Nuo Wei was utterly distracted by Chu Ci, his thoughts consumed by the image of the male zerg drinking water from his hand. Xier Fu noticed his dazed expression and sighed helplessly.
The day’s lessons had yielded little progress, and Nuo Wei had no focus left to continue learning. As Xier Fu prepared to leave, he stopped at the door, giving Nuo Wei a meaningful look as if he had countless things to say. Yet, in the end, he only uttered one sentence:
“Major General, I wish you good luck.”
The empire’s distinguished Major General had surrendered his heart. No amount of persuasion from Xier Fu could change that. He could only hope that the male zerg would treasure this precious heart and refrain from shattering it—at least not too harshly.
Though Nuo Wei appeared calm and aloof, he was, at his core, an easily hurt soul.
Xier Fu had mentored countless female zerg in the past, many of whom fell even deeper into emotional entanglement than Nuo Wei. Without exception, they had all struggled desperately in the mire. Now, Nuo Wei seemed poised to tread the same path.
Through the lens of those bloody and harrowing stories, Xier Fu saw a possible future for the Major General: a withered figure, battered and scarred, his wings stripped, exiled to the end of the galaxy, never to return to the empire’s primary star.
The young female zerg couldn’t understand Xier Fu’s sorrow. Nuo Wei escorted him to the door and said, “I’ve caused you trouble.”
Xier Fu shook his head. “It’s no trouble. However…”
He glanced at the dull patterns on Nuo Wei’s carapace and added, “If I’m not mistaken, tomorrow is the final day of the seven-day probation period. Your male zerg still hasn’t called you to his side. Have you thought about how you’ll explain this to the governing males at the correctional facility?”
Nuo Wei twisted his fingers together, remaining silent.
The male zerg, Chu Ci, had been exceedingly gentle. He had pardoned all supposed offenses, refused to make Nuo Wei kneel, and even piloted a spacecraft to the military department just to explain matters on Nuo Wei’s behalf. Yet… he still wouldn’t touch him.
Xier Fu asked, “From what I can see, he seems to like you. Why won’t he touch you?”
“I don’t know,” Nuo Wei replied blankly.
It was no surprise to Nuo Wei that the male zerg refused to touch him. From a young age, Nuo Wei had always been unlikable—too cold and reserved, incapable of joking or seeking favor. Before marrying Chu Ci, he had already resigned himself to a life of loneliness. If the male zerg deigned to grant him some pheromones, it would be a blessing. If not, he was prepared to head to the battlefield and die somewhere far away.
The heart of a zerg like Nuo Wei had long hardened into iron, impenetrable by even the sharpest blade. Yet Chu Ci was an exception. He didn’t need a blade—just the faintest scratch of a nail was enough to leave Nuo Wei bleeding.
Take now, for example: just thinking about Chu Ci’s attitude made Nuo Wei’s chest ache.
…The male zerg didn’t want to touch him.
His gaze dropped, a flicker of grievance in his eyes. But such an emotion had no place in a zerg like him. Chu Ci neither scolded nor struck him. Chu Ci was the kind of male zerg countless female zerg dreamed of serving. Nuo Wei pushed aside the insignificant bitterness in his heart, quickly composed himself, and put on his usual indifferent expression. “I’ll explain everything to the correctional facility tomorrow.”
Xier Fu sighed. “Let’s hope they accept your explanation.”
The correctional facility, a branch of the Male Zerg Protection Association, was one of the most difficult organizations to deal with. Since Nuo Wei had not yet been accepted into Chu Ci’s favor, they were bound to nitpick and chastise him for his perceived failure to please his male zerg.
That night, Nuo Wei tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
But despite his reluctance, the sun rose as usual. Today was Chu Ci’s first day at work, and he woke up unusually early. He quickly ate his breakfast, waved goodbye to Nuo Wei, then bounded up the stairs, opening his light brain to greet his colleagues.
Everyone in the office knew there was a new member on the team, and one who was extraordinarily favored at home—his male zerg was unwilling to let him work, that is. Naturally, everyone was very curious about Chu Ci, and they began to discuss him amongst themselves.
“Can the new colleague teach me how to catch a male zerg?”
“Lucky you, my male zerg thinks I’m a nuisance and sent me to work.”
“Is there a trick or a maintenance routine for that?”
Chu Ci was about to brush them off when his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the garden below. He suddenly clutched his light brain, saying, “Sorry, I need to log off.”
Down in the garden, Nuo Wei stood beneath a cluster of purple wisteria flowers, apparently hesitant to leave.
Chu Ci glanced at the time; there were only fifteen minutes left before work started, and it would be a bit rushed to fly to the military department. He pushed open the window and called out, “Nuo Wei?”
Nuo Wei jumped, his eyes darting up to meet Chu Ci’s. “Male master?”
Chu Ci half-heartedly leaned out. “Why didn’t you leave?”
Nuo Wei didn’t answer his question. He noticed Chu Ci’s position, his long eyebrows furrowing. “Male master, it’s too dangerous, please pull back inside.”
After he said that, he realized it was an inappropriate command for a male zerg to use, so he softened his tone and repeated, “Please don’t lean out of the window, it’s too dangerous.”
Chu Ci didn’t mind his tone, simply nodding and obediently retracting his hand. He asked again, “Why didn’t you leave?”
Nuo Wei fell silent.
After a moment, he raised his hand, bringing the flight vehicle out from the garage. “I’m leaving now.”
Chu Ci felt something was off, but if Nuo Wei didn’t want to talk, he certainly couldn’t force him to. So he suspiciously repeated, “If you have something to say to me…”
Nuo Wei had already stepped into the flight vehicle. He moved to start it up but stopped when he heard Chu Ci’s words. Through the window, they locked eyes, and Nuo Wei’s serious gaze spoke volumes. “Male master, if I’m taken back to the correctional facility again, will you come to get me?”
Chu Ci was momentarily baffled, but he still answered seriously, “I won’t let you be taken back to the correctional facility again.”
That was his female monarch; The last time he wasn’t clear-headed was fine, but this time he can’t possibly repeat the same mistake.
Chu Ci spoke with such certainty, just like the last time when he told Nuo Wei not to kneel. It seemed that once he said it out loud, he would definitely do it. Although Nuo Wei knew that male zerg’ promises were all unreliable and empty promises, he still inexplicably felt reassured. He once again showed a faint smile towards Chu Ci, nodding, ‘Mm.
For a moment, Chu Ci was caught off guard.
Nuo Wei was incredibly attractive, more so than any celebrity Chu Ci remembered from his past life. His brows were long and his eyes were exquisitely shaped, with the outer corners slightly downturned, adding a cool detachment to his otherwise regal appearance. His lips were thin, and his posture was composed, adding an air of noble aloofness that made him hard to approach.
He rarely smiled, even less in front of Chu Ci, but now he gave a slight, genuine smile that seemed to add color to the blank spaces of ink, bringing life to his features like blooming purple wisteria.
Nuo Wei didn’t know what he looked like in a male zerg’s eyes. He ignited the flight vehicle and bid Chu Ci farewell, “Then, male master, I’m leaving now?”
Chu Ci waved his hand, “Safe travels.”
As Nuo Wei’s flight vehicle disappeared from sight, Chu Ci reopened his light brain to continue chatting with his resentful colleagues. It wasn’t quite time for work yet, and everyone online was either chatting or snacking. Chu Ci had been offline for a bit, and when he logged back in, there were over ninety messages—at least seventy of them guessing where Chu Ci had gone.
【Quickly went offline, did the new colleague get called by the male master?】
【Wow, seriously? I’m jealous, can’t even be away for a moment—how spoiled is this female zerg?】
【Quick, come out! Where did the new colleague go? Really called by the male master? I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it!!!】
Chu Ci typed helplessly, 【Sorry, really got called.】
Messages flooded in quickly, all inquiring, 【What did the male master call you for?】
【The new colleague must have some secret to being spoiled, quick, share it!】
Chu Ci rubbed his nose, awkwardly responding, 【It’s nothing, we just have to be apart for a while, just said goodbye.】
The group erupted into a chorus of complaints.
Female zergs not favored by male zergs only saw them a few times a year—some military females who went to the battlefield didn’t even have the male zergs aware of their deaths, and obituaries wouldn’t even have someone to receive them. Having to say goodbye for a short separation—now that was how favored this female zerg was.
The screen filled with messages,【Jealous, jealous, jealous.】
Chu Ci quickly changed the subject, 【Let’s talk about the project instead. Like, what is our group responsible for?】
His colleagues told Chu Ci that due to his remarkable project proposal, a large sum of funding had been allocated by the higher-ups. Their project team had been urgently pulled together to work around this project, and unexpectedly, Chu Ci became the soul of the group on his first day.
He intended to explain the basics of game planning processes on Earth to these female zergs, like how to determine the target audience, and how to select materials, which were fundamental knowledge on Earth but quite novel to the zergs who didn’t prioritize cultural and entertainment projects. Many zergs raised their hands with questions, and by the time Chu Ci had roughly finished, it was already late morning.
Meanwhile, in the military headquarters half a star away, Nuo Wei had just finished handling basic matters.
He stacked the files neatly on his desk and handed them to his aide, Yi Ta. At that moment, the office door sounded three knocks, and another aide, Yi Si, walked in with a look of unease. He spoke quietly, “Sir, there’s a visitor. They’ve been arranged in the conference room. When should I send for you?”
Nuo Wei had two aides: Yi Ta handled internal matters, managing the reception and arrangement of files and personnel at the military base, while Yi Si handled external matters, like negotiations and visitor registration. Nuo Wei didn’t even lift his head, “Is it someone from the correctional facility?”
If it were any other visitor, Yi Si would confirm a time with Nuo Wei and wait for the Major General to be available before receiving them. The only exception was visitors from the correctional facility—backed by the Male Zerg Protection Association, their status was paramount. Even Nuo Wei, as a Major General, had to follow their lead.
“…Yes.” Yi Si showed a hint of concern. “Sir, what should we do?”
“Nothing, just a routine inspection,” Nuo Wei closed his pen, straightened his platinum-colored coat, buttoning it up to the top meticulously. The Major General’s medals were pinned on his left shoulder, with the dark gold sash hanging down, his entire appearance cold and dignified as if he were not facing an inspection, but attending a very important meeting.
Yi Ta and Yi Si exchanged a glance, “Though it’s a routine inspection, given your situation, the correctional facility will likely mark all their evaluations with ‘not satisfactory.’ When the male master sees this evaluation, he might think you’ve not yet repented. What will you do then?”
“…It won’t happen.” Nuo Wei tightened his coat, speaking softly. “The male master won’t send me back to the correctional facility.”
Even if he hadn’t been favored, even if the markings on his neck were dim, even if his mental state was perilously fragile, even if all his evaluations were marked as ‘unqualified,’ even if the male master still didn’t want to touch him now.
Nuo Wei didn’t know if he was speaking to Yi Ta or Yi Si, or perhaps to himself. His fingers trembled slightly, desperately grasping at something to solidify this belief. He whispered again, “He won’t let me go back to the correctional facility.”
Chu Ci won’t let him go to the correctional facility, right?
……………………………
Author’s Note:
Chu Ci (confused): Why didn’t you just tell me directly, wife?
