NOVEL NEXT 24
## Chapter 24
“Alright—done—”
Gu Qing sat at the door of the dressing room, dragging out his words as he shouted. He was sitting backward on a chair, hugging the backrest, with his head resting on his arms.
“Lu Xi, you’re so slow!”
Lu Xi’s voice came from inside the dressing room: “Almost done. Why are the buttons on the back? Is this design really okay?”
Gu Qing hung his head in frustration. “Hurry up.”
He didn’t know when he had taken on the responsibility of “taking care of Lu Xi.” They were just ordinary deskmates. With the gathering about to start, he was anxious to rush to the male zergs, but here he was, waiting for Lu Xi to change clothes.
Ahhh!!
Who made him volunteer to comfort Lu Xi on the first day? That’s how it goes: when responsibilities aren’t clearly assigned, the first person to step in ends up taking on the role permanently.
Gu Qing angrily scratched his head. “If you really can’t manage, let me help you. We’ll be late if you keep dawdling!”
“Almost done.”
After another few seconds, Gu Qing finally heard the door to the dressing room open. He impatiently looked up. “Are you incubating an egg in there…”
His voice cut off abruptly as he saw Lu Xi.
The black-haired, red-eyed zerg was wearing a vintage, tailored formal suit. This suit, inherited from thousands of years ago, was intricate and luxurious, with lace layers at the collar and cuffs that seemed light and airy. The suit was adorned with countless sparkling, precious gemstones, like stars falling upon it.
Although beautiful, very few zergs chose to wear such formal attire. This type of suit required impeccable posture; even the slightest slouch or incorrect arm angle would magnify small imperfections, making the wearer look odd.
Gu Qing swallowed hard, mesmerized.
Lu Xi’s black hair was combed back, revealing a smooth forehead, with slightly long curls neatly arranged at the back.
He looked… incredibly handsome.
To be honest, the suit was rented and not particularly high-end, unable to withstand close scrutiny. But on Lu Xi, it exuded a captivating charm.
Lu Xi lowered his head slightly, eyes downcast as he adjusted his cuffs. Finding it troublesome, he pursed his lips, his eyes reflecting a cold glint.
With his upright posture and dignified air, Gu Qing had a fleeting illusion.
It was as if a handsome and powerful male zerg had walked out of the dressing room.
No, no, no…
Gu Qing shook his head vigorously, snapping out of his fantasy: What am I thinking! This is the same Lu Xi who shot Liang Huangchuan!
Lu Xi finally finished with his sleeves. He raised his arms, fingers running through the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling it out of the collar.
Noticing Gu Qing shaking his head frantically, he paused: “…Does it not fit?”
“No, not at all.” Gu Qing replied dryly. “You look great. You’re the brightest star in the room!”
As he studied Lu Xi, the absurd thought faded, replaced by a teasing one.
If Lu Xi were really a male zerg, it would be extraordinary.
With looks like his, he’d cause a stir wherever he went, wouldn’t he?
Gu Qing took out his communicator and opened his cherished album, which contained a vast collection of male zerg photos—high-definition pictures he had painstakingly saved from the star network over the years.
Among them were the annual top ten most beautiful male zergs as voted by netizens.
Gu Qing looked at Lu Xi, then at his communicator. The male zergs, who once seemed celestial to him, suddenly lost their luster.
Hiss…
Lu Xi looked at Gu Qing’s awkward expression and raised an eyebrow.
Lu Xi: “You look like you’re stuck between praising me and feeling insincere, and criticizing me but feeling reluctant.”
He glanced skeptically at his clothes: “Is it really that strange?”
Gu Qing put away his communicator and started pushing Lu Xi towards the exit, beaming: “Not at all, tonight you are absolutely dazzling, captivating everyone with every smile and gesture. I’m sure you’ll capture the hearts of all the male zergs—go for it! Our goal is to win their hearts!!”
Lu Xi: “…”
Thanks, but no thanks. That’s too much.
…
**[At the Social Gathering]**
As soon as Gu Qing entered the venue, he scanned the room and quickly spotted his target: Xia Baiyuan.
Xia Baiyuan was incredibly easy to find, his silver hair practically glowing under the lights. Combined with his rare, delicate, and refined features, he stood out immediately.
Alright, alright, time to return the chick to its caretaker.
But before Gu Qing could say anything, Lu Xi had already spotted Xia Baiyuan. Gu Qing could swear to the zerg gods—Lu Xi’s eyes lit up instantly!
“Have fun~”
Lu Xi waved at Gu Qing and walked towards Xia Baiyuan.
The social gathering had just begun; the male zergs had yet to arrive, but most of the female zergs were already there.
In the spacious venue, long tables covered with white tablecloths were filled with delicious food. Lit candelabras and fine wines added to the beautiful setting.
Unfortunately, there weren’t many people to enjoy it, leaving the array of delicacies underappreciated.
Lu Xi saw Xia Baiyuan deftly pick up a small bunch of berries from the table and pop them into his mouth, not getting a single mark on his white gloves.
He appeared elegant, but he was actually eating quite quickly. When Lu Xi reached him and looked down, he saw that the plate was already half-filled with fruit peels and bones.
Lu Xi couldn’t help but smirk.
No one could fault Xia Baiyuan for being impolite. His eating manner was pleasing to the eye, his appearance impeccable, and he even seemed a bit relaxed and nonchalant.
Xia Baiyuan tossed the berry stems into the plate and stopped chewing as he observed Lu Xi’s attire.
He slowly narrowed his eyes and said nothing.
Lu Xi felt uneasy under his gaze: “What’s wrong?”
Xia Baiyuan looked for a few more seconds before swallowing the berries leisurely, turning his eyes away: “No—thing.”
This three-syllable (chinese words) response was drawn out, carrying layers of meaning.
Three parts indifference, two parts disdain, four parts nonchalance, and one part slight amusement—Lu Xi’s mind conjured up a pie chart.
Despite his playful nature, Lu Xi had always valued his appearance due to his male father’s influence.
It should be noted that apart from his consistently free-spirited female father, the whole family paid great attention to manners and appearance. Even his brother Qianshan, who always went on about “You foolish mortals, I am the Lord of the Abyss,” would meticulously paint his fingernails black.
At that moment, Lu Xi felt a bit overwhelmed.
“Really?” Lu Xi frowned and instinctively straightened his collar. “I didn’t originally want to choose this one, but there weren’t any better options, and time was short… so…”
As he adjusted his collar, the red paper flower pinned to his chest shook slightly.
Xia Baiyuan’s gaze swept over the flower before he lowered his eyes and took a sip of his drink.
Lu Xi was certainly good-looking.
In fact, he was excessively good-looking. Xia Baiyuan hadn’t anticipated that this outfit would so perfectly accentuate the subtle air of nobility Lu Xi carried.
One could hardly tell he came from a garbage star.
The males at this school were mostly ordinary, hovering around D-rank. A Lu Xi like this was exactly their type.
Xia Baiyuan took another sip of his drink.
Maybe some male would approach and ask Lu Xi for his flower right away.
Lu Xi… Lu Xi wouldn’t refuse. Why would he? There was no reason to.
“Are you okay?”
Lu Xi’s voice pulled Xia Baiyuan out of his thoughts. He shook his head. “What were you saying?”
A faint concern appeared on that handsome face. Lu Xi reached out, his cool fingertip touching the space between Xia Baiyuan’s brows. “You’ve been frowning.”
Xia Baiyuan: “…Huh?”
Lu Xi asked anxiously, “Am I really that inappropriate?”
Xia Baiyuan finally noticed the irritation that had quietly risen within him. He couldn’t understand why he felt this way—maybe it was too hot here, or maybe he’d drunk too much.
He set his glass on the table and suppressed his annoyance, giving a slight smile. “Just kidding.”
Lu Xi’s eyes widened slightly, making him look unexpectedly innocent.
Xia Baiyuan laughed outright, patting Lu Xi’s shoulder. “There won’t be a better-looking female zerg than you here. You can have any male zerg you want tonight—which type do you like? I can help you pick.”
Seeing Xia Baiyuan’s earnest expression, wanting to help him, Lu Xi opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, resembling a comical goldfish.
Xia Baiyuan was enthusiastic. “Hmm?”
Lu Xi said, feeling frustrated, “I… I am a male zerg myself.”
Xia Baiyuan stepped back and performed a classical bow. “Alright, my male zerg Mr. Lu Xi, which type of male zerg do you prefer?”
Lu Xi: “…”
He had no way to deal with Xia Baiyuan.
Lu Xi sighed internally. For the first time in his life, he considered what type he liked.
He had never liked any female zerg before. Aside from his family, no female zerg had dared to approach him. Lu Xi didn’t know his own preferences.
Then he remembered something his male father had once said with conviction.
“Silver hair is a must.” Lu Mo sat by the heater, arms crossed, chin raised proudly. “No one can resist silver hair—Ling is the most beautiful female zerg in the world.”
With a click, Lu Huaming pressed the record button. “Got it. A birthday present for your female father.”
Lu Mo sat up in shock. “What? You can’t give that to Ling—I mean, how can you give such a cheap gift? Did I teach you to be so stingy?”
Amidst the chaos, Lu Xi nodded in agreement, recalling his female father’s silver hair.
The second condition: a gentle female zerg who wasn’t afraid of him.
The third condition: preferably someone strong. Otherwise, how could a delicate male zerg like him survive in this terrifying world without a female zerg’s protection?
“The type I like is, of course—”
Xia Baiyuan: “Hmm?”
Seeing the serious expression on the silver-haired female zerg’s face, Lu Xi’s faint smile froze.
Silver hair.
Not afraid of him.
A gentle female zerg.
A strong female zerg.
Ah, saying it out loud would totally sound like a confession! Xia Baiyuan would definitely misunderstand.
“What’s wrong?”
A rush of heat quickly climbed up Lu Xi’s face. He instinctively turned his head to the side, stammering, “N-nothing, ahem—”
He cleared his throat and started to ramble.
“Red hair, maybe, as red as fire. I like a bit of an arrogant personality, the more aggressive the better,” he said cautiously. “Strong build, darker skin, someone who doesn’t give up easily…”
At first, Xia Baiyuan was nodding, but by the end, his expression turned slightly peculiar.
Just then, a tanned arm inserted itself from the side, and a tall figure leaned against Lu Xi.
Lu Xi looked up to see a head of flaming red hair.
With a roguish face and lively green eyes, he gave Lu Xi a playful smile. “If I didn’t know you were talking about male zergs, I would have thought you had a crush on me.”
Lu Xi: “…”
Lu Xi stiffly turned his neck and mouthed to Xia Baiyuan without a sound: “Who is he?”
“Let me introduce myself,” the red-haired female zerg retracted his hand, picked up a wine glass from the table, and took a sip. “My name is Di Yan, and I’m Xia Baiyuan’s classmate.”
Before Lu Xi could react, Di Yan squinted and leaned in closer. “Since you know Xia Baiyuan, that makes you my friend too. How about a kiss?”
Lu Xi: ????
Wait, where’s the logic in that?!
The next second, a fair hand rested on Di Yan’s shoulder, and a deep voice said, “Di Yan, do you want to die?”
Di Yan paused, then straightened up with a sheepish grin. He turned and casually slung an arm around Xia Baiyuan’s shoulder. “What? I don’t remember you being so protective—you’re pretty ruthless when we’re fighting.”
“Losers of rock-paper-scissors have to accept the punishment,” Xia Baiyuan said with a dark expression. “Stop hitting on my boss.”
Di Yan spread his hands. “But my punishment is to give him a kiss.”
Xia Baiyuan looked at him with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Alright, alright.” Di Yan shrugged. “You owe me one, and we’ll have another match when we get back.”
“Fine.”
“Sigh…” Di Yan let out a theatrical sigh, one that even Lu Xi could see through. As he took a couple of steps away, he turned back to Lu Xi and asked, “Seriously, no kiss?”
Lu Xi, stone-faced: “No.”
“Tsk.”
The tall female zerg rejoined his group, and a round of jeering quickly erupted from them.
Curious, Lu Xi looked over and immediately started coughing.
They were playing rock-paper-scissors, laughing and joking around, with the losers begrudgingly giving the winners a rather nauseating kiss.
A group of female zergs were hugging each other, sitting on their classmates’ laps, and calling each other “dear” and “darling.”
As time passed, the atmosphere warmed up.
This wasn’t a noble’s banquet, after all. The students relaxed and began to let loose.
Since the male zergs hadn’t arrived, everyone was just fooling around together.
Xia Baiyuan patted Lu Xi’s back. “It’s common among female zergs. Haven’t you seen it before?”
Lu Xi twitched his lips. “No.”
Indeed, he hadn’t. He hadn’t spent much time in school.
He clutched his trembling heart, slowly found a chair, and sat down, his eyes involuntarily glancing back at the group.
Ugh, so weird.
Just one more look.
Ugh, so weird.
…
Xia Baiyuan leaned against the table, sipping his drink and squinting at Di Yan.
Looking down, he saw Lu Xi propping his chin with one hand, his expression curious, his long fingers fair, with a black ring on his index finger.
“Did you used to mess around with them like this?”
Xia Baiyuan took another sip of his drink.
Him? He didn’t have the time.
But he simply said, “Yeah, I do this with close friends.”
Lu Xi let out a low sigh. “I see—”
Female zergs’ friendships are truly fascinating!
“I’m pretty close with you too.”
Lu Xi’s eyes lit up, and he looked up: “Really?”
Xia Baiyuan turned the glass in his hand. “Yes.”
The next moment, a warm body settled into Lu Xi’s lap.
Xia Baiyuan sat sideways on Lu Xi’s legs, casually saying, “Just like this. Hmm—I’ve had some alcohol, so I can’t kiss you. You get drunk too easily.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…Lu Xi?”
Lu Xi, 175 years old, single.
After transmigrating, for the first time, his heart beat over 400 times in a minute.
He faintly heard the call of the zerg god.
—