CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 83: RETURN TO S STAR

"How about it, Marshal Lu, is my sincerity enough?" An Wu crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, his face wickedly expressive, enhancing the ruggedness of his scarred face.

Lu Mufeng looked at him with cold eyes, standing tall and imposing.

"Chief, do you think Marshal Lu will see through it?"

The communication was already closed, and a subordinate asked.

An Wu chuckled, "Even if he sees through it, so what? This is the only path he can take. The fleet Lu Mufeng is leading is vast, though elite, but from the moment he appeared in the Lost Star System, he was already targeted by many forces. Such a piece of juicy meat, how can they not take a big bite?"

"Chief, we didn’t gain any advantage when we confronted Lu Mufeng before; what if this time is also..."

An Wu shot him a sidelong glance, sending a chill down his spine.

"With the right time, place, and people, I refuse to believe we can’t win decisively this time."

"Chief! They’ve made a move! They’re heading towards the center!"

An Wu watched the red dots slowly moving forward on the screen, a hint of a smile curling on his lips.

The fleet Lu Mufeng was using employed the latest interstellar technology, not only featuring the long-coveted unpredictable trajectory attack system but also exterior modified materials reportedly capable of withstanding missile-like attacks unscathed. Even the personal guards’ military aircraft were made from the rarest materials. If all were brought under his command, he could practically dominate the entire star system.

"Focus on intercepting Lu Mufeng’s fleet..."

"Chief... the fleet... disappeared?" The subordinate rubbed his eyes in disbelief, yet the large red dot on the screen had indeed vanished, and not even other aircraft’s surveillance saw the fleet.

An Wu licked his molars, "As expected, Marshal Lu is indeed Marshal Lu. In that case, activate the cloaker; these personal guards should leave at least one or two pieces."

The fleet that was originally guarding both sides suddenly changed formation, enveloping them and initiating a barrage, a dazzling display of gunfire and missiles erupted in the cosmos.

However, they soon realized that all targets had disappeared!

"How is that possible? What the hell?"

An Wu’s brows gradually furrowed; even stealth technology couldn’t make thermal imaging completely undetectable... Space jumps were also out of the question, as the massive energy consumption would definitely be detectable by radar.

"It’s really maddening..." he murmured.

Meanwhile, the intact fleet was proceeding in an orderly manner through the Lost Star System.

He glanced at the Smart Brain on his wrist, finding it satisfactory.

Lu Mufeng saw a call from Mrs. Lu and turned to the rest area to answer it.

On the other side of the video, Su Luoyin was impeccably dressed, elegant and regal, with no trace of age visible.

"Mu Feng, have you picked up Little Li? Where are you now?"

Lu Mufeng: "Picked her up. I just received a temporary deployment order from the military, but I’ll be back soon."

"What about Little Li? When will she be home?"

"... I took her with me too. We should be home tomorrow night."

Su Luoyin shot her elder son a reproachful look, "Why did you take Little Li with you? You’re a coarse brute who only knows how to fight; how can you take care of her? Where’s Little Li? Let me see her."

"She’s resting."

"Alright then, I won’t disturb her. But you make sure to take good care of Little Li, understand?"

"I will, mother."

After ending the call, Lu Mufeng rubbed the bridge of his nose.

If mother finds out that Little Li has lost weight, who knows how distressed she’ll be.

...

In the evening on S Star, at the Lu Family Manor.

"Yinyin, it’s chilly outside. Why not come inside and wait?" Mr. Lu removed his coat and draped it over Su Luoyin’s shoulders, holding her cold hands as he advised.

"Little Li finally managed to come home, so of course, I want to wait for her at the door. Mu Feng even took Little Li to such a distant place. What if she’s had a hard time?" Her brows slightly furrowed, causing Mr. Lu to feel heartache, internally cursing their eldest son.

After a long wait, a familiar aircraft finally appeared in the sky.

"It’s Little Li. They’re back." Seeing the aircraft slowly descending, Su Luoyin immediately abandoned the Beast Husband and rushed forward.

The cabin door opened, and Su Luoyin saw her familiar eldest son, a hint of disappointment crossing her face, "Why is it not Little Li?"

Lu Mufeng heard this, and his stiff smile abruptly faded, returning him to his usual expressionless stance.

"Little Li!" Upon seeing Ruan Li following behind him, Su Luoyin’s eyes visibly brightened. If it weren’t for her wish to appear more composed, she would’ve rushed forward to hug the young female.

"Mother," Ruan Li called, joyfully walking over to her.

Su Luoyin held her hand, noted that she was noticeably thinner since their last meeting, and asked with concern, "It’s only been a month, and your chin’s sharper. Did Lu Mufeng not take good care of you? He knows you’re in poor health and yet takes you gallivanting around."

Lu Mufeng, who had been momentarily forgotten, not only got scolded but was also glared at.

Ruan Li: "No, it’s not Big Brother’s fault. I’ve just been dieting these days, so I ate less."

"Dieting? Why diet? You’re not fat at all, and besides, what’s wrong with females being a bit chubby? It’s nice and cozy to hug, and having some meat looks better. I intended to nourish you more since you were so skinny before, with no baby fat left like you had as a child. Now there’s hardly any flesh on your face," Su Luoyin touched her face and rambled on a lot.

Ruan Li had worried about feeling estranged from her mother due to their limited interaction, but she hadn’t expected her mother’s affectionate hand-holding and her demeanor to feel like she was addressing her own biological child.

Lu Mufeng was even despised.

"I personally made chicken soup and your recent favorite sweet and sour ribs. You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? I knew Lu Mufeng would forget to feed you. Look at how thin your wrists are," Su Luoyin circled Ruan Li’s delicate wrists, her voice full of heartache.

"I haven’t eaten dinner yet; I was planning to eat mother’s cooking as soon as I got home. I’ll eat more these days to regain the weight I lost," Ruan Li giggled, tilting her head to lean gently on her mother’s shoulder.

Su Luoyin was momentarily stunned, not expecting her once-cold daughter to suddenly be so affectionate. She felt a pang in her heart, wondering if Little Li had suffered grievances outside. She embraced her daughter, and they walked back together.

Mr. Lu looked helplessly at Su Luoyin’s departing figure and then cast a glance at his elder son, "The kitchen has prepared food; why don’t you all join us for dinner?"

At the dining table, Su Luoyin constantly heaped food onto Ruan Li’s plate. Whenever Ruan Li attempted to refuse, meeting her mother’s expectant and caring gaze, she would swallow her refusal along with the food.

Until Lu Mufeng used his chopsticks to take away more than half of the piled dishes in her bowl, and she gave him a grateful look.