At 7:15, Yi Xi sat in a private box at the auction.
The auction hall had once been an old European church. Roman-style marble pillars rose on both sides, and colorful rose windows were set high into the vaulted ceiling. As one of the honored guests, Yi Xi sat in a private room on the second floor with Celestial Sphere’s executive director. From their position, they could overlook the entire auction floor.
At Yi Xi’s position, many female zerg chose to remain unmarried for life. The executive director of Celestial Sphere, Assa, was one of them.
Of course, he was still young, so the side effects of lacking pheromone comfort were not very obvious yet. More importantly, Assa preferred female partners. He liked delicate boys with a scholarly air.
Yi Xi glanced at the female zerg leaning against Assa’s legs and frowned slightly.
They had arrived early, and the auction had not started yet. There were not many people in the box, only Yi Xi, Assa, and the young companion Assa had brought with him.
The companion looked less than twenty, like a university student. He was feeding cherries to Assa mouth to mouth.
The boy held the cherry stem between his lips, straightened his upper body, and brought the plump fruit to Assa’s mouth. Assa swallowed it in one bite. As he chewed the fruit, he looked at Yi Xi, a hint of provocation in his eyes.
“Sir, since you refused to marry for so many years, I originally thought you had the same taste as us. I even wanted to introduce you to a few well-behaved ones. Who would have thought that after going around in circles, you still ended up marrying a male zerg.”
In earlier years, Celestial Sphere had tried to connect with Stellar. Assa had mistakenly assumed Yi Xi also preferred female partners. At a banquet, he had pushed two handsome boys toward Yi Xi.
Unfortunately, Yi Xi simply kept himself clean and disciplined and had no interest in that sort of thing. He left the banquet on the spot, which had quite thoroughly embarrassed Assa.
Assa clicked his tongue a few times, his gaze repeatedly sweeping over Yi Xi. Shaking his head, he sighed again and again.
“What a pity, what a pity.”
Yi Xi lifted his eyes and looked at him calmly.
“What is there to pity?”
Assa lifted the boy’s chin and leaned down to kiss him.
“What a pity that from now on you’ll have to lower yourself to serve your male master. You’ll never again enjoy having such a beautiful, pure boy leaning in your arms and acting spoiled.”
He raised his eyebrows and looked at Yi Xi.
“What’s the point of those male zerg whose tempers stink worse than stones in a latrine? Can they really be cuter than these little treasures?”
While they were speaking, the boy leaned against Assa. There seemed to be fear in his eyes, but he still clung to Assa’s arm and spoke in a soft, sweet tone.
“I want that one.”
Yi Xi looked down toward the stage. It was a gemstone that was currently being displayed.
Most of the items auctioned at this event were luxury goods meant to please male zerg, jewelry and famous watches. But although the boy said he wanted that gemstone, his eyes did not dare look down at it at all. The finger pointing toward the auction stage trembled, as if he were not asking for a gemstone, but begging for some kind of death warrant.
Assa patted his head with satisfaction.
His movement was completely different from when Yi Xi touched Chu Xiu. Yi Xi’s touch was gentle and indulgent, like an elder affectionately patting a child. But Assa’s gesture felt more like a master petting a dog.
Assa liked it when his pets wagged their tails and begged him for things. It made him feel the power he held in his hands even more clearly.
He spread his hands.
“See, Yi Xi? When such a cute boy acts spoiled like this, you’ll never get to enjoy it again. Don’t you think that’s a pity?”
Yi Xi’s fingers paused slightly on the leather armrest, and for a brief moment his feelings became a little complicated.
When it came to acting spoiled, the one at his home was far better at it. Yi Xi was already having trouble dealing with it.
Before he could say anything to refute him, a light laugh suddenly came from the doorway.
Chu Xiu had been led upstairs by an attendant. He leaned against the doorframe and looked inside, raising an eyebrow.
“Yi Xi, do you like this kind? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Yi Xi thought, No, I don’t like it…
But before he could even properly finish that thought, Chu Xiu had already sat down beside him.
The auction house had arranged wide leather sofas for the VIP guests on the second floor. Chu Xiu ignored the seat meant for him and insisted on sitting on Yi Xi’s armrest instead.
He stared attentively at his patron and pointed toward the stage. His peach blossom eyes shimmered with emotion.
“Yi Xi, I want this one.”
The young man had clearly dressed up for the occasion. A wine-red cufflink was pinned onto his neat suit, and hair mousse had shaped every curve of his hair just right. The slightly messy strands gave him a hint of laziness, yet the deliberately exposed forehead drew people’s attention straight to his handsome brows and eyes.
Even Yi Xi couldn’t help being momentarily dazzled.
What else could he say?
He could only say, “Alright.”
Assa: “…?”
It felt as if his punch had swung into empty air. A trace of frustration and helplessness rose in him, followed by anger.
Heaven knew how happy Assa had been when he heard that Yi Xi had been hit by a car.
Both of them were outstanding elites in the business world, yet Yi Xi always suppressed him by a step. Now that Yi Xi had finally run into trouble and married a violent male zerg, that male zerg was still acting like this.
The anger in Assa’s chest kept rising higher and higher, but none of it showed on his face. He simply reached out and tapped the boy lightly on the nose.
The boy lifted a pure, innocent smile and leaned closer in a flattering way. Assa gently pinched his cheek for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and slapped him hard.
Smack.
With a crisp sound, the boy’s head jerked to the side. A visible red mark immediately appeared on his pale face.
Chu Xiu and Yi Xi both raised their eyebrows at the same time.
Neither of them had expected Assa to behave like this.
Just then, there was a knock at the private room’s door. An attendant entered carrying the two gemstones they had just purchased, one was handed to the boy, and the other to Chu Xiu.
Once the door opened, the voices inside the room could be heard from outside. Assa immediately composed himself and leaned back on the sofa, as if nothing had happened at all.
The boy took the gemstone with trembling hands.
The gem in his hand was colorless and transparent, very much like white crystal. The one in Chu Xiu’s hand was wine-red, almost 90% similar to the color of his cufflink.
Chu Xiu leaned against Yi Xi, his whole body almost limply as he rested on him. He casually played with the gemstone while watching the boy beside him. The boy’s hands were shaking more and more, nearly unable to hold the gem anymore.
Chu Xiu waved his hand.
“Come here and talk with me.”
He was the only male zerg present. Even Assa could not embarrass him openly, so the boy obediently sat beside him.
Chu Xiu glanced at the boy’s clothes and smiled.
“You’re still a student, right? Is this your first time doing this kind of work?”
He meant accompanying a patron to events like auctions.
The boy’s suit did not fit very well, and there was almost no sense of coordination in how it was matched. The price was not cheap, but it was nowhere near the brands worn by bosses like Yi Xi.
Chu Xiu guessed the boy had bought it in a hurry, the most expensive one he could afford within his means.
In the past, Chu Xiu had dressed like that too.
Now he handled this kind of situation with ease, but the first time he accompanied a client outside, he had also been inexperienced and green.
Fortunately, although that client had not had the best temper either, he had not been as crazy as Assa.
The boy nodded.
Chu Xiu smiled. “What major are you studying?”
The boy raised his head timidly, like a quail. “Fil… film and directing.”
Chu Xiu gave an “oh” and pointed to himself and Yi Xi.
“Why don’t you work with us? We’ll pay you too.”
Yi Xi turned his head slightly to look at him but did not say anything.
Since the response on the Star Network had been so good, Chu Xiu was thinking of turning《Yi Xi’s Home Meals Today》 into a long-term program. He had already looked into it, the zerg race’s food culture was extremely lacking, and there were almost no cooking shows. It could be said to be a completely untouched market. Besides, Chu Xiu had already planned to cook every day anyway. What he needed now was someone to handle the camera and someone to do directing.
He said, “You can go back and look up a foundation called 《Yi Xi’s Home Meals Today.》 Fill in your situation and your difficulties honestly. Then just go home and wait for the reply.”
Assa had not expected Chu Xiu to poach someone right in front of him so openly. Dissatisfied, he said,
“Your Excellency, doing this seems somewhat improper.”
His gaze darkened.
“I have a contract with this boy.” He looked at Yi Xi. “We’re both people in business. You should know what a contract means, right?”
Yi Xi folded his hands together and leaned back against the soft sofa.
“I’ll pay the penalty fee.”
Assa sneered.
“Are Stellar’s stocks not falling enough already? On the second day after your marriage, your male zerg takes another female zerg away from me, and you’ll even pay the breach fee? Besides, do you even know how much the penalty in his contract is?”
Yi Xi did not care how much it was. The male zerg had shown a moment of compassion. Whether as a qualified female monarch or as a doting elder, he would pay it.
At the side, Chu Xiu, who had been casually playing with the two gemstones, suddenly clicked his tongue.
He tossed the gemstones into the air, tracing two arcs before catching them again, as if these two expensive colored gems were nothing more than marbles picked up from the roadside.
He turned his head to Assa. “Yes, I know the rules. Once you sign a contract, you have to honor it.”
Assa’s brow twitched, not knowing what kind of performance the male zerg was putting on.
Then Chu Xiu said calmly, almost lazily, “But I do wonder, how do you calculate breach-of-contract penalties if your auction house sells fake goods?”
Assa frowned. “What do you mean?”
Chu Xiu extended his hand, holding the two gemstones between his long fingers. “I mean… they’re fake.”
In his past life, Chu Xiu had handled countless jewelry collections. He was one of the best luxury appraisers in the world. The weight of a gem, its color, its pattern, even the structure of internal inclusions and fiber-like textures, he knew all of it in detail.
Chu Xiu looped his arm around Yi Xi. “Darling, I think we need a lawyer.”
Yi Xi paused, a little uneasy.
This was the first time Chu Xiu had used “darling” as a declaration of ownership. Before, whether he had snuggled up or acted coquettishly, Yi Xi had unconsciously categorized him as a child in need of care.
But now, in a suit, hair styled just so, making decisions about the boy’s future, outlining the plan for 《Yi Xi’s Home Meals Today》, exposing the gems as fake, and looping an arm around Yi Xi’s waist while speaking in that same coquettish tone, calling him “darling”, it felt as if he had grown up overnight.
Yi Xi suppressed the strange flutter in his chest and nodded. “I’ll have the best lawyer sent over.”
Stellar was the wealthiest interstellar conglomerate. When its ruler said “the best lawyer,” it meant exactly that.
Truly, this was his gold backer, completely reliable!
Chu Xiu bent his eyes into a mischievous arc, nuzzling Yi Xi’s neck, using that old playful tone. “Yi Xi, you’re the best!”
The feeling of the child growing up vanished entirely.
At the auction house they left together, Yi Xi flipped through the boy’s profile: his female father had died early, and his male father was an invisible man who only knew eating and drinking. Even the house was sold. He might not even have enough for next month’s meals, no wonder he had come to do this work.
Two hours later, lawyers and police arrived. Selling fake auction items was a serious issue. Whether it was due to faulty appraisal methods or deliberate fraud, Celestial Sphere would have plenty to deal with.
Assa slumped, brows furrowed, watching the auditors march into the conglomerate. Stellar’s stock hadn’t taken a hit, yet it was Celestial’s stock that tumbled first.
Chu Xiu sent the boy over to Carey so he could keep Clement company. The two were about the same age and attended the same university, so they should have plenty in common.
Chu Xiu, meanwhile, flew back to the villa with Yi Xi.
Yi Xi sat in the pilot’s seat, and Chu Xiu took the co-pilot position. Awkwardly, he twisted his head toward the window and belatedly realized a crucial question: in Zerg race, that boy and he were… opposite sexes?
Having lived over twenty years as a human male, Chu Xiu’s understanding of Zerg male-female distinctions was hazy. He had always assumed that most male Zergs were brainless, but after seeing Assa, he realized females could be just as foolish. That blurred the lines even more. When he rescued the boy earlier, his mind had been full of: ‘He’s like the younger me… I have to give him a hand.’
Now that it was done, Chu Xiu vaguely realized how outrageous his actions had been.
He had saved a female-identified boy, arranged for him to live with his female father, and funded the boy’s scholarship, all through the joint fund he shared with Yi Xi.
Chu Xiu: “……”
He stared at the glass window, carefully observing Yi Xi’s expression through the reflection.
Yi Xi’s face remained as usual.
Chu Xiu didn’t know whether this was truly “as usual” or just a façade, because Yi Xi’s expression rarely gave anything away. When he noticed Chu Xiu staring, he even tilted his head and asked, “Should we go somewhere else to buy gemstones?”
A male Zerg’s shopping enthusiasm, interrupted by someone irrelevant, deserved some compensation.
Chu Xiu hesitated, pressed his fingers against the glass, scratched lightly, and asked cautiously, “You’re not angry?”
He had prepared a string of apologies, ready to explain that it wasn’t intentional, that he didn’t mean anything by it, that Yi Xi would always be his only female, and he would always be Yi Xi’s only partner.
But Yi Xi asked simply: “Why would I be angry?”
Chu Xiu froze.
He wasn’t quite sure how to answer the question. He pressed his lips together and hesitated: “But… shouldn’t you feel angry?”
Honestly, if Yi Xi had rescued a male Zerg boy, brought him home, and used their money to help him, Chu Xiu would definitely be jealous.
He gestured a little, trying to express this feeling, but in Zerg culture, there’s no word for “jealousy.”
Male Zergs sit high above, each served by dozens or even hundreds of females, so of course they don’t feel jealousy. As for female Zergs, they are taught from birth to one day share a male Zerg with dozens or hundreds of other females, they cannot feel jealous, nor are they allowed to.
Chu Xiu hesitated: “Not even a little? Like, your chest feels a bit tight, a little heavy, hard to put into words?”
Love is exclusive. It’s not the same as parent-child love, friendship, or student-teacher bonds. Parents can have many children, friends can have a few companions, a teacher naturally has many students, but romantic love must be monopolized.
If someone doesn’t want to claim their partner exclusively, it either means they don’t see them as a partner or they don’t love them.
Yi Xi paused.
A female Zerg shouldn’t show this kind of feeling in front of a male Zerg; it would simply be lumped under “discontent.”
And a female Zerg must never show discontent toward a male Zerg.
He turned to Chu Xiu. The youth’s little tuft of hair drooped, slumping sideways. He fiddled with the car window, his peach-blossom eyes fixed on him, looking a bit pitiful.
Chu Xiu stubbornly asked, word by word: “Not at all? Really, not even a little?”
The youth looked like he was about to cry: “Not even a little… at all?”