Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 12/15/2024
Edited Date: 06/24/2025
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Nuo Wei sat in the aircraft, legs together, hands nervously clasping his knees. His posture was proper and stiff, as if he were in a military office getting lectured by a superior, not in his own vehicle.
When anxious, he had a habit of pinching himself. Chu Ci parked the aircraft by the roadside, turned to look at him, and—sure enough—saw Nuo Wei with downcast eyes and clenched palms, lost in thought.
With a sigh, Chu Ci extended a hand towards him, saying, “Give me your hand.”
Nuo Wei hurriedly relaxed and offered his left hand.
But the left hand was weaker, and the marks weren’t very deep.
Chu Ci didn’t take it, keeping his hand outstretched. “The other one.”
“Yes,” Nuo Wei said, his voice slightly flustered, and he obediently handed over his other hand.
Chu Ci grasped his hand, turned it over, and just as expected—five small white crescent-shaped marks in his palm, with two in the middle even broken and bleeding. He pointed at the uninjured skin beside them with his index finger. “Hm? Pinching yourself again?”
The flying vehicle was running the air conditioner, and the male was staying inside, with a body temperature slightly higher than the female’s, his scorching fingertips pressing against the palm. Nuo Wei shivered slightly, helplessly trembling his fingers and not daring to withdraw them. He said, “I’m sorry, please punish me.”
“Even this warrants punishment from me?”
Chu Ci felt like he had sighed more in front of Nuo Wei than he had in his entire previous life. He reached under the seat, rummaging through the storage compartment for any medicine.
Females in this world had strong self-healing abilities; these two bleeding marks would likely heal by nightfall if left alone. But Nuo Wei’s pale skin was almost like an open cold jade, his fingers long and beautiful. The red crescent marks in the middle of his palm were distracting to Chu Ci.
Nuo Wei let the male hold his wrist, not moving, only asking softly, “What are you looking for? I can help you find it.”
It was Nuo Wei’s own vehicle, so he was more familiar with it.
“Forget it,” Chu Ci said, closing the compartment. Nuo Wei’s introverted nature meant he certainly wouldn’t have medical supplies in the vehicle. He probably only went to the hospital for serious injuries on the battlefield.
Chu Ci held his hand, examining it again. The more he looked, the more the marks bothered him.
Nuo Wei, this cold, beautiful silver-haired beauty, a Major General of the Empire, should only be getting hurt for honor and ideals. How could he just be idly pinching himself into these injuries?
Suddenly, Chu Ci lowered his head.
He took Nuo Wei’s hand and kissed the crescent-shaped marks on his palm.
Very lightly, very gently, as if avoiding the wound entirely, but Nuo Wei’s skin underneath his lips began to tremble violently.
Nuo Wei could hardly steady his hand.
His hands, which could pilot a spaceship, were shaking uncontrollably. He had to use his other hand to brace his arm to prevent it from trembling out of Chu Ci’s grasp. A soft, almost suppressed whimper escaped from the female’s lips, and he hesitated, calling out, “…My Lord?”
Chu Ci held his hand tighter, “Don’t move.”
In zerg biology, males were basically walking cheat codes. Their pheromones and spiritual power could solve 99% of a female zerg’s problems. The mouth, being one of the densest regions for pheromone concentration, had healing effects on wounds.
He carefully kissed each crescent mark, watching as they gradually healed, fading into shallow white marks before he finally released the flushed Nuo Wei and restarted the vehicle.
Nuo Wei still cradled that hand, blankly staring off into space, unsure what to think.
Chu Ci asked, “If I hadn’t come today, were you seriously planning to walk back?”
That question fell into familiar territory for Nuo Wei. He regained his calm posture and answered quickly, “Yes.”
But after a moment, he felt that sounded too stiff and added, “According to the manual…”
Chu Ci groaned internally at the mention of the manual. He turned his head slightly. “Nuo Wei, is the Female Monarch Manual more important or am I?”
As soon as he said it, Chu Ci felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment.
In the human world, lovers might sulk and ask, “Am I more important or your 2D waifu?” “Me or your bros?” But no, he transmigrated into the zerg race, and here he was, asking if he was more important than some cold, emotionless female manual.
It was an utterly absurd question. Nuo Wei was puzzled. “Of course you’re more important.”
As he said this, he began to shy away, avoiding Chu Ci’s gaze like a fledgling bird trying to avoid a predator’s gaze. Chu Ci insisted, “So, rather than that manual, you should listen to me, right?”
Nuo Wei replied, “Of course, I should listen to you.”
Chu Ci gestured like he was making a phone call, “Next time such situation like this happens, send me a message on the terminal first?”
Nuo Wei hesitated for a moment, not saying anything.
He was always taciturn and didn’t have many words to spare, especially around females. Around males, he was even more awkward.
Chu Ci pressed, “Hmm?”
Nuo Wei raised his eyes. The male’s expression was serious and earnest, as though he really would respond if Nuo Wei sent him a message. The female hesitated, “What exactly do you mean by ‘such situations’?”
He appeared like someone who had been hurt too many times, needing each promise to be clearly defined in its scope, as if only that way could he avoid unforeseen harm.
Chu Ci wanted to tell him that he could send a message about everything, but the female would likely take it as a cruel joke. After thinking it over, he carefully said, “When you keep pinching your palm until it bleeds.”
Whenever something was bothering him, the female would unconsciously pinch his palm. When Chu Ci had held his hand earlier, he had seen the deepest marks alongside a few shallower ones—likely from Nuo Wei pinching himself before.
The female wasn’t afraid of pain. Nuo Wei’s nerves were frayed all day, only numbed by frequent meetings, and during the gaps between them, he would unconsciously pinch himself thinking about the male.
Nuo Wei nodded, “Okay.”
He liked this clear boundary.
“If punishment is unpredictable, authority becomes unmeasurable[mfn]“刑不可知，则威不可测” (Xíng bù kě zhī, zé wēi bù kě cè) — If punishment is unpredictable, authority becomes unmeasurable. → This idiom comes from Han Feizi, a foundational work of Legalist philosophy in ancient China. It emphasizes that in order to maintain authority, the consequences of disobedience must be clear and predictable[/mfn]”—male zerg loved playing ambiguous games, giving female zerg hope only to coldly snatch it away later, leaving nothing but a detached “You misunderstood” or “I never said that.” Nuo Wei feared those unclear forms of punishment. But since Chu Ci had given him a specific rule, he could rest easy.
Chu Ci saw Nuo Wei agree and let out a small sigh of relief.
Nuo Wei was like a small animal hiding in a burrow, unwilling to come out. So Chu Ci drew a small circle right outside the nest—small and subtle, nearly indistinguishable from its surroundings. But to the small animal, that circle felt safe. He’d peek out, cautiously explore, and once he adjusted to that range, Chu Ci would draw another circle. And then another. Gradually, the little creature would be coaxed out entirely.
“Alright, let’s go home,” Chu Ci reclined in the chair. “I’m hungry.”
The robotic butler had already prepared dinner. The cooking skills of the zerg were rather bland and the flavoring was plain. However, Chu Ci wasn’t picky, he quickly finished his meal, then opened his inbox to find a few interview invitations.
These invitations were from companies he had previously applied to. One particularly interesting opportunity had a scheduled interview for tonight. So, Chu Ci hurriedly finished his meal and went upstairs to change clothes.
At that moment, Nuo Wei’s light brain received a message from Admiral Erwen.
He opened the communication, and the stern face of the Admiral appeared on the screen, “Nuo Wei, I heard that the male brought a spacecraft to pick you up?”
Erwen was one of the highest-ranking officials in the military, and nothing escaped his notice. A male driving a spacecraft to pick up the Imperial Major General in broad daylight was a big gossip news, and he was informed almost immediately.
Nuo Wei nodded, “Yes.”
Well done, Nuo Wei.” A faint smile appeared on Admiral Erwen’s face. “It seems your seduction was quite successful. I won’t need to assign you an additional instructor.”
The change in attitude from the male was quite significant, it appeared he had been thoroughly satisfied in bed.
Most military females were cold and rigid, lacking the softness of a sub-female and unable to assume various seductive poses, making them unattractive to males. Nuo Wei was also the coldest of them all, and Erwen was worried that his aloofness might drive the male away.
Nuo Wei hesitated, mumbling, “… No.”
He spoke too softly for Admiral Erwen to hear, who furrowed his brow and asked, “What?”
“It wasn’t successful,” Nuo Wei said, almost in defeat. “…The seduction didn’t work.”
He ran a hand over the insect markings on his neck. “He didn’t touch me.”
The male zerg’s behavior was strange; he had rejected Nuo Wei’s support, his embrace, and an invitation for the night as though he found the very idea of physical contact with a female repellent. Yet, he still went to the entrance of the military headquarters to pick someone up, ruffled his hair in full view of the public, and even took his hand, planting a gentle, affectionate kiss there.
“That’s odd,” Admiral Erwen furrowed his brow, unable to decipher the male zerg’s intentions despite his vast experience. “Do you still need a tutor?”
Unmarried females despised the concept of a tutor; it made them feel like they were not autonomous individuals but rather objects selected for a specific purpose.
Nuo Wei didn’t like tutors either; before them, he had to strip away all honor—his rank, military achievements, medals—all were unimportant. The only thing that mattered was whether he had a good-looking face, a submissive expression, and a charming smile.
But this time, he hesitated before saying, “I need one.”
“Okay.” Admiral Erwen nodded. “I’ll arrange the most highly-rated tutor for you, one known for being strict, but it’s necessary. Once you get through the seven-day appeal, everything will be fine.”
He quickly typed something into his light brain, “He will come over tomorrow at a time that avoids the male’s active hours, so you won’t disturb him.”
Nuo Wei nodded, “Yes.”
Admiral Erwen then closed the communication, and the screen went dark, reflecting Nuo Wei’s face in the dark glass.
He lowered his eyes, sitting quietly in the living room for a long time.
………………
Upstairs, Chu Ci was picking out clothes in the changing room.
The male zerg’s sense of fashion was just as terrible as their taste in aircraft. Chu Ci looked at the wardrobe full of clothes— sequined with rainbow rhinestones, shimmering with holographic glitter, fluorescent yellow and green. The male looked like he was planning to settle down in a nightclub and had brought his work uniform home with him.
In addition to that, there were only casual coats and sweaters, which were not quite suitable for a job interview.
…Not even a single dress shirt to be found.
Chu Ci sighed, pushing open the door. “Nuo Wei? Do you have a moment?”
Nuo Wei stood up from the sofa, “Yes. Do you need something?”
Chu Ci pinched his nose, slightly awkward. “Uh, could… could you lend me one of your shirts?”
He and Nuo Wei were of similar height, with Nuo Wei’s muscular lines being slightly more attractive. Aside from that, there were no major differences, and Nuo Wei’s shirt would fit Chu Ci.
Although he could wear it, it was still a bit embarrassing to ask his partner for a shirt.
Nuo Wei didn’t understand, but he nodded, “Okay, please wait a moment.”
He quickly retrieved a plain white shirt from the wardrobe and handed it to Chu Ci. Chu Ci’s face flushed, said nothing, took the shirt, and closed the door with a thud.
He quickly put on Nuo Wei’s shirt, which still held the faint scent of laundry detergent—clean and pleasantly fresh.
After he put on the formal attire and everything was neatly in place, Chu Ci looked at himself in the mirror but still felt something was off.
The back of a female’s neck and parts of the face were adorned with a few subtle insect markings; Nuo Wei’s were concentrated on the back of his neck and were faint but visible upon closer inspection. Chu Ci had none, and with his overly refined features and handsome face, without the markings, interviewers could easily tell he was a male.
With a sigh, Chu Ci pushed open the door again. “Nuo Wei, help me out here.”
Nuo Wei looked up, his pupils slightly contracting.
Chu Ci was wearing only Nuo Wei’s shirt. The buttons were undone to the second one, and he held the collar with one hand, exposing a generous stretch of smooth, fair skin. He frowned slightly and tilted his head, troubled by his bare neck. “Um… could you use a water-based pen and draw some insect markings for me?”
……………………………
Author’s Note:
Nuo Wei: Failed seduction.
Chu Ci: Unintentional seduction.
What do you need a tutor for?!
The male zerg volunteers: Step aside, let me take over! I’ll teach you how to seduce!
