ASFTB 39: Don’t Even Think About Leaving Him in This Lifetime 2

Jian Chengxi smiled and said, “You look good.”

Li Suisui walked a few steps toward the mirror in a serious manner and said in her soft, childish voice, “Magic mirror, magic mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in the world?”

The mirror stood silently.

Jian Chengxi’s eyes curved with a smile as he played along with her. He imitated the tone of the magic mirror, “Oh, my dear Queen, of course it’s you.”

A smile spread across Li Suisui’s fair face, her laughter light and crisp. She turned her head and said, “Isn’t it Snow White?”

Jian Chengxi shook his head. “Our Suisui is a hundred times prettier than the princess.”

The school uniform looked very nice from the front, but there was a problem with the back. Li Suisui was a half-elf. Normally, elves could perfectly conceal their wings, but because his daughter was a half-elf, a natural defect made it impossible for her to fully hide hers. So, the area around her shoulder blades appeared slightly higher than that of other children.

In the Underground City, most were half-blooded races with some kind of defect.

Sky City was the complete opposite.

In the talent test conducted when each child turned one, only families with complete and unblemished bloodlines were allowed to continue living in the Sky City. This meant that in the kindergartens of the Sky City, all the children were healthy and his own child would become the outlier.

Jian Chengxi felt a bit worried.

Li Suisui ran over to him in small steps, her voice childish and clear, “Then Suisui will also work hard to be a great queen today!”

Jian Chengxi smiled, took the child’s hand, and said softly, “Alright, Suisui is the best.”

Not far away, Li Chen had also finished dressing.

Jian Chengxi went over and picked the child up, then handed him the small cane prepared for him, reminding gently, “If there’s anything inconvenient at school, tell the teacher. Don’t try to tough it out.”

Li Chen nodded.

When Jian Chengxi saw his son’s pale, delicate face, his eyes inexplicably reddened.

In the past, he never understood why some parents would cry when sending their children to kindergarten. He thought it was unnecessary sentimentality—after all, wouldn’t the kids be back soon after class? Yet now that it was his turn, he found himself completely unable to control his emotions.

Jian Chengxi tried to hold himself together as he reminded gently, “Get along well with your classmates, alright? If you ever have any difficulties, just tell Daddy…”

The more he spoke, the closer he was to tears.

Li Chen looked up at him and said softly, “I don’t have any difficulties.”

Jian Chengxi looked up in surprise.

Little Li Chen sat by the bedside and said softly, “Anyway, the ones who’ll be crying are them.”

“…”

That actually made some sense.

Early in the morning, he took the children into the shuttle. When they arrived at the school gates, luxurious airships, symbols of the Imperial Capital’s most prestigious academy, were coming and going endlessly, dazzling in their variety.

Jian Chengxi got out of the shuttle.

Not far away, another airship was also letting a child off.

It was a blond giant—a child who happened to be the class monitor, the same one who had been moved to tears that day while sitting beside Li Chen. Although they were all kindergarteners, due to their different races, Li Chen, as a beastman, developed at about the same rate as an ordinary three-year-old child, whereas the giant child was a full head taller than him.

Jian Chengxi glanced at him.

There were many students outside, but he didn’t pay them any mind. He just crouched down to straighten the children’s clothes and reminded them, “Listen to your teachers at school.”

Li Suisui and Li Chen both nodded.

Jian Chengxi still felt uneasy, worried that what happened the other day, when they made the whole class cry, might happen again, so he added, “Remember the Calabash Brothers—there’s strength in numbers. Get along well with your classmates.”

Li Sui­sui’s two little braids swayed behind her head as she said softly, “Daddy has already said it so many times. I can’t poison the little rabbits to make them faint, and I can’t mix potions on my own. Sui­sui already remembers.”

Jian Chengxi looked at Li Chen.

Under his father’s earnest gaze, the usually quiet and reserved boy finally spoke, “I can’t say my classmates are stupid, and I can’t disrupt class order at will.”

Jian Chengxi nodded in satisfaction, feeling much more at ease.

It was almost time for school to start, and if they didn’t go in soon, they would be late. Parents weren’t allowed to enter beyond this point.

Jian Chengxi said, “Then you two should go in now. Daddy will come pick you up this afternoon.”

Li Chen and Li Sui­sui both nodded.

The school grounds were vast, and each student was provided with a floating shuttle. As long as they walked to the school gate, boarded the shuttle, and scanned their school badge, the light-float vehicle would automatically take them to their respective destinations.

Li Sui­sui got off at a corner.

Li Chen sat quietly in the corner of the floating shuttle, silently memorizing the route.

“Hey…” The spiky-haired giant sitting in front of him turned around and looked at him. “Are you in our class too?”

Li Chen raised his head and, being a boy of few words, gave a slight nod.

The class monitor gave a cold snort, sizing Li Chen up and down before pointing at himself. “In our class, I’m the boss. From now on, you’ll have to listen to me, got it?”

He was tall and burly, and with his father being a noble of royal descent, he practically held sway over the whole class.

He had originally thought that this country bumpkin, Li Chen, would definitely try to cozy up to him.

Who would have thought—

The boy sitting in the back sat up straight, his cold little face expressionless. He gave the class monitor a faint glance, as if looking at a fool, then turned his head away without speaking.

The class monitor stiffened and patted the seat. “I’m talking to you!”

Li Chen remained indifferent.

Many of the children sitting in this vehicle were from Class A.

The class monitor was a bit embarrassed, his face flushed red, “Are you deaf?”

A dwarf boy in the back leaned over, grinning as he said, “Monitor, he’s not deaf, he’s a cripple.”

The words were neither loud nor soft, just enough for everyone to hear.

The other children, whether from this class or not, all turned their heads at those words. It was the first time they had seen such a “defective product” in Sky City, and they all felt a bit surprised. All those curious and probing gazes fell upon him like invisible blades.

Li Chen’s face was expressionless, he just sat quietly on the seat.

“Beep, Class A has arrived.”

The automatic hover car came to a stop.

The students got out, and Li Chen also got out, leaning on his small crutch. The class monitor angrily blocked his way, “You—you apologize to me!”

Li Chen looked up at him and spoke softly, “Why?”

The class monitor lifted his face and said, “You made me lose face in front of everyone last time, and you still won’t acknowledge me as the boss.”

Although Li Chen’s leg was somewhat disabled, the boy standing there had a calm expression and a straight back, his presence not losing out in the slightest, “My Daddy already apologized last time.”

The class monitor poked his shoulder, “I want you to apologize!”

Li Chen didn’t move. If it were an ordinary child facing someone a head taller, they would have already cried from fear, but his gaze was calm as he lifted his eyelids to look at him. “Why should I apologize?”

The class monitor was stunned.

Li Chen’s habitually silent appearance always made people think he had no aggressiveness, but actually, that was not so.

When they were close, the two looked at each other. In those dark eyes appeared faint traces of undisguised malice. His voice was slow, “Wait until you figure out how to open the model mech’s door before talking.”

The class monitor’s tears welled up again. The tall boy, fuming, said, “You!”

Li Chen didn’t even look at him and walked away.

The class monitor watched his back, gnashing his teeth in anger.

A dwarf boy from the back came over and said, “Class monitor, don’t be angry. My dad is a director, and he told me that Li Chen is from the Underground City.”

The class monitor froze. “Underground City?”

To the children, the Underground City was a distant, shabby, dirty, and chaotic place. The people there were all rough and savage—defective lower-class individuals.

The dwarf boy said, “Yeah, he’s just a country bumpkin from the Underground City.”

Hearing that he was from the Underground City, disdain also surfaced in the class monitor’s eyes. “Why did they let him come to school?”

The little boy shook his head. “I don’t know. Dad didn’t say.”

“Li Chen is so hateful,” the class monitor said angrily. “And the teacher even made me sit with him!”

Seeing how angry the class monitor was, the dwarf boy’s eyes rolled around, and he whispered, “Didn’t the teacher say he’s just a transfer student? He’s only trying out in Class A. If he doesn’t perform well, he’ll be demoted to a lower class.”

The giant class monitor, simple-minded, said, “But he’s really strong.”

The dwarf boy’s eyes were full of contempt as he said, “How impressive can an unworldly country bumpkin be? It’s nothing, class monitor—if you really hate him, I have a way…”

In the afternoon, Jian Chengxi treated Xiao Hei’s leg at home.

He had originally planned to go out for a bit to buy some supplies, but he hadn’t expected to receive an uncommon visitor.

It was actually Mrs. Rabbit, the wife of Fuchs, the financial steward, whom he had met at the banquet yesterday.

Seeing Mrs. Rabbit standing nervously at the door, Jian Chengxi went over to open it and asked, “What brings you here?”

Mrs. Rabbit was dressed in a snow-white long dress. She looked a little shy and embarrassed as she smiled and said, “I’m sorry to bother you.”

Jian Chengxi shook his head, looking at her with curiosity. “You came alone?”

Mrs. Rabbit nodded. “Yes.”

Jian Chengxi noticed she was carrying something in her hands and looked a bit puzzled.

Mrs. Rabbit glanced at the house and asked tentatively, “May I come in?”

Jian Chengxi nodded. “Of course.”

The two of them entered the house one after the other. The place had just been cleaned, and some things were still not put away. Mrs. Rabbit looked a bit surprised after coming in. “You live here all by yourself?”

Jian Chengxi thought she was being a little disdainful and said with a smile, “Mm, it’s just us here. We don’t have any servants or anything. The general isn’t home, and the two children have gone to school.”

Mrs. Rabbit hurriedly said, “That’s not what I meant, I just thought…”

Jian Chengxi patiently asked, “Thought what?”

“I just thought it’s really nice that your general doesn’t take concubines.” Mrs. Rabbit’s delicate little face looked gentle and obedient. She was a beastman, and her expression was soft and well-behaved. “In our household, the main wife is very strict.”

Jian Chengxi hadn’t expected that Mrs. Rabbit wasn’t the legal wife.

Mrs. Rabbit looked at him with unconcealed envy. “You’re really lucky—both of you came from the Underground City…”

Jian Chengxi quickly interrupted her, “No, no, life’s the same everywhere. Sit here for a bit, I’ll go make you some tea.”

Mrs. Rabbit sat down on the sofa.

Jian Chengxi brought over the tea. Mrs. Rabbit looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Seeing her like that, Jian Chengxi knew she had something on her mind, so he spoke first, “If there’s something you want to say, please go ahead.”

Mrs. Rabbit hesitated for a moment before taking out a card. “Mr. Jian, this is from Fuchs. He asked me to pass it to you. He said that after meeting you at the banquet yesterday, he felt an instant connection with the general. It’s only because of his busy official duties that he couldn’t meet in person. He still feels deeply apologetic about what happened in the Underground City last time, and this card is a small token of his sincerity.”

Jian Chengxi’s heart gave a sudden jolt.

He wasn’t part of officialdom, but he still understood a few things.

Fuchs didn’t dare to offer a bribe himself, so he used his own wife to do it. He didn’t even dare hand it directly to the general but only through his hands.

Afraid that he might find it distasteful, Mrs. Rabbit quickly said, “There’s a million credits on this card, and also quite a lot of shopping balance. My husband said that from now on, whenever you shop at the Empire’s malls, it’ll all be free. He just wants to express his apology to the general.”

Most people would find it hard to resist such temptation.

Jian Chengxi looked at the card, stayed silent for a moment, and then said, “I can’t accept this.”

Mrs. Rabbit was stunned.

Jian Chengxi pushed the card back to her and said, “Thank you for taking the time to visit me. If Steward Fuchs has something he wishes to discuss with the general, please speak to the general directly. I can’t make decisions for him regarding our household matters.”

Mrs. Rabbit looked a bit troubled. “You…”

But Jian Chengxi didn’t give her the chance and simply said, “Please leave.”

Mrs. Rabbit hesitated for a moment but finally spoke up:

“Mr. Jian, I saw you at the banquet yesterday. I’m a beastman—I don’t have any special skills, but I can sense that you’re not a bad person. S–so I wanted to remind you of something. The affairs of officials aren’t as simple as they seem. The General may be a hero, but the nobles of this entire empire are all tightly bound together around Hela…”

Jian Chengxi’s heart sank.

“If the general refuses,” Mrs. Rabbit pressed her lips together and said softly, “Fuchs won’t let it go easily.”

Jian Chengxi replied, “Thank you for your kindness. I understand what you mean, but these matters are not something we can interfere in. You… take care of yourself as well when you go back.”

He caught sight of the scars on Mrs. Rabbit’s body that wasn’t fully covered. It was clear she hadn’t been living well.

Mrs. Rabbit’s gaze wavered. “Mm…”

Seeing that she was about to leave—

Jian Chengxi said, “Wait.”

Mrs. Rabbit turned to look at him.

Jian Chengxi walked over and placed the healing ointment in her hand, and finally said, “If he really doesn’t treat you well, then just separate from him. Don’t force yourself anymore.”

Tears welled up in Mrs. Rabbit’s eyes. She seemed as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only shook her head and left.

Jian Chengxi watched her back as she left, not knowing what to say.

As the afternoon sun sank, he was getting ready to pick up the children. Thinking of Mrs. Rabbit’s visit, he finally decided to contact Li Lingfeng and tell him about it.

After hearing him out, Li Lingfeng asked, “Did you accept the card?”

Jian Chengxi immediately said, “No, I told her to take it back.”

Li Lingfeng felt relieved. Though his little wife could be greedy at times, he knew right from wrong. “Mm, you did well. I’ll handle this matter.”

Jian Chengxi nodded. Remembering that he still hadn’t properly explained what happened last night, he hesitated. “You…”

Li Lingfeng asked, “Something wrong?”

Countless words welled up in Jian Chengxi’s heart, but in the end, they turned into just one sentence, “I’m going to pick up the kids. When will you be back?”

Li Lingfeng glanced at his schedule and said, “I’ll be back tonight. You go ahead first, I’ll head to the school later to meet you both.”

Jian Chengxi let out a breath of relief. “Alright.”

Having settled one matter, he felt quite cheerful. As he got into the shuttle, he was even thinking about stopping by the supermarket later to buy some vegetables and make a big dinner.

Yet when he arrived at the school, he only saw Li Suisui in the line. Li Chen was nowhere to be seen.

The person in charge of the class said to him, “Mr. Jian, please go to the teacher’s office. There’s something we need to discuss.”

Jian Chengxi was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

The person in charge didn’t answer, only gestured for him to come along.

A faint sense of unease rose in Jian Chengxi’s heart, but he still tightened his grip on his daughter’s hand, nodded, and followed them over.

After passing through several corridors, he finally arrived at the teacher’s office. The door was half open, and when he stepped inside, he saw his own child standing to one side. Across from him stood a blond giant boy and another student’s parent.

Jian Chengxi greeted the teacher politely, “Hello.”

The teacher nodded and said, “Hello, Li Chen’s father.”

Jian Chengxi glanced around the room. “What’s going on here?”

Before the teacher could answer—

The class monitor spoke up first, “Li Chen stole my bracelet!”

?

Jian Chengxi looked at him in shock.

The teacher raised a hand to calm the child down, then turned to Jian Chengxi and said, “Mr. Jian, the class monitor’s bracelet went missing, and it was later found inside his deskmate’s desk.”

Jian Chengxi immediately refuted, “Impossible. My child would never steal anything.”

The teacher said, “But other students saw it.”

Jian Chengxi was stunned. “Who?”

A dwarf boy standing in the corner stepped forward and said, “I saw it.”

Jian Chengxi watched as the short boy came over, his eyes filled with contempt toward Li Chen. “I saw it with my own eyes. Li Chen took the class monitor’s bracelet while he wasn’t around and put it in the desk. He’s just jealous because he can’t afford one himself, so he stole the class monitor’s things like a thief.”

He described it vividly and convincingly.

Anyone else would have already believed him.

Li Suisui immediately refuted, “You’re talking nonsense! My gege isn’t a thief.”

The dwarf boy glanced at her. “I saw it with my own eyes, and you’re still denying it!”

Jian Chengxi took a deep breath. He walked over to the boy sitting on the sofa—not to scold him, but crouched down in front of the child instead, his expression calm, even gently taking the boy’s slightly cold hand.

Li Chen lifted his eyes to look at him.

Before Jian Chengxi arrived, he hadn’t said a single word.

Jian Chengxi spoke gently, “The class monitor’s bracelet was lost on his own. You didn’t take it, did you?”

Li Chen looked at him quietly, and finally gave a small nod.

The dwarf boy said excitedly, “It was found in your desk, and you still won’t admit it!”

Jian Chengxi, losing his patience, looked at him and said, “Just because it was found in his desk means he took it? What if it’s a misunderstanding? I believe my child wouldn’t steal anything.”

The teacher, feeling a bit of a headache, spoke up, “Father of Li Chen, let’s not argue anymore. Just have Li Chen apologize and that’ll be fine.”

Jian Chengxi stood up and said, “Teacher, please check the surveillance cameras.”

The teacher asked in confusion, “What’s there to check? A student already saw it— isn’t that enough to prove the point? The children have no grudges against each other, so they wouldn’t lie.”

Jian Chengxi gave a short and incredulous laugh. “Then why would my child steal something for no reason?”

The teacher didn’t say anything.

Yet the dwarf boy’s mother spoke up from the side, glancing at Jian Chengxi with a hint of disdain. “Who knows? Maybe it’s just that some children from the Underground City have never seen much, and couldn’t resist taking it.”

Jian Chengxi looked at her in disbelief.

He had never known that there could be a place where a person could be judged guilty solely because of their birth.

Just because they came from the Underground City, they were seen as ignorant thieves. People who didn’t even need evidence against them, condemned easily with just a few words.

The teacher watched the nobles arguing and tried to smooth things over, saying, “Alright, alright, let’s stop arguing. Mr. Jian, this matter is simple — just have him apologize, and let’s be done with it.”

Jian Chengxi understood that if he gave in today, how would the children in the class see his son after this?

Today, it wasn’t a matter of apologizing at all. It was a matter of the child’s dignity!

Jian Chengxi gave Li Chen a reassuring look, then stood in front of his child and said, “Show me the evidence. Without surveillance footage, I will not apologize.”

The dwarf boy’s mother glanced at him impatiently, as if looking at some kind of savage.

“What’s there to see? It’s already settled. Making such a fuss—how uncultured. You should be grateful we didn’t call the police and press theft charges.”

Jian Chengxi let out an incredulous laugh.

He sat down on the sofa without a hint of fear. “Fine, then you can call the police!”

Everyone else stared at him in shock.

Jian Chengxi glanced at the message Lian Lingfeng had sent him on his wristband, feeling even calmer. “Let the military inspection office come over. We’ll wait right here!”