You Que really didn’t want to attend the so-called matchmaking event, but on Saturday, he still borrowed a suit from Gu Yigu and tidied himself up a bit. After all, the restaurant required formal attire for entry.
Tall and slender, You Que found Gu Yigu’s suit a bit loose on him. Fortunately, his broad shoulders helped him pull it off, so it didn’t look bad. When he reached the entrance to put on his shoes, he noticed the thermometer on the wall showing rain in the forecast. Grabbing a black umbrella, he finally headed downstairs.
By midday, the streets were bustling and noisy. You Que walked to the entrance of a shop selling artificial flowers. He plucked a single red rose from a flower bucket by the door and asked, “How much for one?”
The shopkeeper was busy wrapping a bouquet. Hearing his question, they glanced up briefly before returning to their work. “Two hundred star coins each, no bargaining,” they replied curtly.
In this country, the land was heavily polluted, and the limited pure soil was reserved for growing food. Fresh flowers had become more precious than gold.
You Que put the flower back—it was clearly not something he could afford. As his gaze inadvertently swept across the shop, he suddenly noticed the red paper the shopkeeper was using to wrap flowers. “How much is the wrapping paper?” he asked.
The shopkeeper was a little surprised. “You want to buy paper?”
You Que replied, “One red sheet. How much?”
The shopkeeper pulled out a sheet and handed it to him, thinking how odd this zerg was. “Here, take it. No charge.”
And so, You Que managed to snag a free sheet of paper. He sat on a bench by the roadside, head lowered, folding the paper with a focused expression. Before long, a delicate, vibrant red rose appeared in his hands, so lifelike it could easily be mistaken for the real thing.
These hands were truly remarkable—capable of stealing in the shadows of darkness, yet also crafting a vivid rose in the light of day.
You Que stared at the rose for a moment, lost in thought, before tucking it into the pocket of his jacket. Seeing that it was almost time, he headed toward the restaurant.
The dining location arranged by the matchmaking agency wasn’t far from You Que’s rental apartment—just a twenty-minute walk.
As soon as the waiter at the restaurant saw the fresh flower in You Que’s pocket, they immediately understood what was going on. They stepped forward and bowed politely, asking, “Your Excellency, may I ask for your table number?”
You Que replied, “Table number four.”
After speaking, You Que glanced around the room and noticed a female soldier sitting at table four in the lobby. He waved at the waiter to indicate they didn’t need to follow him and placed his umbrella at the front desk for safekeeping before walking straight to the table.
Although Gu Yigu had told him that the matchmaking agency had arranged for him to meet towering, muscular zergs who were around 1.9 meters tall, the female soldier he was supposed to meet didn’t seem out of the ordinary. While his appearance was rather plain, there was still a hint of elegance in his features.
The red rose was the token for the meeting.
The female soldier had been sitting at the table anxiously waiting. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a tall figure approaching. He wore a white shirt, a light gray suit, and a red rose pinned to his collar. However, his face was obscured by a mask, making it impossible to see his features clearly.
The female soldier instinctively stood up from the table. “Excuse me, are you Lord Eugene?”
You Que gave a slight nod.
The female soldier visibly relaxed upon seeing him. Although it was a bit odd that You Que was wearing a mask, his figure suggested he was handsome. He introduced himself with a hint of shyness, “Your Excellency, I am the female zerg you’re meeting today. My name is Hansen.”
“Hello,” You Que replied.
You Que wasn’t one to speak much. After his brief greeting, he pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. Noticing a folded menu nearby, he took it out and handed it to Hansen. “Sorry I’m late. Please go ahead and order.”
He had arrived just on time, but the female soldier was earlier than he had expected. It was likely due to this country’s strange social rules that placed males above females.
Hansen’s face turned slightly red as he realized that the male zerg’s voice was quite pleasant to hear. Hearing his words, he quickly waved his hand in refusal. “Your Excellency, how could I? You should definitely order first.”
You Que replied, “It’s fine, I’ll just have a drink. Please, go ahead and order.”
Hansen reluctantly ordered a drink for You Que and selected two desserts before calling over the waiter to place the order. The Zerg race’s matchmaking style was typically straightforward, and noticing You Que’s quiet demeanor, Hansen decided to introduce himself.
“Your Excellency, I’m a retired female soldier. I just returned to Saint Lieux Town the day before yesterday. My retirement benefits and savings amount to around four hundred thousand star coins. I also own a property on the next street, and next month, I’ll be joining the local police station. My monthly salary will be eight thousand star coins.”
His conditions were already considered quite generous for a small border town like Saint Lieux.
It took You Que a moment to realize this was a matchmaking meeting. Coming back to his senses, he quietly stated his own more modest circumstances: “I don’t have a job, no savings, and I’m currently renting a place.”
Such conditions wouldn’t even qualify someone to be on the list of a matchmaking agency back on Earth.
However, Hansen found it quite normal. After all, in Salaranfa, it was rare for male zergs to work outside the home. He just hadn’t expected that You Que would be renting a place on his own. Hearing his response, he couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Where are your female and male parents? Don’t they live with you?”
You Que replied, “No, they’ve both passed away.”
Hansen felt a bit awkward. “I’m sorry.”
Just then, the waiter came over with the food. To make up for his earlier slip, Hansen took the initiative to place the berry cake in front of You Que, saying, “I didn’t know your preferences, so I ordered a berry cake. I hope you like it.”
You Que simply said “Thank you,” but made no move to touch the cake.
Hansen stared at the mask on his face for a while, unable to hold back any longer. He finally asked, “You… aren’t going to take off your mask?”
You Que lifted his gaze at his words. His light amber eyes were as clear and beautiful as glass beads, but through the gap in his mask, there was a hint of irritated, swollen skin. “I have an allergy. Do you mind?”
Hansen felt an inexplicable sense of unease. To cover his nervousness, he picked up his glass and took a sip of water. “I don’t mind, Your Excellency.”
You Que had no choice but to remove his mask.
“Whoosh—!”
When Hansen saw You Que’s true face, he was so shocked that he sprayed water out of his mouth, followed by a series of violent coughing sounds that seemed to shake the very air.
As nearby customers frowned and turned to look, they saw a female soldier hunched over, covering his mouth, coughing so hard that his face turned red and his neck bulged. Across the table sat a male zerg in a gray suit, his face covered with pimples, but worse still, there was a red, swollen, and still-healing wound on his cheek—an appearance that was truly difficult for any zerg to look at.
Around them, murmurs of astonishment began to rise:
“Oh my Zerg God, that male zerg is just too ugly.”
“My eyes are starting to hurt.”
“I bet there’s no other male zerg in Saint Lieux Town uglier than him.”
At the center of the public attention, You Que remained unusually calm. He took a sip of water before putting his black mask back on. Turning to Hansen across the table, he said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Hansen, still shaken, had never expected You Que to look so unattractive. Feeling embarrassed, he waved his hand and immediately regretted agreeing to the matchmaking. It felt as though there was a nail under his seat, making him uneasy: “I’m sorry, Your Excellency… I was rude earlier…”
You Que repeated his words calmly: “It’s fine.”
Hansen forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace, no longer the confident demeanor he had earlier. He thought of the scar on You Que’s face and, unwilling to let it go, asked, “Is… is the redness and swelling on your face really due to an allergy? Didn’t you go to the hospital for treatment?”
You Que’s next words immediately extinguished the small hope in his heart: “The hospital said it can’t be treated.”
Hansen was instantly plunged into silence.
At that moment, You Que realized that this matchmaking had fallen through. To avoid further awkwardness, he pretended to glance at the time and said to Hansen, “Sorry, I just remembered that I still have some things to take care of. I might need to leave early.”
Hansen forced a smile and replied, “It’s fine. Please, go ahead.”
You Que nodded, stood up, and left after pushing his chair back. Before leaving, he settled the bill with the server. Hansen watched his tall and handsome figure disappear outside the restaurant’s glass door, feeling inexplicably regretful, as if something had been missed—like losing something he hadn’t quite grasped.
You Que had been on a few failed matchmaking dates back in the village, so he handled this situation with a certain level of experience. After leaving the restaurant, he headed straight for home. However, he hadn’t expected that the investigator from the matchmaking agency was observing from the neighboring table. Seeing him leave, the investigator quickly got up and hurried after him. “Your Excellency! Your Excellency, please wait a moment!”
You Que had already walked quite a distance, but fortunately, his hearing was sharp. At the sound of the voice, he instinctively turned around and then realized that the zerg calling out to him looked somewhat familiar. It seemed to be the investigator who had approached him the other day. “You are…?”
The investigator panted, out of breath, and said, “Your Excellency, I’m the investigator responsible for arranging your matchmaking. I noticed you and Mr. Hansen seemed to have some sort of disagreement earlier. May I ask what happened?”
You Que didn’t care for dealing with such post-matchmaking follow-ups and casually replied, “Nothing, just a personality mismatch.”
The investigator quickly pulled out a small terminal from his jacket pocket, opened the screen, and marked an “X” next to Hansen’s name. “Your Excellency, may I ask what your requirements are for a future partner? This will help us arrange a second matchmaking for you.”
You Que responded indifferently, “None.”
The investigator was taken aback. “Huh?”
You Que repeated, “I’m fine with anything. You can arrange whoever.”
He was speaking the truth—he truly didn’t mind.
When You Que was a driver back in the village, people would tell him that just finding a job after serving time was already fortunate, and that a low salary didn’t matter. The same thing happened when it came to matchmaking—his father said that no girl would want to marry someone with a criminal record, so he should just find anyone to settle down with and not be picky.
He seemed like he shouldn’t feel resentment, because the path of theft was one he had chosen himself, and it was only natural to face these consequences.
From childhood to adulthood, the choices available to You Que had been few and far between. He didn’t want a father who was always absent, working away, nor did he want a mother who ran off. He definitely didn’t want to learn theft from the local thugs just to survive at such a young age.
Time passed in the blink of an eye. His father, who had left the family years ago, returned in glory with a new wife and child. His mother, who had eloped, found another stable home. But You Que, in the end, had grown up with a crooked character.
He had turned his life into a heap of muck. Everyone else had walked the paths they were meant to, while he was forgotten in that distant mountain village, left behind by time, gradually becoming unrecognizable.
You Que couldn’t save himself, nor could anyone else save him. All that was left in his days was the single thought: “Just live on.”
“Anything is fine.”
You Que repeated quietly.
It didn’t matter if they were male or female, human or zerg—it was all the same to him.
As soon as his words fell, a chill crept over his face. He looked up and realized the sky had darkened, and rain was steadily falling.
You Que had clearly remembered to bring an umbrella today, but he still got caught in the rain. It was pointless to turn back to the restaurant, so it seemed better to head home early. Noticing this, he walked straight into the rain, the slanted droplets landing on his shoulders and soaking the light gray suit, leaving dark wet patches. The Zerg Race favored bright colors, and as zergs hurriedly moved about, taking shelter from the rain, only his clothes appeared darker and weighed down.
By the time You Que returned to the building’s entrance, he was soaked through from the rain. He was about to head upstairs when he suddenly noticed a commotion in the rain not far away. The troublemakers were none other than Gu Yigu and John, those two little ruffians.
“Ah, my leg! It hurts so much! You didn’t watch where you were going and injured me, and now you want to run away?!”
“Y-yeah, yeah… E-Exactly! Pay up! …P-Pay me!”
Gu Yigu was well-versed in many “businesses,” not just theft. After too many thefts, the local residents had recognized his face, leaving him with no other option but to resort to scams. Today, he had finally encountered a stranger from out of town and was determined not to let the opportunity slip by.
As You Que walked over, he saw Gu Yigu sitting in the rain, clutching his leg and wailing dramatically, while John was grabbing a female zerg by the collar, stammering about compensation.
The female zerg was slender, his long gray hair tied up high in a ponytail with a braid. His white side profile was so strikingly beautiful that it seemed out of place in this impoverished town. His attire was very simple, with the letters on his white T-shirt faded from wear, and he carried a travel bag, the edges of which were worn down from use.
He seemed very poor, so there was no reason to deceive him.
After about three seconds of observation, You Que concluded the situation. He usually targeted the wealthy when stealing, as there was no point in stealing from the poor—any attempt would be a waste of effort. But clearly, Gu Yigu lacked his level of discernment. He was still sitting on the ground, hugging his knees and crying out in pain, without even considering the possibility that the female zerg in front of him might be poorer than he was.
Fortunately, it was raining today, and there were no onlookers around.
Gu Yigu was a dedicated actor, and the rain didn’t affect his performance. He lay on the ground, continuously shouting for compensation. However, before he could get anything, a cold voice suddenly rang out above him:
“Get up off the ground now, or I won’t be polite.”
Gu Yigu paused at the sound, instinctively opening his eyes. He saw that You Que had somehow appeared beside him. Despite the mask covering his face, the cold indifference in his narrow eyes was unmistakable, sending a chill down Gu Yigu’s spine.
For a moment, Gu Yigu recoiled in fear, but quickly regained his composure, saying defiantly, “I would love to get up, but look at my leg! How am I supposed to get up when it’s like this?!”
Following the direction of his finger, You Que saw a bloodstain on the knee of Gu Yigu’s pants, which appeared to be a serious injury. However, You Que was well aware that Gu Yigu had preemptively placed a blood packet on his knee, and it had simply ruptured upon impact.
You Que wasn’t one for unnecessary talk. At the mention of the injury, he casually moved his foot and kicked directly at the pressure point on Gu Yigu’s leg. In the next instant, Gu Yigu shot up from the ground like a rabbit, his leg throbbing with pain and numbness. He immediately clutched his calf, crying out in pain, “Ow, ow!! My leg!! My leg!”
You Que spoke in a calm, detached tone, “It seems your leg is fine. A few more steps and you’ll be good to go.”
After saying that, he turned his attention to John. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and John, sensing the menacing aura from You Que, immediately released the collar of the pestering female zerg and swiftly retreated three steps, signaling his innocence.
The female zerg didn’t react at all. Cold raindrops slowly slid down his pale face, trickling down his chin, and eventually disappearing into the worn-out collar of his shirt.
Even though his skin was fair, his hair a dull gray, and his eyes silver, with a clean white shirt on, he still emanated an eerie, indescribable aura in the midst of the endless rain. It was as if he belonged to a world apart, far from the mundane.
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gray hair silver eyes is that you Sang Ya? Please let this arc be for him, I was really hoping that someone would help this guy heal after that traumatic backstory back in arc 3…