Chapter 45

Time passed bit by bit.

As Reis kept talking nonstop there, the air pressure around Pei Rui continued to drop steadily.

“Why does it suddenly feel a bit cold?” Reis touched his nose, then turned his head and accidentally locked eyes with Pei Rui.

He successfully caught sight of their General, whose lips curved up slightly, revealing a smile that was eerily sinister and sent a chill straight down his spine.

Although he was rather thick-headed, the alarm bells in his mind were already blaring wildly.

Reis opened his mouth, then shot Jing Chi an apologetic glance.

“Cough, I suddenly remembered I have something to do. I’ll head over there for a bit, okay?”

He signaled with his eyes, patted Jing Chi’s shoulder on his way out, and then darted to the back in a flash—that speed was so quick it seemed like this kind of scene happened all the time.

Jing Chi raised his eyebrows slightly, finding it somewhat amusing.

“Have you heard enough?” Pei Rui frowned, noticing how brilliantly Jing Chi was smiling. “What did he say? You two were chatting so happily.”

There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Jing Chi didn’t reply right away. Instead, he stared straight at Pei Rui, scrutinizing him carefully.

After a moment, he slowly said, “I just realized how amazing you are.”

Jing Chi’s tone was utterly sincere, his beautiful eyes brimming with admiration for Pei Rui.

This straightforward, unabashed praise caught Pei Rui off guard for a moment.

He had heard such words countless times from other insects, and Pei Rui usually didn’t think much of it. He even felt that reaching this level as a military female was effortless, and those who couldn’t were either too useless or not ambitious enough.

But hearing it from Jing Chi made him feel a spark of pride in himself.

“Not bad.” The female insect shifted his gaze slightly, replying with feigned restraint. Though his expression remained indifferent, the corners of his lips curved up almost imperceptibly.

“By the way, have you ever thought about finding a male lord?” Jing Chi probed cautiously.

After all, now that they were heading to the Main Star, Jing Chi recalled the original plot’s progression.

On the day of his twentieth birthday, the Insect Clan Grand Ceremony would be held.

Jing Chi wanted to follow the initial plot and expose the Fake Crown Prince’s identity that day.

That way, he could crush Lantis underfoot at the insect’s most triumphant moment, making all those exhaustive assassination attempts worthwhile.

There were less than two months until his birthday now.

Jing Chi didn’t want to risk directly telling Pei Rui that he was a male insect. What if this insect’s disgust for male insects outweighed his fondness for him? That would be a disaster.

Besides, letting the insect discover it gradually would make for better adaptation—and, of course, it would be more interesting.

After some careful thought, Jing Chi decided he should start subtly hinting to Pei Rui from now on that he was a male insect.

First, by testing the waters.

Pei Rui hadn’t expected Jing Chi to ask such a question. He frowned, and the mere thought of those nauseating male insects he’d encountered before soured his expression immediately.

“No,” he replied coldly. Even those two short words made his dislike for male insects obvious.

Pei Rui felt Jing Chi wouldn’t ask this out of nowhere, and a certain idea flashed through his mind.

The good mood from Jing Chi’s earlier praise vanished in an instant. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze darkening as he asked nonchalantly,

“Could it be that you want to find a male lord on the Main Star? Or perhaps you left the Desolate Star with me just to find one?”

As he voiced these words, Pei Rui grew even more convinced he was right.

Though he told himself deep down that this was normal and he should support Jing Chi,

that moment’s sour pang was something he couldn’t ignore. He’d clearly planned before to endure it alone, letting the female insect find a male insect to safely weather the mental riot period.

But if it really came to that, Pei Rui wasn’t at all sure he could bear watching Jing Chi with another male insect without a fuss.

He also didn’t want to see Jing Chi compromising himself in some remote corner of the world for another male insect.

Even now, the female insect could barely tolerate Jing Chi just having such a thought.

Jing Chi hadn’t expected his single sentence to send Pei Rui down such a bizarre train of thought.

He quickly waved his hands, touched the tip of his nose—feeling a twinge of guilt from the secrecy—and said, “No way, how could that be? That’s not it at all.”

Hearing this response finally softened Pei Rui’s expression a bit.

But he didn’t want to hear Jing Chi continue on the topic either.

“There are still a few hours until we reach the Main Star. You can rest here with your eyes closed,” he reminded faintly.

In truth, Jing Chi wasn’t sleepy at all—thanks to Pei Rui, he had slept very well the night before.

He wanted to say more, but seeing the female insect across from him quickly close his eyes, Jing Chi could only shut his mouth.

After all, he had noticed the faint dark circles under the female insect’s eyes. Jing Chi figured this insect must not have slept well last night.

Any ordinary female insect suddenly kissed by another “female insect” would have trouble sleeping, of course.

Several hours slipped by. Jing Chi hadn’t felt sleepy at first, but with nothing to do and the warship swaying gently now and then, he actually dozed off.

When Jing Chi slowly opened his eyes again, the first thing that met his gaze was the female insect’s handsome profile.

The female insect’s eyes were tightly shut, his posture impeccably upright. Even in repose, he carried the bearing of a military female, without a hint of laziness or slack.

Only then did Jing Chi realize he had been resting his head on Pei Rui’s shoulder. He didn’t sit up right away, instead taking a moment to study Pei Rui closely.

His eyes lingered on the female insect’s long, delicate lashes, and an itch stirred in Jing Chi’s fingers. Unable to resist, he reached out—but just as his hand neared the female insect’s cheek, Pei Rui’s eyes snapped open.

Caught in the act just as he was about to misbehave.

Pei Rui’s gaze fixed on Jing Chi’s hand. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Jing Chi yanked his hand back and straightened up, shaking his head. “Nothing.”

“Oh. Nothing, then? Let’s go.” Pei Rui didn’t press the issue, rising smoothly to his feet. He said nothing about offering his shoulder as a pillow, only adding coolly, “We’ve arrived at the Main Star.”

With that, he strode off. But his silence didn’t deter Jing Chi from asking.

Jing Chi hurried to catch up, falling into step beside Pei Rui with a smile tugging at his lips. His eyes fixed on Pei Rui, he asked casually, “So how did I end up leaning on your shoulder?”

Pei Rui shot him a glance, then looked straight ahead, replying offhandedly, “Coincidence.”

“Coincidence, huh.” Jing Chi echoed the word with pointed emphasis.

Pei Rui couldn’t take it anymore; it felt like Jing Chi had seen right through him. He quickened his pace and called out to Reis, a short distance away. “Take Jing Chi to the Imperial View Garden first. I’ve got some business to handle.”

The first part was for Reis; the second, for Jing Chi.

In moments, the man’s figure disappeared from view.

Jing Chi rubbed his chin, noting how quickly Pei Rui had left.

Reis walked over, baffled by Pei Rui’s abrupt exit. “Why’d the General rush off like that? I don’t remember any urgent business with the team.”

Well played. Deputy General Reis had sold out their General in two sentences flat.

Jing Chi let out a light chuckle and covered for him. “Something must’ve come up suddenly.”

“Oh, right, right.” Reis nodded, buying it without question. Then he remembered Pei Rui’s instructions, and surprise lit his face. “The General wants me to take you to the Imperial View Garden?”

Jing Chi had no idea what the Imperial View Garden was. Frowning slightly, he asked, “What’s that? Something wrong with it?”

Reis shook his head vigorously. “No issue, no issue at all. Let’s walk and talk.”

Jing Chi could tell from his expression that it was very much an issue, but he nodded anyway.

As they went, Reis kept stealing glances at him until Jing Chi’s skin crawled. Finally, he spoke up. “Deputy General Reis, spit it out if you’ve got something to say.”

Reis couldn’t hold it in. A natural chatterbox, he sighed and launched in. “The Imperial View Garden? That’s where the General lives now. He isn’t close with his family—moved out on his own after turning twenty.”

“You probably know this, but the General’s got a thing about cleanliness. He doesn’t like other insects in his home. Even I’ve only been there a handful of times these past few years, and usually only for special reasons.”

“I figured, you’re the General’s lifesaver, first time on the Main Star, no place to crash—I was gonna invite you to stay at my place for a while.”

Reis clicked his tongue. “But nope. The General puts you right in his own house. Suddenly my spot in his heart feels shaky. He used to single me out for special treatment. Breaks my heart.”

He pulled a mournful, aggrieved face.

Imagine a burly, muscled guy hitting you with puppy-dog eyes?

Jing Chi managed a polite, awkward laugh.

“Kidding, kidding! Haha, gotcha, right?” Reis switched back to his usual bluff-and-bluster self.

Jing Chi rubbed his forehead in exasperation. He wanted to say: No, not gotcha—blinded. Eye-searingly so.

The moment Pei Rui returned, the news grew wings and flew. Soon, every insect on the Main Star who cared to know was in the loop.

Those insects who had been vaguely worried about Pei Rui soon breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course, there were insects who couldn’t stand Pei Rui and hoped he would never come back.

Most of these were male insects—especially a few who had once humbled themselves to propose marriage to Pei Rui, only to be rejected without mercy. Having lost face, they nursed a grudge against him ever since.

In their eyes, Pei Rui was no selfless Empire General devoted to the cause. He was just an ungrateful female insect.

Meanwhile, Lantis—who had been keeping close tabs on Pei Rui—immediately learned of his return.

One arm hooked around the sub-female’s slender waist, he gazed off into the distance.

“You’ve finally come back,” he murmured softly.

This time, without that meddlesome male insect in the picture, he would never suffer the fate of his previous life. And Pei Rui, the exalted Empire General and invincible God of War, was destined to become his female consort—writhing and moaning beneath him.

To see such a proud female insect reduced to begging at his feet, utterly dependent on his whims… It would be sweet revenge for the humiliation of that previous life, when this very insect had brought that male insect into the fold.

The thought excited Lantis more and more.

The sub-female beside him draped himself over the male insect’s neck and whispered in his ear, his voice soft and coquettish. “Highness, who are you saying has returned?”

Thanks to his rebirth, Lantis had learned from past mistakes. These days, his temper was milder; he had mastered the art of putting on a pleasant face for outsiders.

But the more he restrained himself, the more twisted he became.

His bedroom techniques grew ever more brutal, yet once they left the bed, he would soften again, fussing over the female insects with gentle concern.

These scraps of affection were enough to leave them dizzy with infatuation. In their eyes, for the lofty Highness to show care for lowly female insects like themselves made any prior suffering fade into irrelevance.

Lantis looked at the adoration shining in the sub-female’s eyes and sneered to himself.

Foolish female insects—all of them danced to his tune. His downfall in the previous life had been his own naivety, nothing more.

As if bestowing a gift, Lantis kissed the sub-female’s lips. Then, in a tone that was half-joking and half-serious, he replied, “Why, the female insect who’s destined to become my consort, of course. He’s not nearly as obedient as you, but that’s fine. I prefer the defiant ones—breaking them in is so much more entertaining.”

The word “breaking” made the sub-female tremble.

He was infatuated with the male insect, yes—but he still feared him. He knew all too well how vicious that “training” could be.

“What’s this? Don’t tell me you dislike it?” Lantis’s smile lingered, but it carried a sinister chill.

The sub-female hurriedly masked his fear and leaned in, pressing fawning kisses to the male insect’s lips. His voice turned even sweeter. “How could I, Highness? It’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Only then did Lantis accept the kiss with satisfaction.

~~~

Pei Rui’s departure had only been a pretext to begin with, but shortly after he left, a message arrived from his male father, Pei Heng.

Reis had given him a spare light brain back on the warship.

He hadn’t expected the first word from home to be a curt order to return immediately.

It stood out awkwardly amid all the other messages of concern, laced as it was with command.

Pei Rui’s lips twisted in a sardonic smirk.

But thoughts of his consort father and little brother tempered the impatience in his eyes.

He replied to Pei Heng first, then found Reis in his contacts and messaged him to show Jing Chi around the Main Star.

By the time Pei Rui arrived at the Pei family estate, the lively chatter in the living room fell silent the moment he stepped through the door.

At last, a voice shattered the quiet.

“Well now, Pei Heng. Your star eldest son is finally back.”