously, “Second Brother, who was that really fierce big brother just now?”
Luo Ran smiled. “He’s my boss, the Empire’s heroic general.”
“I know…! Our teacher told us about him! He’s the general who brought peace to the Empire!” His younger brother immediately raised his hand and eagerly interrupted. “He beat the Ice… Ice Country, the pirates, and the neighboring countries so badly that they don’t dare bully us anymore!”
“That’s right.” Luo Ran smiled warmly. “My little brother is doing well in civics and history.”
On the other side, his younger sister was eating a steamed bun. Unwilling to be outdone, she also wanted to praise Lucas, so she raised her hand and argued, “Little Brother is wrong! That big brother isn’t fierce at all. His voice sounds just as nice as Second Brother’s!”
His sister thought to herself that although the man had sounded fierce at first, his tone later on had been incredibly gentle.
“All right, stop shouting and eat your food.” Wang Zitong gently patted her daughter’s hand.
After the main dishes were cleared, fruit and desserts were served. The family enjoyed their food and chatted leisurely, creating a warm and pleasant atmosphere.
As they talked, Wang Zitong casually asked, “By the way, Ranran, you’ve never told us how old the general is this year.”
Luo Ran popped a slice of watermelon into his mouth. “He’s two years older than me.”
“Oh… So he’s not that young anymore, either. Does he have a partner?”
“No. His personality is rather unusual, so finding someone isn’t easy.”
Wang Zitong paused before asking, “For a military leader like him, I imagine he usually devotes himself entirely to the battlefield and the Empire. Wouldn’t he be less attentive to his partner?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen the general date anyone,” Luo Ran said casually. “I’ve never seen him pay special attention to anyone, either.”
Wang Zitong and Luo Cheng exchanged a glance.
Luo Ran smiled. “If you’re interested in the general, you can look up his interviews and official media coverage. The media have already dug up pretty much everything about him.”
Wang Zitong merely nodded with a smile.
…
After the family finished eating and returned home, Luo Ran curled up under his covers, scrolling through his terminal when he received a report from military headquarters.
The investigation into the man who had been following him had finally concluded.
The report genuinely surprised Luo Ran. Once the man’s identity had been verified, they discovered that he was a low-level worker at the research institute. But he was merely a foreman. How could he have such impressive combat skills?
Further investigation confirmed that the man had indeed been deliberately planted there the previous year. He had replaced a foreman whose foot had been injured, although the circumstances surrounding that foreman’s injury had also been suspicious.
The man had confessed that his employer had ordered him to follow Luo Ran, monitor developments at the research institute regarding the DNA fragment found beneath Lucas’s fingernail, and gather clues about the person Lucas had spent that one night with.
Luo Ran continued reading, but the most crucial piece of information was missing.
The man had no idea who his employer was. They had communicated exclusively through their terminals, and the IP address had been concealed.
Someone had deliberately planted a spy inside the research institute. Clearly, this wasn’t an ordinary person at work—after all, the institute’s security system was exceptionally, exceptionally rigorous.
But who could it be?
Luo Ran frowned slightly.
Fortunately, I concealed my identity as the person Lucas spent that night with.