When Chu Ci kissed Nuo Wei, there was a hint of resentment behind it.
Nuo Wei was just like a stubborn little creature, refusing to say anything. Even when Chu Ci tried to ask, he would just kneel, terrified and infuriated by the reserved female. The kiss was not gentle at all, carrying a subtle hint of venting frustration.
Chu Ci forcefully inhaled the air from Nuo Wei’s mouth, and the female was almost suffocated, half-supporting Chu Ci’s waist, barely able to stand in the male’s embrace.
Chu Ci shoved him back against the wall of the military office, pressing him there. He whispered into Nuo Wei’s ear, “Nuo Wei, breathe.”
“Mm—” Nuo Wei gasped, struggling to catch his breath. Chu Ci took advantage of the moment, prying open the female’s mouth and deepening the kiss amidst Nuo Wei’s hurried breathing.
Despite his fierce actions, Chu Ci lacked finesse—it was his first kiss in two lifetimes. Their teeth clashed together, and in the heat of the moment, Nuo Wei tried to bite his lip, accidentally causing a small trickle of blood from the corner of the male’s mouth.
Nuo Wei’s instinct was to push Chu Ci away, but he was too weak, only managing to place his arm between them. “Mm—my Lord, you’re bleeding, let me help you…”
“Don’t worry about it.” Chu Ci’s voice was low and firm, cutting him off.
Who would worry about an injury at a time like this?
He glanced down at Nuo Wei, the female in his arms limp and slumped against the wall, supported only by Chu Ci’s strength to keep from sliding to the ground. Despite looking docile and obedient, the beautiful female was stubborn and reserved, difficult to discipline. Frustrated, Chu Ci’s movements grew increasingly harsh, the taste of iron mixing in their mouths until he finally released Nuo Wei.
Chu Ci stood up straight, his tall frame enveloped in a long charcoal-gray coat, resembling an old gentleman’s black ironwood umbrella from the 19th century. When he looked at the officer, his amber eyes darkened coldly, reminiscent of the lifeless gems in the depths of a dark mine.
Chu Ci asked, “Is this intimate enough?”
The male’s intense gaze made the officer involuntarily shudder, hesitating, “Y-yes, it’s enough.”
In the Zerg society, the male viewed reproduction as a necessary task, and anything beyond that was optional. Chu Ci might have been the first male to kiss his female monarch in front of a correctional officer.
The correctional officer quickly packed up his things, checking off the approval for the seven-day retrospective, then turned and quickly left without looking back at Chu Ci and Nuo Wei.
It wasn’t until his footsteps faded down the hall that Nuo Wei finally snapped out of his daze. He absentmindedly traced his lips with his finger, still in a state of disbelief.
…The seven-day retrospective is over?
Is this lingering ghost of the seven-day retrospective finally over for him, a haunting terror that would come back to him each time he woke from a nightmare?
And that kiss…
Chu Ci’s kiss was nothing like his usual self; he was lazy and gentle, preferring to lounge on a couch, cuddled up with fluffy pillows while gaming. Yet his kiss was unexpectedly aggressive, not satisfied until it seemed like he was trying to suffocate Nuo Wei, their teeth clashing against each other, leaving Nuo Wei’s lips still tasting of blood.
Nuo Wei raised his eyes, his gaze unconsciously drawn to Chu Ci’s lips.
After that kiss, Chu Ci’s lips were moist and glistening, covered with a layer of water. There was a small tear at the corner of his lip, revealing a bit of red, tender flesh underneath.
Nuo Wei’s hand unconsciously reached out, gently resting next to that injury.
Even a small wound like that on a male would heal on its own in no time; Chu Ci didn’t seem to care about it at all. Frowning, he looked at Nuo Wei and asked, “Have you noticed I’m angry?”
Chu Ci wasn’t stupid. Before Nuo Wei got onto the aircraft, he suddenly asked, ‘If I were locked up in the correctional facility again, would you come to get me?’ At the time, Chu Ci didn’t understand the meaning. But now, thinking back, he knew Nuo Wei must have known about this situation beforehand but kept it to himself, unwilling to tell him the truth. Even later, when he sent messages, Nuo Wei was evasive, avoiding Chu Ci’s involvement altogether, as if he wanted to distance him from the whole situation.
Chu Ci felt a pang of hurt now, wondering what Nuo Wei planned to do if he hadn’t insisted. Would he just let the officer bully him and then go home, acting like nothing had happened in front of his male master, pretending everything was fine?
And that ridiculous checklist—the warden’s evaluation of Nuo Wei. Chu Ci was Nuo Wei’s true male master. What did the officer know, assigning grades and rankings to Nuo Wei’s behavior, arbitrarily drawing lines of distinction like evaluating an object?
Thinking about it, Chu Ci felt a surge of anger welling up inside him, his chest heavy with suppressed fury. But the officer was an outsider, and it wasn’t the time to confront him directly. Now that the officer was gone, it was time for him to settle accounts with Nuo Wei.
Chu Ci pushed Nuo Wei against the wall of the military building, guiding him into the small, cramped space of the restroom where he had hidden earlier. With a snap, he closed the door, trapping Nuo Wei inside.
Chu Ci unbuttoned the first button of his coat and asked, “Have you noticed I’m angry?”
Nuo Wei hadn’t realized.
His attention was entirely fixated on the small injury on Chu Ci’s lip. With every movement of Chu Ci’s lips, the wound seemed to move, and Nuo Wei felt inexplicably uncomfortable. It was as though a small crack had appeared on the most exquisite porcelain, making his heart ache with a bittersweet sensation.
Nuo Wei couldn’t stand it for a minute longer. He tightly pressed his lips together and said, “Male master, you’re injured; you should put medicine on it.”
Chu Ci was taken aback.
When he realized that Nuo Wei was talking about the cut on his lip, he was almost amused. “Don’t worry about it, it’ll heal on its own. Now answer my question…”
He meant to say, “Now answer my questions,” but Nuo Wei didn’t listen. He bypassed Chu Ci, turned the door handle with a snap, and walked out without a backward glance.
The physical gap between males and females was objectively vast, and for someone like Nuo Wei, a major general in the military, once he made up his mind to leave, Chu Ci couldn’t stop him.
Chu Ci’s anger simmered, caught between suppression and the absurdity of the situation.
He was simultaneously furious, amused, and a bit incredulous. The idea of a male pushing a female into a restroom and then demanding an explanation only to have the female ignore him and walk away—it seemed impossible. Such a scenario was rare even in the vastness of the zerg race, especially when Nuo Wei wasn’t a rebellious or unconventional female. He was the epitome of obedience, holding the rules of the female monarch manual as sacred. Yet, Nuo Wei’s silhouette had already disappeared down the corridor, and Chu Ci was left stunned.
…He left?
In the world of ordinary couples, it was common for one party to storm out during an argument. But Chu Ci couldn’t believe Nuo Wei would just abandon him in the military restroom. However, the fact remained: the military female had walked away, leaving Chu Ci sitting on the sink, staring at the door as he sulked to himself.
Less than two minutes later, Nuo Wei returned.
He held the military’s first aid kit, which contained antiseptic, cotton swabs, bandages, and tweezers for cleaning wounds and debris. Then, he leaned down in front of Chu Ci.
Nuo Wei was tall, and with Chu Ci sitting, the shadow he cast over the male made Chu Ci realize just how safe he felt under his presence. Normally, Nuo Wei’s height and shoulders seemed almost to dwarf Chu Ci’s, but with his shadow enveloping Chu Ci, it provided a sense of security.
Nuo Wei said, “Male master, I’m sorry.”
Then he extended a hand, gently holding Chu Ci’s chin, carefully turning his face towards the light. He dipped a cotton swab into the antiseptic and lightly touched it to the corner of Chu Ci’s lip.
Nuo Wei’s focus and care were palpable, not merely tending to a wound but as if he were repairing a precious antique or wiping dust from a gemstone.
Chu Ci felt a slight itch, uncomfortable.
“What’s the point of putting anything on it? It’ll heal by tonight,” he grumbled.
“No, it could get inflamed if it’s not disinfected,” Nuo Wei replied. “Does it hurt?”
Though Chu Ci was not exactly a tough guy, having climbed trees and caught fish as a child, occasional scrapes and bruises were nothing new. A minor cut like this wasn’t even as painful as a canker sore. He hesitated to admit any pain.
He changed the subject awkwardly. “Hey, I asked if I made you angry earlier. Did you hear?”
Nuo Wei had already finished tending to the wound, blowing gently on it like a mother tending to her child. He discarded the cotton swab into the trash bin and put the first aid supplies back into the box.
“I heard,” he said.
Chu Ci raised an eyebrow.
He heard that, and his reaction was…?
Just then, Nuo Wei lifted the helm of his clothes and knelt straight on the marble floor of the restroom.
“I’m sorry I made you angry. Please punish me.”
It’s strange. Nuo Wei had asked for punishment countless times before, for various reasons—some were unjust, some due to fear of harsher punishment, and others were just softening up to avoid trouble. But none of those times felt like this. Though he spoke of asking for punishment now, there was only a slight unease and fear of the inevitable, accompanied by a sense of unspeakable emotions.
Nuo Wei said, “Do you want a whip, a stick, or something else?”
Chu Ci was taken aback. “Do you want me to use those?”
Nuo Wei replied, “I did something to anger you, and then I left when you were talking to me. If that’s what will calm you down, please use whatever tool you like.”
The female wasn’t afraid of being whipped, just of endless, boundary-pushing torment. But Nuo Wei had an inexplicable faith that the male wouldn’t try to push beyond what he could bear.
Chu Ci let out a soft sigh, his anger dissipating completely.
… Nuo Wei was just a silly zerg; why should he be angry with a silly zerg?
Chu Ci extended his arms, pulling his female monarch into a tight embrace. He sat on the edge of the sink, Nuo Wei half-kneeling on the floor. Chu Ci could easily wrap his arms around the back of the female’s head, pressing his forehead against his chest.
Through the skin, the heart beneath the ribs thumped powerfully.
Chu Ci’s palm rested on the female’s hair, gently massaging it. Human elders often said that stubborn people had coarse, unruly hair, but Nuo Wei’s hair was far from tough. His soft silver locks felt smooth, and after a gentle tousle, they were fluffy, like the cushions of a lazy couch at home.
Suddenly, Chu Ci spoke, “Nuo Wei, I want to buy something.”
Nuo Wei looked up at him, a hint of confusion on his face. The female’s salary card was in the male’s possession, so he didn’t need to inform him about his purchases.
He asked, “Is it because you don’t have enough money?”
Nuo Wei’s salary card still held a vast amount of funds. If that wasn’t enough, it would mean the male wanted to buy an entire planet.
He leaned comfortably against the warm embrace of the male, listening to the sound of his heartbeat through his chest. His body felt limp and lazy. “The ninth expedition is coming up soon. I can gain a lot of military merit. Just tell me how much you need, and I’ll get it for you.”
As though just by Chu Ci stating a number, it would be available.
But Chu Ci didn’t want to buy a planet. He simply rested his chin atop the female’s head and rubbed against that long hair. “I want to buy a new aircraft. That purple one is so ugly. Today, when I jumped out of it, your colleagues were all staring at me.”
Nuo Wei nodded, “Mm.”
His balance could buy hundreds or even thousands of aircraft. “Do you need anything else?”
Anything else?
Chu Ci thought for a moment. “I also want to replace that lazy couch. It’s apple green; it’s so ugly.”
Nuo Wei looked slightly regretful, not because that couch offended his taste but because seeing the male lounging on it while playing games was so comfortable and relaxing. Just watching him, Nuo Wei felt a warm spot in his heart. “You don’t need the lazy couch anymore?” That had been the male’s favorite spot at home.
Chu Ci replied, “I’m not saying I don’t want the lazy couch anymore, I just think it’s ugly.”
He buried his face into the female’s shoulder, taking a deep breath. “I want to replace it with one that’s white, fluffy, just like your hair.”
Nuo Wei shifted slightly, revealing the tips of his pink ears through his fluffy hair.
