Guardian: Returns

21

Luo Fei was standing in front of the sliding door, nervous as hell. He'd take confronting Yezun over this any time. He huffed, knocked and went inside.

Luo Jie Ming was sitting on the bed, watching his wife, currently busy with changing his IV. The woman's eyes were red, and she was looking everywhere but at her husband. They both turned at the sound of the sliding door.

"Um, hey," Luo smiled. "Heard you were up." He stared at the man who was his father, sifting through the emotions. Zhao's life was overlapping Luo Fei's, making him confused.

"Son," the man sat more upright. "I know that you must have a lot of questions. And-"

"I don't really have that many," Fei interrupted him. "You always wanted to become a spy, so when the opportunity arose, you simply jumped at the chance, ditching your family. Am I missing something?"

"It was an accident. I fell into a trap. I could either play along or uncover a massive operation we had going for months. But you have all the right to be angry."

Luo let out a breath of frustration. He looked to his mom. "Did you guys talk?" She simply nodded, then sat on a chair next to the bed. "Did you... decide on anything specific?"

"Not yet," she finally said. "While your father is recuperating, it is my job to take care of him. And I agreed to bring him home for the time he needs to get back on his feet. Then... We will talk again."

"Ok," Luo nodded. "I just want you to know that whatever you decide, I'll respect it. Just make sure that you don't regret it in the long run. Life is too short for that."

"My, look at you, talking like a fully grown man," the nurse stood up and ruffled his hair. "Pity that beard isn't growing, huh? You're still baby faced, my little Fei Fei." The woman had to stand on her toes to give the boy a peck on the cheek.

"Mom!" the teenager complained.

"What beard?" Jie Ming asked, perplexed.

"Our son still wants to look like his idol."

"Well, as I'll be taking over the S.I.D. anyways, I want to look the part." Luo Fei stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans, thumbs sticking out.

"Fei. I think you should at least consider some less dangerous profession." Jie Ming's expression grew dark.

"Look who's talking," the boy blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Son!" his mother reacted immediately. He sighed.

"Sorry. But I have already decided how my life will go from now on. So, yeah. I'll be the chief of the S.I.D. 'cause I know how dangerous it can get. And I'm sorry, but I'm never gonna get married. So if you guys wanted some grandkids... Unless..." a sudden thought struck him. He smirked. "We could adopt," he muttered under his breath. "That would be nice."

"You talk like one of my friends," Jie Ming sighed. "He was also hell-bent on staying single. But you never know. One day you'll see that other person, and..." the man glanced at his wife. She pursed her lips.

"Oh, I'm not saying that I'm gonna be single. In fact, I already have someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. Just, in his case, it's different. We'll live together and go down together. And in between, we'll protect each other." 

Luo didn't plan for the conversation to go in that direction and was waiting for a strong reaction, so his parents' calm faces confused him.

"Who is it?" his mom finally asked.

"Jiang Feng," Luo said proudly.

"Absolutely not!" she exclaimed. "Anyone but this boy!"

"What?!" the teenager asked, bewildered.