Chapter 141: Finally Opened His Eyes

Chapter 141: Chapter 141: Finally Opened His Eyes

Li Si, who was handling some documents, always felt the surrounding gazes were off. Glancing around, everyone who met his gaze swiftly looked away, as if nothing had happened, and continued working.

Li Si frowned, slowly turning his head back, once again feeling the stares from those around him.

This sensation grew increasingly obvious, making it impossible for him to ignore.

After leaving the office with his documents, the people in the office finally started to converse.

"I never thought he would be like this! Truly couldn’t see it coming."

"Right? He has two sons, yet he tosses them at home without a care. I heard he even sleeps in the dormitory at night, leaving such young kids in an empty house. It’s truly pitiful."

"Exactly, if you can’t raise them, don’t have them. I want a son but don’t have one, yet he has two sons and doesn’t cherish them."

"He didn’t seem like such a person. How could he do something so despicable?"

...

Everyone expressed disdain, condemning Li Si for leaving his children home alone.

Wherever Li Si went, eyes followed him; he found it hard to ignore the scrutiny, as though he were utterly unforgivable.

Just as he was about to ask someone what was going on, someone called out to him.

"Captain Li, the leadership wants you to come to the office." A young soldier approached Li Si, saluted him, and said.

"I got it." Li Si nodded, tidied himself up, and arrived at Liu Hongjun’s office, gently knocking on the door.

"Come in." Liu Hongjun handed the last document to Wang Lu beside him and glanced at the entering Li Si, signaling him to come forward.

"Did you need me, sir?" Li Si asked Liu Hongjun nervously.

"Today many people have reported to me that you left your two children at home unattended, even staying away at night, leaving them to sleep in an empty house! How do you explain this?" Liu Hongjun’s face was cold, his sharp gaze chilled as he glanced at Li Si.

Li Si was shocked and quickly tried to explain. "I’ve called my mother on the phone. Since New Year’s is nearing, the house is swamped with things, and my mother can’t spare the time to come over. Besides, both children are ten years old. I brought them meals; there’s no problem them staying home."

"That’s your explanation?" Liu Hongjun’s face was grim after hearing Li Si’s reasoning.

Initially wanting to give him a chance, he hadn’t expected him to continue making excuses. Leaving two kids not yet ten years old to fend for themselves?

"It’s my way of training them as a father." Li Si looked guiltily at Liu Hongjun, offering an explanation.

Forcibly turning such behavior into paternal training, refusing to admit abandonment.

"Li Si, I initially had high hopes for you." Liu Hongjun looked at Li Si’s unrepentant demeanor, speaking sorrowfully.

"Sir..." Li Si now truly panicked, sensing that Liu Hongjun’s subsequent words might plunge him into despair.

Indeed, his intuition wasn’t wrong. Liu Hongjun casually took out a sheet of paper and pushed it in front of Li Si. "This is the disciplinary action from the unit; the matter of you abandoning your children has spread across the unit. I’ve personally gone to check on the children’s situation. The house is dirty and chaotic; those two kids you insisted on keeping, yet facts prove you can’t be a qualified father."

"This incident has caused a significant impact in the unit; everyone is ashamed of your behavior. Should this spread, it would tarnish our unit’s reputation. Until you resolve the situation with your children, you don’t need to come."

Liu Hongjun had previously given him chances; since he stated it as his explanation, he would let him see the unit’s explanation.

"This... I disagree, this is my family matter, it shouldn’t affect my work!" Li Si looked at Liu Hongjun with defiance in his eyes.

Having struggled to reach his current position, he couldn’t just let his efforts go to waste.

"If you can solve your family issues within a day, I might consider letting you resume your duties." Liu Hongjun said indifferently.

"One day, how is that possible!" Li Si gritted his teeth; it seemed entirely unfeasible.

"The timeline given above is just one day, manage it yourself; this is what I fought to get you. Whether you grasp this opportunity depends on you. The mission is launching the day after tomorrow; you know this. You have only one day, otherwise, I’ll remove your name from the list." Liu Hongjun glanced at Li Si, his tone softening.

"Having trained you myself, don’t miss the opportunity for trivialities. With no worries in the rear, we can charge forward at the front." Liu Hongjun’s words made Li Si lower his head.

Knowing Liu Hongjun had fought for time for him, Li Si naturally understood that the mission the day after was crucial; completing it well might allow him to advance further.

"I’ll resolve it!" Li Si, upon raising his eyes again, no longer showed hesitation.

After Li Si left the office, Liu Hongjun softly snorted at the curtain beside him. "Satisfied now? For such a trivial matter, you needed my cooperation."

"Your words can make him feel the urgency; this is Xiao Xiao’s gift to you." Lu Feng stepped out from behind the curtain, placing a lunchbox in front of Liu Hongjun.

"Not again." Liu Hongjun lightly snorted, his hands moving faster than his mouth, having already opened the lunchbox.

Seeing the colors, aromas, and flavors of the food inside, Liu Hongjun’s lips curled in delight.

"Liu Jing has already been forcibly sent back and punished. The anger should be gone now, right? If so, bring Xiao Xiao home for dinner together." Liu Hongjun glanced at Lu Feng, yet his chopsticks didn’t slow down.

Lu Feng silently watched Liu Hongjun finish off the entire box of food, until the box was clean, before extending his hand to retrieve the empty box.

"If you want to dine with us, come to my place! As for going to your home, forget about it." Lu Feng, with the empty box in hand, stood up and left the office.

"You brat, what has my home done to offend you that you won’t come back for a meal together?" Liu Hongjun, furious, glared at his retreating back.

Lu Feng glanced back at him once but didn’t speak, turned, and left.

"You brat! You’re my karma!" Liu Hongjun muttered defeatedly.

Even though things had once been fine, he no longer understood when the boy started shunning his home, making it so hard to return for a meal.

Thinking of the gentle wife waiting at home, Liu Hongjun could not fathom where things went wrong...

The only explanation was still lingering anger about Liu Jing.

-

Li Si left the office, on the way home garnering scores of attention; even if foolish, he knew why people were regarding him like this now.

Angrily rushing back home, he saw the yard in disarray and the house in shambles, the kitchen’s leftover food giving off a rotting stench, the backyard overgrown with weeds from neglect.

Looking at such a scene made Li Si’s temples throb painfully.

The two children were not at home either; the formerly clean and tidy house had transformed into this disarray. Suddenly, Li Si began to understand Chen Xiu’s breakdown; he’d never understood her, only thinking she did nothing at home, living comfortably.

Quite the contrary, precisely because she tirelessly cleaned up after the two kids did he see a clean and orderly home, ready meals upon return.

And he—what had he done...