The male Zerg pressed against the car window, staring at him, eyes full of sorrow, as if Yi Xi’s answer held the fate of something vital, and if that thing came to pass, he could not bear the result.
Yi Xi hesitated, something rare.
For a moment, he didn’t even know what the male Zerg wanted him to say.
By logic, he should shake his head, say “No, impossible, you’re overthinking,” but the Zerg’s expression clearly demanded an answer of “Yes.”
It was extremely strange. In Zerg culture, there is no word for jealousy; generosity and tolerance are necessities for a female monarch. This idea is repeatedly emphasized, almost etched into the bone. Humans cannot imagine what it is like to not understand, and Yi Xi himself did not know, the male Zerg wanted him to show displeasure.
Even though it made him somewhat uncomfortable.
Cointreau was a gentle, good child. Yi Xi had long known this. He was meticulous and patient, unable to bear suffering, instinctively reaching out to help anyone in distress.
This was certainly a good quality, especially rare in male Zergs. That Cointreau reached out to the boy at the auction was both expected and unexpected. Yi Xi had anticipated it, yet it still made him uneasy.
He felt displeasure, particularly when the boy lifted his head, looking at Chu Xiu with a face full of astonishment and admiration, eyes shimmering with devotion. Anyone could see that if Chu Xiu had extended an invitation in that moment, the boy would have accepted without hesitation. In that instant, Yi Xi’s displeasure deepened.
He studied the boy without moving a muscle. The boy was at the perfect age, combining youthful beauty with the vitality of adolescence. His face was so young, handsome, and delicate that any male Zerg would like him.
And so Yi Xi’s displeasure grew.
A strange emotion twisted around his heart, striking at his mind, pushing him toward reckless, uncalculated impulses. He wanted to stop the Zerg from helping, to tell him that Stellar Group had a relevant fund, that the government had relief stations, and then pull his male Zerg away from this casual setting.
— He really shouldn’t have brought the male Zerg here. A place indulging in luxury and sensuality would spoil Cointreau.
He had completely forgotten that they had met in a bar, a far more indulgent place.
But the moment the thought surfaced, Yi Xi froze.
This displeasure made no sense at all, so inexplicable that in Zerg culture there wasn’t even a word for it. If one were forced to describe it, it could roughly be categorized as “not appreciating a favor” or “making trouble without reason,” or, more clinically, “extreme emotions caused by hormonal imbalance from excessive injections.”
Yi Xi remained silent for a long time. Chu Xiu’s cowlick visibly wilted, finally lying flat against his scalp, like a little grass battered by wind and rain.
The aircraft had stopped just above the villa, less than two meters from the ground. Chu Xiu pressed his lips together, then suddenly opened the hatch and jumped straight down.
Yi Xi hadn’t expected this. He quickly reached out, Imperial Male Zergs were delicate; a fall from two meters could be fatal.
But Chu Xiu’s coat brushed past his palm, and he landed gracefully, without looking back, before striding into the villa.
He moved so quickly that Si Si, who came to meet him, got spun around like a top. The poor robot was dizzy and disoriented until Yi Xi arrived to steady him. He scratched his smooth, round metallic head with his mechanical arm: ⟦ Oh my Master, what on earth are you doing? ⟧
Yi Xi set the robot firmly on the carpet, ignoring the question. He looked up to the second floor, the male Zerg had already disappeared at the stairway and slammed the bedroom door shut with a bang.
Cointreau was angry, and it was all because of his hesitation.
Yi Xi set the robot aside and instructed, “Go prepare some milk.” Then he carried the drink upstairs and knocked on the bedroom door: “Cointreau?”
The room was silent. No response.
He knocked again: “Chu Xiu?”
Still no answer.
Yi Xi paused, then stopped trying. He handed the tray back to the robot, and silence settled over the room.
Inside, Chu Xiu lay in bed hugging a blanket.
He perked up his ears, listening to the noises outside, thinking, “If Yi Xi knocks one more time… I’ll just hum, and then if he knocks again, I’ll let him in.” But outside, everything quieted, and even footsteps receded.
Chu Xiu bit down on the corner of his pillow in frustration.
He thought to himself, just as he expected: His marriage with Yi Xi was never equal. It was a story of a favored child wronged, a precious pearl covered in dust. And Chu Xiu, by pure coincidence, happened to be the dust on that pearl. Yi Xi was a wealthy merchant, a giant in the business world; he, a small-time bartender with no real talent. If it weren’t for the original owner being hit by a car and him transmigrating at that exact moment, there would have been no way for him to claim this pearl. If Yi Xi had treated him with normal courtesy, that would be expected. But for Yi Xi to fall in love with him, that was impossible. It was like a fairy bathing on Earth and having his clothes stolen; even if he was forced to stay and marry, his heart would remain high above, untouchable, like a pearl still shining in the heaven.
Yet Yi Xi didn’t show the slightest trace of jealousy, and Chu Xiu still felt heartbroken.
His partner remained calm and impassive, like a deep, still well. Meanwhile, he felt anxious and timid, worrying that Yi Xi might misunderstand him.
Really… not even a little bit of jealousy.
Chu Xiu couldn’t remember who had said it, but love wasn’t about giving or sacrificing. It was about possession, being selfish. He wasn’t one of those philosophers who played with words. All he knew was this: If Yi Xi showed no reaction, if he was as composed and proper as every other female Zerg in this world, then he didn’t love him.
Just thinking about it made him want to bite his pillow to pieces.
The door made a metallic click, followed by the sound of a key turning. Yi Xi had the key to the room.
He dragged the tray inside, set the hot milk on the male Zerg’s bedside table, then gently nudged him and said, “Cointreau?”
Chu Xiu didn’t speak.
Yi Xi sat down beside him and tried again, “Chu Xiu?”
Still no answer.
He was like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, stubbornly avoiding a possibility. Without extraordinary measures, there was no way to dig him out.
Yi Xi sighed.
He loosened the tie of his pajamas and slid into the bed, pressing against the back of the male Zerg.
Chu Xiu froze completely.
It seemed that the female Zerg had taken a quick bath just moments ago; the cool mist and the peach-scented body wash washed over him. His back felt like a second sensory organ beyond his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. The overstimulation made goosebumps rise all over.
Chu Xiu buried his face fully into the pillow.
Yi Xi placed his hand on the top of Chu Xiu’s head, absentmindedly stroking the soft little tuft of hair: “Not going to pay attention to me?”
Chu Xiu buried himself even deeper.
The way a male Zerg got angry was truly strange. If another household’s male lord were angry like this, the female would already be kneeling in the basement, perhaps facing all sorts of bizarre punishments. But Yi Xi lay there unscathed, even stroking Chu Xiu’s head. He wasn’t worried about punishment at all, just about being suffocated, because Chu Xiu had buried himself so thoroughly, like a mushroom planted in the pillow.
Yi Xi tried to pull him closer to prevent him from suffocating, but the male Zerg’s strength was surprisingly great. No matter how he tugged, Chu Xiu seemed rooted into the pillow. Yi Xi could only softly call his name: “Cointreau?”
“Chu Xiu?”
“Xiao Xiu?”
Each name fell into silence, like stones sinking in water.
“Fine,” Yi Xi took a deep breath, as if making a reluctant concession. He took off his gold-rimmed glasses and set them on the bedside: “If I call you Cointreau, and even Chu Xiu, you still won’t pay attention to me…”
His dark brown eyes studied Chu Xiu. His tongue pressed against his lower jaw as he slowly let out the words, almost as if the sound would dissipate in the air if anyone else heard:
“Male Lord.”
So soft, so slow, it felt as though the word could vanish before it was caught.
But Chu Xiu heard it.
He didn’t even bother playing the mushroom anymore. He flipped over quickly, staring at Yi Xi in shock.
…What did he just call me?
Yi Xi wasn’t a fool. Years of experience running a business had honed his insight into people. Actually, back on the aircraft, he had already guessed what the male Zerg was thinking, but the thought was so astonishing… A male Zerg sulking alone because he doubted that his female cared enough for him? If that got posted online, people would probably laugh it off as hysteria.
Yi Xi sighed and stroked the top of Chu Xiu’s head, speaking in a calm, even tone: “I’m already yours.”
“We’re married. We held the wedding banquet. Our names are both recoded in the registry. Unless I commit some huge mistake and you divorce me, I will always be yours.”
It was truly strange. Yi Xi had worried that his age and the male Zerg weren’t compatible, worried that his pheromone issues would prevent him from bonding with the male, and worried he couldn’t bear the male’s offspring. Yet here, the male Zerg was the one who seemed more anxious and insecure.
Among them, Chu Xiu was supposed to hold the higher position in this relationship, the one with the initiative, but now he looked so droopy and aggrieved. Yi Xi’s heart ached; this male Zerg was so good, how could he bear to see him so upset?
Unfortunately, Yi Xi lacked experience in handling a sulking little one. Gifts had been given, a house had been given, jewels had been given, yet nothing had soothed him. So Yi Xi took a bath, changed into pajamas, and finally held Chu Xiu’s hand, placing it on his chest.
He said: “We won’t wait any longer. Come to me.”
Due to the pheromone aversion, Chu Xiu and Yi Xi rarely had direct contact. Usually, they would hug over clothes or exchange polite cheek kisses.
Chu Xiu felt as if he had been burned and jerked his hand away.
He nervously stared at Yi Xi’s face, as if under his hand was not smooth, soft skin but molten lava: “You’re not uncomfortable, right?”
“No.” Yi Xi said, only feeling a little awkward. The male Zerg treated him like a fragile porcelain doll, but even with all his illnesses, he wasn’t that delicate.
“Come on.” He held the male Zerg’s hand again, like a patient teacher guiding a student to unwrap a gift: “Don’t be afraid. Mark me, it’s okay.”
Even though he was the one who could get hurt in this situation, he was telling Chu Xiu not to be afraid.
Yi Xi really wasn’t afraid of getting hurt. There was always going to be a first time anyway. And with a male like Cointreau, no matter what, it wouldn’t hurt that much. Even with his pheromone disorder, the pain would only be slightly more than usual, and Yi Xi didn’t think it would be unbearable.
Pain was just pain; every female was used to it. Besides, being with a male, how could it not hurt?
So many predecessors had gone through it themselves, so many films had recorded it, this was supposed to hurt. The only question was how much. Yi Xi wasn’t afraid of it. Every time the injections caused a strong hormonal backlash, the pain was intense, but as long as it wasn’t lethal, it was nothing serious.
Chu Xiu shook his head violently.
He kept retreating, his back pressed against the headboard, as if some raging flood or beast lay ahead: “No. You have to wait until you’re better.”
He couldn’t bear to see Yi Xi hurt, not even a little.
“Button up your pajamas.” His tone was firm, though it carried little real threat. He pushed the blanket over Yi Xi, covering him from the chest to the collarbone, leaving only a bit of neck exposed. “I’m not some lustful demon. When I say wait until you’re better, I mean wait until you’re better.”
Although, in certain ways… things were already quietly going off-script.
Yi Xi looked at him, a trace of a smile in his eyes.
He moved the blanket aside and slowly buttoned his pajamas, as gracefully as a collector dusting a gemstone with velvet: “So… will Cointreau still pay attention to me?”
Chu Xiu wanted to sound tough and say no, but he feared Yi Xi would unbutton himself again if he did. So he just nodded hastily: “I’ll pay attention.”
He drank the milk in one gulp, lay down facing Yi Xi, nuzzled his way into his female monarchr’s arms, wriggling his legs closer, and whispered softly: “Let me rub a little.”
The hormones raging… it was too much to bear.
Yi Xi smiled again.
Cointreau was just too easy to please.
If another male had been this angry, the female would have had to give up most of her wealth, bow and scrape, maybe even take a few lashes. His male, on the other hand, just wanted a little rub.
Adorable.
The male wriggled under the blanket, tossing it all messy, his little tufts of hair sticking up in every direction. He quickly washed up, crawled back under the covers, and almost immediately felt the weight of sleep. Chu Xiu yawned, switched off the small bedside lamp: “Good night.”
“Good night,” Yi Xi replied from the darkness. Then, almost in a whisper, as if speaking to himself or someone else: “Actually… tonight, I did felt it.”
He felt displeasure. He felt anger. His heart was overwhelmed, his chest heavy and aching.
He had possessiveness toward this male.
But he shouldn’t.
Yi Xi sat in the darkness, eyes lowered, casually running his hand over the male’s soft hair.
How long could these days of possession last? From ancient times to now, in the Empire, no female had ever been able to truly claim a male.
Besides, he was so much older than Chu Xiu, his body full of hidden ailments. Every underground gambling network bet he wouldn’t last a month. Meanwhile, there were so many talented young men, the same age as Chu Xiu, healthier, more beautiful, more vibrant.
He thought, luckily Chu Xiu’s status wasn’t too high. His rank and identity should keep the other suitors at bay. If Chu Xiu’s rank were any higher… things would have been completely different.
Thinking that, Chu Xiu half-awake turned over, mumbling: “Yi Xi… set my alarm for tomorrow morning. I have to go to court.”
“Okay,” Yi Xi said.
He meant the incident that had sent his father, Chu Dian, to the hospital in anger.
Yi Xi wasn’t worried about the court. Chu Xiu was male, punishments like imprisonment or exile didn’t apply to him. Even if he lost, it would just be a fine, and Yi Xi had plenty of money.
He leaned down and kissed the male’s cheek: “I’ll wake you up. Good night.”
He wished the days of exclusivity could last just a little longer.