Chi Mu did not deliberate for long; he had already handed the investigation over to He Chuan. Results would likely arrive soon. His immediate priority was to comfort Chi Yue and her brother.
Chi Mu gently took Chi Yue’s small hand in his, then looked toward Chi Le, saying in a husky voice, "Daddy’s injury isn't your fault. Please don't be sad."
"But Daddy promises you both that I will be much more careful from now on. I won't let you worry like this again."
"If Mom... if she bullies you again, you must tell Daddy."
"If Daddy isn't home, tell your grandparents. Do you understand?"
Chi Le nodded sensibly. "Yes, we will take good care of ourselves so Daddy won't have to worry."
Seeing this, Lixi felt a pang of heartache for the children having such a mother. Yet, despite having a mother like that, Chi Le and his sister remained kind and well-behaved—how rare that was! Thinking of the ungrateful ingrates she had raised with so much effort, Lixi felt a sense of melancholy. Did raising children really depend on the father’s genes?
Just then, He Chuan walked in. He was slightly surprised to see Lixi there, but noting Chi Mu’s unbothered expression, he said nothing.
He Chuan gave a slight nod to Lixi and the children as a greeting, then walked to Chi Mu’s side and lowered his voice. "Marshal, we have received new information regarding the leak of your identity. It seems to be linked to your wife. You see..."
Chi Mu instinctively glanced at Lixi. Realizing they had matters to discuss, Lixi whispered to the children, "Let’s step outside for a moment. Your father has work to attend to."
The children looked at Chi Mu, and seeing his silent agreement, they obediently followed Lixi out.
Once they were gone, He Chuan’s expression turned solemn. "Marshal, our investigation suggests that your wife accidentally let the information slip while drinking at a bar."
"As for how she even knew about your mission, we are still investigating. However, the higher-ups suspect you might have revealed it to her intentionally. After all, besides you, only a few leaders from the North District knew of this, and it was classified as top secret—even we only learned of it a few days ago."
"Therefore, the authorities have decided..." He Chuan glanced at Chi Mu’s face before bracing himself to continue, "They have decided to suspend all your duties for now. You are to rest for a period, and once the matter is clarified, you will be cleared for missions again."
"Use this time to recover at home and spend time with your family."
Having finished, He Chuan kept his head down, not daring to look at Chi Mu.
A chill washed over Chi Mu. Had Lu Meng come to hate him this much? He didn't believe for a second that she had "accidentally" blurted out such classified information just to see him removed. The wound on his abdomen throbbed, and he took a deep breath. "I understand. I will comply with the arrangements. There is nothing else; you may go."
He Chuan gave him a hesitant look, but eventually said nothing and left the ward.
Outside, Lixi was still thinking about the scrape on Chi Yue’s elbow. She took the girl's small hand and said softly, "Little one, let’s go to the nurse’s station. Let me clean that wound for you, otherwise it might get infected."
Chi Yue agreed obediently and followed Lixi, with Chi Le trailing behind.
At the station, Lixi explained the situation to the nurse on duty. Once they were provided with disinfectant and bandages, Lixi carefully tended to the wound. When she was finished, Chi Yue blushed and thanked her.
Lixi felt a surge of genuine affection for the cute, well-behaved girl. She turned to Chi Le and asked with a smile, "I don't know your names yet. Would you like to tell me?"
"To be fair, I’ll tell you mine first. My name is Lixi. You can call me Auntie Lixi."
Chi Le tilted his head, watching Lixi’s warm, kind smile. Having relaxed from his initial reserve, he answered crisply, "Auntie Lixi, my name is Chi Le—‘Le’ for happiness. This is my sister, Chi Yue—‘Yue’ for joy."
Lixi gently stroked Chi Le’s hair. "What beautiful names. Whoever gave them to you must have hoped you would be happy every day."
Chi Yue chimed in, "Yes, Daddy named us. He says he will defeat all the bad people in the world so that we can grow up happy and safe." She added, "Auntie Lixi, we hope you are happy every day, too."
Lixi was deeply moved. "Yes, we will all be happy."
Just then, she looked up and saw He Chuan exiting the ward. She was surprised he had finished so quickly, but she was tactful enough not to pry. She simply nodded at him with a smile and said, "You’ve all been so kind to me, and I haven't properly thanked you yet. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know."
He Chuan waved his hand dismissively. "You are too kind, Miss Li. If you hadn't bandaged the Marshal in time, his situation would have been much worse. If anything, we owe you our thanks."
He hesitated for a moment before adding, "Miss Li, it’s like this: the Marshal will need to recover in the hospital for a while. We have other matters to attend to and can't be here to look after him at all times."
"If you don't have other commitments, could we trouble you to look after the Marshal here?"
Lixi was more than willing. With room and board provided and the chance to help Chi Mu, it was exactly what she wanted. She agreed immediately, though she added one small request.
He Chuan expected her to ask for money. Although he had no time for dating, he was originally from the Eastern District of Kyoto. In the upper echelons of A-Country’s society, divided into East (Commerce), West (Literature), South (Military), and North (Politics), he had seen many women and thought he knew what they wanted. He was shocked by her request. "You want what? High school textbooks?!"
Lixi blushed slightly, looking a bit embarrassed. "Yes. I didn't graduate from university due to some special circumstances, but I want to continue my education now. Could you help me get some books?"
"I want to take this time to prepare for the adult college entrance exam."
He Chuan was silent. In this day and age, A-Country had long since implemented twelve-year compulsory education; both men and women were required to complete high school. With the abundance of educational resources, university enrollment rates were at 98%, barring those with severe intellectual disabilities. He could never have imagined that Lixi, clearly a normal person, hadn't finished university.
But since Lixi offered no further explanation, He Chuan was wise enough not to pry. He patted his chest and promised he would get them for her.