Xier Fu was in a dilemma.
He had been asked by Admiral Erwen to tutor Nuo Wei, but Nuo Wei was far from a good student. Where he excelled in military and combat skills, he was equally frustrating in his attempts to please a male. With a tap of his ruler on the female’s elbow, Xier Fu asked, “Is this how you serve tea to a male?”
Nuo Wei was pale, and his skin unexpectedly flushed easily. With the tap of the ruler, a red mark appeared, but he took the punishment without a change in expression, steadying the teacup on the table. “Please teach me.”
Xier Fu sighed. “This is for your male, not your superior. Why are you so excessively respectful? Be softer, more graceful, understand?”
“Your gaze too—who are you trying to look so innocent for? Give a hint, make your eyes inviting, understand?”
Nuo Wei was sincere. “I don’t understand, please teach me.”
Xier Fu had never dealt with such a difficult student before. Nuo Wei was earnest and serious in his study, not the type to shirk or rebel, but he was just too rigid. Seducing a male was something without a tutorial; could any female climb into a male’s bed with a manual?
Xier Fu rubbed his forehead. “Does your male even like tea?”
Tea art was Xier Fu’s specialty, but his true intention was not just to serve tea, but to display the female’s grace to the male. Serving tea wasn’t about getting the male to drink, but about showcasing the female’s posture.
Imagine the scene, as twilight falls and the evening sun sets, in the classic garden bathed in lilac hues. A female, wearing a sheer silk robe, leans against a stone platform, gracefully lifting a teapot. A stream of amber-colored liquid spills from the pot, her body slightly bending, and sunlight draws the curve of her waist against the silk fabric. The male reaches out, measures that delicate waist, and it becomes a natural progression—all is within his control.
But not Nuo Wei…
He only knew how to make a military report. He first saluted and then said, “Sir, please have some tea.”
Nuo Wei didn’t understand what Xier Fu was thinking. He shook his head. “The male master doesn’t drink tea.”
Chu Ci only drank milk tea.
Milk tea?
Xier Fu paused, slightly taken aback.
—The female, dressed in a sheer robe, leans against the stone platform, lifting the teapot, and a stream of… milk tea-colored liquid spills from the pot.
…Well, that works too.
“Forget it.” Xier Fu rubbed his forehead. “If the male doesn’t drink tea, then so be it. We’ll move on to the next lesson.”
He tapped the table with his ruler. “Kneel.”
Nuo Wei hesitated for a moment.
Kneeling is one of the standard postures for serving a male and something every female must learn. Nuo Wei could perform this posture perfectly, but he disliked the act of kneeling. He could tolerate it in front of Chu Ci, but he was unwilling to do so before an instructor.
Besides, it had been a long time since Chu Ci had asked him to kneel.
Ever since the male woke up from the hospital, they mostly interacted as equals. On rare occasions when Nuo Wei did kneel, Chu Ci would quickly help him up.
Xier Fu frowned. Initially, he thought that while the female might struggle to learn, his attitude was still acceptable. But now, seeing Nuo Wei outright defy him, Xier Fu tapped the table with his ruler and said sternly, “Kneel. Is this the expression you show your male when he commands you to kneel?”
Nuo Wei pressed his lips together, and a strange thought surfaced in his mind: The male wouldn’t ask me to kneel.
Chu Ci had said so himself—Nuo Wei didn’t need to kneel.
This thought was abrupt and absurd, bizarre yet audacious. Even the most favored females wouldn’t dare entertain such a notion. But Nuo Wei couldn’t help himself; the idea lingered in his mind, refusing to leave. He was startled by his rebellious thought but found it impossible to dismiss. It clung stubbornly, like the mythological giant who sought to marry Freya, foolishly and obsessively believing in an outlandish promise from someone above him.
The male had said it—he didn’t need to kneel.
Xier Fu’s frown deepened, and he lowered his voice. “Is this how a Major General serves his male? It seems I’ll need to report this to Admiral Erwen. Let it be clear that it’s not for my lack of teaching but for the Major General’s unwillingness to learn. When the day comes that you displease your male, get your wings cut off, and are exiled to some barren star, it won’t be my responsibility.”
Having his wings cut off and being exiled to a barren star was Nuo Wei’s deepest fear. He had once been only a step away from that terrifying abyss. Were it not for the male’s fleeting mercy, he would have already been living a fate worse than death in that hell.
Nuo Wei gripped the hem of his clothing and bent his knees, preparing to kneel.
Just then, the sound of a door opening came from upstairs.
Chu Ci yawned as he wandered out, flipping on the lights with a casual click. He noticed Xier Fu in the living room and asked, “Nuo Wei, is this your guest?”
“Yes,” Nuo Wei straightened up from his kneeling position and looked at the male. “This is Xier Fu, a teacher from Central University. I reported his visit to you earlier.”
When a female invited a guest home, they had to inform their male, but Chu Ci didn’t care about such formalities. Although he had received the notification email, he hadn’t even opened it. Still half-asleep, he rubbed his eyes groggily. “Go ahead and continue chatting. I just came down to grab some water.”
Naturally, they couldn’t continue their conversation in front of the male. Xier Fu gave Nuo Wei a nudge and said, “Well? Hurry up and fetch some water for your male.”
Then, in a quieter voice, he added, “Use the tea-serving technique I taught you. Let me see how well you’ve mastered it.”
Nuo Wei stiffened, his entire body tense.
He walked over to the male, taking the cup from Chu Ci’s hand. His fingers lightly brushed against the male’s palm before gently stroking his wrist. Lowering his gaze, he said softly, “Let me do it, my lord.”
Nuo Wei, with his stunning silver hair, exuded an aura of frost-kissed elegance when he lowered his eyes without speaking. Cold and aloof, he embodied an unapproachable beauty that perfectly hit Chu Ci’s sweet spot. But right now, Chu Ci had just woken up, still in a foggy daze, unable to tell north from south, let alone appreciate a beauty’s charms. Without suspicion, he simply replied, “Oh, okay, you do it then.”
Chu Ci didn’t notice Nuo Wei’s subtle movements at all. He stepped back to make room for him in the kitchen. Nuo Wei paused briefly, poured the water for Chu Ci, and brought it to his lips. “Take it slow, my lord. Be careful—it’s hot.”
Chu Ci, still in a daze, didn’t take the cup. Instead, he raised his hand and grasped Nuo Wei’s wrist, sipping the water directly from the cup in his hand, small mouthfuls at a time.
Nuo Wei’s wrist trembled slightly.
The male looked so obedient and adorably clueless. After finishing the water, Chu Ci stepped back, turning to head upstairs like he was sleepwalking. He nearly tripped over the sofa, prompting Nuo Wei to reach out and steady him. “My lord, let me carry you upstairs.”
“No need.” Though sleepy, Chu Ci still had enough awareness not to allow himself to be carried by his female monarch in front of a stranger. He sidestepped the sofa, his head nodding sleepily. “I’ll go up on my own.”
“My lord…”
Nuo Wei suddenly wanted to call out to him, without any specific reason. Though interrupting a tired male was extremely impolite, the words left his lips before he could stop them. His voice was soft and faint, but Chu Ci still heard him. The male turned his head slightly to look at Nuo Wei, his expression puzzled. “Hm? Is there something you need?”
His tone was as gentle as ever, showing no signs of irritation despite being disturbed when he was about to sleep.
Suddenly, Nuo Wei extended his hand, pressing his lips together. “My lord.”
Over the past couple of days, Chu Ci had developed a habit of flipping over Nuo Wei’s palm whenever he saw it. He instinctively took the offered hand and inspected it. “Hmm? What is it?”
In the center of Nuo Wei’s palm was a faint white mark, shallow and unbroken, as if pinched lightly but not forcefully enough to draw blood.
Chu Ci gently rubbed the center of Nuo Wei’s palm and asked, “You pinched yourself again? What’s wrong?”
The male’s touch was soft and tender, the pressure he applied to Nuo Wei’s palm as light as tapping a spoon against a piece of pudding.
Nuo Wei avoided looking at him and instead asked, “Do you want me to kneel for you?”
Upon hearing this, Xier Fu’s face darkened, displeased by the boldness of the female zerg’s question.
Perhaps the Empire had seen many temporarily favored females, but every one of them who became arrogant had ended up brutally discarded. A male’s affection was as fragile and fleeting as flowers in a mirror or the moon’s reflection on water, ready to shatter at any moment. Xier Fu admired Nuo Wei’s merits as a Major General but strongly disapproved of his attitude when serving a male.
Do you want me to kneel for you? What a ridiculous question. It was common knowledge across the galaxy that males disliked the robust physiques of females and detested them towering over males in stature.
Xier Fu sighed softly, picking up the tea Nuo Wei had just poured. He prepared himself to step in and defuse the situation the moment the male grew angry. Confident in his beauty, noble birth, and connections as a teacher at Central University, he believed he could use his charm and gentle words to pacify the male and win a bit of favor.
But Chu Ci didn’t even glance at him.
Instead, he raised his hand and gently ruffled Nuo Wei’s silky long hair, chuckling.
Though he didn’t understand why Nuo Wei had asked such a question, he was delighted that Nuo Wei had finally chosen to speak up instead of merely following the Female Monarch Manual.
Chu Ci said, “Of course not. Why would I want you to kneel for me?”
Chu Ci looked Nuo Wei up and down. His female monarch had a tall, well-proportioned figure. The waist cincher accentuated his slender waist, while the pants outlined his evenly muscled legs. He was a perfect model figure. Just standing there, he evoked the image of a noble pine or a graceful bamboo, a sight particularly pleasing to the eye.
If Nuo Wei were to kneel, however, all Chu Ci would see was a silver-haired head—and nothing else.
Worried that this silly zerg might do something foolish again, Chu Ci emphasized, “Don’t kneel. I don’t like it when you kneel. You look so much better standing.”
Then, he ruffled Nuo Wei’s hair again and headed upstairs to sleep.
As Chu Ci trudged up to the second floor, still groggy, he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t said goodnight to Nuo Wei. Turning back, he yawned at the top of the stairs, tilting his head slightly, his misty eyes heavy with sleep. In a soft and drowsy tone, he said, “Goodnight, Nuo Wei. I’m so tired. Keep this gentleman company while I go to bed.”
Nuo Wei had never heard Chu Ci speak in such a soft, endearing tone before. He thought of how the male had just sipped water from his hand, looking like a little hamster nodding repeatedly. His wrist, where Chu Ci had held him, felt faintly warm. Then, he remembered the promise the male had just made—that kneeling wasn’t necessary.
Nuo Wei’s heart melted completely, a surge of indescribable emotions swelling in his chest.
He gazed up at the male on the second floor and, without realizing it, smiled.
It wasn’t a bitter smile, nor one forced by sheer will, but a genuine smile, unrestrained and heartfelt.
Xier Fu looked like he’d seen a ghost.
He had been friends with Admiral Erwen for years and had known Nuo Wei since he was a child. He knew how emotionless and expressionless this indifferent zerg usually was. It was as if the nerves in his face had frozen solid, incapable even of faking a reaction. And now, he was smiling so beautifully?
Chu Ci, not hearing his female zerg’s reply, frowned with dissatisfaction. He glanced down from the stairs at Nuo Wei. “Nuo Wei, aren’t you going to say goodnight to me?”
Though his tone carried a trace of blame, Nuo Wei, unusually, did not react with fear. He neither panicked nor knelt. Instead, he simply said, “Goodnight, my lord.”
Chu Ci gave him a sleepy, dazed look, then turned back to his room and closed the door to continue his nap.
Nuo Wei waited until the male disappeared at the end of the hallway before reluctantly withdrawing his gaze. Only then did he spare Xier Fu a glance.
Xier Fu silently observed him before asking, “Did you learn it?”
Nuo Wei blinked in confusion. “Learn what?”
Xier Fu replied, “What it means to have eyes full of unspoken words, glistening like dew.”
Pointing upstairs, Xier Fu added in a meaningful tone, “Your lord just gave an excellent demonstration.”
……………………………
Author’s Note:
Xier Fu: “Eyes full of unspoken words, glistening like dew.”
Chu Ci: “Nonsense! To hell with your ‘unspoken words’ and ‘glistening like dew’—I’m just sleepy.”
