Ch 25
A World of Two Zergs
Not long after the pre-marital agreement was read aloud, the virtual screen displaying the sub-female dissolved into colorful fireworks that scattered and bloomed across every corner of the hall, a sight too beautiful for words.
At this moment, the elderly female Zerg from the stage handed over two red and gold-embossed marriage certificates, saying, “Please sign and leave your fingerprints and iris scan.”
Following his instructions, they both complied. The elderly Zerg then smiled warmly and said, “It is done. The mark of your lifelong marriage is now left.”
“May you uphold your eternal vows and remember your promises.”
After the registration of the female servant was complete and He Yi’s account received all of the female Zerg’s assets, the usually stern and sharp-faced female Zerg began to wear a silly grin. The cold and reserved expression he always had softened with every glance He Yi gave him, and his cute, smiling face seemed to refresh the screen over and over again.
He Yi found it hilarious.
How could a Zerg be so adorably silly?
The continuous smiles were like arrows of Cupid hitting his heart, sweet enough to overwhelm him!
By the time the two of them, holding hands with their little red certificates, returned to the villa by airship, it was almost noon. The newlywed female servant, filled with enthusiasm, eagerly insisted on making a splendid meal for his male lord. He Yi, who prided himself on pampering his spouse, waved his hand in agreement.
After all, it was their first day as newlyweds. A world of just the two of them was more than enough.
Besides, he didn’t want the house robot, Xiao Yi, to power up and say anything that would disrupt their romantic atmosphere. At the moment, the pink bubbles surrounding them were so numerous and dense that he would feel heartbroken if even one were popped.
Zhao was in the kitchen, washing ingredients in the sink, while He Yi leaned casually against the doorway with his arms crossed, watching with affection.
Although the vegetables of the Zerg race had different names from those on Earth, their shapes and flavors were very similar. For example, the basket of vegetables that the female Zerg was washing, called green leaf shoots, closely resembled Earth’s lettuce, except that they were slightly larger.
Clear, cool water flowed over the white, slender fingers of the female Zerg and trickled down the vibrant green vegetables, creating a scene that was both pure and seductive.
Droplets of water clung to the back of his hand, rolling off one by one.
A look of amazement flashed in He Yi’s eyes as he bit his lip, trying hard to suppress the rising waves of desire, almost unable to tear his gaze away. When the female Zerg finally finished and stepped away from the sink, that fleeting moment of longing was carved deep into He Yi’s heart.
Meanwhile, He Yi’s personal smart device, set to voice mode, was enthusiastically reading aloud all sorts of gossip from the star network forums. Topics ranged from last month’s Federation surrender ceremony to current Imperial political analyses, from rampant space pirates to which planets’ patrol fleets had been attacked and which passenger ships had been raided.
As the saying goes, “experts hide among the common folk.” The comment sections were filled with all sorts of creative and hilarious remarks from users of all kinds, causing He Yi to laugh out loud continuously.
“Hahaha… This is too funny! Zhao, are space pirates really as terrifying as the internet makes them out to be?” He Yi asked, bending over with laughter, one hand on the doorframe and the other on his knee.
“Not necessarily,” Zhao said, continuing to slice the ingredients on the cutting board into evenly sized strips.
“Oh? How so?” He Yi asked.
Zhao smiled as he placed the neatly cut ingredients onto a plate. He felt quite satisfied with the knife skills he’d been secretly practicing during his lunch breaks at the military department in the past few days, but he didn’t forget to answer He Yi’s question:
“Master, there is no absolute good or evil in this world. Some space pirate groups are filled with ruthless criminals, but others are guided by a code of honor and boundaries. They may loot ships for wealth, but they don’t harm civilians.”
He Yi walked over, helping to plate the food as he said, “So, encountering space pirates doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be meeting the Zerg god anytime soon?”
“Right. Now that the Empire and the Federation have signed a ceasefire agreement, the borders are secure. With external threats gone, it’s time to deal with internal issues. I suspect it won’t be long before the military turns its focus on those space pirates who act without regard for life.” As Zhao spoke, he glanced carefully at He Yi.
“What’s wrong?” He Yi asked, slightly puzzled.
“At that time… I might be assigned as the commander for this mission. I ask for your permission, Master,” Zhao said, lowering his head guiltily.
It hadn’t been long since their wedding, and now he might have to leave He Yi behind. He felt he wasn’t fulfilling his role as a proper partner. But at the same time, he couldn’t be a subservient Zerg who abandoned his dreams to stay home, thinking only of his lord.
He Yi was taken aback for a second, but quickly brushed aside the sudden pang of reluctance in his heart. He smiled and said, “What are you talking about? This is your career, of course I’ll support you!”
“But…” He paused and teased, “Shouldn’t you make it up to me in advance?”
“Make it up how?” Zhao asked, blinking in confusion.
With a mischievous grin, He Yi leaned close to Zhao’s ear and whispered a few words. Zhao’s face instantly turned bright red.
Muttering softly, he said, “Whatever Master says…” His watery ice-blue eyes darted around, unsure where to look, but he avoided He Yi’s gaze at all costs.
Watching the shy and flustered expression on Zhao’s face, He Yi’s smile nearly melted into a warm, bubbling stream of happiness.
The first meal after their wedding came together amidst He Yi’s playful teasing and Zhao’s shy awkwardness. When the final dish, a bowl of vegetable soup, was brought to the table, He Yi couldn’t help but exclaim, “Ah Zhao, this is way too much! Eight dishes and one soup!”
“Are you feeding a Dudu beast?”
“It’s fine, Master can eat as much as he wants.” How could Zhao let his lord eat a meager meal on the first day of their marriage? He turned and served He Yi a bowl of rice, packed to the brim.
“Hey, you’re not eating, and there’s no way I can finish all this.” Zhao’s senses of smell and taste were incredibly sensitive, and even the slightest stimuli could cause a strong reaction. From a biological standpoint, of the four basic tastes—sour, sweet, bitter, and salty—Zhao could only tolerate sour. Eating anything with the other three flavors would make him extremely uncomfortable.
So, what was delicious for male Zergs was practically poison for females.
He Yi picked up his chopsticks and tasted the braised ribs, his eyes narrowing in delight as the two little antennae on his head wiggled happily. “Mmm, this is good.”
Zhao glanced at the adorable antennae atop his lord’s head without saying a word, then retrieved some energy bars and nutrient fluids from the fridge. Sitting down beside He Yi, he quietly ate his meal as well.
The moon hung high, and the night was deep and dewy.
In the large master bedroom, only Zhao lay there, alone, with no sign of He Yi.
Since dinner, Zhao had been preparing for the night ahead. He had taken a careful bath, burned incense, put on his power-suppressing bracelet, and even injected a muscle relaxant. Feeling a mix of excitement, nervousness, and a bit of shyness, he lay quietly in He Yi’s bed, waiting.
He waited from sunset to moonrise, but He Yi never came. As his excitement and nerves faded, all that remained was growing anxiety and fear.
Had He Yi already abandoned him on their first night of marriage?
Zhao closed his eyes, replaying all their recent interactions, growing more convinced that he had overstepped his bounds, growing too confident in He Yi’s affection.
He lifted the thin blanket and got up, kneeling at the foot of the bed. He decided that when He Yi returned, he would sincerely apologize, hoping that He Yi would not be too angry after punishing him and—best of all—would still forgive him.
The overly sentimental Zhao was sinking into a pit of self-pity.
Meanwhile, the esteemed lord, He Yi, was hiding upstairs in the game room, silently berating himself. After all the teasing he’d done to Zhao during the day, now he felt utterly nervous at night.
Yes, he was the very definition of that classic saying: a giant in thought, but a coward in action.
He Yi still had some lingering trauma from the last time he lost control during his evolution, which had left Ah Zhao severely injured and covered in bruises. The thought of the same thing happening again haunted him. As the sky darkened, he grew increasingly anxious about their wedding night. Feeling utterly cowardly, he escaped to the game room, hoping to hide there until midnight, when Zhao would be asleep, so he could sneak back into the room unnoticed.
It was a perfect plan.
But when it came time to execute it, he found it unbearably difficult. It felt as though a massive axe had split him in two. One half, hidden in the shadows, screamed at him to return to the room, to claim Zhao in every way possible. The other half, standing in the light, roared back, determined to suppress his beastly instincts.
The two sides waged a long, drawn-out battle within him.
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Perhaps it was a stalemate, or perhaps the dark side had gained the upper hand. In any case, before midnight, he found himself dragging his feet back to the room.
What he didn’t expect was not to find Zhao peacefully asleep, but instead, to see him kneeling at the foot of the bed, completely naked, with his head hanging low.
He Yi: ???
He was utterly baffled.