Chapter 152: The Peacemaker
Li Zenan roared over the video call, "Why did you bring two dead weights with you?! Don’t let them tag along, especially not Ruoxin! She and Fu Cheng have clashed before. If she sees him, she’ll definitely say something rude and ruin his mood!"
Li Zexing picked at his ear and sighed helplessly.
’It wasn’t like he’d brought Princess Ruoxin and Shen Lan along on purpose. It was just unfortunate that everything happened at once.’
"You two wait here." Li Zexing shot them a glance. "I have something important to do."
Princess Ruoxin pouted, displeased, and shot Shen Lu a vicious glare.
’If you dare use this as a chance to get handsy with Brother Ze Xing, I’ll tear you to shreds!’
Shen Lu could only shrug internally.
’Why is she glaring at me? I haven’t done anything.’
’A princess’s temper sure flares up at the drop of a hat, for no reason at all.’
Shen Lu led Li Zexing to the second floor. She opened a door to let him in and then went back downstairs.
Princess Ruoxin, who had been watching them, saw Shen Lu come back down so quickly and gave a satisfied huff.
’At least she knows her place and didn’t use this as an excuse to cling to Brother Ze Xing.’
Li Zexing walked into the guest room and stopped beside the bed.
On the other end of the video call, Li Zenan kept zooming in and panning the camera feed around. ’Hmm... the place is a little plain, but you can tell it’s pretty decent for the Lower City District.’
’The bed is even a specialized medical model. It’s clear Shen Lu is treating Fu Cheng well.’
Li Zexing cleared his throat. "How’s your recovery been?"
After half a minute, Fu Cheng opened a shared document and began to type.
Fu Cheng: *Seen enough?*
Li Zexing’s brow twitched. ’So Fu Cheng realized he and Li Zenan were secretly on a video call.’
The two-way call then became a three-way call. Li Zenan scratched the back of his neck, looking a little awkward.
"I was just worried about you."
Fu Cheng: *I told you, I’m fine.*
Li Zenan wanted to explode but forced himself to hold it in. "What do you mean, ’fine’?! You should be in a hospital getting proper, systematic treatment!"
Fu Cheng: *And didn’t I receive proper treatment before?*
’He’d stayed in the Military Hospital for so long, only to be deemed incurable in the end and sent home to die. Wasn’t that the result of his ’proper treatment’?’
Li Zenan was speechless for a moment, then stubbornly retorted, "You’re showing signs of improvement now! Going to a hospital would help you recover even faster!"
A helpless look appeared in Fu Cheng’s eye. ’Sometimes, having friends who are too loyal can be a real headache.’
Even though Fu Cheng only had one eye, Li Zenan caught his expression.
Li Zenan’s heart sank. ’He was pouring his heart and soul into helping Fu Cheng, so why was he being treated with such disdain?’
The atmosphere grew tense. Li Zexing had no choice but to step in as the peacemaker.
"Bro, I think my signal’s getting bad, you’re lagging. I’m gonna hang up for now, I’ll call you back in a bit."
After ending the three-way call with a lame excuse, Li Zexing’s playful smile vanished. He looked at Fu Cheng seriously and said, "My brother really thinks of you as a blood brother. He wouldn’t be this worried otherwise."
Fu Cheng, of course, knew that.
"I’ll cut to the chase. You’ve made your decision. My brother couldn’t change your mind, so there’s no way I can either." Li Zexing was never one for persuasion. "I just hope you’ll consider my brother’s feelings a little."
’Li Zenan must be fuming right now over Fu Cheng refusing to go to the hospital. Li Zexing knew his cousin’s personality. He was worried that when his break was over and he returned to the battlefield, this whole thing would distract him.’
’The battlefield is filled with danger; you can’t afford to lose focus for a second. One slip-up and you could lose your life.’
’Li Zexing really didn’t want to be attending his cousin’s funeral anytime soon.’
Fu Cheng nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
After Li Zexing left, Fu Cheng thought for a moment, then made a video call to Li Zenan.
There was no answer the first time. Fu Cheng called again, and only then did Li Zenan pick up, a scowl on his face.
"Didn’t you tell me to stay out of your business? What are you calling me for?"
Fu Cheng: *Ze Nan, it’s hard to explain my situation right now, but I can promise you this: when you get back from the front lines, I’ll give you an answer that satisfies you.*
Li Zenan read the message word for word, then looked back at his friend on the screen.
’Fine. Since Fu Cheng had put it that way, what was the point of staying angry?’
"You punk, make sure you message me often, preferably with pictures. If you need help and can’t reach me, find Li Zexing."
He paused, his expression turning serious. "Fu Cheng, don’t worry. For how the Fu Family has treated you... when I get back to the Imperial City, I’ll help you get justice!"
’Li Zenan wasn’t sure what had happened between Fu Cheng and the Fu Family Head, but from his point of view, the Head’s actions were appallingly ruthless. And because Fu Cheng was now considered ’crippled’ and worthless, everyone else had chosen to turn a blind eye.’
’But he couldn’t do that. Fu Cheng was his friend, his brother in arms. If he pretended not to see, just like everyone else, what kind of brother would that make him?’
The corner of Fu Cheng’s mouth curled up slightly, and a layer of warmth enveloped his gaze.
Fu Cheng: *The battlefield is dangerous. Don’t worry too much about my problems. We can figure everything out when you return triumphant.*
Li Zenan scoffed. "Don’t underestimate me. Just you wait! When this young master gets back, I’ll take you out and we’ll raise hell!"
Just then, someone knocked on Li Zenan’s door. Fu Cheng could vaguely hear someone calling him to a meeting.
"Gotta go, I’ve got something." Li Zenan said as he stood up. "You just focus on getting better."
Fu Cheng: *Later.*
After cutting the connection, Fu Cheng stared blankly at the television for a while before resuming his physical therapy.
He couldn’t get through two sets before his left arm would ache and go weak, but Fu Cheng gritted his teeth and pushed through.
’He had survived even death. There was no obstacle he couldn’t overcome.’
...
When Li Zexing returned to the booth, the food had already been served.
’Shen Lu had been thoughtful. Instead of trays, she’d switched to a set of white bowls and chopsticks. It was the same food, but the presentation bumped its class up by a couple of levels.’
Princess Ruoxin put away her compact mirror and cooed at Li Zexing, "Brother Ze Xing, I’ve been waiting for you this whole time. I didn’t eat without you."
Li Zexing grunted in acknowledgment. "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Now that everyone was present, it was time to eat.
While Li Zexing had been away seeing Fu Cheng, Shen Lan had wanted to complain to Princess Ruoxin a little to try and salvage her own image.
Unfortunately, Princess Ruoxin was too busy gazing into her compact to stop. Shen Lan called her name a few times, but the princess didn’t even spare her a glance, clearly unwilling to give her the time of day.
Shen Lan quietly clenched her fists, feeling wronged but helpless.
’What could she do? Grab Princess Ruoxin by the shoulders and shake her, demanding to know why she was being ignored?’
’Shen Lan couldn’t. If she did that, she could forget about ever getting close to Princess Ruoxin again.’
The food was fragrant with the pure aroma of good ingredients. The moment Princess Ruoxin smelled it, she knew the restaurant used high-quality produce.
’She just wondered how it would taste. After all, the market was flooded with artificial flavorings that could perfectly mimic the scent of any food, only for the taste to be a completely different story.’
’She still remembered last month in the Upper City District when she’d ordered an orange milk tea. It had smelled richly of oranges, but the taste was just dregs of tea powder mixed with artificial milk, without a hint of actual orange flavor.’
’This shop of Shen Lu’s had better not be pulling the same trick, or she would make her pay!’