SZAR Chapter 67

The male zerg slouched nearby, listless, sighing repeatedly, looking as if he had suffered some huge injustice. If the Male Zerg Protection Association saw him acting like this on his wedding day, they would surely think Yi Xi had done something terrible to him.

Yi Xi had no way to resist and said helplessly, “Cointreau…”

How had he never noticed Cointreau was like this before?

The male zerg rested his head on his arm, refusing to speak, as if insisting that Yi Xi call him a few times just to hear it. Yi Xi wrestled with himself for a long while before finally putting down the spoon and sighing: “Cointreau, stop it.”

He really couldn’t say it.

Seeing the patron’s thin face flush pink, the composure from past business meetings completely gone, a small smile flickered in Chu Xiu’s eyes: “Then you eat first.”

Yi Xi’s brow twitched.

It was as if he had finally glimpsed a hint of mischief beneath Cointreau’s normally obedient exterior, a playfulness he could hardly believe. Could the male zerg really just let him off like this?

The next second, Chu Xiu stood up, casually draping his apron over the chair and shrugging slightly. “I’ll go shower first, get ready for tonight.”

Yi Xi couldn’t even drink the soup.

The light spoon fell from his hand, feeling as if it weighed a ton.

His foggy mind turned sluggishly.

“Get ready for tonight? For what?”

Yi Xi looked up. The male zerg was already heading upstairs. He wore only a shirt, sleeves rolled up to his upper arms and secured with sleeve garters, subtly outlining his muscles. The kitchen’s open flames had left him lightly sweating, and the shirt clung just enough to reveal a section of his waistline.

Yi Xi raised his hand to press against his forehead again.

“My god,” he murmured.

As the leader of Stellar, Yi Xi had practiced abstinence for years, but that didn’t mean he was some naïve youngster; on the contrary, his business travels had given him the chance to evaluate countless beauties. He knew better than anyone just how intoxicating Chu Xiu’s physique could be.

Cointreau had always been gentle and adorable, so how had he turned into this — this heart-stealing form — after his second awakening?

Chu Xiu, oblivious to the patron’s inner turmoil, walked upstairs lightly and gracefully, leaving the entire living room silent and empty.

Yi Xi mechanically sipped the soup. Honestly, the chicken broth was just right — clear, sweet, and flavorful — but he couldn’t taste it. His mind kept replaying what the male had just said.

He had another worry: he wasn’t sure if he could truly accept Chu Xiu.

Yi Xi knew his own body very well. Ordinary touches were fine, but once he got too close to a male, if the pheromones were too strong, he would get dizzy, nauseous, and even gag.

This kind of bodily rejection was instinctive, rooted in every single cell, it wasn’t something Yi Xi could control. Yet he hadn’t figured out how to explain this to Chu Xiu.

On their first day of marriage, if the female monarch vomited in bed, Cointreau would be upset, right?

It was strange. He should have been worrying about whether this body would anger the male, but all Yi Xi could think about was whether Chu Xiu would feel hurt.

Even though the second awakening had made the male taller, and the sharp lines of his face had replaced his former softness, making him look more severe, his age compared to Yi Xi’s was still small. Just thinking about Chu Xiu’s soft, collapsing hair, his fan-like eyelashes drooping, sitting quietly and looking wronged, made Yi Xi feel his heart tighten painfully.

He stared at the back of his hand, thinking about this hidden weakness that he could never share with anyone else, and for a rare moment, felt an emotion called regret.

He was almost twenty years older than Chu Xiu.

One had a body full of youthful vitality, the other’s shell worn down, long sick and fragile.

Yi Xi sat in his chair for a long time, holding the spoon in place but not drinking any soup. Si Si glided over from the side, peeked at the empty bowl, pointed, and asked, ⟦ Can I take this to wash? ⟧

Yi Xi handed over the bowl. “Of course.”

The AI whirred as its wheels turned, rolled to the sink, and shoved the bowl into the dishwasher with all the energy of someone ready for battle. Halfway through, it suddenly thought of something and turned back. ⟦ You’ve seen the Master now. You see I wasn’t lying, right? ⟧

It was referring to the time it had told Yi Xi that “he really, really, really likes you,” which Yi Xi had refused to believe.

Si Si had taken that disbelief personally. As the newest model in the Empire, the AI had a highly precise algorithm; the master’s feelings had been calculated with near certainty. And Yi Xi hadn’t believed it, how could he not be upset?

Yi Xi paused subtly for a second.

Admitting in front of a household robot that the male liked him very much… felt too strange.

Si Si, stubborn and literal, stared at Yi Xi unblinkingly. After a moment, Yi Xi finally gave in to the robot’s innocent, unwavering gaze, cleared his throat, and said, ⟦ I believe you. ⟧

The robot started washing the dishes with satisfaction.

Moments later, Si Si seemed to notice Yi Xi lingering behind. A little question mark appeared on its screen.

⟦ (O.O;) Female Master, aren’t you going to watch the Master take a bath? According to my calculations, he’s almost done! ⟧

Yi Xi was rinsing his mouth with tea and nearly spat it out.

He looked at Si Si, his expression a tangle of disbelief and exasperation. “Why would you think I want to watch the master bathe?”

Si Si tilted its head. ⟦ Because according to my database, on the first day of marriage, you’re supposed to watch the other one take a bath! ⟧

The screen flickered. ⟦ It’s just like this first (〃￣︶￣), then like that (￣︶￣〃), then the two bugs’ body temperatures rise, and naturally they end up on the bed, mmm ahh and ahh mmm, and then it’s done! ⟧

Yi Xi: “……”

The leader of Stellar unconsciously pressed his forehead for the umpteenth time that day.

He had no idea what kind of pirated data set this robot was running. According to it, female zergs were apparently capable of all sorts of tricks just to use their pheromones; bathing to seduce was considered the lowest-of-the-low tactic. Only the most traditional females would bother with it. Even the cold, rigid military females mostly looked down on such routines now. Yi Xi thought maybe only females who maintained a “cold and distant” image, like Major General Nuo Wei of the military, might do something like that. But all of that assumed a female was trying to seduce a male.

Chu Xiu, however, was a genuine male zerg. With his face and body, even if his rank wasn’t high, plenty of females would throw themselves at him. There was no way he would need to do something like that.

But Si Si didn’t understand. It was panicking, bumping its head against Yi Xi’s leg:  ⟦ Hurry up! He really is done! ⟧

Yi Xi didn’t want to speak, yet he had to admit a small, secret flutter in his chest.

He climbed the stairs, and at the mid-turn saw the robot switch its display to a smiley face and awkwardly added, “Don’t download weird stuff, or I’ll have to delete your data set.”

Si Si froze:  ⟦ QAQ. ⟧

It had only meant to help, what a troublemaker!

As Yi Xi went upstairs, Chu Xiu was still in the shower. The sound of running water hit his ears. Through the frosted glass, he could vaguely make out Chu Xiu’s silhouette: among the pure white tiles, traces of flesh-colored shapes. Yi Xi only glanced once before looking away.

From that outline, he could make out where Chu Xiu’s waist and legs were. Even just the shadow showed a finely slim waist and long legs; a perfect figure.

Yi Xi sat on the edge of the bed, pretending to focus elsewhere, glancing at the balcony plants. A spider plant swayed gently in the wind.

The spider plant wasn’t expensive, just a casual decoration from Chu Xiu. Yi Xi had seen countless precious flowers, yet stubbornly stared at this one, as if the casually bought pot held some special secret.

The sound of water in the shower finally softened.

Thanks to the near-total lack of soundproofing in the male zerg’s master bathroom, Yi Xi heard the cap twist open, the shower gel being squeezed out, and the whole process of it being rubbed onto the body. Then came the water, gradually growing louder, and finally, it stopped completely. A towel was shaken out, sliding doors moved, and Chu Xiu stepped out.

Yi Xi tried to look calm, pushed up his glasses, and turned his head: “You’re done…”

His lips moved, but no words came out.

Chu Xiu wore only boxer briefs and had a long hotel-style towel draped over him, beyond that, there was nothing.

He wasn’t even wearing shoes, his bare feet pressing onto the diatom mud mat, leaving wet footprints. His straight calves were well-toned, the lines tapering from ankle to knee, stark against the dark carpet.

The towel was long enough, but Chu Xiu was tall, barely covering certain areas, while his long legs swayed outside it.

Yi Xi turned his head and focused on the spider plant again.

A flicker of a smile crossed Chu Xiu’s face.

The top bartender knew how to leverage his advantages, simply displaying the body outright lacked aesthetic appeal; it needed to be partially covered, paired with an innocent, clueless expression.

The mattress next to Yi Xi dented slightly as Chu Xiu sat down.

This posture left certain areas even more exposed, so Yi Xi kept his gaze fixed on the spider plant.

But Chu Xiu leaned closer.

His touch was measured, sliding slowly over the clothing, as if just to share warmth. Then he spread the towel over Yi Xi’s legs and pressed his fluffy head against him.

“Yi Xi.” The male looked up at him from his lap, his beautiful peach-blossom eyes sparkling. Chu Xiu seemed completely unaware of how intimate this gesture was, or how tempting his appearance was. He lifted a finger toward his wet hair and said, slightly frustrated: “Help me dry it.”

Yi Xi let out a resigned sigh.

Their skin wasn’t touching, so his instinctive aversion was well controlled. The air still carried the faint scent of the male zerg’s bath, a subtle mix of orange blossom and alcohol, but it wasn’t overwhelming. The fragrance mingled lightly with the mist from the shower, delicate and pleasant.

He pulled the towel closer and began drying Chu Xiu’s hair.

The second awakening hadn’t changed Chu Xiu’s hair texture; it was still soft to the touch.

Yi Xi’s long fingers brushed over the scalp, tickling slightly. Chu Xiu closed his eyes in comfort, dozing lightly across Yi Xi’s lap.

The night was deep.

Yi Xi rubbed the male’s hair thoughtfully, then decided to be honest.

He asked softly, “Cointreau, have you looked into my information?”

The physical condition of the leader of Stellar was an open secret; anyone could find it with a simple check.

Chu Xiu made a nonchalant “hm.”

PTSD… He understood.

Yi Xi continued, “So… tonight, we might not be able to do anything.”

In reality, it wouldn’t matter much; even if vomiting happened, as long as the mouth was blocked and restrained, it wouldn’t prevent other uses. But Yi Xi didn’t think Cointreau would do that.

Chu Xiu responded again with a light “hm.”

Yi Xi paused, surprised at how calm the male zerg was. A faint irritation stirred within him, but he quickly suppressed it.

“So… have you thought about what to do?” Yi Xi asked, suggesting, “The capital star’s hospital has desensitization drugs.”

Given Chu Xiu’s blunt nature, many females on the capital star had PTSD, some even specifically toward their males. Using drugs to suppress instinct was uncomfortable, but not impossible.

Chu Xiu lazily rolled over: “Aren’t I already solving that problem?”

He rubbed his hair against Yi Xi’s waist, tickling him a little, so Yi Xi had to hold the male’s head steady to keep him from moving around.

Yi Xi asked, “What?”

Chu Xiu tilted his head back. “Desensitization therapy.”

He explained, “According to StarNet’s records, even if a male zerg touches you over clothing, it makes you uncomfortable, right? But now, we’re touching like this over clothing, and you’re not uncomfortable, are you?”

He counted off one by one: “Then we start like this, sticking close. At night when we sleep, we stick close. When you go to work and I bring you meals, we stick close. In the morning when you wake up, stick close. After you shower, like now, stick close. Gradually, you should get used to it, right?”

Yi Xi paused, softly saying, “But… that will take a long time.”

Females weren’t usually allowed to spend so much time leisurely.

Efficiency, patience, obedience, speed… Those were the virtues a female zerg was supposed to be praised for.

“Then it takes a long time,” Chu Xiu said, reaching out to hold Yi Xi’s waist and arching him into a comfortable position. “Anyway, we have plenty of time.”