Free Web NovelChapter 89: Chapter 89: He Hanshi and Mu Tangfeng’s Memory Fragments
He Hanshi was very tall. Shi Lan estimated him to be around 190 cm, while she was about 168 cm. Even sitting down, his torso was a good half-head taller than hers.
At that moment, held in his arms, Shi Lan could only feel how broad his shoulders were. His hands almost completely enveloped her in his warm embrace. With her cheek resting on his shoulder, she could clearly smell the faint scent of fresh grass and a subtle hint of jasmine in his hair. frёewebnoѵēl.com
When he spoke, the vibrations in his chest felt like a light feather grazing her cheek, making her skin tingle.
Shi Lan’s head was spinning. She froze for a moment before coming to her senses and gently pushing him. "What are you talking about? Treating you all helps me too. It’s not that serious. What would I do with your life?"
She deliberately used a light tone, intending to change the subject.
He Hanshi sensed her discomfort and let her go. His eyes lowered as he looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, Lanlan. I was out of line just now."
He watched her earnestly, understanding her discomfort. He didn’t offer any rebuttal, simply etching his promise into his heart.
"It’s okay. I understand how you feel."
Shi Lan smiled, not dwelling on it.
"Well, that’s it for today’s treatment. I’ll be going now."
She got off the bed, rubbing her slightly numb legs, and continued, "Although your treatment level has dropped to a medium risk, Lord He, which technically qualifies you for release, as the Prison Director, I don’t have the authority to release you myself."
Shi Lan didn’t have that right, and more importantly, she didn’t want to be held responsible.
"Yes, I understand."
He Hanshi nodded. Getting out of prison wasn’t on his mind right now. Instead, he looked at her legs with concern. "Are you alright? Are they uncomfortable? Do you need me to massage them for you?"
"No, no, that’s not necessary."
Shi Lan waved her hands frantically. ’How could I possibly let He Hanshi help me? Besides, my legs are just a little numb; it’s nothing serious.’
She walked out of Prison Cell 1. Mu Tangfeng stood at the entrance of Prison Cell 2, watching her go. Inside Cell 1, He Hanshi also stood at the protective door. Both men watched her leave, and their gazes inadvertently met.
Mu Tangfeng suppressed the bitter pang in his heart and congratulated him again. "Congratulations, Vice Admiral He."
"Thank you."
He Hanshi nodded, a slight curve to his lips.
Before coming to the prison, the two of them hadn’t interacted much. He Hanshi spent most of his time on the Border Defense Star or traveling to different planets on rescue missions wherever the Insect Clan appeared.
The time they had seen each other most was during the battle against the Mutated Insect Clan on the Capital Star.
The Insect Mother had secretly moved the Mutated Insect Clan to the Capital Star to lie in wait. By the time they were discovered, they had already erupted across large, remote areas of the Capital Star.
As a new species with still-unclear weaknesses, the Mutated Insect Clan was extremely powerful, and that war was particularly brutal.
Fortunately, the civilians evacuated quickly, so casualties were not high.
The first time he’d seen Mu Tangfeng was one night during that time. He had been discussing new tactics with his troops at a temporary base when Mu Tangfeng, dressed in a flamboyant, luxurious red suit with several bright feathers pinned to his collar, swaggered in and declared, "Vice Admiral He, give me an autograph."
That first encounter didn’t leave a good impression on He Hanshi.
Carrying the stereotypical image of a young master from a noble family, He Hanshi had simply judged him as arrogant and unruly, and had paid him no mind.
But Mu Tangfeng hadn’t gotten angry. Instead, he started listening intently to their discussion.
Later, after spending some time together in prison, He Hanshi slowly discovered that Mu Tangfeng wasn’t a bad person. He was a bit cunning, but he was also straightforward and honest.
But he never would have imagined that one day, they would fall for the same female.
He Hanshi reined in his wandering thoughts. He looked at the pillow on the bed that Shi Lan had leaned against, and involuntarily cupped it in his palm, gently pressing it to his cheek.
The pillow, which originally had a faint jasmine scent, now seemed to carry another fragrance, like the roasted rose milk she had drunk not long ago. The sweet, rich aroma felt like it could melt his heart.
’Lanlan...’
He silently mouthed her name, and a gentle smile bloomed in his sapphire-blue eyes.
——
The few people in the prison tacitly agreed not to tell anyone about He Hanshi’s lowered treatment level. Not even those closest to them knew.
This time, Shi Lan received a transfer of 1,000,000 credits from He Hanshi.
She was shocked and quickly asked: [Why did you send so much? Wasn’t 20,000 credits enough?]
’The 10,000-credit base fee plus the reward for the one-point drop.’
’How did it suddenly jump by 50 times?’
He Hanshi replied: [Lanlan, although it only dropped by 1% this time, in terms of payment, there are no precedents to refer to for a drop from High Level to Middle Level.]
He said: [Honestly, I don’t think money can measure the help you’ve given us. This 1,000,000 is just a small token of my appreciation.]
He Hanshi was speaking from the heart. Without Shi Lan, all the money in the world would be useless to him if he wasn’t alive to enjoy it.
He chose 1,000,000 because he knew Shi Lan definitely wouldn’t accept any more than that.
In fact, Shi Lan felt a bit awkward accepting the 1,000,000 credits.
’The previous payments were reasonable compensation for the treatment, but this is too much. I’ve already made over three hundred thousand credits from He Hanshi, and for me, this treatment isn’t just about the money; it’s also improving my own abilities.’
’This isn’t a one-sided transaction.’
’So, I can’t accept this money with a clear conscience.’
She chose her words carefully and typed: [I appreciate the gesture, but you don’t need to give me this much. Besides, treating you all helps me too.]
He Hanshi: [It’s not just that. I’m also very grateful for how you’ve been taking care of me, Lanlan. So please don’t refuse, or you’ll make me sad.]
With that, he sent a sticker of a crying White Lion.
Seeing the sticker, Shi Lan immediately thought of the little, dying White Lion in He Hanshi’s spirit sea. The White Lion in the sticker looked almost identical to that one, so much so that she could vividly imagine the little White Lion crying. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Instantly, Shi Lan couldn’t find it in her heart to refuse him.
Shi Lan: [Alright, then. Thank you, Lord He.]
He Hanshi: [Don’t worry about it, Lanlan. This is small change to me. Without you, I probably wouldn’t even be alive to spend it.]
Shi Lan: [Hey, don’t say such unlucky things! You’re going to live a long and healthy life, Lord He!]
He Hanshi looked at the new message from Shi Lan on his chip, a smile reaching his eyes. He continued to type, [In that case, we’ve known each other for a while now. Lanlan, you don’t have to be so formal and call me Lord He all the time. Just call me by my name.]
He had typed the sentence several times, fumbling nervously, deleting and rewriting it before finally sending what his heart wanted to say.
Shi Lan readily agreed.
’I definitely wouldn’t have dared to at the beginning, but we’ve known each other for over half a year now. We’re more like friends, so there’s really no need to be so formal.’
[Okay, then I’ll call you He Hanshi from now on.]
She replied.
Seeing this, He Hanshi couldn’t tell if he felt disappointed or relieved. At least it wasn’t the formal and distant address she had used before.
’It’s a good change, nonetheless,’ he thought.
