SZAR Chapter 120

Qu Xia hung up Sylph’s communication and buried his head in the pillow.

As he did, one thought kept running through his mind: “It’s over, it’s over.” Then another: “Heaven is destroying me!” Finally, he suddenly rolled up from the bed, sneaked out quietly, and crept over to the Admiral’s door.

Qu Xia knew that Erwen didn’t want to get married. Otherwise, given the Admiral’s power and status, even if it were a second marriage, plenty of male zergs would still rush forward to flatter him.

But now, without even asking the Admiral for permission, he had suddenly submitted that application. Erwen would definitely feel offended.

If Erwen ended up thinking that Qu Xia was just like the other male zergs, someone who didn’t respect personal wishes, someone who would seize what he wanted by force, then…

Qu Xia: QAQ

He absolutely didn’t want to be hated!

Qu Xia crouched outside the Admiral’s door. He didn’t know whether Erwen had already seen the message. Feeling uneasy, he didn’t dare knock directly, so he pressed his ear against the door and secretly listened for any movement inside.

From the bedroom came the sound of running water.

It was close to bedtime. Erwen was probably taking a shower.

Qu Xia felt awkward leaving, but staying wasn’t any better. He wanted to explain everything before Erwen saw the email, yet waiting outside someone’s door while they were bathing also felt extremely creepy. So he just stood there blankly, his expression shifting between shy and confused, his thoughts wandering far away.

And while he was spacing out like that, Erwen suddenly pulled him inside.

The Admiral had sharp ears and keen eyes. He had noticed every little movement of the male bug. The other had been pacing in front of his door, acting sneaky, clearly looking like he had something to say.

“Eh—eh—eh?!”

Qu Xia staggered when he was pulled, almost falling straight into Erwen’s arms. He quickly steadied himself, lowered his eyes, stood up straight, and looked obedient.

Erwen wore loose sleepwear draped over his body. He held a bath towel in his hand, and droplets of water were still falling from his hair, soaking part of the fabric. He looked at Qu Xia with a hint of helplessness.

“It’s so late and you’re not sleeping. What’s wrong?”

Qu Xia glanced at his expression from the corner of his eye. Seeing that Erwen’s face looked normal, without any special reaction, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In a timid voice, he said, “Nothing… it’s just… um… I couldn’t fall asleep.”

He still didn’t have the courage to mention the matching matter.

Erwen casually hung the bath towel to the side and asked, “Did the events this afternoon scare you?”

At that time, the Prince’s pheromones had been in chaos. His expression had been twisted and frightening, and combined with that wild, unrestrained laughter, it really had been a bit terrifying.

Qu Xia nodded rapidly, like pounding garlic: “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.”

In truth, he wasn’t scared of that. Back when he used to watch 《Resident Evil》 with his senior brothers and sisters, he had seen far more terrifying expressions. But since he felt guilty, this was the only excuse he could think of.

Erwen sighed softly and asked, “Then… do you want to sleep with me tonight?”

Qu Xia: “Mm-hmm… hm?”

His voice suddenly rose in pitch. His beautiful eyes widened like a deer’s.

“W-What?”

Erwen seemed not to notice the male zerg’s embarrassment. He walked straight into the room, pulled open the soft quilt, then sat down on the bed. Tilting his head up to look at the male zerg, he asked, “If you’re scared, do you want to sleep with me?”

The half-dry sleepwear clung lightly to his body, outlining the shape of his waist and abdominal muscles. His long silver-gray hair hung down, and his dark teal eyes carried a faint smile… Qu Xia bit his lower lip slightly.

He followed his heart.

“…Yes.”

The male zerg edged closer bit by bit and climbed onto the bed from the side. He obediently took up a small corner of the bed and curled up there without moving.

Erwen turned off the lights, pulled the quilt over them, and lay down as well. The two of them slept on opposite sides of the bed, without any physical contact.

Qu Xia buried his face in the blanket, his heart pounding like a drum.

How could he possibly fall asleep?! How could he possibly fall asleep like this?!

The Admiral beside him remained completely still, his breathing steady, as if he had already fallen into deep sleep. Qu Xia’s mind waged an inner battle, and he quietly inched a little closer.

He reached out and grabbed the hem of Erwen’s clothes.

The Admiral did not react.

Qu Xia waited for half a minute, then edged closer again. This time, he touched the Admiral’s arm.

The Admiral still didn’t move.

In the endless darkness, Qu Xia gradually grew bolder.

He moved closer to the side, pressing his whole body against him, then rubbed against him with satisfaction.

Warm.

Qu Xia didn’t notice at all that the steady breathing beside him had already stopped.

The Admiral was holding his breath.

His courage grew bigger and bigger. He even stretched out his arms and wrapped them around him entirely. Qu Xia had already prepared his explanation for tomorrow morning, he would just say that his sleeping posture was bad and he couldn’t control himself. Anyway, Erwen probably wouldn’t get angry over something like that.

But in the darkness of the night, the Admiral caught his hand.

Erwen let out a soft sigh and guided Qu Xia’s hand upward until it touched the buttons of his sleepwear. Unhurriedly, he unbuttoned them, revealing his collarbone and a broad expanse of his chest. Qu Xia’s hand trembled twice, his breathing suddenly quickened, and then he abruptly pulled his hand back.

He scrambled backward with a thud, his back pressing against the headboard. His trembling finger pointed at Erwen. “Y-you you you…”

Clearly he had been the one acting boldly and lustfully first, yet now he looked like a respectable woman who had just been wronged.

Erwen turned his head to look at him. The moonlight fell across his sharp brows as he asked with slight helplessness, “Didn’t you already submit a forced matching request?”

The contract had already been formed. There was already the name of marriage between them. Just unbuttoning a few buttons, why react like this?

Qu Xia stammered, “I-I-I…”

He was timid and weak. The little secret in his heart had been exposed, and he didn’t even know how to explain it. Opening his mouth, he finally squeezed out one sentence:

“I—I—I pressed the wrong button.”

Erwen paused. His emotions were hard to read as he repeated, “Pressed the wrong button?”

Qu Xia was almost about to fall off the bed. He looked like he wanted to cry but couldn’t.

“Y-Yes, yes, I pressed the wrong one. I’m sorry, Admiral. I didn’t mean it. I had absolutely no intention of forcing you. If you’re unwilling, I’ll submit an application to the matching central system. If the system refuses, I’ll go to the Male Zerg Protection Association… If you don’t want this, I…”

He was truly terrified that Erwen would think he was the kind of male zerg who ignored others’ wishes and forced himself on them. So he began to promise again and again like a chick pecking rice,  his words stumbling over each other.

Erwen sighed once more.

Qu Xia mistakenly thought Erwen didn’t believe him. Immediately, he pressed his five fingers together and raised his hand toward the sky as he swore, “I promise, I absolutely didn’t mean to disrespect you. If I did, then I—mmph—!”

The Admiral pressed down on him.

He was already much taller than Qu Xia. Now, bracing one hand against the headboard, he completely trapped the male bug beneath his shadow, giving off an unexpected sense of pressure.

Erwen maintained that posture, yet his voice remained calm and steady as he said, “I didn’t say I was unwilling.”

Qu Xia was still rambling, “You have to believe me, I absolutely didn’t have any intention of—ah?”

Erwen repeated, “I’m not unwilling.”

He pulled the trembling male zerg closer and placed his fingers against the exposed skin at his collarbone. Then he asked, “Do you know how?”

Qu Xia had already gone blank.

He asked dumbly, “Know how to do what?”

Erwen sighed again.

“It’s fine if you don’t. I can teach you. My grades in every subject were A+.”

Qu Xia couldn’t understand why grades had suddenly come up. He was so nervous he looked like a mole being stared at by an eagle, trembling as he asked, “What A+…?”

Erwen didn’t answer directly. The older one completely took the initiative. He cornered Qu Xia against the wall and guided him to undo the buttons of his clothes, letting those trembling fingertips trace over every raised contour. Qu Xia’s brain completely crashed. Then he heard Erwen give a small laugh and say:

“Teaching a male zerg how to do this kind of thing—also A+.”

Teaching a male zerg how to do this kind of thing?

Those words suddenly snapped the male bug out of his frozen state. He didn’t know where the strength came from, but he shoved Erwen away in one push, jumped off the bed as if fleeing, and shook his head.

“No, no, no. It shouldn’t be like this.”

Damn this zerg world! How could something like this have classes? How could there be courses for it? Exploration and pleasure between lovers, how could it be turned into a set procedure, with rules on how to please someone?

Erwen sat up.

All the buttons of his shirt had already been undone, revealing a large area of bare skin. Yet he didn’t seem to care at all. He simply looked calmly at the male zerg, his expression carrying a quiet question.

Qu Xia’s gaze drifted away. “At least… it shouldn’t be now.”

He stammered, “Well, um… I looked it up. After that kind of thing, there will be a long period of discomfort. Especially the second time, the mental sea will instinctively resist, so it’s even more uncomfortable than the first time, and the fatigue period is also longer. So a lot of preparation is needed beforehand, like getting good rest, eating light food, and afterward there also needs to be proper care…”

As Qu Xia kept talking, his speech gradually became smoother, and the tone slowly shifted toward something like an academic discussion.

These things were what he had learned from Chu Xiu. The other was a relationship expert on the Star Network, and Yi Xi also had problems with his mental sea, so he understood these matters thoroughly. He had told Qu Xia that the Admiral’s mental sea already had issues to begin with, and he had also gone through many unpleasant experiences before. There were probably many hidden injuries, and the fatigue period would likely be much harsher than that of ordinary female zergs.

Erwen laughed and looked at Qu Xia. “I’m a military female.”

Military females were famous across the entire interstellar space for their endurance. His rank was high, and he was even entering a second marriage. Injuries that could make ordinary female zergs feel like they were dying meant very little to him. On the second day of the fatigue period, he could still go to the battlefield with injuries. Yet Qu Xia’s attitude made it seem as if he were some inexperienced young zerg who had never faced hardship.

“No!” On this matter, Qu Xia was surprisingly conservative. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest and clutched his clothes as if someone might snatch them away. “At least… at least it has to wait until after we’re married!”

Most male bugs in the zerg race lived recklessly,  but Qu Xia didn’t want to leave that kind of impression on Erwen. They should hold a grand ceremony, exchange rings under the officiant’s blessings, and kiss each other in front of their relatives and friends. Only after completing all those rituals could they move on to the next steps.

Erwen didn’t speak.

He sat at the edge of the bed, his gaze deep and heavy. Qu Xia stiffened his neck and stared back at him, refusing to give even an inch.

After a moment, Erwen was the first to concede.

He shook his head slightly. “Xia Xia, we will get married, and we can have a wedding. But there won’t be an officiant’s blessing, and we won’t invite relatives and friends to attend.”

He looked calmly at Qu Xia. “If you’re with me, you may not have an Empress.”

Qu Xia froze. His arms dropped, and he even forgot to hold his clothes. Dully, he asked, “Why would you say that?”

If there was a wedding, shouldn’t there be blessings and family present? What did that have to do with being an Empress?

Erwen said, “An investiture requires approval from the Elders Council, and the Council won’t agree.”

Qu Xia understood.

He blinked, then blinked again. After a moment, he asked carefully,

“Um… Erwen, if I say I could choose not to become Emperor, would that make you happy?”

Before Erwen could respond, Qu Xia looked around nervously and spoke quickly, “Well, um… didn’t I pick up a younger brother? His brain isn’t very good right now, but it can be treated. Once he’s cured, he should be pretty smart.”

There had never been stupid people in the royal family. Every one of them was extremely shrewd. The late emperor and the Prince might have been bad, but they certainly weren’t foolish. Qu Xia himself had nothing to do with stupidity either. Once he cured the little crown prince, with the royal family’s genes, he shouldn’t turn out stupid either… right?

Erwen paused. “You want to give the throne to him?”

“I—I guess that’s not impossible?” Qu Xia said softly. “You’ve probably noticed, I’m not really cut out to be an emperor. But once the young crown prince is cured, he’ll basically be a blank sheet of paper. We can teach him. I can act as something like a regent, and when the time is right, we’ll just go travel around and enjoy the scenery.”

Erwen sighed again.

He thought to himself, Forget it. The First Army’s military power is still in my hands. No matter how the situation changes later, protecting Qu Xia won’t be a problem. I might as well let him do what he wants.

So Erwen nodded slightly. “If this is your wish, then it’s fine.”

Qu Xia beamed with happiness.

He slowly backed toward the door and waved goodbye to Erwen. “Then it’s settled! For the wedding, I can invite an officiant and my friends now, right?”

The male zerg had just given up an imperial throne, yet he was still thinking about the wedding.

Erwen didn’t know what to say. He simply nodded. “Alright.”

The male also said, “Alright!”

He stepped out of the room and was about to close the door, but suddenly remembered something. He quickly opened it again. Under Erwen’s questioning gaze, he fidgeted awkwardly for a while before saying in a small voice:

“Um… that thing… we should save it for that time before doing it, okay!”

Erwen: “……”

What else could he say? All he could do was respond with helpless indulgence, letting his chest fill with a strange mixture of sourness and fullness, then nod and sigh.

“Alright—”