SZAR Chapter 87

After the plane crash, Yi Xi thought his life was over.

It was clearly a premeditated accident: the rotor shaft of his aircraft had been replaced. The victim was a male Zerg from the old noble Chu family. There was no chance this would end well; he would have to pay a heavy price; money, status, even life.

Yi Xi had imagined countless outcomes, but he had never imagined his life ending like this.

Secretary Lin tried to comfort him, saying there might still be a chance, perhaps the male Zerg would wake up, and, seeing the massive fortune, accept him as a female monarch, leaving a dignified ending. But all such words stopped abruptly when the Zerg’s profile was laid out before him.

This male Zerg had a terrible reputation. He wore a spiky sea-urchin hairstyle like a rebellious delinquent, and his records were filled with words like violence, abuse, and torture, too many to list. Marrying him would only lead to an even more miserable ending.

So Yi Xi quietly began arranging his affairs.

He filled every hour with meetings. Because the moment he stopped, he would have to face the tragic future that awaited him. He spun like a top that never stopped turning, company strategy, investment plans, equity distribution… Before death arrived, he hoped to leave as much as possible behind for the company.

If everything went smoothly, Yi Xi would be able to finish all the arrangements before going to court. But the accident came suddenly.

That male woke up.

Not only did he wake up, on the very first day after regaining consciousness, he sent Yi Xi an invitation for a date.

Yi Xi thought this might be a warning.

The male was probably eager to see him, to torment him, to return the suffering of these past days a hundredfold.

Secretary Lin’s eyes were full of worry, but Yi Xi had no way out.

He chose a bar that male Zergs liked. It had excellent soundproofing and private rooms, ensuring that no matter what happened to him, no one else would see or notice.

While inspecting that bar, he felt a moment of pity for a very young Zerg behind the counter.

The Zerg stood behind the bartending station. On the counter was a prepared margarita. The icy blue liquor looked like a melting glacier. Yi Xi was slightly surprised. This drink was difficult to mix well; even experienced bartenders often struggled to get it right on the first try. Yet the one in front of him looked perfect, its color unbelievably beautiful. It was hard to imagine it had been made by such a young bartender.

This Zerg had not undergone his second awakening yet and was extremely young. The senior bartender had pushed him forward to serve guests. By accident, he spilled a drink on Yi Xi’s suit. The older bartender quickly shielded him behind his back. The young bartender looked stiff and frightened, but Yi Xi simply smiled and said it was fine.

The young bartender had dropped out of school because he lacked money. So Yi Xi gave him two million.

He had given away countless sums of two million before, but he had never imagined that this would become the most worthwhile transaction of his entire life.

The young bartender was a male Zerg. When Yi Xi’s pheromones spiraled out of control, the bartender brought him back home.

With unusually gentle patience, the bartender soothed his agitation. The orange-blossom scent of the liquor was warm and comforting, like an autumn afternoon. There was no humiliation, no torment in this calming process. Yi Xi simply relaxed under the bartender’s clumsy movements, his mind drifting, until he finally fell into a deep sleep.

He then woke at dusk, wrapped in soft blankets. The male Zerg was wearing an apron and cooking. His movements were relaxed and natural, so practiced that it seemed as if he had done this hundreds or even thousands of times before.

Yi Xi thought, So there really is a male Zerg like this in the world.

Although Cointreau was not of a high rank, he was far more charming than those high-ranked male Zergs. If Yi Xi’s future had not already been set in stone, he might have tried to pursue him and take this undiscovered treasure into his arms.

But in the end, it was only a luxury he could never have.

Yi Xi treated this chance encounter as the heavens’ final kindness. Before he was about to descend into hell, he had met a male Zerg like this and tasted such happiness once. For that alone, he was already fortunate.

An even greater twist happened on the day of the wedding.

The male Zerg did not attend, which was within Yi Xi’s expectations. After all, Yi Xi was the main culprit who had caused the male Zerg to be hospitalized. The fact that the male Zerg had not forced him to kneel in public at the wedding and merely left him waiting there was already a very good outcome.

But halfway through the ceremony, the male Zerg suddenly appeared.

He pushed through the crowd and walked toward the inner hall. He stopped Chu Jin’s improper hand, then gave Yi Xi a distant, formal salute.

He said, “Hello, I’m Chu Xiu.”

This was the second male Zerg Yi Xi had ever seen who would say “hello.” The first one was Cointreau.

Chu Xiu was nothing like what the files described. He was strikingly handsome, with elegant features and a naturally charming air. Gentle and well-mannered, his appearance and bearing could rival many noble female Zergs. It made Yi Xi start to wonder whether the intelligence agency of Stellar Group had made a mistake.

Chu Xiu helped him out of the awkward situation. He showed a clear attitude of protection and favor, which suppressed the guests who were restless and eager to make a move,  hoping to divide up Stellar Group. Then he brought Yi Xi home.

Even now, Yi Xi still did not know why he had fallen asleep on the aircraft.

Perhaps the male Zerg’s attitude had been too calm. Perhaps the music playing from the device had been gentle and soothing. Or perhaps it was the faint scent of cointreau in the air. He felt completely relaxed, and so he fell asleep peacefully.

So how did he end up lying on the bed in the master bedroom?

Yi Xi still remembered the shock of that moment. He even thought he had been sleepwalking, that the wedding and the handsome male Zerg were only imaginations in his mind. Otherwise, he should still have been in the aircraft, not already inside the master bedroom.

…Unless that male Zerg had carried him upstairs while he was asleep.

Chu Xiu was tall and slender. At the wedding he had rolled up his sleeves, and one could vaguely see the beautiful lines of his muscles. The smooth curves looked like rolling mountains. If it were him, then yes, he could certainly carry Yi Xi.

Yi Xi felt his face grow warm.

He was so much older than Chu Xiu, already a mature elder. Yet on the first day of the wedding, he had fallen asleep in the aircraft and troubled his young male lord to carry him upstairs.

…But why hadn’t Chu Xiu woken him up?

Yi Xi felt puzzled. Not to mention that male Zergs supposedly had weak physiques and would complain even about holding a pair of chopsticks, even if Yi Xi had fallen asleep, the male Zerg could have simply woken him. Or he could have left him in the aircraft and waited for him to wake up before entering the house.

As for what would happen after entering, whether he should kneel first or receive punishment first, that would be entirely up to the male Zerg.

The matter was so absurd that Yi Xi completely overlooked another possibility.

The male Zerg loved him. He could not bear to wake him, nor could he bear to let him sleep in the aircraft.

Yi Xi went downstairs with a bit of unease. Falling asleep had definitely been disrespectful, and being carried back by the male Zerg made it even more improper. He had prepared many words of apology, ready to confess obediently the moment he saw Chu Xiu. Judging by Chu Xiu’s behavior at the wedding, his days ahead probably would not be too difficult.

But fate gave him another surprise.

The male Zerg was wearing an apron, cooking in the kitchen. When he saw Yi Xi, he pushed a bowl of clear chicken soup toward him.

Just like that evening at dusk, when Cointreau had pushed a bowl toward him in the same way.

Yi Xi was suddenly startled. Only then did he realize that although their appearances were quite different, Chu Xiu and Cointreau shared the same delicate features; a refined face, a high nose bridge, and beautiful eyes. They were actually the same person. It was simply that the boy had grown up. His second awakening had made his figure taller and more upright, his aura sharper, and his clear jawline looked like the thin, rugged strokes of cursive calligraphy.

Yi Xi could no longer tell whether all of this was a dream.

For so many years before this, fate had never treated him so kindly.

At first, Yi Xi felt a little uneasy. The male Zerg’s reputation had been extremely bad, and their first meeting at the bar had seemed somewhat deliberate, like a carefully designed trap. But then Yi Xi thought again, he was alone, with nothing left. All his property had already been handed over to the male Zerg, and he now relied on the male Zerg’s mercy to live. If the male Zerg wanted something from him, there would be no need to weave such a trap.

So he allowed himself to sink into it without restraint. He thought that if, before dying, he could be loved like this, even if the love came from an unknown reason, and no matter how long it lasted, then he would have no regrets.

At that time, many people on StarNet placed bets, gambling on when Yi Xi would die at the hands of the male Zerg. Yi Xi watched as their wagers slowly piled up. Some said one day, some said seven days, some said half a month. The longest guess was no more than a year.

Before meeting Chu Xiu, Yi Xi himself had guessed half a month.

But seven days passed, then half a month, then a month, then half a year. Employees of Stellar Group came and went. The flowers in the office had already bloomed and withered for a whole season, yet the male Zerg showed not the slightest change.

Chu Xiu seemed as if he would never grow tired of this act of affection. He still cooked every day. Occasionally he would tease Yi Xi, making him try extremely difficult dishes. Then he would sneak around behind him, poking his head out to watch. When Yi Xi was at his wit’s end, Chu Xiu would secretly come up from behind and hug him, openly taking advantage of him under the excuse of giving guidance.

He was still thoughtful and attentive. He remembered every illness Yi Xi had, carefully considered their pheromone compatibility, and even took care of the stomach pains that female Zergs usually treated as nothing unusual.

It was a strange feeling. Clearly Yi Xi was the older one, yet he was being taken care of by a younger male Zerg.

Yi Xi thought that there was actually nothing about him that a male Zerg would desire.

Chu Xiu was handsome, polite, and meticulous. Even if his rank was not very high, he was still an ideal male countless female Zergs dreamed of. With just a crook of his finger, innumerable female Zergs would fall to the ground before him. They would serve him the way attendants served an emperor, offering him endless treasures. He could marry one, two, or even ten of them, and the wealth they brought him would be enough to rival Stellar Group itself, rather than spending his precious years on Yi Xi, an aging female Zerg whose body was already full of illnesses.

So Yi Xi had always felt a faint sense of unease, until later, when Chu Xiu broke through A-rank, and then advanced again to S-rank.

For a time, the male Zerg’s fame was unmatched. He became one of the only two noble male among the Zerg, the most talked-about male Zerg in the entire Zerg race. With his striking appearance and astonishing wealth, Yi Xi had no choice but to change his private phone number during that period to deal with the sudden surge of calls. His friends nearly wore out his doorstep,  and old acquaintances advised him:

“Yi Xi, your persistence has no meaning. You won’t be able to keep the position of an S-rank male Zerg’s female monarch steady. It’s better to accept the newcomers sooner. Generosity is a virtue every female Zerg should have.”

Of course Yi Xi knew that. No one understood it more clearly than he did.

If this had been before the marriage, he would have gladly welcomed those female Zergs into the household to share the male Zerg’s anger and pressure. But now, to accept it without any resentment, he simply could not do it.

Chu Xiu had already spent so much time with him. They ate together, slept together, exchanged hugs and kisses. Every morning they watched each other wake up, and every night they fell asleep beside one another. The male Zerg’s affection was sincere and burning. Once he had felt that kind of warmth, the lonely thirty-odd years he had lived before felt even more unbearable.

To gain something and then lose it, nothing is more painful than that.

So Yi Xi rejected every invitation. Amid curses that called him “someone who doesn’t know what’s good for him” and “a man with death right before his eyes,” he endured alone for a long time. Those young female Zergs had so many advantages, youth, beauty, and family wealth, while the only card Yi Xi held in his hand was the male Zerg’s love.

From a businessman’s point of view, this was a game of cards that was doomed to lose. The best choice would be to admit defeat early and step away from the table. Otherwise, once the whole game collapsed, he would lose everything and be left with no place to stand.

But Yi Xi had a strange intuition, the male Zerg would not let him lose.

So he remained seated at the card table, refusing to retreat even a single step. But soon, an immovable heavyweight opponent arrived at the table, the royal family.

Yi Xi knew that it was time for him to withdraw.

There were not many ways he could help the male Zerg. This should be one of them.

The benefits of marrying into the royal family needed no explanation. A noble title, overwhelming wealth and honor. But what Yi Xi never expected was that Chu Xiu was unwilling.

Chu Xiu’s unwillingness was obvious. His resistance was written plainly on his face. In Yi Xi’s heart, joy and loneliness mixed together. The joy was that the male Zerg truly loved him. The loneliness was that the young male Zerg did not yet understand what the royal family meant. Once he understood its meaning, he would eventually make the correct choice.

Now, Yi Xi had to help him make that correct choice.

But Chu Xiu cried.

It was the first time he had cried. Lying on the bed, silent tears fell as if he had suffered an overwhelming grievance. Yi Xi was completely at a loss. All he could do was hold his back and comfort him softly.

Yi Xi thought that this was only because a child did not want to leave a familiar place. Once he explained it clearly, once he pointed everything out, the male Zerg would understand.

But that was not the case.

Chu Xiu spoke in a confused and disordered way, revealing all the ugly parts of his past without holding anything back. As Yi Xi listened to him talk about those past events, his heart ached faintly. He could hardly imagine that this gentle and lovely male Zerg had endured so much suffering and grievance.

Yi Xi thought, If only he had come earlier. I would have protected him well.

And from that day on, Yi Xi suddenly realized that the male Zerg’s attachment to him was no less than his own attachment to the male Zerg. Just as Yi Xi had once carefully worried about the future before and after the wedding, the male Zerg had also, at that same time, feared that he might not receive Yi Xi’s affection.

How strange, a male Zerg fearing that his female monarch might not like him.

But who could possibly not like Chu Xiu? Cointreau was the most adorable male Zerg in the world.

At some point, Chu Xiu stopped crying and began clinging to Yi Xi again in a spoiled manner. He took out the cocktail tools at home, tilted his head, and asked:

“If you can accept my past, then would you be willing to drink a glass of the cocktail I make?”

Yi Xi nodded gladly. Chu Xiu’s fingers moved swiftly up and down, his expression focused as if he were shaping a piece of art. A moment later, he pushed forward a glass of ice-blue cocktail.

A Margarita, mixed with Cointreau, tequila, and lemon. The drink shone with the color of a glacier.

It was the same drink Yi Xi had seen in front of Chu Xiu the very first day they met at the bar.

Sour with a hint of sweetness, with a long lingering aftertaste. The fragrance of orange blossoms drifted through it.

Yi Xi had tasted countless famous wines in his life, but this was the best drink he had ever tasted.

 ………………

『dapotaturs note: Arc 2 ends. Arc 3 next: Qu Xia x Erwen』

A Brilliant but Socially Clueless Scholar × A Restrained, Self-Controlled Admiral in His Second Marriage

OR

Top Student Male Zerg Pretending to Be a Female Student to Enter School x The Cold and Stern Admiral Acting Gentle in Front of the Male Zerg