SZAR Chapter 78

The next day at noon, 《Yi Xi’s Home Meals Today》 went live on schedule.

But the background wasn’t the usual Stellar dining hall; instead, it was a delicate little kitchen, with a wide Western-style island topped in pure white marble. The Male Zerg wore a little brown bear apron and hummed leisurely as he worked.

Without Yi Xi around, Chu Xiu’s speed increased several times. He chopped, cooked, and flipped the ingredients in one smooth flow, the knife clattering rhythmically against the board, making viewers hold their breath.

【 Help! Why is Chu Xiu, a single Male Zerg, so skilled with a knife? He’s better than me! 】

【 …I’m so scared he’s going to cut himself. 】

Chu Xiu was in a good mood, and his cooking was relaxed. A flare of the flame, the vegetables cooked just right, a dash of oyster sauce, mild yet balanced in flavor and nutrition. His flipping of the pan was casual and elegant, clearly a skilled hand.

At first, the live comments praised his cooking skills. But as he continued, another type of comment started dominating.

【 This is so strange. Why is he this good at cooking? Did he suffer abuse at the Chu family? 】

【 Chu Dian wouldn’t actually refuse to feed His Excellency, right? 】

【 That’s possible. After all, he was previously misjudged as F-rank. I heard His Excellency was never liked much by his family.  】

Chu Xiu had almost forgotten about Chu Dian’s family entirely. Right now he was riding high in success. The Yi Xi he longed for was lying in his bed, only half an hour ago, he had been in his arms. Because of that, Chu Xiu’s mind was filled only with his own partner, and he couldn’t even remember that he had a nominal father lying in the hospital on an IV drip.

He had no idea the livestream comments were already flooded with messages of feeling sorry for him. He followed the routine, finished today’s dishes, placed the plates on Si Si’s head, and had him carry them into the bedroom.

Yi Xi’s fatigue period was even more intense than Chu Xiu had expected.

From last night until now, he had remained groggy. The biological clock he had maintained for more than 20 years had completely stopped working. By the time Chu Xiu went downstairs to cook, Yi Xi still hadn’t woken up.

Chu Xiu went upstairs, trying not to make any noise. He didn’t know whether sleeping this long was normal, but not eating for so long certainly wasn’t good. So he made two light vegetable dishes and a bowl of porridge, then gently pushed open the door.

Yi Xi was awake.

He was leaning against the bed, not wearing his glasses, staring vaguely toward the door. When he saw Chu Xiu, a faint, gentle smile appeared on his lips.

Chu Xiu placed the food on the table. “When did you wake up?”

Yi Xi picked up his chopsticks and replied softly, “When you left.”

He answered quickly, and with complete honesty. Chu Xiu looked at him in surprise. Yi Xi’s emotions were usually restrained and subtle; it was rare for them to show so openly.

Under Chu Xiu’s gaze, Yi Xi seemed to realize this a moment later. He instinctively pushed at the bridge of his glasses, only to notice they weren’t there. So he simply smiled. “Sorry…”

Yi Xi didn’t even know why he was apologizing. But under Chu Xiu’s burning gaze, he couldn’t help turning his face away and focusing on the soup in front of him.

Chu Xiu had chosen the dishes according to that fatigue-period guide, focusing on gentle nourishment. Yi Xi’s stomach still felt weak and uncomfortable, but the bowl of soup soothed it well. The rice grains were soft, the lotus seeds slightly bitter, it was obvious the male Zerg had put real care into making it.

After they finished eating, Chu Xiu called Si Si to clean up and asked Yi Xi, “Do you still want to sleep?”

Yi Xi nodded.

So he lay back down on the warm bed. The male Zerg tucked the blanket around him carefully and set the air conditioner to the most comfortable temperature. The faint scent of orange blossom still lingered in the air, left over from the night before.

Chu Xiu looked at him with concern. “Your complexion looks really bad. Do you feel terrible?”

Yi Xi first shook his head. After a moment’s pause, he nodded again.

He did feel a little uncomfortable, but it wasn’t unbearable.

Many female Zerg said the first night wasn’t actually the hardest part, the fatigue period afterward was.

At that time, hormone levels changed rapidly, and the long-turbulent mental sea was guided for the first time. Female Zerg would feel exhausted deep in their bones. They became more fragile than usual, more sensitive to pain, and needed more rest. But male Zerg rarely showed them mercy. Even during the fatigue period, they still had to deal with endless household tasks, endure all kinds of unreasonable demands from their male, and sometimes even face punishment. Countless female Zerg spent nights without sleep during their most miserable time, kneeling in the garden, the basement, or outside the busy front gate where people came and went.

Yi Xi also felt quite unwell. His mind was tired, and every muscle in his body felt sore and weak. But no one was ordering him to kneel in the garden or the basement. Instead, he was wrapped completely in soft blankets. Chu Xiu’s pheromones surrounded him. The male Zerg had prepared food for him, brought him water, tucked in the blanket, and then asked gently, with worry on his face, whether he felt uncomfortable.

Chu Xiu reached out and touched his forehead. “You have a slight fever. But from what I’ve read about the fatigue period, it should be normal.”

The male Zerg had even gone to look up information about the fatigue period for him.

Yi Xi lay there lazily, feeling a long-forgotten sense of peace, like lying under the sun on a beach. He didn’t want to think about anything anymore; rank, status, or anything else. He only wanted to lie here and watch his male Zerg.

The fever during the fatigue period also made female Zerg prone to dehydration. The jug beside the bed was already empty. Chu Xiu stood up to refill it, but before he reached the door, he heard Yi Xi call softly behind him:

“Cointreau…”

This voice sounded different from Yi Xi’s usual calm and gentle tone. It carried a slight nasal sound and a soft, clingy warmth. Chu Xiu turned back. Yi Xi had half sat up and was looking in his direction.

“Are you leaving?”

“I’m not leaving.” Chu Xiu lifted the kettle slightly. “I’m going to pour some water.”

Yi Xi said, “Let Si Si do it.”

He shifted a little to the side, making space for him. “Cointreau…”

So Chu Xiu sat back down on the bed.

Yi Xi looked up at his male Zerg and held out his hand. Chu Xiu quickly took it. The moment their skin touched, Yi Xi let out a soft sigh.

Chu Xiu asked, “Do you want me to sleep with you?”

“….” Yi Xi rubbed his temple, as if the request was a little hard to say. Although it was common for female Zerg to depend on their male during the fatigue period, someone like him doing so was rare.

After a pause, Yi Xi said, “If you’re not here, I can’t sleep.”

Chu Xiu immediately brightened with joy.

Female Zerg in the fatigue period lacked a strong sense of security. Some even had an ancient Zerg instinct called “nesting,” meaning they would seal themselves off completely and allow no one near them except those they trusted. Modern female Zerg were similar. On one hand, their bodies depended on the male Zerg’s pheromones; on the other hand, their minds instinctively rejected the male’s presence. If they didn’t need the pheromones, they usually wouldn’t want to stay near a male Zerg.

But Yi Xi wanted to sleep beside him, he couldn’t even sleep without him.

So all of Chu Xiu’s afternoon plans went completely down the drain. He spent all his time in the bedroom, while Yi Xi slept almost the entire time. Yi Xi’s sleeping posture was very proper, both hands folded over his chest, like the cursed Sleeping Beauty in a fairy tale.

Although he slept deeply, it was as if he had a special radar tuned only to Chu Xiu. Whenever Chu Xiu stepped out of the room, Yi Xi would wake up immediately. Even then, he wouldn’t call for him, he would simply stare blankly at the doorway until the male Zerg returned.

As a result, Si Si handled all the lunches and dinners these days.

Yi Xi’s fatigue period lasted nearly half a month. It was more serious at first and gradually improved later, but Chu Xiu still tried to stay in the room as much as possible.

Since Chu Xiu rarely left the room, 《Yi Xi’s Home Meals Today》 naturally stopped updating as well. After two days without a livestream, the netizens grew restless, and all kinds of speculation began to spread.

【 Why did His Excellency Chu Xiu suddenly stop cooking? I was still waiting for his recipes. The earlier dishes were all so delicious. 】

【 So strange. The background of the last livestream was different, it should have been at home, right? It felt like he was taking care of the big boss during the fatigue period. 】

That comment sparked a huge discussion.

【 Wait, you really think a male Zerg would take care of a female Zerg during the fatigue period? 】

【 I thought from the start that it was all an act for the stock market. After all, the stock of Stellar Group also involves male Zerg investors. It dropped so badly, of course he’d feel bad and try to raise it again. 】

【 But now the stock has already gone back up… 】

Their discussion drifted further and further off course, eventually turning into: 【 The male Zerg has finished acting and doesn’t want to continue the performance anymore. The program is completely abandoned, and the big boss is about to fall out of favor. 】

The comment section was filled with sighs:【 Losing favor during the fatigue period… how miserable that must be for the big boss. 】

But these comments quickly disappeared without a trace, because someone had spotted Chu Xiu at the Imperial Hospital.

Due to his pheromone-disorder illness, Yi Xi went to the hospital about once every half month. sometimes for examinations, sometimes to adjust his medication. This time, it was because of the sudden change in hormone levels after the fatigue period.

Yi Xi was a regular patient at the hospital and was very familiar with the process. He led Chu Xiu to the doctor he usually visited. The senior specialist adjusted his thick reading glasses and froze slightly the moment he saw Yi Xi’s complexion.

He sounded a little surprised. “Sir, it seems you’ve been doing quite well lately.”

Back when Yi Xi had just been in the car accident, he had looked visibly haggard. His face had been filled with exhaustion, his whole body worn down. The nonstop work and his illness had almost pushed him to the limit. The doctor still remembered the last time he had seen him before the wedding. Yi Xi had requested an increased dosage of the medication.

At that time, the doctor had warned him seriously that increasing the dosage again could very likely lead to death. Even so, the doctor had still written the prescription for him.

Female Zerg often had their own unavoidable difficulties. Unless they had truly reached a dead end, who would willingly abuse medication?

Besides, even if the doctor hadn’t prescribed it, Yi Xi might not have survived for many more days anyway.

Back then, the doctor had even believed that it would be the last time he ever saw the gentle and refined leader of Stellar Group.

But now Yi Xi stood before him again, calm and composed. He chatted softly with the person beside him, as if the illness was no longer troubling him.

After examining Yi Xi, the doctor shifted his gaze to the person beside him.

In the past, it was always Secretary Lin who accompanied Yi Xi for his checkups. Every time that secretary took the medical report, he would sigh heavily, his face looking even gloomier than Yi Xi’s. But the person standing here today was clearly not that secretary.

The doctor pushed up his reading glasses. The moment his vision focused, he was suddenly startled.

This Zerg was young and handsome;but more importantly, there were no insect markings on his neck.

This was a Male Zerg!

A male Zerg accompanying Yi Xi to a medical checkup?

Chu Xiu had no idea about the doctor’s shock. He took the report from the doctor’s hand, naturally said “thank you,” and then began studying the professional medical terms on the sheet with full concentration. Beside him, Yi Xi lowered his gaze to look at him, his eyes filled with a gentle, indulgent smile.

The doctor continued observing.

The male Zerg was wearing a fitted sweater. With a slim waist and long legs, he was taller than most male Zerg. He matched quite well with the image people had rumored about Yi Xi’s male lord. The doctor thought to himself, Could this be the Chu Xiu everyone on StarNet has been talking about?

《Yi Xi’s Home Meals Today》 had an extremely wide audience and had already become a viral sensation. Many young viewers were so absorbed in the sweetness of the couple that they nearly fainted from excitement. Even someone of the doctor’s age had heard bits of the gossip.

When the entire network had been discussing it before, the doctor hadn’t believed Chu Xiu would treat Yi Xi well. He had only thought those young people were naïve and had yet to see how harsh the world could be, they would sooner or later get slapped in the face by reality. But hearing is false while seeing is true; now that the evidence was right in front of him, he could no longer doubt it.

For Yi Xi’s illness to stabilize so quickly, Chu Xiu must have taken great care to nurture him. And Yi Xi had just come out of his fatigue period, yet his spirit looked so good, this clearly had a lot to do with Chu Xiu’s careful care.

Just as people on StarNet had said, this male Zerg was carefully taking care of his female monarch.

“Sir Yi Xi, although your hormone levels are still somewhat abnormal, they are improving. Compared to the time you came to me for your previous checkup, they are already much better,” the doctor said with satisfaction.

“It’s just that your illness had lasted for a long time, so it can’t be fully adjusted all at once. But as long as this gentleman”—he glanced at Chu Xiu—“as long as this gentleman continues to cooperate, it won’t take long before your hormone levels return completely to normal.”

Yi Xi nodded. “Thank you for your trouble.”

They thanked the doctor and left the hospital together. Chu Xiu carefully unfolded the report and saw that most of the indicators were now close to normal. Then he remembered the first time they had met in the hospital, the report Yi Xi had been holding back then, filled with alarming red numbers everywhere. For a moment, it felt like a lifetime ago.

At that time, Yi Xi’s body had been riddled with problems, like a piece of jade covered in cracks, ready to shatter at the slightest touch. But now, this warm, gentle jade had become Chu Xiu’s exclusive treasure. The cracks on it had been carefully repaired, now barely visible.

Chu Xiu murmured, “That’s great.”

He tilted his head and quickly kissed the corner of Yi Xi’s lips.

Mine!

I fixed him!

He’ll always be mine!

Yi Xi couldn’t help but laugh softly.

Their scene of leaving the hospital together was captured by a passerby’s camera. The person politely asked whether they could post the photo, and after receiving permission, uploaded it to their personal page.

The photo quickly went viral, spreading across the internet with tens of thousands of shares. In the picture, Chu Xiu held the medical report in one hand, looking radiant as if he had just encountered some wonderful news. Yi Xi watched him with a smile in his eyes, gently shaking his head, his expression both indulgent and helpless.

They walked down the street arm in arm. The setting sun cast a golden glow over them. Anyone who saw the photo could sense a strange atmosphere between them, spreading outward with the two of them at the center, both unreal and vividly real. It felt as if everything else had been shut out, leaving only the two of them in the world.

It was love that could not be restrained.