Chapter 286

Ya Li Ke Si felt something was off.

Even when Ya Li Ke Si's wound was at its worst and he had no appetite, Jin Chen didn't just make a bowl of congee for breakfast; he used all sorts of tricks to coax himself into eating.

How is it that Ya Li Ke Si can now eat an entire ox, yet breakfast is only a bowl of congee so thin you can't see any minced meat?

This sense of disparity made the young former general feel a bit uncanny.

Ya Li Ke Si reflected on yesterday's actions and seemed to have found the cause.

That talkative doctor Huo Er surely told Jin Chen his words verbatim.

Ya Li Ke Si belatedly felt a bit guilty.

Ya Li Ke Si didn't glance at that bowl of plain congee again, but went straight to the Study and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Jin Chen's voice was calm and unruffled.

Still feeling guilty, Ya Li Ke Si touched the tip of his nose, walked in quietly, and stopped before the desk.

Seeing Jin Chen look up, Ya Li Ke Si merely met his gaze, blinked, and said nothing.

Jin Chen also remained silent, as if waiting for him to speak, but after a few seconds with no response, he continued to look down at the printed documents.

The atmosphere in the Study fell into a brief silence, with only the rustling sound of Jin Chen turning pages.

Jin Chen had never before given him such a cold stare.

Ya Li Ke Si frowned, feeling a sour helplessness; he had never backed down before others, and even if some of his past decisions were mistaken, he would just write a report, summarize the mistake, and not repeat it.

This approach clearly didn't work for Jin Chen, nor for their currently ambiguous relationship.

A complex expression flickered in Ya Li Ke Si's golden eyes, then he stepped closer, leaving only twenty centimeters between him and the seated Jin Chen.

He seemed to want to say something, opened his mouth but ultimately couldn't, merely reaching out to grab Jin Chen's fingers.

Jin Chen was amused by his series of actions, and in turn grasped his hand, tossed the documents onto the desk, and looked up.

"Does the wound hurt?"

Ya Li Ke Si's eyes brightened, he shook his head: "No longer painful."

"That's to be expected, after all, General Ya Li Ke Si is exceptionally tolerant of pain, forcibly shortening the detox period by half a month."

Jin Chen nodded, even seeming to sigh, and clapped Ya Li Ke Si's hand.

Ya Li Ke Si fell silent.

Ya Li Ke Si couldn't miss that tone, pressed his lips, lowered his head, and rarely broke through his psychological barrier: "I'm worried about tomorrow."

"Then why didn't you tell me beforehand?" Jin Chen asked.

"You wouldn't agree." Ya Li Ke Si answered honestly.

Jin Chen: "..."

Jin Chen took a deep breath, pulled him into his arms, and lightly bit his earlobe as if punishing: "You're just counting on me not getting angry with you."

Ya Li Ke Si's hanging heart settled, he unconsciously found a comfortable pose, and his expression returned to normal.

"I'm fine now, which shows that even shortening the time is no problem."

Jin Chen chuckled, thinking, "Bullshit—if I hadn't fed you Spiritual Power all night last night, you wouldn't be able to stand today."

"I'm hungry." Alex rested his chin on Jin Chen's shoulder and rubbed his empty stomach.

"There's congee on the table." Jin Chen replied.

"Congee isn't tasty."

"When you first arrived, couldn't you drink the nutrient fluid?"

"……"

Alex fell silent, sulkily trying to stand up, but was pressed down so he couldn't move.

"All right, all right, breakfast is in the kitchen."

Jin Chen gently kissed the person in his arms on the cheek in a soothing manner, his tone slightly threatening, "If you don't watch out for your own safety next time, you'll keep drinking the nutrient fluid."

He tugged at Alex's cheek flesh, "Did you hear that?"

"Mm."

Alex's eyes crinkled with a smile, he wrapped his arms around Jin Chen's neck, his ears red as he kissed Jin Chen's cheek.

Only then did Jin Chen let him go to have breakfast.

Upon reaching the kitchen, he found the breakfast still lavish and delicious, merely supplemented with many nourishing ingredients; after the meal, Alex's complexion visibly turned noticeably rosier.

He has now recovered nearly half his strength, but his physical condition lags a bit, so he spent the day using Jin Chen's special training chamber to restore his dormant bodily functions.

Seeing that he wasn't in much discomfort, Jin Chen relaxed, and after finishing the documents, he accompanied him in training.

After leaving the training chamber as night approached, Jin Chen looked at the formal attire Jacob had sent, found it cumbersome and inconvenient for tomorrow's possible fight, and decided to wear his special-issue military uniform instead.

When Alex asked about the reason, Jin Chen's reply was also quite unique.

"Scare the hell out of those brats attending the banquet."

Alex: "……"

He held it in for a while, then finally said, "You'd better not let President Joyce hear that."

The night they fell asleep in each other's arms flew by, and the day of the banquet arrived.

To avoid making today's true purpose too obvious, Xavier had the engagement ceremony venue decorated lavishly and invited many prominent guests from all the stars of the Nine Provinces.

All in all, aside from those who knew its true nature, everyone else praised Xavier profusely for his thoughtfulness, saying he had turned over a new leaf.

As the guests took their seats, they saw Jin Chen in a military-style coat, leading in Alex, whose bearing was equally impressive, with varied expressions.

The acquaintances knew that the man in black was the captive Jin Chen, the upper general, had personally brought back from Prison Star—the empire's icy-handsome beauty general Alex, or rather, the former general.

Those unfamiliar with them merely thought two imposing cooling units were walking toward them, exchanging glances, assuming they had come to wreck the event.

Jin Chen glanced coolly over all the guests, finally fixing his gaze on Xavier waiting in the corner to go on stage, his left brow slightly raised, his aura fully unleashed, giving him a meaningful look.

Afterwards, Jin Chen took Alex's hand and seated him, nodding at the others around the round table.

The other five people around the round table immediately broke into smiles, almost wanting to stand and return the salute; seeing his upright posture, they sat up much more properly.

"Jin Chen," Alex suddenly said.

"Mm, what's wrong, dear?" Jin Chen poured him a cup of warm water.

"Put away your peacock display."

"Oh."

Jin Chen nodded, his posture instantly becoming relaxed, his arm resting on Alex's chair, and he withdrew his prickly aura.

The others who heard this all glanced at Alex with admiring eyes.

He actually managed to tame General Jin Chen without getting beaten—wow, so strong!

Alex drank the warm water without changing expression, leaning back slightly.

He glanced at the young ladies from the aristocratic families chatting in low voices not far from the round table, no longer looking toward Jin Chen's side, and quickly withdrew his gaze.

"They're coming over," Jin Chen whispered in his ear.

Alex lifted his gaze, and his eyes instantly changed.