Chapter 189
The next day, because they had already agreed to go on a trip with his parents, Shen Shuyu got up early. He didn’t need to lift a finger for the luggage; he only needed to bring the things he personally wanted.
Their aircraft was already waiting for them. To be honest, in the time Shen Shuyu had been here, he hadn’t ridden in an aircraft yet. He wondered if it would be the same as the airplanes in his previous life.
Even in his previous life, he had only flown once or twice—both times for work, with the tickets reimbursed by his boss.
After being guided onto the aircraft, Shen Shuyu realized the space inside was massive. There was even a refrigerator and a washing machine; it was like a miniature room.
Shen Shuyu picked a seat and sat down, fastening his seatbelt according to the instructions. One only needed to wear it during takeoff and landing; otherwise, one could move around freely.
Everything here was indeed a novelty. Shen Shuyu explored all the areas he could go to, finally ordered a glass of orange juice, and sat down. As he sipped the juice, he thought: Being rich is great.
This aircraft was the Shen family’s private one. Once the System’s reward came through, he wanted to try getting one too.
But they must be expensive, right?
Shen Shuyu snuffed out the idea as soon as it arose. Even if he had money, he shouldn’t spend it recklessly.
Father and Mother Shen were huddled together watching a movie. Shen Shuyu had no intention of being a third wheel, so he sat quietly in his seat and, having nothing to do, simply leaned back and napped.
He didn’t know where this journey was taking them, but no matter where it was, it felt different.
In just five short days, he followed Father and Mother Shen across almost the entire interstellar space. He might be on one planet before bed, and when he opened his eyes, he was on another.
Shen Shuyu truly admired the stamina of Father and Mother Shen. He had bounced around for five days; his soul was joyful, but his body was exhausted.
Finally, on a planet an unknown distance from Amor, Father and Mother Shen uncharacteristically said they wanted to stay for two extra days.
This planet wasn’t as prosperous as the ones they had passed before; instead, it was rather barren and dusty.
Mother Shen had been pampered her whole life and wasn’t used to such an environment, yet he could still sense she was happy.
Shen Shuyu arched an eyebrow, feeling like something was off.
He asked, “Mom, are we going to see someone?”
Mother Shen took his arm. Male Omegas were still taller than female Omegas. She smiled and patted the back of Shen Shuyu’s hand. “Your father has a friend who knows an officer in Xili’s army. We didn’t originally plan to come see him, but the friend said they were training here these past two days. It’s all arranged, so we came to take a look.”
Essentially, she missed Shen Xili. After all, they had just reunited. Although she didn’t say it, her heart was still dwelling on him.
But did Shen Xili know they were coming?
Shen Shuyu looked at Mother Shen and asked, “Does he know we’re here?”
Mother Shen shook her head. “I agreed with your father that we’ll just watch from a distance for a bit. We won’t disturb Xili’s training.”
Mainly, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hold it together if they met. After all, life in the military was hard. She had received a photo of Shen Xili in the army two days ago, and he looked much thinner.
Shen Shuyu gave an “Okay.”
The three of them waited for a while until a car drove up from a distance and stopped in front of them. Two men in military uniforms got out; they were likely the officers from the army.
Father Shen exchanged some pleasantries with them, and then they got into the car.
Chapter 189 (Continued)
The road along the way was extremely steep. The car swayed and jolted so much that Shen Shuyu, who didn’t usually get carsick, was nearly dizzy from the shaking. He steadied Mother Shen, letting her lean against him to be more comfortable.
The officer in the passenger seat said, “Director Shen, the environment here can’t compare to our home planet. You, the Madam, and the young master will just have to endure it for a bit.”
This officer’s name was Li Zhi. He was the cousin of Father Shen’s friend and also Shen Xili’s direct superior.
Father Shen said mildly, “Officer Li, you’re being too polite. We’re already bothering you by coming here. Don’t worry about us; we can handle it.”
Li Zhi nodded. The military encampment was quite a distance from where they had landed the aircraft. They drove for an unknown amount of time before finally entering a relatively level area.
Shen Shuyu felt like he was seeing stars; his head was quite dizzy.
Li Zhi pulled open the car door and got out first, thoughtfully letting them sit in the car for a moment to recover their wits.
Father Shen got out not long after. He asked, “By the way, Officer Li, you didn’t tell Xili we were coming, did you?”
Li Zhi said, “I didn’t. Don’t worry.”
“Good, thank you. We’ve troubled you.” Father Shen smiled and reached out a hand. “When you have time to return to Amor, I’ll treat you to tea.”
Li Zhi waved his hand and called someone else over. After giving a few instructions, he said to Father Shen, “I have other work to do. I’ll let Xiao Zhao show you around the base and go see little Shen.”
Father Shen quickly agreed.
Li Zhi was truly busy; he left immediately after speaking.
Once he was gone, Father Shen turned back to look inside the car. He asked, “Are you two feeling better?”
“I’m fine.” Shen Shuyu had long since recovered. It was just Mother Shen who still looked a bit pale. She waved her hand. “I’m fine too. Let’s go see Xili first.”
Shen Shuyu thoughtfully opened a bottle of water. Mother Shen drank a bit and felt much better.
The only thing to be thankful for now was that this planet wasn’t very cold. Otherwise, being both cold and dizzy, he was afraid Mother Shen wouldn’t be able to take it.
When Mother Shen got out of the car, Father Shen held her. He didn’t say anything but released some pheromones to soothe her.
Shen Shuyu had seen Father Shen release pheromones to soothe Mother Shen more than once. This was how partners worked in this world. After an AO union, many of an Omega’s anxious emotions could be calmed by their Alpha’s pheromones, as it gave them a sense of security and dependence.
Although Mother Shen’s face was still a bit pale, she was much better than before.
Father Shen looked at the man who had been called over. “Hello, Xiao Zhao. Please lead the way.”
Although they had arranged with Li Zhi to come in and take a look, they could actually only walk around for a little while. They had to leave before sunset; those were the military rules.
They had already lost some time on the road, so they couldn’t waste another second now. After all, they couldn’t come back tomorrow.
Xiao Zhao had been instructed well. He took them through all the places where Shen Xili might normally train or visit, introducing them one by one. Finally, he brought them into a small room. Looking down from the window of this room, they could see the recruits undergoing combat training. Shen Xili was among them.
Mother Shen asked, “Can we see him a bit closer?”
Xiao Zhao said with difficulty, “I’m sorry, we have rules.”
It was already difficult enough for them to get in.
Father Shen said, “Thank you. We’ve troubled you.”
Xiao Zhao thoughtfully waited for them at the door.
Shen Shuyu opened the window, his gaze sweeping across all the faces below. Everyone had the same haircut and the same clothes, but he very quickly spotted where Shen Xili was in the crowd.
Shen Shuyu said softly, “Mom, he’s over there.”
Shen Xili was standing inside a circle of people. The others all looked more or less excited as they watched the two people currently competing in the center.
But Shen Xili was just standing there quietly, his face devoid of expression. He even seemed a bit distracted. There was some dust on his clothes; it looked like he had already been on the field.
Mother Shen said in surprise, “I see him!”
This was the second floor. Although there was still some distance, they could see very clearly.
Seeing Shen Xili made Mother Shen’s heart relax a bit, but then she started blaming herself. “If only we had found him sooner.”
As soon as she said it, Father Shen patted her lightly, signaling her to be careful with her words.
Mother Shen snapped out of it and looked at Shen Shuyu. She took his hand. “Baby, Mom loves you too. I just can’t bear to see my children suffer at all.”
Shen Shuyu held her hand back. “I know, Mom. I think you should feel happy for him.”
Mother Shen looked at him, not knowing why Shen Shuyu would say that. Shen Shuyu said, “I knew he wanted to be a General when I was friends with him. But as you know, what one learns in the academy is always limited. Now that he’s in the army with so many like-minded companions and serving under a good officer like Li Zhi, he’ll learn much more and achieve his dream faster.”
Shen Shuyu raised his hand and gently wiped the tears from the corner of Mother Shen’s eyes. “We see that he’s thinner and suffering, but he might be feeling very passionate right now, not knowing exhaustion or hardship at all.”
Father Shen also chimed in, “That’s right. If a child wants to do something, let them go do it. He lived alone and took care of himself for so many years. What we can do is provide him with a safety net. If one day he wants to come back, we can give him a better life. For him, that is enough.”
Shen Shuyu smiled. “That’s right, Mom. Actually, I think we should tell him we’re here. He won’t say it, but he’ll probably be very happy to see us. And since we’re already here, if we don’t meet him once and Officer Li Zhi accidentally lets it slip later, he might overthink it if he knows we came but didn’t see him.”
Shen Shuyu felt he understood Shen Xili relatively well. During the survival battle, when Xili talked about his life relying on his grandmother, one could tell he craved family affection.
Mother Shen looked at Father Shen again. Actually, not seeing Shen Xili had been Father Shen’s idea. He was also afraid of disturbing him. After all, Xili’s attitude had indeed softened, but if he happened to be unwilling to see them, it would just mess things up again.
But what Shen Shuyu said made a lot of sense.
He said, “I’ll go talk to Xiao Zhao.”
Shen Shuyu said consciously, “No need. I’ll go find him with Xiao Zhao. You two rest here. Otherwise, if he sees how exhausted you are from the travel, he’ll feel bad.”
Only then did Father and Mother Shen nod and agree.
Shen Shuyu smiled and said, “Alright, Mom, Dad, just tidy yourselves up. I’ll go find him first.”
He left immediately after speaking.
He spoke with Xiao Zhao. Xiao Zhao had already been briefed and didn’t say much, leading him downstairs. However, Shen Shuyu watched them gathered together from a distance and thought for a moment. “Could you please call him over? I’m not wearing a scent-blocking patch.”
Xiao Zhao: “Alright, then you wait here.”
Shen Shuyu thought of Father and Mother Shen upstairs and added, “Sorry to trouble you. Just call him over. You can go about your business; we’ll leave after seeing him. We won’t wander around.”
Earlier on the road, he had heard the conversation on Xiao Zhao’s walkie-talkie. Someone seemed to be urging him to do something.
Xiao Zhao hesitated for a moment. After all, hosting them was an order from his superior.
Shen Shuyu smiled. “My mother’s body is a bit overwhelmed from the long journey. She’ll need to go back and rest after we meet. The pickup point isn’t far, so we won’t take up your time. We’ll explain it to Officer Li Zhi.”
Since he put it that way, Xiao Zhao understood. “Alright. If you can’t find the way, you can ask Shen Xili to see you out.”
Shen Shuyu thanked him. “By the way, please just say someone is looking for him. Don’t say it’s us.”
After all, this was the military. It was impossible for anyone’s parents or siblings to visit. He wanted to minimize any trouble for Shen Xili.
Xiao Zhao looked at Shen Shuyu a couple more times, naturally understanding his meaning. He hadn’t expected him to be so considerate. For a moment, his impression of Shuyu improved significantly.
Xiao Zhao agreed and truly went to call Shen Xili this time.
Soon, Shen Shuyu saw Shen Xili walking over alone. He didn’t seem to notice Shen Shuyu, head down looking at something in his hand as he walked straight this way.
Shen Shuyu was puzzled. He stepped out a bit further and called out, “Shen Xili, over here.”
Shen Xili came to a dead stop.
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