The Saint Lieux district wasn’t particularly large, but not too small either—any bit of news could spread throughout the entire town in less than half a day. Ever since You Que started working, the town’s female zergs had all heard that the Kulture Bar had hired a male zerg as a bartender. Not only was his face exceptionally attractive, but his cocktail-making skills were also extraordinary. The bar counter was packed almost every single day.
No one was more thrilled about this than Fei Wen. He paced back and forth by the railing on the second floor, looking down at the bustling crowd below. Business was more than twice as good as before. Stroking his chin in thought, he muttered to himself, “Tch, if I’d known You Que would be this popular, I wouldn’t have given him so many days off. Three days off a week—just think how much money I’m losing.”
A mocking voice sounded faintly from behind, piercing through his train of thought without hesitation:
“All that money you’re earning—you can’t take it to the grave with you.”
Fei Wen turned around and saw Sanya sitting on the sofa, injecting himself with a suppressant. He held a vial of blue liquid in his hand, the needle piercing directly into his skin as he slowly administered the injection, his expression unwavering from start to finish.
Fei Wen chuckled, “No wonder you’re so cranky—turns out it’s your estrus period. Not planning to find a male zerg to take the edge off? There’s a perfectly good one downstairs.”
Sanya tossed the syringe aside, lowered his head, and slowly exhaled, cold sweat trickling down his back. He looked a bit weak. “Mind your own business,” he said flatly.
After speaking, he lay on the sofa to rest for a while before finally getting ready to head downstairs to help out at the bar. However, the moment he descended, he unexpectedly spotted You Que chatting with a female zerg in a police uniform. His steps halted involuntarily.
Hansen hadn’t originally planned to step into the bar, but after finishing his patrol today, his colleagues had dragged him in against his will. Sitting at the bar, he couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward facing You Que, his former blind date. “I didn’t expect to see you bartending here, Your Excellency. I should’ve come by to show my support sooner.”
As he gazed at the male zerg’s face under the soft lighting, Hansen couldn’t stop a faint blush from creeping up his cheeks. Lowering his head, he gripped his glass tightly, his fingertips already coated with a thin layer of sweat.
You Que hadn’t expected the world to be so small, running into Hansen, his very first blind date. He adjusted the cuffs of his shirt, which had slipped slightly. A black armband encircled his arm, the fabric of his shirt stretched taut over his muscles, giving him a sharp, commanding presence that was worlds apart from how he used to look.
“It’s just a small job,” he said calmly, his tone indifferent. “Doesn’t matter whether you show support or not.”
You Que’s attitude was neither warm nor distant, treating Hansen like any other regular customer. His expressionless face naturally gave off an air of indifference.
Hansen couldn’t help but feel a surge of regret in his heart. If he had known that You Que’s face could be healed, he wouldn’t have run off so quickly back then. Hesitating and stammering, he asked, “Y-Your Excellency, is your face… healed now?”
Hearing this, You Que’s movements paused. He raised his eyes to look at Hansen, noticing the trace of anticipation and joy hidden in the female zerg’s gaze. There was a budding affection, his thoughts easy to discern.
Desire always prompted emotion—whether for wealth or for beauty. Since You Que was penniless and had nothing to his name, it could only be the latter.
You Que casually averted his gaze, his tone emotionless as he said, “It might relapse in the future, who knows.”
After speaking, he continued mixing drinks without pause. However, Hansen tentatively asked again, “Your Excellency, have you had any success with your other blind dates? Isn’t your female monarch willing to let you work here?”
His words were subtly probing, trying to find out if You Que was currently single, hoping for a chance to rekindle their past connection. Unfortunately, You Que had no such intention from the start. He added a few ice cubes to the glass and said, “I haven’t married a female monarch yet…”
Before he could finish his sentence, he noticed Hansen instinctively straighten up. Pausing for a moment, he continued, “But I am in the process of courting someone, and we might get married in a few days.”
He had no interest in Hansen. The attraction that arose simply because of appearance felt shallow to him. Making friends or acquaintances was one thing, but if he were to spend the rest of his life with someone, looks alone wouldn’t be enough.
However, Hansen didn’t catch the rejection in You Que’s words. After all, in the Zerg world, as long as one wasn’t married, there was still a chance. With You Que’s looks, it wasn’t just a female monarch—there were plenty of female attendants eager to throw themselves at him.
Hansen tried hard to recall if he had said anything inappropriate during his initial blind date with You Que. In the end, he concluded that he hadn’t. At most, he had been taken aback by You Que’s appearance. If there were a chance to rekindle their connection, it should be… possible, right?
Hansen asked, “Your Excellency, what time does the bar open here every day?”
You Que replied, “Two in the afternoon.”
Hansen took a small sip from the last bit of his drink and realized it was already time for his evening shift change. He had no choice but to leave. Standing up, he said, “Your Excellency, I’ll come find you the day after tomorrow. The access routes to Saint Lieux have been opened recently, and with the heavy patrol duties, I don’t have as much free time as before.”
You Que, who had been busy, looked up at him for the first time, breaking his usual routine. “Didn’t they say there’s been an interstellar pirate disturbance outside? Aren’t they restricting movement in and out now?”
Hansen explained, “It was quite bad a while ago, but it’s been better recently. The Empire has also sent troops to deal with it, so there shouldn’t be any major issues.”
He waited, hoping that You Que would say something more, but unfortunately, the male zerg only nodded and didn’t respond further. With a reluctant sigh, Hansen finally left with his colleague.
You Que had been planning to leave the town and properly handle the body of the male zerg, but the town’s guards were too strict, and they didn’t allow easy entry or exit. He hadn’t expected the restrictions to be lifted so soon.
His mind wandered for a moment, and since he had already been busy all afternoon, he decided to wash his hands, hand over the shift to a female zerg bartender, and then retreat to the back room to smoke.
There were only two reasons why You Que smoked: either he was troubled, or he was pleased. He lit one of the few cigarettes he had left in his pocket with a lighter, and the uneasy feeling returned to his heart. Living under a false identity was never comfortable—there was always a sense of being sneaky, as if one day it would all be exposed.
He didn’t even know if that male zerg had family. What if they came looking for him…?
As You Que thought about this, a moment of unease swept over him, and he couldn’t help but feel that living an ordinary, peaceful life was a luxury. Frowning, he flicked the ash off his cigarette and stared absently at the ashes falling to the ground. He didn’t even feel the burn as the smoke reached his fingertips.
It wasn’t until a knock on the door broke his train of thought that he came back to his senses. “Your Excellency, it seems this cigarette has quite the allure, you didn’t even notice when it burned your hand.”
You Que snapped back to reality upon hearing the voice. He felt the searing pain in his fingertips and quickly snuffed out the cigarette, murmuring, “What are you doing here?”
Sanya, hands in his pockets, leaned casually against the doorframe. Noticing the large burn mark on You Que’s hand, he couldn’t help but wonder what was on his mind. He stepped into the room and sat down beside You Que. “Nothing much,” he said, “I noticed you weren’t at the bar, so I came to check on you.”
You Que subtly waved the smoke away from the air, not wanting to make Sanya cough. “I’m a bit tired, so I came here to rest for a moment.”
Sanya asked with a hint of ambiguity, “Did you get tired talking to that female zerg just now?”
You Que was puzzled. “What?”
Sanya prompted him, “The one in the police uniform. Do you know him?”
You Que belatedly realized he was referring to Hansen. Without changing his expression, he shoved the lighter into his pocket and replied in a rather indifferent tone, “I guess you could say we know each other. We went on a blind date once.”
Sanya raised an eyebrow, his tone flat. “No wonder you seemed so happy talking to him.”
“Did I?” You Que mused, feeling like he hadn’t even said much to Hansen. He quickly pushed the thought aside and shifted to another topic. “I have something tomorrow. I’d like to move my weekend day off to another day, so I might not come to work.”
You Que had always been diligent in his work, never late or leaving early, so it seemed unusual for him to suddenly want to rearrange his schedule. Sanya eyed him with suspicion. “Why?”
You Que quickly came up with an excuse. “Just going to the mall to pick up a few clothes.”
After saying that, he seemed to remember something and turned to ask Sanya, “By the way, what happened to my work uniform? Is it still not washed?”
For the past few days, he had been wearing his own clothes, which made him uneasy since he didn’t want to dirty them.
Sanya lowered his gaze. “Oh, I lost it.”
You Que furrowed his brows. “Lost it?”
Sanya smiled. “If it couldn’t be cleaned, I just threw it away. Is that strange?”
It was just an ordinary alcohol stain, something You Que could easily scrub off at home—there was no way it couldn’t be cleaned. But seeing Sanya act as if it were completely natural, You Que didn’t feel like arguing. Noticing more and more customers arriving outside, he stood up to leave. “It’s getting late, I’m going back to work.”
Just as he finished speaking, Sanya unexpectedly grabbed his wrist. Sanya lowered his gaze, gently tracing the wound on his fingertips. Seeing the red mark still there, he frowned. “Wait a moment, I’ll tell Fei Wen to give you the rest of the day off.”
Sanya’s attention to You Que’s affairs often seemed excessive, so much so that even Fei Wen, who was an outsider, had noticed it. How could You Que not? In truth, he didn’t understand why Sanya was so considerate towards him. Hansen had been entranced by his appearance, but what about Sanya?
Was it because of the false image of a good zerg that You Que had put on?
The darkness always seemed to magnify the darker sides of the human heart. You Que had originally planned to leave, but his foot suddenly nudged the door, causing it to close gently, leaving only a sliver of light streaming through the crack. The noisy sounds from outside faded like a receding tide.
Sanya paused at the sight. “What are you doing?”
You Que leaned in front of him, crouching down as he carefully examined Sanya for the first time. “You’ve helped me so much, aren’t you afraid I’ll be ungrateful?”
You Que continued ambiguously, “I might not be as kind as you think.”
He had stolen, smoked, drunk to excess, and even served time in prison. No matter how much he tried to act like a model citizen now, he couldn’t hide the rot of his past.
If one day his true identity was exposed, Sanya might regret his actions, though it was too late to turn back.
Sanya couldn’t shake the feeling that You Que seemed troubled today. He observed the male figure sinking into the shadows, then leaned closer, his shift in position causing a beam of light from the door crack to illuminate his enticing features:
“Why ask something like that?”
You Que found the beam of light on Sanya’s face blinding. In the darkness, he gently grasped the female zerg’s chin, pulling him back into the shadows. His voice was low and muffled. “Leave a bit of distance when you do things. If you try too hard, you might regret it later.”
Sanya countered, “Is it just because you’re not kind enough?”
They were so close that their breath intertwined as they spoke, bringing a slight tickling sensation.
You Que remained silent, which could be taken as an acknowledgment.
Sanya, however, faintly curved his lips. “You Que, there are plenty of zergs on the streets who are kinder than you. Can you guess why I help you and not them?”
Sanya caught the scent of You Que’s pheromones, his breath faltering for a moment. A flush of emotions stirred within him, though the darkness concealed the redness on his face, preventing You Que from noticing.
You Que truly didn’t understand. “What?”
Sanya tilted his head, leaning closer to his ear, whispering a single sentence: “You haven’t realized…”
You Que asked, “Realized what?”
We’re the same kind.
The words lingered on Sanya’s lips, but in the end, he swallowed them. Instead, he said something more loaded with meaning: “You Que, I never asked you to be kind, just kind to me.”
“As long as that doesn’t change, even if you’re beyond redemption, it won’t stop me from continuing to help you.”
Does it matter if You Que is a good zerg? Sanya felt he wasn’t exactly a saint either. They were both equally flawed, so neither should look down on the other.
You Que was left speechless, lost in thought.
He hadn’t really expected Sanya to answer that question. People are naturally inclined towards kindness, and no one likes to help a villain. But, it must be said, Sanya’s words—blurred in right and wrong—gave You Que a sense of relief, an inexplicable feeling of things settling into place.
Sanya took his injured hand, studying it for a moment. Noticing the new red mark on his fingertip, he remarked with a hint of regret, as though a beautiful jade had a flaw: “No matter what’s troubling you—whether it’s money or a place to stay—it’s not a big deal. I can help with that. There’s no need for you to hurt yourself.”
You Que snapped back to reality, thinking to himself that Sanya was just as poor as he was, so what was he talking about helping him: “It’s not serious.”
Sanya lowered his gaze: “Your hands are so beautiful, it would be a pity to leave scars.”
As they spoke, a distant sound of footsteps suddenly approached from outside the door. Before Sanya could react, You Que had already pulled him behind the door to hide. Their bodies pressed closely together in the darkness, their hearts racing.
They hadn’t done anything, there was no need to hide, but for some reason, it felt as though they had been caught in a forbidden affair, creating an unexpected sense of tension.
Sanya instinctively looked at You Que, but was stopped when the male zerg placed a hand over his mouth, pressing him tightly against the wall. His voice was low as he whispered, “Shh, don’t say anything.”
Sanya struggled lightly for a moment but had no choice but to stay quiet.
After a while, there was a creaking sound, and a staff member pushed the door open. This partition, with no windows and dim, stifling air, had long been used as a storage room.
The staff member casually pushed the door, not paying attention to whether anyone was hiding inside. He mumbled to himself as he moved a box of tissues to the corner, then turned and left.
Once You Que heard his footsteps fade away, he kicked the door shut again, but didn’t release his hold on Sanya’s hand.
Sanya tugged at You Que’s hand, urging, “Let go, he’s gone.”
Only then did You Que slowly release Sanya’s hand. Whether it was just a feeling or not, he couldn’t shake the sense that the pheromones around the female zerg were overwhelmingly strong, and his face was flushed with a noticeable redness. “Your face is red, are you running a fever?”
His voice remained as indifferent as ever, but when it reached Sanya’s ears, it carried an unspoken, indescribable hint of intimacy. The female zerg, not wanting to reveal his physical reaction, awkwardly took a step back, avoiding eye contact. “No, I’m fine. Let’s go out. I’ll get you some burn ointment.”
You Que gazed at Sanya’s beautiful lips and, unexpectedly, thought of the habit the other had developed of sucking his fingertips when injured. A curiosity stirred within him, wondering what that sensation might feel like. Once the thought appeared, it grew like wild grass, amplifying the scattered desires buried deep in his heart. In the midst of the dim darkness, You Que whispered,
“They say that the saliva of female zergs can accelerate wound healing. Is that true or just a rumor…?”
Sanya froze at the sound of his words. Before he could even ask, a warm sensation suddenly pressed against his lips. You Que’s fingertip slowly slipped into his mouth, easily prying open his teeth, and made contact with the soft tip of his tongue.
Sanya’s pupils constricted in shock: How dare You Que?!
Sanya was stunned for a moment, then quickly turned his head to avoid it, but in doing so, You Que’s fingertip pressed even deeper, directly touching his throat. Blushing, he grasped You Que’s wrist, attempting to push him away, but You Que only pressed Sanya harder against the wall.
He slowly traced his fingertip over the female zerg’s hard teeth and soft, wet tongue, playfully teasing. However, in the next instant, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his fingertip as it was bitten hard, causing his movements to falter.
When Sanya became ruthless, he truly was. Seeing that You Que showed no intention of retreating, he frowned and bit down on his fingertip, not releasing until he tasted blood.
You Que neither dodged nor recoiled; instead, he smiled and said, “Sharp teeth and a sharp tongue.”
He slowly withdrew his fingertip from Sanya’s mouth, a glistening drop of liquid trailing behind it. Fresh blood oozed from the wound, but it stopped soon after.
A pair of flawless hands, yet marred by a bloody bite mark.
You Que glanced at it and remarked, “Now it’s really going to leave a scar.”
Seeing You Que injured, Sanya unconsciously swallowed the taste of blood in his mouth, feeling a sudden wave of guilt. Frowning, he grasped You Que’s hand and said, “Who told you to touch me recklessly? I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Sanya genuinely didn’t want You Que to have a scar. Such beautiful hands should remain pristine, not marred like his own.
However, You Que pulled Sanya back, leisurely rubbing his fingertip against the female zerg’s shoulder, leaving a few faintly suggestive blood marks. Only then did he speak, “It’s fine, leave it. It’s not that bad.”
Sanya hesitated, wanting to say something but stopped, “But…”
You Que truly didn’t care. “I’m leaving first. Please ask for my leave.”
After speaking, he reached for the door and left the partition without hesitation. When Sanya followed him out, he saw You Que pull another cigarette from his jacket pocket, place it between his lips, and light it with a lighter. With a swift turn, he disappeared into the hazy lights of the bar.
It was still early, and the mall had not yet closed.
You Que walked into the mall with a clear shopping goal. First, he bought a backpack, then a foldable military shovel. He made sure the former could fit into the latter before heading to the checkout counter. As he passed a clothing store, he also picked out a simple white shirt, neatly packed it into a beautiful shopping bag, and planned to give it to Sanya.
After all, if he couldn’t even wash off the faint wine stains, there was no hope for the blood he had brushed onto his shoulder. Giving him a new one wouldn’t be a loss for You Que.
As night fell, the streets were still filled with all kinds of zergs. It was You Que’s first time finishing work this early. He walked slowly towards home, carrying his shopping bag, just in time to see the flower shop downstairs closing its doors.
The shopkeeper had already recognized You Que. Seeing him standing at the stall with a mask on, the shopkeeper called out, “Your Excellency, do you still need to buy some red paper?”
In the past, whenever You Que went on blind dates, he would always buy a piece of red paper and fold it into a rose. The first one fell into the rain, the second was tossed into a trash can, and the third was taken by Sanya.
That female zerg seemed to quite like flowers.
When he heard the shopkeeper’s question, his gaze swept over the red paper used to wrap the flowers. After a moment’s hesitation, he slowly pulled out a vibrant red rose from the flower bucket. “How much is a single rose?” he asked.
The shopkeeper quoted the price after the recent price hike: “Three hundred star coins per stem.”
The shopkeeper thought You Que would find it too expensive and leave, but to his surprise, You Que actually took out three hundred star coins, placed them on the table, and left with a rose from the bucket.
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