The General's Love Glitch - Chapter 12

At lunchtime, Jun Jue didn’t return to the restroom. Instead, she stayed in the main cabin to eat with her two subordinates.

Both subordinates were major generals, A-level alphas. Though their military ranks were lower than hers, they were older than her, and both were already married. One of them even had a daughter.

Perhaps because their superior was present, the two major generals remained silent. Since Jun Jue had no official matters to discuss, she didn’t initiate conversation either.

After about ten minutes, one of the major generals couldn’t hold back any longer. “General, aren’t you going to have lunch with that girl?”

Jun Jue knew her presence made them uncomfortable and stifled their conversation, so she stood up. “I’ll go check on the restroom. You two can rest after eating, there are no immediate tasks for you right now.”

With that, she left her barely touched meal on the desk, someone would take care of it later.

The only thing she took with her was the blue file.

…

When Jun Jue returned to the restroom, Ruan Wei was happily devouring a table full of delicious food.

She had barely made a sound, yet Ruan Wei noticed her immediately. Holding a braised pork knuckle in her hand, Ruan Wei quickly set it down and stood up, studying Jun Jue’s expression. “General, I thought you weren’t coming back for lunch, so I started eating first.”

Unconsciously, the corners of Jun Jue’s lips twitched. It seemed Ruan Wei cared a great deal about her.

“I’ve already eaten. You can continue,” Jun Jue said. She watched as Ruan Wei sat back down and reached for the pork knuckle again, but just before touching it, she glanced up once more. “General, are you really full?”

“Yes.”

Jun Jue left immediately after answering, otherwise, she feared Ruan Wei wouldn’t believe her and would eat hesitantly under her gaze.

She returned to her simple, spartan room in the corner, sitting on the bed with one leg propped up, her back straight as a rod.

The blue file was in her hands. She hesitated over whether to open it immediately.

This file was about Ruan Wei.

In the end, Jun Jue opened it. Inside was all of Ruan Wei’s information. From the photos in the file, it was clear that before the tragedy at age eight, Ruan Wei had lived a very happy life, her family was warm and loving, and her parents doted on her.

The turning point came when her home was burglarized at age eight. Both her parents were killed by the intruders, their bodies left in the house, while Ruan Wei disappeared without a trace. After a year of failing to locate her, the police department declared Ruan Wei dead and published the notice in the planetary newspaper for a week. After a brief period of pity, the little girl was completely forgotten.

At this point, Jun Jue frowned imperceptibly.

Which planet’s police department was this? They were far too careless.

Not only was the cause of Ruan Wei’s parents’ deaths suspicious, but an eight-year-old girl vanishing without a trace should have been easy to track with modern technology.

Jun Jue continued reading. The next section contained a series of photos showing Ruan Wei locked in an underground cell, covered in injuries, with a massive black venomous snake guarding her.

In the photos, Ruan Wei hugged her frail body, her face, collarbone, wrists, and legs marred with wounds. Her eyes were timid, filled with utter helplessness.

Jun Jue’s heart ached. Everything matched what Ruan Wei had told her.

She thought of how Ruan Wei had looked so content eating compressed biscuits, how joyful she had been eating roasted sweet potatoes yesterday, and how delighted she had been just now with the braised pork knuckle.

After ten years of imprisonment, Ruan Wei must have never had decent food. That was why even compressed biscuits tasted like a feast to her after escaping.

Jun Jue reached the end of the document and suddenly realized she had crumpled the papers in her grip. After a dazed moment, she flipped back to the first page.

Her fingers slid up and down the pages until she found a crucial piece of information: Ruan Wei’s original home planet was GR03.

Jun Jue searched her memory but couldn’t recall ever hearing of such a planet. She tapped open her neural interface and contacted the subordinate who had prepared the documents, asking for an explanation.

“Reporting, General, GR03 is a small planet that was overlooked during the Federation’s incorporation process.”

“The technology there is still relatively underdeveloped, and it remains isolated from the outside. Should I contact the relevant Federation departments to address this now?”

Jun Jue felt there were still unanswered questions. “Not for now,” she replied.

…

Ruan Wei practiced the “clean plate” initiative, finishing every last bite of food before neatly stacking the dishes and pushing them outside the door, just as Jun Jue had done earlier.

After closing the door, she patted her round belly and murmured, “So happy!”

Though it did feel a bit heavy now.

Full and drowsy, Ruan Wei decided to return to her little tent for a nap.

“Ruan Wei,” Jun Jue called out upon hearing her footsteps. She placed the blue folder on the inner side of the bed. “Come here. I have some questions for you.”

Ruan Wei quickly approached, patting her full stomach and letting out two small burps.

Jun Jue: “…”

Spotting an unopened bottle of mineral water by the bedside, she tossed it to Ruan Wei.

Ruan Wei caught it effortlessly, continuing toward her and sitting down naturally beside her as she unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

Jun Jue subtly shifted away, only then realizing something was off.

This was her bed.

Ruan Wei didn’t overthink it. As a child, she had often sat on her parents’ bed to play with Barbie dolls, building blocks, or simply lounging. She also loved jumping on the bed though she only dared to do so when her parents were out at work. She had broken two beds that way.

Ruan Wei also remembered a trick her doctor father had taught her to stop hiccups: take a sip of water and swallow it in three parts.

Over a decade later, now eighteen, the method still worked like a charm.

She missed her parents so much.

With a wilted expression, Ruan Wei screwed the cap back on the water bottle.

Jun Jue had intended to tell Ruan Wei to get off the bed once she finished drinking, but seeing her subdued mood, she swallowed the words.

Just moments ago, during the meal, Ruan Wei had been all smiles.

Suddenly, Ruan Wei spoke up. “General, what did you want to ask?”

Jun Jue pushed aside her scattered thoughts. “You’re from GR03?”

Ruan Wei’s eyes widened slightly before she nodded hesitantly.

Jun Jue pressed further. “Your mother was a geneticist?”

Another nod.

“And your father?” Jun Jue asked directly.

One of Ruan Wei’s guardians had incomplete records, no occupation, no family background, as if the person had materialized out of thin air.

It was a glaring inconsistency.

Ruan Wei knew this. Meeting Jun Jue’s gaze, she answered earnestly, “My father was a doctor. The other adults always called him Dr. Zhou.”

“Why do you have your mother’s surname?”

Like technology, societal attitudes in the Federation had progressed significantly. Taking the mother’s surname wasn’t unusual, but the mystery surrounding Ruan Wei’s father made it suspicious.

“Because Dad loved Mom!” Ruan Wei declared with certainty. “He said Mom went through so much to give birth, so the first child would take her surname. If they had more children later, they’d take his.”

This explanation seemed reasonable and well-founded, but the scales in Jun Jue’s heart always tipped toward the belief that things weren’t that simple.

Ruan Wei had been only eight years old when she was captured and imprisoned in a dungeon by ill-intentioned people. There were likely many things she didn’t fully understand.

“General, don’t you believe me?” Ruan Wei grabbed her hand anxiously. “Everything I said is the truth.”

“I know. Let go first.” Jun Jue’s gaze fell on Ruan Wei’s hand gripping her arm.

Ruan Wei quickly withdrew her hand, blinking nervously as she stared at her. Jun Jue merely lowered her eyes and smoothed out the wrinkles on her sleeve where Ruan Wei had clutched it, saying nothing.

“General, do you have any other questions?” Ruan Wei asked, rubbing her slightly bloated stomach as discomfort suddenly set in.

Noticing her discomfort, Jun Jue shook her head. “Go take a walk to help your digestion.”

Ruan Wei had been thinking the same thing and pushed herself up to leave.

Watching Ruan Wei’s retreating figure, Jun Jue couldn’t resist adding, “In the future, don’t just climb into anyone’s bed.”

Ruan Wei paused mid-step, turning back to ask with genuine confusion and seriousness, “Then does the General count as ‘anyone’?”

…

Author’s Note:

General: She asked if I count as ‘anyone’, does that mean I’m special in her heart?