After saying goodbye to Kaier, the doctor returned to his busy work, while Chu Ci and Nuo Wei took the flight home in silence, not speaking a word to each other.
Chu Ci flipped through the stack of medication instructions. When he saw how they were supposed to be used, he became restless, flipping the pages back and forth and sighing deeply. “Oh my.”
The medications were pellet-shaped, slightly larger than marbles, and resembled the watermelon-flavored ball-shaped gum Chu Ci used to eat as a child.
Nuo Wei sat in the driver’s seat. Despite Chu Ci’s insistence that he didn’t dare sit in the auto-pilot seat—something most likely fabricated—an excellent female still prioritized the male’s needs. So, he took the driver’s seat, fingers gripping the control stick, his hands trembling slightly.
With a graceful maneuver, the vehicle came to a stop in the small garden of Chu Ci’s home. The male tucked the medications into his pocket and went inside with Nuo Wei close behind.
Chu Ci quickly claimed the bathroom, refreshing himself first, and then urged Nuo Wei to take a shower. As the sound of running water filled the house, Chu Ci tossed and turned, unable to settle on a plan.
When Nuo Wei came out, what should he say first? Would it be too abrupt to be too direct? And that damned box of medications…
But when Nuo Wei actually stepped out, he realized that these worries were somewhat unnecessary.
His female monarch obviously mastered a set of standard procedures. After coming out, he kneeled on the ground, then approached, lowering his head slightly.
Chu Ci quickly pushed against his shoulder. “Hey, hey, what are you doing?”
Nuo Wei looked up in confusion. “Do you not like it?”
The feeling was strange for Chu Ci. It was hard for him to outright say he didn’t like it, but this certainly wasn’t what he had imagined.
Chu Ci was not unattractive, and his family background was decent, but he hadn’t been in a romantic relationship throughout his time at university, indicating a somewhat conservative view of romance. For Chu Ci, romantic gestures were more old-fashioned—a rooftop, watching snow, stars, and the moon, discussing Southern Tang and Northern Song poetry, then eventually sharing kisses and embraces as the natural course of things.
Seeing that Chu Ci didn’t say anything, Nuo Wei visibly sank.
He knew Chu Ci wasn’t very interested in such things, otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone without any physical progress for over ten days. At this point, it was clear as day that Chu Ci wasn’t comfortable with these actions, making Nuo Wei, rarely self-conscious about his appearance, suddenly doubt himself.
Though he had never cared much about colleagues’ opinions on appearance, he was vaguely aware of the absurd comments on forums—like ‘the major general with hair as beautiful as the moon in the First Army’. Before marriage, he was just a military female, and these judgments didn’t matter. Now…
In Nuo Wei’s eyes, he was as beautiful as the moon, was he not attractive enough to Chu Ci?
“You’re overthinking things, aren’t you?” Chu Ci sighed, pulling Nuo Wei into his arms. “Who taught you that just now?”
Nuo Wei’s posture for kneeling was more precise than military discipline—his knees spread with exacting accuracy as though he wasn’t trying to please his male master but defusing a bomb’s fuse; any minor deviation could explode and kill him, and Chu Ci was that bomb covered in live explosives.
This couldn’t possibly have been something Nuo Wei, this silly zerg, figured out on his own.
Nuo Wei hesitated. “…It’s from the Female Monarch Manual’s procedures.”
He looked up at Chu Ci, his tone tinged with unspoken anxiety. “Did I not do it right?”
Chu Ci felt his blood almost burst.
What on earth was that Female Monarch Manual, some kind of dogshit thing that even included a standard for this?
Chu Ci took a deep breath, ruffling the damp hair of the female. “No, not right at all. Go get your manual and show it to me.”
Nuo Wei glanced up at him, seeming slightly defiant. Chu Ci could tell exactly what he was feeling.
—”How could it not be right? It’s definitely following the standards perfectly!”
Chu Ci was both annoyed and amused, but after thinking about it, he realized that Nuo Wei had made some progress. A few days ago, Nuo Wei would have completed his task in a very rigid manner, not showing this slightly cute hint of distress.
He lightly knocked on Nuo Wei’s head. “If I say it doesn’t fit the standards, it doesn’t fit. Go get it.”
Nuo Wei reluctantly stood up from the warm embrace of the male master. Chu Ci had just finished showering, and his skin still carried the scent of sandalwood from the shower gel, rising with his body heat to create a heady aroma.
Five minutes later, Nuo Wei handed over a thick, beautifully bound book. “Here, my Lord.”
Chu Ci was stunned. This thing was as thick as an encyclopedia. He casually flipped through a couple of pages before Nuo Wei reminded him, “Page 718.”
Chu Ci turned to page 718 and saw the title ‘Serving Guidelines.’ He pinched the pages, squinting at the pile of stinky, feudal nonsense before him, then slapped the book shut and stood up to place it on the top shelf of the bookcase. “Confiscated.”
Nuo Wei looked at him, hesitant. “My Lord…”
Chu Ci replied, “What Lord. I said confiscated, it’s confiscated.”
He warned Nuo Wei, “And don’t even think about buying it again, got it? This household can have it, but not you. If I catch you looking at this thing again, I’ll throw it—and you—out.”
Chu Ci was speechless and had no patience for any romantic poetry or literary musings. He just wanted to bully this zerg until its brain no longer had these weird notions. He pushed Nuo Wei down, glaring into his eyes without blinking. “Stop thinking about those things. I don’t like it.”
Nuo Wei was about to ask Chu Ci what he did like when suddenly, he couldn’t say a word.
He felt like a small boat floating in an ocean, and Chu Ci was the only buoy, his only anchor. So Nuo Wei reached out and hugged the male zerg, looking up at him with intermittent glances. Each time he lifted his eyes, Chu Ci would meet his gaze, with his amber eyes reflecting Nuo Wei’s image.
Nuo Wei looked at the reflection of the female zerg in the glass, the Major General of the First Legion, known for his indifference and aloofness. But now, every corner of his eyes and brows seemed softened and filled with warmth—a completely unfamiliar expression. Nuo Wei felt a bit disoriented by this new version of himself, tightened his grip around the male master, and suddenly asked, “Do you think I’m good-looking?”
Chu Ci didn’t expect Nuo Wei to be thinking about such things at this moment. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Hmm?”
Nuo Wei was persistent. “Do you think I’m good-looking?”
Chu Ci smiled, with a touch of gentle exasperation. “Good-looking? Of course, darling. You’re the prettiest I’ve ever seen.”
He deliberately omitted the subsequent noun.
Whether among the Zerg or humans, Nuo Wei was the most attractive person he had ever seen—features exquisitely delicate, with an air of aloof coldness that was hard to approach. One extra ounce would make it too intense, and one less would make it too cold.
Nuo Wei stared at him, asking, “Can you say it again?”
Chu Ci raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
Nuo Wei turned his head slightly. “Just say it again…”
A bead of sweat still clung to his neck, like a dewdrop hanging on his collarbone, rising and falling with his breath. Chu Ci gave in with a smile. “Darling.”
Chu Ci had always been a somewhat conservative person, very careful with such terms of endearment. Before, when he and Nuo Wei were merely in name-only, he never used this kind of affectionate term. But now, this beautiful zerg was his, and only his. Chu Ci was no longer shy about expressing his affection with words.
He gently kissed Nuo Wei’s cheek, his collarbone, repeating patiently in his ear, “My precious Nuo Wei, my darling…”
Nuo Wei’s eyes were wet. A female Zerg could be mere cannon fodder or a tool, but almost never a precious one. Yet, when Chu Ci repeated those words, it was as though he truly saw Nuo Wei as the most valuable thing to him.
Unfortunately, Nuo Wei didn’t know that he really was.
Suddenly, Chu Ci was reminded of human things, as if waking from a dream. All the Zerg world felt like a big dream, and he wandered within it, unable to return to his old world. Nuo Wei was his only link to this world.
Chu Ci kissed his eyes tenderly, brushing away the few drops of moisture that hung there, softly asking, “Are you uncomfortable?”
Nuo Wei shook his head, confused. They clung together all night, not letting go until the sky began to lighten.
Chu Ci looked at the lightbrain and sighed, “I guess it’s a bit too late now, at most we can only get two hours of sleep. Do you have to go to work tomorrow?”
Nuo Wei didn’t want to move a muscle, shaking his head, “I’ve taken a marriage leave.”
Only then did Chu Ci remember that Zerg had strange systems, where their marriage leave wasn’t taken when they got married but when they consummated the marriage. He pulled the blanket over Nuo Wei, “Then get some rest, I’ll go wash up.”
Sweat dripped down his body. He hadn’t noticed it earlier when he was busy, but now, as he relaxed, the sticky discomfort settled in.
As he spoke, putting on his clothes, Nuo Wei, like a cat, silently tugged at his sleeve.
Chu Ci turned his head, “What’s wrong?”
Nuo Wei poked his head out from the covers, withdrawing his arm, “Nothing, you go ahead.”
Confused, Chu Ci stood up and walked into the bathroom. As he filled the bathtub with water, he absentmindedly checked his lightbrain and saw several unread messages.
These messages were from Dr. Kaier Ennuo, who was being especially cautious in his wording, seemingly afraid of angering the Zerg male.
“Sir, I shouldn’t have emphasized this with you.”
However, the male’s behavior at the hospital yesterday made the doctor feel it was worth mentioning.
“For a female zerg, after the first time, they will particularly need the comfort of the male. The worse their mental state, the more they need this.”
“Your female monarch, Major Nuo Wei, is a Zerg on the brink of ‘critical’ level aggression.”
“After experiencing the first comforting, he becomes sensitive, his limbs weak, and his whole body drained, particularly craving and dependent on your scent.”
“During this time, any form of violence from you could potentially cause irreversible damage to his mental sea.”
“Although many female zergs do not take these damages to heart, I still wanted to mention it.”
“Major Nuo Wei is, after all, a hero of the empire and is about to go to the battlefield.”
“If possible, during this time, please be…”
“…a bit gentler with him.”
No wonder the Zerg place the marriage leave after the first comforting.
Chu Ci glanced at the lightbrain, thinking of Nuo Wei’s earlier cat-like nudge, his heart softening.
He lowered his head and typed.
“It doesn’t matter whether he is a hero or if he is going to the battlefield soon.”
“I will.”
