Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 63: Revised: Chapter 23 That Girl

Humanity’s most proficient psychologist and most professional conman Tian Xingjian began his performance.

He looked intently at Milan’s beautiful face and sighed, ”The front lines can’t hold any longer. If Kato falls, Gallipalan will also become a war zone. The Combat Department can’t predict the enemy’s actions, we’ve thought of everything, but none of the military advisors can guess the enemy’s intentions. If we can’t hold the line, Miloke Star is finished.”

Milan, seeing his serious demeanor, became anxious and asked, ”Even you can’t figure out the enemy’s intentions?”

Tian Xingjian gave a bitter smile and shook his head, ”Who am I to figure that out? Just reading a couple of books doesn’t make me a General. Every member of the Combat Department is a top graduate of the Military Academy, even the interns know more than I do. If they can’t figure it out, how could I?”

Milan stood up and walked over to Tian Xingjian’s side, softly asking, ”Then what should we do now?”

Tian Xingjian’s gaze gently moved across Milan’s face, lingering for a long while as if wanting to imprint her image into his heart. He said affectionately, ”Call your father. The lab involves too many secrets and it was never suitable to remain in Gallipalan. Professor Boswell and... you also need to evacuate to the Central Star Domain as soon as possible.”

Milan grabbed Tian Xingjian’s clothes urgently, ”What about you? Tell me, will you leave with us?”

The emotional conman thought, ”Of course, I’ll leave with you.” But his face displayed a painful resolve of separation. He averted his eyes, seemingly unable to bear Milan’s anxious gaze, and said, ”I can’t leave. I’m a soldier, I have my responsibilities here.”

Damn it, the performance was too convincing. Why were her eyes full of tears?

Milan finally couldn’t hold back and burst into tears, throwing herself into Tian Xingjian’s arms. For a person she had secretly longed for, their daily interactions had reached an intimacy that couldn’t be surpassed. In this meticulously crafted scene of parting by a despicable, shameless conman, Milan could no longer maintain her composure. She hugged Tian Xingjian tightly and cried, ”I won’t leave! Wherever you are, I’ll be there too!!”

Fatty’s heart was in turmoil, ”Damn silly girl, why don’t you say that if you go, I must go too? Better yet, hit me a bit, then tie me up and say I must leave, or else cut off my younger brother. Then I’d reluctantly follow.”

Seeing Milan like this, the emotional conman felt touched too. He suddenly realized he actually liked this pure woman. Sighing, Fatty spoke in a firm tone, ”No! You must leave! Call your father immediately and ask him to arrange for a ship to pick you up as soon as possible. The lab must not fall into the hands of the Gazalin Empire.”

Milan listened to her beloved man’s resolute tone. Gazing at his ordinary yet fearless face, feeling the anguish of love in turbulent times, her heart was torn as if by a knife, and she broke down in tears.

Finally, Milan pulled back from Tian Xingjian’s chest. Gently wrapping her soft hands around his neck, she cried out, enunciating each word, ”I’ll listen to you, I’ll go! But if you don’t come back alive to see me, I’ll come to find you!” With that, she stood on tiptoe, kissed Fatty’s tear-streaked lips, then ran out crying as she opened the door.

The bastard’s performance had reached its limit, but she didn’t follow the script, leaving no room to escape. Instead, he had to play the hero. What a mess!

Standing dumbfounded for a while, Fatty looked at [Logic] beside him and sighed, ”Buddy, it looks like this time we may end up hiding in the mountains as savages.”

After finishing the intense emotional act, the conman gloomily returned to the Combat Department, reflecting on his failures while heading towards his research lab.

Carl intercepted him and shouted, ”Where have you been? They’re pushing for the calculation data! If you don’t finish it, you’ll be charged with dereliction of duty! By the way, the First Mixed Fleet and the Imperial Fleet have engaged, and the analysis report on their combat strength has arrived. Take a look quickly. Where did the Imperial Army get so many fleets this time?...”

As Tian Xingjian was listening to Carl’s incessant chatter, suddenly, a figure appeared like lightning, hitting him hard. From then on, he couldn’t hear a word Carl said. The world quieted down, as if only he and the approaching figure existed.

Standing in the corridor, all the bittersweet moments from the past surged in his heart, leaving him with mixed emotions.

A boy who lost his parents at six, and a beautiful little girl from the neighbors, going to and from school together.

In his childhood, the girl always protected the boy, who had lost his parents, from being bullied, time and time again.

In middle school, the timid and incompetent boy finally lost the girl’s favor. Naturally cowardly, when confronted by a few small-time bullies extorting money, he backed down. He thought the girl would run with him, but she didn’t. Just two or three minutes later, when he mustered the courage to return to the alley with a stick, the police had already arrived, taking the girl and the bullies away.

At the very moment he turned and fled, a patrolling police officer just happened to pass by. But in his panic, the boy didn’t look back, not until he had run out of the alley.

From then on, the girl never spoke to the boy again. She would never forgive him.

Whenever the boy saw the beautiful campus belle from a distance, watching her radiant smile among admirers, seeing her dance gracefully on stage amidst applause, and boys more outstanding than each other presenting her with flowers, his heart ached faintly.

He always tried different ways to draw her attention, but all failed.

The boy, from then on, grew reckless and cynical, appearing more and more boring, wretched, lascivious, vulgar, despicable, and cunning. All the worst qualities of humanity seemed to concentrate in him. Yet the boy knew, there was one mistake he could never make again—selfishness. From the moment the girl left with the police without looking back, he never dared to be selfish again.

Of course, that boy was Tian Xingjian.

So, when he was behind enemy lines, he told Rashid that some things a man must do.

Thus, he led a POW battalion with no combat or mobility capability out from enemy lines step by step, without ever giving up.

But, does that girl know all this?

She was still as gentle and beautiful as ever, beautiful enough to make one’s heart ache. Still as tender and pure, pure to the point of flawless whiteness.

Her fairy-like white skin and smooth hair were always a dream in Tian Xingjian’s heart.

The beautiful figure approaching him was discussing something with a female officer. She didn’t see the boy he once was.

The two silently passed by each other.

On a war-torn planet.

In the bustling corridor of the academy.

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Following everyone’s suggestions, all updates will be posted during the day. The fixed update time at midnight is canceled. I will post as much as I can!