SZAR Chapter 34

Chu Ci happily took delivery of a new aircraft and returned home in high spirits. When they had arrived, there was only one vehicle; when they left, there were two, each taking their own way back.

Chu Ci started his engine first and drove home, while Nuo Wei lagged behind, staring blankly at the keys on his light-brain for a long time. His eyes were dim and unsettled. Only when the aircraft ahead vanished at the edge of his vision did he ignite his engine and follow Chu Ci.

He had indeed considered using his savings, but the thought was quickly extinguished.

Erwen was his biological uncle who had raised him. Though often stern, the love and attention Erwen poured into him was genuine. Now that Erwen was being pressured by political opponents and unable to secure full military funding, yet leading the Ninth Expedition once again, failure would reflect entirely on him. Whoever caused the funding shortfall didn’t matter; war only judged success or failure. A single misstep could make the commander’s position precarious.

At Erwen’s level, appearances were dazzling, but like flowers over burning oil on a cliff’s edge, walking the tightrope of power was dangerous. One wrong step and there was no return.

Many of Erwen’s direct subordinates, unmarried female insects, had donated some of their wealth; Lin En had emptied nearly half of his assets. During today’s meeting, these unmarried females expressed outrage, while Nuo Wei and other married females mingled in the crowd, exchanging uneasy glances, feeling out of place.

Their wealth had long been handed over, all under the control of the males. Even for a commander who had been a mentor or father figure, the females could offer nothing beyond their mortal bodies ready to die at any moment.

But Nuo Wei hadn’t expected that Chu Ci could sense his thoughts.

He paused, pulled up Chu Ci’s card, and transferred enough funds to sustain a lavish lifestyle for the male for life, leaving only what was needed for basic living, and sent the rest to Erwen.

The admiral’s avatar blinked, and a message popped up almost immediately.

【 Nuo Wei, what are you doing? 】

He commanded coldly: 【 Withdraw it. 】

Nuo Wei, stubborn as ever, replied just as coldly:【 I won’t. 】

The six ellipses on the input screen lingered for a long time. The general typed and erased repeatedly but ultimately sent only a few simple words.

【Nuo Wei, do you want to die? 】

【 Withdraw it. 】

The cold, emotionless text left no room for feeling. Nuo Wei locked the account so Erwen couldn’t intervene, then put the light-brain down.

At the military conference table, General Erwen furrowed his brows and cursed, “You little brat.”

He didn’t understand how the usually obedient Nuo Wei, one who followed every order to the letter, had turned into this mess, sending several consecutive messages in frustration:

【Do you need me to remind you that you’re a married female, and all your assets already belong to Lord Chu Ci? 】

【 You’d better hope he hasn’t noticed the transfer records. 】

【 Don’t make me say it a third time – Withdraw it. 】

Nuo Wei set the light-brain to block all communication.

Erwen stared at the bright red exclamation mark on the sending interface, his brows nearly sharp enough to pin a fly.

He paused the meeting and walked out into the hallway. The cold wind whipped his coat into disarray, so he took it off and draped it over his arm, planning to bypass his stubborn nephew and send a message directly to Chu Ci.

Erwen’s approach was entirely different depending on the recipient: to Nuo Wei, he was like the dead of winter, stern and biting; to Chu Ci, he was like a spring breeze, warm and gentle, choosing words as if he were a kindly elder.

【 Lord Chu Ci, I’m very sorry to bother you. My foolish nephew just mistakenly transferred a sum to me, and I can’t reach him right now. Would it be okay to send it directly to you? 】

He didn’t say Nuo Wei did it on purpose, only that it was a mistaken transfer.

Chu Ci replied quickly: 【 You keep it. I understand the situation, and I’ve agreed. 】

Erwen paused at the input screen, silent for a long moment.

He agreed?

What did it mean that he agreed?

The behavior of this male bug was somewhat baffling. Erwen pinched his light-brain, completely unsure what Chu Ci was thinking.

Fortunately, Chu Ci didn’t leave him in suspense for long. Soon, another message came through: 【 If you really want to show your thanks, perhaps you could give me a white crystal? 】

Erwen exhaled in relief. As expected, male bugs liked gems. He replied, 【 Of course. I’ll choose the finest white crystal from my collection for you. 】

Though Erwen’s gem collection was extensive, he wasn’t exactly liquid in times of need. In human society, it’s similar: gems have value but no guaranteed market. A high-quality jadeite could sell for a fortune, but only if you happened to meet a buyer who appreciated it. If the seller was in a hurry, the price often had to be discounted several times. White crystals weren’t even expensive, so giving one to Chu Ci as a gesture was easy enough.

After a few polite exchanges, they ended the call. Chu Ci opened his light-brain and ticked off the white crystal.

The white crystal wasn’t pricey, but it was perfect as an accent stone, small, sparkling fragments that could be set around a main gem. Coincidentally, Chu Ci already had two beautiful main stones, also obtained from Erwen.

The two stones’ color, amber and cyan, matching the eyes of Chu Ci and Nuo Wei. If each set was made into a cufflink, one for each of them, it would look excellent. So Chu Ci had been keeping an eye on jewelry brands, and since Yi Xi had gifted everyone a Stellar membership, he planned to order the cufflinks from there.

Stellar’s service lived up to the empire’s top standards. Soon, they sent him a design draft, embedded with a cluster of white crystals. Chu Ci didn’t bother searching elsewhere and simply squeezed another gem from Erwen.

The admiral sat at home, watching debts rain down from the sky: first indulging his nephew, then dowry, and in the end, even the gems couldn’t be saved.

Fortunately, he wasn’t human, otherwise, he’d have easily topped the list of [Most Grievously Wronged Mothers-in-Law in History.]

Chu Ci returned home first but didn’t go inside. He fussed with the flowers and plants in the courtyard. Neither he nor Nuo Wei cared much about gardening; these things were usually tended by specialist. He plucked a small daisy to admire, planning to wait for Nuo Wei to arrive before heading inside together.

Unfortunately, Nuo Wei hadn’t arrived yet. But another zerg showed up.

Chu Ci saw a familiar figure in a suit at the door and froze for a moment. He held out his hand: “Secretary Lin.”

He had seen this person at the banquet earlier, it was Yi Xi’s secretary, the one who handed out medicine. Chu Ci was slightly surprised. “What brings you here?”

He asked, “Is this about discussing withdrawal of the investment?”

Yi Xi was in a real bind now, barely keeping himself afloat. It seemed likely this investment was doomed.

Chu Ci gestured for him to come in and poured a glass of lemonade. He felt a little melancholy. Before today, he had an extremely wealthy wife and a large investment on the way. Now, the investment was gone, and his wife wasn’t as wealthy as before, like a leaky roof over a dilapidated house, his net assets had shrunk rapidly. He sighed heavily.

Unexpectedly, Secretary Lin gripped his cup and said, “No.”

He took a deep breath. “I’m here to talk to Mr. Chu about additional investment.”

Chu Ci: “Hm?”

Secretary Lin spoke quickly: “I’m sure you already know the situation. My boss’s circumstances aren’t good. We don’t know when that male zerg will wake up, and the verdict is still pending. He won’t have much time to make decisions, so he wants to meet you tonight to discuss additional investment.”

He emphasized, “If the deal goes through, this will be Stellar’s largest investment this year.”

A group of Stellar’s level can shake everything when it moves in the business world. Its biggest investment of the year would naturally be a staggering sum.

Just moments ago, Chu Ci had been worrying about the withdrawal. Now, the situation had taken a complete 180-degree turn. He paused, still a bit dazed.

He thought it over and immediately understood the situation.

There wasn’t much time left for Yi Xi; increasing the investment was a last resort.

That male zerg could wake up at any moment. Once he did, he would certainly hold Yi Xi accountable. By law, he might even force Yi Xi to become his attendant and take over Stellar Group in the process.

Yi Xi had neither a male master nor children, and Stellar was the fruit of his lifetime of effort. He would never willingly hand it over, so he needed to use the window while the male insect was unconscious to make arrangements, transferring his assets into investments. In case anything went wrong later, at least there would be some funds to cover the aftermath. In this light, his actions were understandable.

Chu Ci nodded. “Please reassure Yi Xi. I will arrive at the meeting on time.”

Chu Ci always returned kindness with kindness. Since Yi Xi trusted his ability, Chu Ci would not let that trust be misplaced.

Secretary Lin then informed him of the time and place for the meeting and exchanged a few polite words. Chu Ci asked, “Do you have any other plans afterward? Would you like to sit a while longer?”

Secretary Lin clearly just come from Yi Xi’s place. His forehead was drenched in sweat, and he still carried the smell of disinfectant. When he first arrived, he was panting heavily. Now, after sitting on Chu Ci’s sofa for a while, he had finally caught his breath.

“No, thank you,” Secretary Lin said.

He sniffed at the lingering scent on his clothes, then glanced at the sofa and suddenly remembered something. Forcing out a sheepish smile, he said, “Sorry, Mr. Chu, for bringing an unpleasant smell into your home. I hope your male master won’t be upset?”

Chu Ci’s back stiffened.

Earlier at the banquet, Chu Ci’s colleagues had gossiped freely. Secretary Lin had overheard enough to know that Chu Ci was an especially favored female zerg, deeply cherished by her male master. The two were inseparable; Chu Ci often disappeared while working. According to the gossip, she would be pinned to the table and involved in various… intimate matters.

Secretary Lin looked around cautiously. “Your male master isn’t home, is he?”

It would be considered improper for a female insect to bring a guest into the home without permission; the male master might be displeased.

Chu Ci laughed it off. “No, no…not home, not home.”

He tugged the collar of his sweater a little higher.

Secretary Lin said, “By the way, I heard that after the boss left, you stormed out of the meeting too. Are you alright?”

Chu Ci didn’t dare respond directly to that. He just smiled and said, “I’m fine, fine. Just an old problem, nothing serious.”

Secretary Lin made an “oh” sound. “I heard you had a headache then. Our boss has funded several neuroscience labs, if you need, you could use their help…”

He suddenly trailed off and glanced out the window.

Chu Ci inwardly groaned.

Nuo Wei was far behind. He finally arrived just as Secretary Lin was about to leave, piloting the aicraft with slow, measured steps.